Chapter 114: A Risky Escape in Chaos

The man with the severed arm collapsed onto the ground.

The sight terrified everyone present. These thugs hadn’t even seen Irene move before their companion lost an arm.

Not one of them had noticed the almost invisible threads spanning the air.

“I’ll say it again: I can guarantee to leave you with your lives.”

Irene simply repeated her earlier words, though her tone had grown noticeably colder.

Given her own past experiences, Irene wasn’t particularly fond of these vagrants who had gathered together.

“Wait, everyone, stop!”

The spiky-haired leader barked, his voice echoing. While none of the vagrants dared to attack Irene directly due to her terrifying display, the leader still felt compelled to shout, signaling a ‘truce.’

“Take the items. I was blind earlier.”

The spiky-haired man clearly valued his life. He knew that if he continued to fight Irene for a mere trifle, everyone in that room would likely perish.

“A smart choice.”

With that single remark, Irene strode out through the main door of the house, leaving behind a group of vagrants drenched in cold sweat.

****

No sooner had Irene stepped outside than she keenly sensed a subtle shift in the East District, a change from moments before.

She caught the distant sounds of battle echoing through the night sky. It seemed the Chaos Cult and The Erudite Club were clashing nearby, two factions now engaged in a fierce fight.

Irene had no intention of intervening to assist her employer. The item was already in her possession; all she needed to do was deliver it to Nightmare.

Beyond that, she could remain completely indifferent.

In fact, the more chaotic the situation, the easier it would be for her to slip away unnoticed.

After tightening the cloak around her, Irene began to weave through the tumultuous East District, moving swiftly between buildings.

However, she hadn’t gone far when a sudden slip underfoot alerted her to something amiss. The unexpected instability caused her to tumble from a rooftop.

She quickly adjusted her body in mid-air, landing gracefully.

Upon touching down, Irene immediately spotted a figure standing opposite her, wielding a magic staff.

Judging by their attire and methods, this person was undoubtedly a member of the Destiny Observation Society.

The witch, too, noticed the box clutched in Irene’s arms. She frowned, then deliberately blocked Irene’s path.

“Mr. Albertson, the item has already been snatched by the Chaos Cult. I’m currently in the East District.”

Irene merely pursed her lips, not giving the witch a chance to speak, and immediately began to break through her defenses.

‘My employer is truly peculiar. The Observation Society maintains such an air of formality, yet that executive named Nightmare… how should I put it? I just have a feeling that Nightmare’s plans and arrangements exude a rather mysterious, even unpleasant, aura.’

“Stop!”

The witch, her words abruptly cut off by Irene’s sudden movement, hastily began to cast spells to block her path.

However, Irene had no interest in prolonged combat. She wasn’t even inclined to exchange pleasantries with a friendly witch.

A flying knife deflected the witch’s attack, allowing Irene to continue on her way, leaving the witch quickly behind her.

‘So much for the so-called Destiny Observation Society. They’re nothing special.’

Earlier, when she had accepted a commission from the Observation Society, their leader had been shrouded in mystery. Irene had harbored a slight wariness towards the Destiny Observation Society.

While her previous mission had been for them, and she had even begged Aila for a divination before leaving, their policy of ‘no contact between parties after mission completion’ meant Irene had no psychological burden whatsoever about snatching things from the Observation Society.

This time, however, Irene didn’t get far. A fireball, conjured directly in her path, forced her to halt.

‘It seems this person isn’t one for small talk, either.’

“Mr. Albertson, I’ve stopped her.”

Irene heard a clear, cold voice. Then, a figure clad in a mage’s robe slowly materialized before her.

‘This person doesn’t seem to be from The Erudite Club, nor the Observation Society?’

Irene scrutinized the mage before her. Her intuition told her this person was different from any enemy she had anticipated tonight.

When she had observed Eve, she had seen someone completely shrouded by a cloak. Apart from her tall stature, Irene couldn’t glean any information from Eve’s attire.

“Are you from the Chaos Cult?”

Upon hearing Eve’s question, Irene’s masked face pulled into a silent smile.

“That’s right! I’m an important member of the Chaos Cult in Lund City. So, if you have any business later, remember to visit the Chaos Cult in Lund City.”

Irene didn’t recognize the cold-faced mage before her. After all, they hadn’t met in Karna City, and even at the dessert shop, Xiluo’er’s interference had prevented Irene from seeing Eve’s true appearance.

Nevertheless, Irene understood that it was best not to antagonize someone who clearly possessed such formidable power.

Knowing she couldn’t easily escape, Irene made preparations for battle. After a brief assessment of her surroundings, Irene’s hand flicked, and almost invisible threads rapidly spread throughout the space.

Irene had no intention of fighting Eve to a draw. Her plan was simply to act on instinct and slip away when the opportunity arose.

