Chapter 127 : Leave It All to Time

Hoo…

Thirty minutes earlier. Milly pressed herself against the wall, her small figure hidden by a toppled oak barrel.

A faint light flickered from under her tattered cloak. Ever since Stacy had appeared, the thorn sigil on her collarbone had come to life, glowing intermittently, as if someone were watching her. She knew, but she couldn’t stop it, nor did she have the time to care.

There were too many people searching for her tonight. Thanks to the false news Stacy had spread, adventurers and Church knights were all out, sleepless, hunting her.

To keep track of them, she had been using her God’s perspective. Now, she was exhausted and had to rest.

Her head was spinning. She waited for the dizziness to subside and peeked out. Phew… safe for now. The days of being hunted had taken their toll. She didn’t know if her pursuers were tired, but she was on the verge of collapse.

The long escape was finally coming to an end. By tomorrow night, at the latest, she would be out of here, out of Starlight City, away from everything.

Damn it. Since she had come to this world, nothing good had happened. It was either being tortured or waiting to be tortured.

To end it all, she had to leave this world. She knew the two key pieces of information, but she had no clue how to trigger them. And now, there was this countdown. Was it an ultimatum? Did she have to find a way to leave before it reached zero?

Or be buried with the world.

That was a possibility. Following that line of thought, she had a few theories about the nature of this world, and the strange, dissonant feelings she had had since she arrived.

As for how to verify them, she just had to find the demon territory. The answers would be there.

The hunters’ torches passed. She slipped out, a pale phantom in the darkness.

She had to get to the secret passage by the city wall, tonight. If she waited until tomorrow, who knew what new variables would appear.

After a few streets, her stamina gave out. She rested against a wall.

Three more streets to the secret passage. She was almost there. One last push after she recovered.

As she rested, she focused on the sounds around her. A faint light flickered at the end of the street. It grew brighter. They were coming her way.

Damn it, they were persistent.

She had to hide.

She wrapped her tattered cloak around her and melted into the darkness. She might have to hide for a whole day. But this place wasn’t safe. She had to find a new hiding place.

In the past few days, she had hidden in all sorts of places.

Dirt and grime didn’t bother her anymore. It was better than being locked in a cold cage.

The hunters’ torches passed by, their footsteps not even pausing. Phew… they hadn’t seen her.

The light faded. Milly was about to get up when her eyes fell on a nearby pile of trash. A half-eaten black bread lay among the rotting vegetable leaves.

Her stomach growled.

Since that day in the storm, she hadn’t had a drop of water or a crumb of food. Seeing the bread, she could barely move. If she didn’t eat it, she wouldn’t last the night, let alone tomorrow.

No one was around. She reached for the bread. The sound of chains dragging on the ground.

“Found you, little monster.”

A knight in the Church’s special silver armor blocked the alley. Milly’s eyes narrowed. Just one? He was asking for it. Although her electricity was almost gone, she could still squeeze out a little more, just like her barren chest… ugh, what a terrible metaphor.

“Come back with me. Accept the Church’s judgment. With the Saintess pleading for you, you’ll suffer less.”

Before he could finish, a bolt of lightning from her fingertips struck him down.

“Pah.”

The knight fell into a puddle. Milly stepped on his face. She knew who he was. Maurice. The one who had cursed her in the cage. Now that she was out, he had come after her.

She gave him a thumbs-down.

She had to get the bread and leave. If his comrades caught up, she would be in trouble.

As she reached for the bread, the air grew still, unnervingly silent.

The next moment, a familiar tendril shot out from the ground and knocked the bread away. She whipped around. Stacy’s figure emerged from the darkness, her silver hair gleaming in the moonlight.

“You’d rather pick up these things than stay with me, just for this…”

Stacy’s voice was low, filled with a suppressed emotion.

Milly hadn’t expected to see her here. But she had already made her feelings clear. Whatever Stacy wanted, her answer would be the same.

“There’s nothing left to say. Get out of my way.”

Stacy’s eyes darkened. Before, she would have been angry. But now, looking at the pathetic Milly, a strange emotion welled up in her. Was it… pity?

