Chapter 102: The Strategic Deception

The oppressive darkness of night began to recede, a faint sliver of dawn—the color of a fish’s belly—piercing through.

As the tower clock chimed, the Monster Hunt Exercise was officially declared over.

Lovelenica had already retrieved the crosses belonging to Lucia and the other two when she returned to the tower. The trio rested there until the six o’clock bell chimed.

Imeline was unscathed, and Lucia, possessing her own unique abilities, had both largely recovered. Attestor, despite regaining some stamina, had sustained numerous injuries, necessitating further treatment and ample rest upon their return to the Royal City.

From Lucia’s perspective, Lovelenica also appeared to have suffered minor injuries and was completely depleted of magic. Her wounds, however, seemed significantly less severe than Attestor’s, and she too had seemingly recovered almost entirely.

In reality, Lovelenica’s weakness was merely an act.

Even though it was past six o’clock and the Monster Hunt Exercise had concluded, the Specters within the Lost City would not vanish even in daylight.

Each area within the Lost City had its own Guardian. Upon the ringing of the bell, all participants were required to immediately proceed to the Guardian’s tower in their respective zones and hand over their crosses.

Following this, they were to accompany the Guardian onto the city walls, which were absolutely safe from Specters. From there, they would each follow the walls back to the initial city gate to regroup.

The area Lovelenica and her group currently occupied was deep within the Lost City. Leading Lucia’s squad, Lovelenica moved them towards the city walls.

Her feigned weakness meant she still possessed ample strength to protect Lucia and the others. She actively cleared their path, sweeping away all obstructing Specters.

Before long, they successfully ascended the city walls.

As Lucia and her companions had not fully recovered, Lovelenica did not press them to move quickly.

Observing Attestor’s somewhat shaky gait, Lovelenica once again approached her side and, without hesitation, knelt before her.

“Come, your injuries are severe. Let me carry you.”

“What?”

Attestor was startled by Lovelenica’s sudden action and words. Previously, when she had been injured, Lovelenica had nearly dragged her away without a word; now, she was doing it again.

While Attestor’s opinion of Lovelenica had shifted slightly, it hardly meant they were close. What exactly did Lovelenica mean by offering to carry her?

“Miss Lovelenica! I’m injured, but I’m not paralyzed! Don’t imagine me to be so fragile!”

“Tsk…”

Lovelenica was somewhat displeased. At Attestor’s current limping pace, it would take forever to return to the city gate from here.

Her offer to carry Attestor was primarily motivated by a desire to hasten their return.

If they took too long to come back, others might assume something untoward had occurred, leading to another round of complications.

Moreover, Attestor’s injuries were considerable. If she forced herself to rush back like this, suffering any lasting sequelae would be detrimental.

In the original story, Lucia had attributed Attestor’s death to the original body. If Attestor were to develop lasting issues, such as an inability to continue cultivating, Lucia might very well blame Lovelenica once her identity was revealed.

However, the most crucial reason Lovelenica wished for Attestor to avoid lasting sequelae was her previously conceived plan to seize the Crimson Skull.

Lovelenica hoped to see a war erupt between the Arcadia Kingdom and the Hillebach Duchy, prompting the Arcadia Kingdom to reclaim the Crimson Skull.

At that point, the Arcadia Kingdom would undoubtedly dispatch professional teams to the battle.

Lucia and her companions were seventeen this year and would soon turn eighteen. In the Arcadia Kingdom, eighteen marked adulthood, requiring a coming-of-age ceremony.

After this ceremony, these professionals would truly be able to step onto the battlefield.

In the original story, Lucia and her group followed the same path. Though Attestor remained forever seventeen, Lucia and Imeline relentlessly entered the adult world, swiftly joining the subjugation of Impure-level Fantasy Creatures.

On the battlefield, they would also form their own squads. In the original, Lucia’s team consisted only of herself and Imeline.

Following the tragedy of the Monster Hunt Exercise, Imeline had resolved to learn to control spatial elements, leading to a significant increase in her strength.

Yet, no matter how much stronger Lucia and Imeline became in the original, Attestor would never return.

Now, however, things were different. Attestor had survived, and Lovelenica believed that after the coming-of-age ceremony, the three of them would continue to team up.

Lovelenica held high hopes for this team’s strength. Furthermore, if all went as expected, with Lucia as the Saintess, their team would very likely participate in future campaigns against the Hillebach Duchy, with Lovelenica leading them.

Given the current configuration of her team, Attestor’s presence was indispensable. Only she could provide frontal defense and protection.

Thus, Lovelenica genuinely wished for Attestor to avoid any lasting sequelae.

‘Why was she still trying to be strong? The Monster Hunt Exercise was over. If they ambled back, who knew when they’d arrive? The guardians would surely think something had happened and come looking for them from the city.’

“There’s no need for that. We can just walk faster.”

With that, Attestor bypassed Lovelenica and quickened her pace.

However, as her steps hastened, Attestor felt a sharp pain from her back. The wound stretched from her shoulder blade to her waist.

Though the bleeding had stopped, even a slight movement of her legs sent agony through her lower back.

“That’s why I said, don’t push yourself.”

Lovelenica stopped Attestor, whose expression was far from comfortable.

“I admire how you endured your injuries to protect Imeline just now. However, pushing yourself unnecessarily like this is simply draining your own strength. If you were to suffer any lasting sequelae because of this, it would be a complete loss.”

“You, Lucia, and the others will form a team to continue fighting Fantasy Creatures. This rest now is so you can protect them better later. Do you understand?”

Listening to Lovelenica’s words, Attestor finally halted her stumbling steps, her expression softening.

Lovelenica was right. The battle was over; there was no need to act tough now. Their true enemies were the Fantasy Creatures.

Even if her relationship with Lovelenica wasn’t ideal, they were still comrades under the same roof, fellow humans, and professionals of the Arcadia Kingdom. There was no need for conflict in this situation.

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