X
Join our Discord server and get release updates for every novel you follow.
Join the ServerGern was thoroughly choked by Xiao Ying’s words, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed.
Her entire being resembled a pufferfish, puffed up with indignation.
Seeing this, Xiao Ying felt a slight urge to laugh, while simultaneously muttering inwardly.
‘Hmm, what a truly adorable big sister. No matter how I look at it, she can’t be a boy, can she?’
Gern found herself at a loss. If she were to reveal her true form, she wouldn’t be able to disguise herself as a Serpentman, thus exposing her entire plan.
After much deliberation, Gern gritted her teeth. She had no other choice now but to steel herself and proceed.
She made one final adjustment to her appearance, then stood before the mirror, scrutinizing her reflection.
Perhaps it was the calm composure that settled over her, allowing a faint, cool aura to emerge. In this moment, Gern exuded a surprisingly masculine presence.
“Cough, mm-hmm…”
She cleared her throat, her voice emerging low and deep, indistinguishable from Quade’s.
Gern nodded with satisfaction, then turned to Xiao Ying beside her, whispering.
“Xiao Ying, what… your big si… brother is about to do is very dangerous.”
“Once we’re outside, you must listen to me. Pretend you’re my newly recruited little maid, and don’t let anyone discover our secret, alright?”
Hearing this, Xiao Ying’s pale gray eyes sparkled, and she asked with a hint of surprise.
“Is big sister going to teach those bad guys a lesson?”
“Cough, don’t call me big sister. Call me big brother, or even master. Either is fine.”
“Oh, big sister, can you tell me what we’re going to do later?”
Gern pressed a hand to her forehead, a hint of helplessness in her expression. This little girl was quite mischievous, rather similar in temperament to Hera.
‘If I brought her back, she would surely get along well with Hera.’
‘Cough, I’m overthinking it.’
Gern shook her head, then turned back to Xiao Ying, speaking earnestly.
“You must call me master, or privately, big brother. Don’t call me big sister, or if we’re exposed, we’ll both be doomed.”
“Ugh~”
Xiao Ying looked a little deflated, but her large, sparkling eyes remained fixed on Gern.
Having no other recourse, Gern concocted a casual excuse, explaining.
“These Serpentman soldiers are far too overbearing. Our mission this time is to punish evil and promote good, eradicating all those who oppress you.”
“However, not all of them are bad. That’s why we’ve infiltrated this place—to discern who among them are good and who are evil.”
Upon hearing Gern’s explanation, her image grew even grander in Xiao Ying’s mind, and the little stars in her eyes shone brighter.
Gazing at the little girl, Gern suddenly felt a headache coming on.
‘Truly, she didn’t know what madness had possessed her earlier. Wouldn’t it have been better to be a little more cold-blooded, just like in her previous life?’
While complaints filled her mind, Gern had no intention of sending Xiao Ying away. After relaying a few important instructions for later, Gern led Xiao Ying and the Serpentman squad leader to the entrance of the Serpentman encampment.
To convincingly portray a defeated retreat, she had deliberately made herself appear disheveled and miserable, truly resembling a noble scion who had suffered a crushing defeat and fled back in disgrace.
“Halt!”
Just then, a Serpentman soldier blocked Gern’s path, his sharp eyes fixed intently on her.
Gern felt a tremor of apprehension. Even with her extensive infiltration experience from her previous life, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of nervousness in this moment.
After all, she wasn’t alone this time, so feeling psychological pressure was entirely normal.
However, before the guard could continue his interrogation, another nearby guard suddenly widened his eyes, then smacked the first guard’s tail away, muttering, ‘Forgive him, please forgive him!’
Sweat was practically pouring down the second guard’s face. Quade was famously hot-tempered, and the guard feared that any perceived disrespect would displease this ‘plague god’.
Fortunately, Quade seemed slightly different today. He merely cast a disdainful glance at the fallen guard before striding further into the encampment.
Seeing this, the guard dared not obstruct him. He could only stand respectfully to the side, maintaining a subservient smile as he watched Gern depart.
Only after Gern’s figure had completely vanished from sight did he slowly exhale.
“Big brother, was that young master Quade Turner just now?”
“Lad, consider yourself lucky today, or you would have had a very rough time.”
The guard flinched, a shiver of lingering fear running through him. Quade was a notorious dandy among the Serpentmen, infamous for his explosive temper.
“Speaking of which, Young Master Quade looked quite disheveled just now. Something must have happened, right?”
“Hah, why bother with such questions? You and I are merely guards; we just need to do our jobs.”
“Oh…”
Following this brief interlude, Gern entered the military encampment with astonishing ease, a smoothness that even she found incredible.
This indirectly indicated Quade’s exceptionally high status within the army; otherwise, no one would have dared to forgo an inspection.
Fortunately, no one had touched her. The disguise pill provided by the Witch Guild didn’t actually transform a person into another entirely.
Instead, it created a mirage-like effect. Outwardly, she appeared identical to the person she was impersonating, but in reality, her true form remained that of a small Serpentwoman.
If someone were to conduct a physical examination and touch an inappropriate spot, her disguise would be instantly compromised.
As this thought crossed her mind, Gern failed to notice the faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.
Fortunately, it was nighttime, and her face was largely obscured by smeared dirt, which was why Gern didn’t notice the subtle flush that had quietly risen to her skin.
‘No, otherwise, such a display of feminine bashfulness would surely alert others to something amiss.’
Dispelling these distracting thoughts from her mind, Gern finally began to observe the surrounding encampment.
The moonlight was perfect, casting its brilliant glow upon the military tents and highlighting their natural white hues.
Aided by the bright moonlight, Gern was able to take in the full scope of the surrounding camp.
These military camps appeared entirely unremarkable, simply ordinary in every aspect.
A surprisingly large number of Serpentmen moved about, yet many of them were unarmored.
Gern surmised that these individuals likely comprised the logistics corps—the kind of army responsible for transporting provisions and recruiting soldiers.
This brought a measure of calm to Gern’s heart. Such an army, she reasoned, probably lacked any high-tier combat power.
She estimated that the highest-ranking individuals would be Fourth-tier Knights like Quade, which posed no threat to Gern.
Just then, a contingent of people suddenly emerged from a military tent not far from Gern.
They exuded a formidable presence, each armed with weapons at their waists. Their movements betrayed a unique sense of power inherent to soldiers, clearly distinguishing them from the ordinary troops.
Gern’s eyes narrowed slightly. She had come to gather intelligence, and these individuals clearly seemed to be important figures. Perhaps she should try to eavesdrop; she might uncover something unexpected.
As Gern pondered this, she suddenly felt an extremely dangerous aura rapidly approaching.
Instinctively, she tried to dodge, but alas, in her Serpentwoman form, she lacked the innate talent of a Knight and had no time to react before a soft hand settled on her shoulder.
She looked down to see four slender, fair fingers. Despite their delicate appearance, these fingers held boundless strength.
In her Serpentwoman form, she was utterly incapable of resisting such power.
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read The Moon Reflected In The Water! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : The Moon Reflected In The Water
