Chapter 31: The Cultist’s Deception

Xiluo had, in fact, already committed a map of Karna City to memory. After all, a thorough understanding of one’s surroundings was an indispensable part of an assassin’s preparation.

As she mentally reviewed the map of the surrounding area, Xiluo’s suspicions solidified into conviction.

The path the carriage had taken offered no further divergences; if it continued straight, its only destination could be the City Lord’s Mansion.

Red, the leader of the gang, was secretly abducting citizens of Karna City and then delivering them to… the City Lord’s Mansion?

While this conclusion seemed utterly preposterous, a shiver unexpectedly ran down Xiluo’s spine the moment the thought crystallized.

This was because a specific individual came to mind. If the premise of ‘gangs kidnapping civilians and delivering them to the City Lord’s Mansion’ held true, then only one person’s involvement could possibly lend it any credibility.

Rona! Rona, whose true identity in the game’s plot was a cultist!

Considering Rona had been ‘busy’ investigating the disappearances recently, Xiluo felt the tangled threads in her mind begin to unravel.

A thief crying ‘stop thief’—only by being the first to shout could one better mislead the direction of an investigation, wasn’t that right?

Her thoughts seemed to clear dramatically, but before Xiluo could delve deeper, Irene suddenly tugged at her clothes.

“Cat Tail, someone’s coming!”

Her train of thought was instantly broken. Xiluo quickly looked in the direction Irene was pointing.

The sound of metal accessories on a knight’s uniform clanking in the darkness immediately told Xiluo, hidden in the shadows, that the approaching figure was Rona!

‘Damn it, how are they so fast?’

Xiluo had estimated the time, believing the City Guard patrol should still be a while away from this spot.

With no time to ponder, Xiluo and Irene exchanged glances. In a silent understanding, both retreated from the shadows, vanishing from the scene before Rona could spot them.

No sooner had they disappeared into the shadows than Rona arrived.

Her heavy knight’s boots struck the ground, emitting a rhythmic, weighty sound in the silent night.

Rona walked unhurriedly to the spot where Irene had cast the magic scroll. However, she was clearly not on patrol; there was no one behind her.

With an expressionless face, Rona scanned the surroundings before bending down to pick up a pinch of dust from the ground.

As the dust slowly sifted through her fingertips, Rona, a thoughtful expression now on her face, gazed in the direction the carriage had departed.

****

“Moreover, if it’s Rona, then many things make sense!”

Deep within the alley, Xiluo continued to explain her deductions to Irene, following her earlier line of reasoning.

“I’ve also looked into the size of Karna City’s City Guard these past two days. They’re very well-regulated. Even with a sound-dampening carriage, with so many disappearances occurring, it’s impossible for the City Guard to have found absolutely nothing.”

“But Rona,” Xiluo extended a finger and wiggled it in front of Irene, “Rona is the captain of the City Guard. Only her position would allow her to manipulate things without being discovered.”

“Hmm…”

Irene’s face took on a thoughtful expression.

“But if that’s the case, the timing doesn’t add up, Cat Tail.”

“According to you, Rona only arrived in Karna City two years ago, but the disappearances in the city have been happening for much longer than two years.”

“Sigh.” Xiluo sighed. “That’s the part I can’t figure out right now.”

“But for now, it’s the most likely…”

Xiluo’s words were cut short by the abrupt appearance of another voice.

“Indeed, it seems a few rats have snuck into the city recently.”

Xiluo and Irene both froze, then looked in disbelief towards the alley entrance.

It was Rona. How could she have tracked them down so quickly?

No, that wasn’t the crucial point. Xiluo was confident that she and Irene had left no trace; how could Rona have known someone had been in that spot earlier?

However, this was clearly not the time for such thoughts, as Rona had already drawn her long knight’s sword, which gleamed with a cold light.

“If you don’t resist, I can still give you a chance to talk properly…”

Xiluo and Irene exchanged a look, finding the same answer in each other’s eyes.

‘Split up and run.’

Before Rona could finish her sentence, several glinting throwing knives flew out from the alley.

By the time Rona instinctively dodged and looked up again, the two had already chosen different directions to escape.

Staring at the two figures rapidly disappearing into the night, Rona thought for a moment, then gave chase in one direction.

****

As an assassin, Xiluo was confident in her ability to escape, yet she dared not relax in the slightest.

This was Rona. Although Xiluo wasn’t entirely clear on Rona’s true strength, just recalling the monstrous boss battle from the game made her believe Rona’s own power wouldn’t be lacking.

Even with Irene by her side, facing Rona, Xiluo wanted to avoid leaving even the slightest flaw that could expose their identities.

Fortunately, Xiluo, who was rapidly navigating Karna City’s complex architecture, glanced back briefly and saw no sign of Rona; she didn’t seem to be pursuing.

‘I’ll take a few more detours, then head back to the Adventurer’s Guild once I’m sure I’ve shaken off my tail…’

Xiluo mused as she leaped over a low wall and dropped into a small alley.

Yet, after only a few steps, Xiluo stopped abruptly as if slamming on the brakes.

It was Rona again—Xiluo had no idea how she’d caught up, but the figure appearing at the alley’s mouth was unmistakably Rona.

“Don’t run. I know Karna City’s terrain much better than you do. It’s quite easy to take shortcuts and block your path in advance.”

“Otherwise, how do you think I found you just now?”

Xiluo gritted her teeth, unwilling to utter a single word to Rona. She flung several throwing knives and, with a sudden burst of speed, darted in the opposite direction, intending to repeat her old trick.

The clang of metal rang out, suggesting Rona had struck down the knives with her knight’s sword.

“Don’t bother. I purposely blocked you here.”

“Before I even went to that intersection, I alerted the City Guard to stand by.”

As expected, the sound of neat, rapid footsteps echoed from the other side of the alley—the City Guard was closing in.

An alarm blared in Xiluo’s mind. A tiger in front, wolves behind—this was not a good situation.

Without much time to think, Xiluo let out a ‘tsk’ and decisively chose to charge towards Rona.

Of two evils, choose the lesser. Breaking through Rona alone would be simpler than breaking through the entire City Guard.

How to escape after breaking through could be decided later; for now, the priority was to find a way out of here and avoid being trapped in the alley like a turtle in a jar.