Chapter 45: I’m Sorry, Miss Adelle

The train slowly decelerated, and the retreating scenery outside the window gradually slowed down. It was already night.

“Dounia?”

“Mmph…” Dounia let out a muffled grunt.

“Time to wake up, we’ve arrived,” Adelle gently brushed Dounia’s hair aside and poked her cheek.

“Mmm-hmm…” Dounia responded.

Adelle smiled somewhat indulgently, gently pinching Dounia’s cheek and tugging it to the side.

“I just fell asleep not long ago…” Dounia complained.

She had to work in her dreams and work in reality; she was too tired!

“You’ve been asleep for almost a day. Get up quickly; the train has arrived,” Adelle said, patting her body, urging her.

Dounia reluctantly sat up, a hint of resentment reflected in her ruby-like eyes. She slowly turned her head to look outside.

It was truly dark now. Bright yellow lights illuminated the train interior, and passengers were taking down their luggage from the racks, slowly departing along the aisle.

“Are we going to travel through the night?” Dounia inquired.

“Yes,” Adelle replied. “The sooner we deliver the energy core, the better. That way, we can take that train straight back. Otherwise, we’ll have to buy new tickets.”

“So thrifty…” Dounia stuck out her tongue. “Didn’t you say it would be reimbursed?”

“Train tickets are more expensive than snacks,” Adelle glanced at her. “Put on your clothes; it’s still snowing heavily outside.”

“Okay…”

Dounia pulled Adelle’s warm suit jacket tighter around herself.

Adelle and Dounia got off the train, exited the station, and walked straight into the forest, following a small path.

“Will we get lost?” Dounia asked, curious like a child on their first camping trip. “Will we be eaten by wolves?”

Adelle put down her map and glanced at her again.

“You might be eaten by wolves, but I won’t.”

“Eh!!! Then I’ll carry the lantern. Please don’t abandon me!” Dounia exclaimed, snatching the lantern and clutching Adelle’s hand tightly.

Adelle’s lips curled slightly as she continued to use the compass to navigate.

The two traversed the coniferous forest. Around them, there was only the howling cold wind and the crunching sound of their steps in the snow. If not for the ‘Imbue Fire’ effect, they would probably have to wear thick fur coats to barely move forward.

‘Extraordinary powers are truly amazing.’
Dounia sighed in her heart. Wrapped in Adelle’s suit jacket, her body was as warm as if she were in an electric blanket; she felt no chill at all, except on her cheeks.

After walking for about a few kilometers, Dounia started to feel a bit tired.
Her arm, holding the lantern continuously, ached, and her feet began to feel uncomfortably sore.

“Adelle… how much further… are we almost there?”

“About a third of the way,” Adelle confirmed their current location.

“I’ve never walked this far in my life…” Dounia said dejectedly. “Can we rest for a bit?”

“You’re an Executioner.” Adelle glanced at her, silently took the lantern from her hand, allowing Dounia to link her arm with hers. “If you really encounter a dangerous situation where you have to walk hundreds of miles with enemies chasing you, what will you do?”

“Eh!? That kind of dangerous mission would never be given to me, alright?” Dounia retorted.

“That’s still not allowed,” Adelle insisted. “We’ll rest after another third of the distance.”

After walking a bit further, Dounia felt her soles, wrapped in socks, were sore and red from being rubbed.

A faint pain spread, and her hand gripping Adelle’s grew heavier and heavier.

Towards the end, Adelle was almost dragging her along.

“No, I can’t walk anymore…” Dounia bent forward, her face buried in the thick snow.

“Then I’ll leave you here to feed the wolves, alright?” Adelle threatened.

“Then I’ll turn into a Sealed Artifact and curse you to slip every time you walk in the snow,” Dounia said in a “vicious” tone.

Adelle burst into laughter.

‘How could there be such a childish Sealed Artifact?’
She pulled Dounia up, then brushed the accumulated snow from her face, looking at the pouting Dounia with her flushed cheeks.

“Then hold me tight. I’ll carry you,” Adelle said, extinguishing the lantern and crouching down.

Even she herself wondered why her disdain for Dounia was disappearing so rapidly. Perhaps it was because Dounia wasn’t the one at fault, but rather her own prejudices.

Dounia was just a young girl after all; compared to other children her age, she was perceptive enough and quite sensible.

Dounia wrapped her arms around Adelle’s shoulders, and Adelle held Dounia’s legs, lifting her onto her back.

“You don’t need a lantern?”

“The lantern is for you to see, and for others to see,” Adelle said. “The pathway I belong to, Sequence 9, is called ‘Dark Kin.’ Darkness only makes me stronger.”

“Oh…” Dounia realized.

No wonder they were traveling at night; it turned out Miss Adelle was good at night combat!

“Say more, say more,” Dounia urged curiously.

“I can’t,” Adelle replied with a smile.

“Eh? Why?”

Adelle was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Have you ever thought about what you’ll do after Miss Violet’s illness is cured?”

“Hmm… I’ll continue to stay in the Bureau’s psychology department to do research, perhaps become an instructor or something,” Dounia said offhandedly, making an excuse. “It seems Fia also values that quite a bit?”

“Actually, being an Executioner or a Surveillance Officer isn’t bad either,” Adelle advised.

Dounia slightly narrowed her eyes.

‘Miss Adelle seems not to want me to get involved with the psychology department? Is it because it’s dangerous? Or does Fia have some special plan?’

The two fell silent again, only the crunching sound of walking in the snow continuously echoed.

Adelle suddenly walked to the side. Only as they drew closer did Dounia see the extinguished stone campfire.

“Is anyone here…?”

“Doesn’t seem like it.” Adelle bent down, set Dounia down, and picked up a piece of firewood, sifting through the campfire’s embers to inspect them. “It’s been at least half a day. It might be a temporary base for nearby hunters.”

She took out her flint and steel, lit the fire, and then took out a few cans from her luggage, placing them on the stone campfire.

Wisps of cooking smoke gradually spread, and the aroma of food awakened Dounia’s hunger.

Click—

Adelle used her dagger to open the cans, gently slicing the contents into even thin pieces. Each slice gleamed with an inviting luster, pinkish with a slight sheen of fat.

She carefully picked up a piece of luncheon meat and offered it to Dounia’s mouth.

Dounia hesitated for a moment, then bit the meat slice with her teeth, swallowed it, and began to chew.

Fragrant meat juices burst forth in her mouth, the aroma of spices intertwining with the scent of meat, creating a unique and intoxicating flavor.

“Another piece,” Dounia happily waited to be fed.

Unbeknownst to them, a certain level of trust had already been established between them.

Dounia looked up at the lonely starry sky; this cold world also had a beautiful side.

The stars were like brilliant jewels embedded in black velvet, densely scattered across the entire firmament. Each star shimmered with a faint yet steadfast light, as if countless eyes were watching the earth.

A wide and hazy Milky Way stretched across the sky, its stars twinkling erratically, as if it were the shimmering ripples of flowing river water.

‘Could she ever return to her old world?’

‘Was there really someone waiting for her in her old world?’

A faint melancholy echoed in her heart. Dounia looked at Adelle, who was busy by the campfire, and a surge of warmth rose within her.

But for the smooth progress of the mission, and to not expose her identity as an Emissary of Pleasure, she had to let Maria restrain Adelle.

“I’m sorry, Miss Adelle.