She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She had something important to do. To make Milly sign the contract. Although there was a selfish motive, it was mostly for Milly.

If she told her now, the little one wouldn’t believe her.

And the contract was special. Milly had to sign it herself. If she forced her, it would be invalid.

A bitter smile. She would have to be forceful. Milly already hated her. This would just add to it.

“You escaped just to pick up this? Twice now.” A mocking smile to hide her true feelings. Hearing Milly’s sharp retort, a second tendril shot out and wrapped around her neck. As Milly struggled, Stacy modified the pain ratio.

With Milly’s current condition, a little pressure was enough to make her feel suffocated. The rest of the pain would be borne by her.

Milly’s face flushed. The pressure was strange. Stacy seemed to be holding back, but the real suffocation made it impossible for her to think. She could only struggle.

“It seems Little Milly has forgotten what to call me.”

Her icy voice cut through the discomfort.

“Ma… Master…”

The survival instinct made her speak. The broken whimper was like a needle to Stacy’s heart.

Seeing her give in so easily, Stacy released her. As Milly fell, coughing, Stacy clenched her fists. She could have been gentler.

“If I go soft now, the little one will definitely run away. The next time we meet, she won’t even let me get close.”

“And next time, can I still be so harsh?”

Before, she had enjoyed her suffering. Now, this was so unlike her.

“Here, eat.”

She kicked the bread to her. Her throat was dry.

She saw the shame on Milly’s face, saw her stoop down in hunger. Just as she was about to bite, she took off her boot and stepped on the bread.

“Punishment is still necessary. How about this, if you please me, I’ll let you eat.”

She saw the hatred in Milly’s eyes, saw her stick out her pink tongue… what… what was she saying?

A tendril lifted Milly’s chin, separating them. Enough.

She took out the two parchment scrolls. “Here, Little Milly. This is your punishment.”

“Sign it.” Her voice was hoarse. “After all I’ve done for you, it’s so heartbreaking that you’re not grateful.”

Was her voice always this nauseating?

“Of course, if you sign it, I promise I won’t bother you anymore. You can also refuse.”

She leaned in close. A tendril wrapped around her. “Little Milly, you don’t want me to drag you back, do you?”

She stared at the complex runes on the scroll. There were two, identical.

“Don’t worry, it’s not a s*ave contract. Do you think I need that?”

She stared at Stacy, trying to use her appraisal skill.

As expected, it was useless. The text was blurry, with three question marks.

She couldn’t identify the scroll’s purpose. And from the moment Stacy had appeared, her methods were the same, but she felt a strangeness in them.

She touched the sigil on her neck. For a moment, she felt the same sensation as when she was being purified by the holy water, as if the pain of suffocation had been transferred. It was too absurd.

Stacy had always enjoyed her suffering. But today, she hadn’t shown any. It was as if she were forcing herself.

Was she mistaken? Stacy was just being herself. Why would she think there was a hidden meaning? And what did she want? To make her sign this?

“Why should I believe you?”

Milly’s voice was like a hissing cat.

“Now, Little Milly, do you think you have a choice?”

She gently grabbed her wrist and brought it to the scroll. “If you hesitate, I’ll assume you want to come home with me.”

This was the Stacy she knew. All her previous doubts were gone. It was all a trick, to let her guard down, for this?

“I’ll sign it myself.”

Stacy released her. Milly bit her finger and pressed her bloody fingerprint on the contract.

Stacy took the other one and did the same.

The next moment, the scroll dissolved into light and flowed into Milly’s body. Before she could react, she felt a strong current of electricity, as if she had been recharged.

“What’s happening?”

Before she could think, a blinding bolt of lightning shot from her fingertips, forcing Stacy to take a step back.

Not only that, but she felt the wound on her wing heal. She took the opportunity to fly away, toward the distant clock tower.

When the lightning faded, only a few white hairs remained in the alley.

Stacy stared at the empty alley, picking up a stray hair.

The night wind carried away her sigh. After all that, when had she become so awkward?

The moonlight cast a sad silver glow on her pale face. This was for the best. As for whether Little Milly would find out, only time would tell.

In the moonlight, her figure vanished. She had done all she could. What happened next, only time would tell.