Chapter 10: The Mentor’s Revelation and a Capital Under Siege

“I am Alena’s mentor.” Alice drew her slender, jade-like hand from the water, shimmering droplets slowly trickling down. “Every Traverser has a mentor. To put it politely, I’m a guide; to put it less delicately, I’m a supervisor.

“In truth, ever since the collapse of the ancient empire, Traversers like you have arrived from other worlds intermittently.” Alice’s gaze roved over Chloe’s face. “These Traversers often possess knowledge and power beyond the Elder Council’s control, with some even causing worldwide stirs. To maintain stability, the Elder Council dispatched agents to manage these Traversers and their activities.”

“Intermittently, you say—are there still other Traversers in this world right now?” Chloe asked.

“No, based on our experience, a maximum of two Traversers can appear simultaneously within a hundred-year span.” Alice leaned against a grotesque sculpture. “This means, apart from Alena, you are currently the only Traverser, and by far the most troublesome.”

“The most troublesome? Uh…” Chloe scratched her cheek. The steam rising from the spring blurred her vision and clouded her thoughts. She waved her hand to disperse the mist obstructing her view, then noticed Alice watching her with a peculiar gaze.

“You’re God-Chosen… Although Wuxu trusts you so implicitly, even granting you the status of an Elder for it, I believe you’re no different from other Traversers.” Alice spread her hands. “They all start by appearing so innocent, but once they find their footing, there’s nothing they won’t do.”

“Hmm, have other Traversers committed any heinous acts?”

“If you can imagine it, they’ve done it.” A playful, mocking smile graced Alice’s lips. “Are you unaware that the No-War Edict was specifically created to curb those recklessly expanding Traversers? They plundered lands, waged wars everywhere, amassed harems, lived in opulent mansions, leaving behind a trail of bleached bones. In the end, a few of them didn’t even care for the Elder Council.”

“And then you eliminated them?”

“You could say that.” Alice nodded. “In truth, only the initial few Traversers caused trouble for the Elder Council. Afterward, the Elder Council appointed mentors like myself to guide the Traversers’ actions. If a Traverser harbors any evil intentions, we execute them immediately.”

Alice made a hand-chop gesture across her own neck.

A chill crept down Chloe’s spine.

“Then, was Alena giving me that letter of appointment also at your behest?”

“No, she acted on her own initiative.” Alice shook her head. “She foresaw your arrival through magic and specifically lent you a hand. It’s because she used Elder magic that she’s been targeted by those in the Elder Council.”

“I am deeply sorry for that.”

“It was her own choice.” Alice sighed deeply. “Are you satisfied now? Shouldn’t I be allowed to enjoy my soak in the hot spring?”

“But you still haven’t explained your relationship with Alena.” Chloe suddenly grew inquisitive. She hadn’t expected Alice to reveal so much information, only to divert the conversation. Could there truly be something between them…?

Bang—Crash—

Chloe and Alice rose almost simultaneously. The smell of charring, the sound of collapsing buildings, and faint, distant cries followed in quick succession.

“What’s happening? Aren’t we in the capital?” Chloe’s first thought was that an enemy had invaded. She hastily tried to put on her robe, but the robe was too loose and simply wouldn’t stay on.

“Here, take this.” Alice tossed Chloe a linen robe. While not as splendid as an Elder’s robe, it was decent enough. “You should refrain from revealing your Elder status too often from now on, or you’ll attract the attention of the Original Order Keepers. Those people delight in hunting Elders.”

Chloe quickly donned the robe. Embarrassingly, it barely covered her upper body, leaving her lower half completely exposed.

“Tsk, to mess up at a time like this.” Alice grumbled. She pulled out a pair of black underwear from seemingly nowhere and handed them to Chloe.

“Wear these for now, it’ll have to do.” Alice had already changed into her golden-red robe; she herself didn’t seem to fear the Original Order Keepers. “Your noble friend should be awake; let’s go check outside first.”

Going out wearing only underwear… that would be perverse enough even as a man, but now that she was a woman…

As Chloe ran towards the door, she frantically tried to pull the robe down further to cover her underwear.

What kind of humiliation was this?

The two walked out of the hot spring area, finding Lady Xina was nowhere to be seen.

“Let’s go; don’t worry about her for now. She probably heard the commotion outside and left already.” Alice urged Chloe.

“Don’t you have any other pants I can change into? Even a skirt would do!” Chloe really didn’t want to go out onto the street dressed like this.

“Oh, come on, this is just a hideout; why would I have so many things prepared for you? Hurry up, the streets are chaotic anyway, what’s there to be afraid of?” Alice stamped her foot in exasperation. “This could be the Elder Council sending people to hunt us down!”

“Hunting? Hunting who?” Her mind reeled; Chloe couldn’t quite grasp what Alice was saying.

“Hunting down a traitor.” Alice took Chloe’s hand and rushed towards the door.

****

The two came to a halt inside Tomm Bell Tower.

“Isn’t this enough? Where else do we need to run?”

Norria pressed his hands against his aching knees. He estimated they had circled the massive city wall once already. His legs gave out, and he sank to the ground.

Compared to the exhausted and breathless Norria, Dorota showed no signs of fatigue. She narrowed her eyes, observing the surroundings.

Tomm Bell Tower, built a century ago, had long fallen into disrepair and had become a quarry for nearby residents. Now overgrown with weeds and completely deserted, dim light filtered through cracks in the walls, spilling into the bell tower’s interior, just illuminating the corner where the two stood.

“It should be safe here, right?” Norria managed to sit up. “And shouldn’t you be protecting the Prince? The enemy has invaded the capital!”

“I no longer need to protect him.” Dorota lifted her head slightly. “Because their target is you.”

“Wh—”

Before he could finish speaking, a chilling arrow whizzed past Norria’s hair. A sense of imminent danger, so close it vibrated in his ears, consumed him entirely.

“You missed.” Dorota said to the person hidden in the shadows.

“I was just toying with him; after all, our Count specifically ordered—alive.” The voice was incredibly shrill, as if deliberately pinched through the nose. Norria felt a lingering dread; he didn’t even dare to stand up again.

“Is this our agreed-upon location? Has the Count not arrived yet?” Dorota asked.

“Heh heh heh.” The laugh was as repulsive as a spider’s hiss. “The Count has been delayed and wants you to wait for him here. Of course, with our dear Prince.”

“Dorota, what’s going on? Who is this ‘Count’?” Norria stared in horror at the cold, detached girl before him. She was a stark contrast to the kind ‘big sister’ he had known.

“It will be over soon; don’t be nervous.” Dorota said blandly.

A coil of rope dropped from the bell tower. Dorota picked up the rope and bound Norria’s hands and feet.

“Aren’t you loyal to the Prince?!” Norria struggled to break free.

“Don’t resist; you know my capabilities.” Dorota leaned close to Norria’s ear. “And didn’t your mother teach you not to trust someone you’ve only just met?”

“You traitor!” Norria roared.

“This fellow is so noisy; cut out his tongue.” The repulsive voice added.

“Didn’t the Count want him unharmed?” Dorota tightened Norria’s bonds, then moved away from Norria and sat down, hugging her knees.

“But he didn’t say we couldn’t scare him half to death.”

Another chilling arrow struck right beside Norria’s foot.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a human target! Let’s have some fun with him!” The person drew another arrow and notched it to the string.

‘Is this where my life ends… Lady Xina…’

Before he could feel the next arrow flying, Norria lost consciousness.