To be honest, it’s evening right now.
The sky hasn’t completely darkened, but it’s not as bright as daytime anymore.
It’s not broad daylight, so having a few ghosts around is understandable.
However, as an excellent Necromancer, Ella knew very well that a lot of sinister winds in this world aren’t so simple—someone, or rather, some ghost is talking right beside you!
“Mm, you did well. You may go.”
After sending off the army’s Messenger, Ella quietly observed the room.
Not far away, Leah was resting on the sofa, letting out two bright and beautiful yawns.
The Little Witch next to her was yawning as well, looking very sleepy.
As for Celes, she had gone to help the army settle the civilians in the afternoon and had just returned, also resting.
No one was paying attention to her…
But she couldn’t possibly take out the Necromantic Sword right now.
Yes, no one was watching her at the moment, but if she really took out the sword, she would instantly become the center of attention.
“No… no. You… come with me.”
The voice in her ear was ethereal and faint, but she could barely make out the meaning.
Ella listened several times to be sure she hadn’t misheard, and her expression grew a little complicated.
How should she put it?
Voices from the Netherworld, though a bit distorted, always retain a unique sense of connection between the speaker and the listener—like you can just tell who they are to you.
And this voice, it had the feeling of a deceased wife reminisced in a memoir.
Ella didn’t have a wife, of course, nor a deceased wife, but she did have a female friend who could pretend to be dead.
“Zero,” she whispered, “is that you?”
“Yes, come with me.”
Alright, no doubt about it, it was this troublesome kid.
You want me to go, but how am I supposed to?
There are so many people in the command post, everyone’s watching me… though it seems no one is actually watching me.
Ella glanced around again.
The three girls were all resting, no one paying attention to her.
She stood up, pretended to head downstairs to the restroom, and slipped out of the Teahouse.
By now the sky was fully dark.
There was almost no one on the streets, only gusts of sinister wind blowing by her ears, leading her forward.
“This way, right? Alright, alright.”
***
Teahouse, Temporary Command Post.
Leah seemed to be yawning, looking utterly exhausted, but in reality, her eyes were secretly watching the pink-haired, thunder-girl.
Ella’s instincts weren’t wrong—someone was indeed watching her, just in a more subtle way.
Huh? Where did she go?
Leah didn’t doubt Ella’s stories today—knowing some Demon Tribe general as an old acquaintance and such—but she did have suspicions about something else: these days, Ella had often slipped out of her sight.
She didn’t know where she went—could she be meeting someone?
Hmm, just like right now, Ella’s gone, and Zero’s gone too. What are they doing out there so late at night!
No, I have to go find her.
Leah sprang to her feet and dashed downstairs, but she was still much too late—by the time she got outside, there was no sign of anyone.
No problem, she had other ways.
Miss Saintess pressed her palms together, carefully sensing the aura of light in the night—a pure and holy presence that came from her own body.
Found it, heading in that direction.
***
A few minutes after Leah left the Teahouse command post, Vina opened her peach-blossom eyes, all trace of sleepiness vanishing.
Two people went to the restroom, one after the other, and neither came back.
Did they think she was a fool?
The Little Witch immediately scooted over to the Sword Saint Maiden, who was in the middle of removing her armor.
“Celes, did you notice? Ella and Leah are both gone.”
“…?”
Celes didn’t understand at all.
So what?
“They left one after another. Ella just left, and Leah followed right after. What do you think they’re doing outside this late at night?”
Vina blinked her peach-blossom eyes innocently.
“You know, the two of them once lived together for half a month.”
“They were just staying at the Church,” Celes refuted instinctively.
“The Church is so big, they might not have even lived together.”
She realized after speaking—why did she have to deny it so quickly?
“Whatever, do what you want. Anyway, I’m going after them. Are you coming or not?”
“That… might not be a good idea…”
Before Celes could finish, Vina had already jumped up from her chair and dashed outside.
But just as she reached the bottom of the stairs, another set of slightly heavier footsteps followed her out.
“I’m just worried you’ll run into danger out there,” Celes said calmly.
“It’s already dark.”
Vina glanced at her.
“You put your armor back on?”
Seriously, are you really going to catch them in the act?
“I told you, I’m worried about your safety outside.”
To protect her companions, it was only natural to put on armor and bring her sword.
“Fine, whatever. Shh, I see Leah—she’s headed that way.”
Vina pointed with her small hand.
“Let’s hurry and follow.”
***
Ella had no idea what was happening at the command post after she left.
She simply followed Zero’s guidance forward.
An empty city, a silent night, walking beneath a shroud of conspiracy, with the calls of the Undead echoing in her ears—everything about this felt strangely comfortable to the Demon King.
It suited her identity perfectly.
“Zero, where are you taking me?”
“Don’t… just… follow me…”
They walked from the city center all the way to the outskirts, stopping in front of an old, abandoned shrine.
Ella looked up and saw that what stood before her was a shrine long left to ruin.
The faith in Harbor City was scattered and not very devout.
People would pray to anything when they needed something, and there were plenty of shrines whose names no one even remembered.
As for the one before her, it was on the very edge of the city, neglected and left to decay, with no one bothering to repair it or tear it down to build something new.
“This is the place?”
No answer—only the faint breath of an Undead.
So this must be it.
Ella didn’t draw her Necromantic Sword.
Instead, she found a spot to crouch down, pressed her fingertips to the ground, and quietly chanted—“Yin-Yang Concealment, Netherworld Evasion.”
A trace of violet flashed in her ruby eyes.
The scene before her changed—as if reality were a thin, colored film being gently torn away.
The abandoned shrine grew vast and dilapidated, tides of mist floating in the air, low, hoarse murmurs echoing all around.
The Temple of Yore, once destroyed in the real world, had been painstakingly shifted into the Netherworld by the Sea Demon Priest, leaving it in this eternally ruined state.
The Boundary of Life and Death hid this place on the reverse side of reality.
Without special means, no one could ever discover it.
Ella could see it, but without Undead Magic, she couldn’t interact with any of it.
If she reached out, her hand would pass right through the eaves and bricks of the temple, because in reality, there was nothing there at all.
A ponytailed assassin girl stood prettily at her side and said, “Based on a senior’s experience, I searched several suspicious places and finally found the temple’s location. It’s right here.”
Ella was stunned.
“But how did you—”
“Shh, don’t speak. Something might hear us. Just listen to me.”
Zero was worried there were eyes on Ella, but only voices from the Netherworld could go unheard.
“The Priest in this temple is going to conduct a Ritual tonight. You have to find a way to stop them.”