With the chaotic layout of the East District buildings, she could easily deploy more threads; the terrain was advantageous for her.

However, as a mage, Eve naturally avoided close combat. A massive fireball almost instantly condensed on Eve’s staff, hurtling towards Irene.

As Irene dashed forward, she heard the crackling of fire and, from time to time, a crisp *snap* in the middle of the street—the sound of Irene’s threads being burned and breaking.

‘Damn it, this mage who suddenly appeared is even stronger than I imagined!’

After quickly assessing Eve’s strength from a single move, Irene gasped, flipping onto a rooftop. The one thing she absolutely couldn’t accept was fighting head-on.

Irene had no desire to engage Eve in a prolonged battle. ‘If worse comes to worst, I’ll just make a run for it. Retreating and circling from a distance isn’t out of the question.’

“How is she so agile?”

Eve naturally saw Irene’s agility. After her words, Eve immediately planned to turn and slip away.

‘Good opportunity!’

Although the situation was almost identical to when she encountered the other witch, Irene didn’t have that instinctive feeling this time. In other words, this opponent wasn’t using Destiny magic.

‘Then it’s strange. Why did I make such a rookie mistake and fall from the rooftop?’

To her surprise, Irene found that she seemed unable to move her body in mid-air. It wasn’t that she didn’t realize this; rather, Irene felt a ‘compulsory prohibition,’ as if she couldn’t adjust her body in the air, like a rule was being enforced.

The truth was, Eve had just employed her ability as a Chosen of the God of Order.

“No activity above two meters is permitted here.”

Irene: “?”

Although the situation was almost identical to when she encountered the other witch, Irene didn’t have that instinctive feeling this time. In other words, this opponent wasn’t using Destiny magic.

‘Then it’s strange. Why did I make such a rookie mistake and fall from the rooftop?’

To her surprise, Irene found that she seemed unable to move her body in mid-air. It wasn’t that she didn’t realize this; rather, Irene felt a ‘compulsory prohibition,’ as if she couldn’t adjust her body in the air, like a rule was being enforced.

The truth was, Eve had just employed her ability as a Chosen of the God of Order.

“No activity above two meters is permitted here.”

This was what Eve had chanted after closing her eyes. It hadn’t taken long at all; it was Irene’s misjudgment. How could an ordinary person predict that a random mage would turn out to be a hero?

Moreover, even if one knew, Eve’s special abilities were almost unknown. Of course, Xiluo’er knew, and she had personally tested Irene.

Irene hadn’t expected such a thing to happen. It wasn’t until her body was about to hit the ground, after she had left the ‘above two meters’ zone, that she felt control of her body return.

However, at this height, it was much harder to react. So, Irene could only brace herself to ensure her fall wasn’t too severe.

Meanwhile, Eve didn’t stand idly by. Her magic staff was already aimed at the fallen Irene.

Feeling the vibrating magic elements in the air, Irene actually found them a bit annoying.

‘This is clearly the realm of high-level magic, isn’t it? Nightmare didn’t tell me that the opposing faction had a Fifth-Tier or higher mage when she asked for help!’

‘How am I supposed to play this?’

Irene felt like she was the fish in a fish-in-a-barrel situation. Then, Eve blew her up.

Of course, Eve didn’t dare use too much force because the item was still on Irene. She didn’t want to damage something Irene valued so highly.

Thus, Irene, the ‘important member of the Chaos Cult,’ was captured alive by Eve and taken, along with the item, to the Destiny Observation Society.

****

Inside the ‘Snail House’ mansion, Xiluo’er gazed at Irene, who was tied up on the floor, almost unable to move. She felt a sudden urge to snap.

While she wasn’t entirely sure what had happened, it wasn’t just her. She and Irene were meeting again under such circumstances, and these sisters shouldn’t be reuniting in such a setting.

‘It shouldn’t be like this, right? This time, I didn’t do anything that would change the plot, so why did a situation completely unrelated to the original plot suddenly appear?’

Looking at Eve holding her two hands, Xiluo’er suddenly had a flash of insight.

‘It’s Eve! Eve herself is an ‘outside the plot’ person!’

Xiluo’er suddenly remembered that, according to the original plotline, Eve hadn’t even arrived in Lund City by now, let alone helped Turing find something.

This meant that regardless of whether Irene had originally accepted the Chaos Cult’s commission at this point in the plot, tonight’s clash between the Observation Society and The Erudite Club, with their combined forces, shouldn’t have been able to capture any small assassin.

But now, with the strong addition of the Vanseti Kingdom’s hero, Irene, this little assassin, had no choice but to fall into the net.

Xiluo’er suppressed the urge to slap her forehead, sighing inwardly.

She had only wanted to avoid the Chaos Cult’s ambush and total annihilation, but she never imagined the butterfly effect of that incident would continue to influence events up to now!

From the current situation, it seemed Eve and Irene hadn’t recognized each other yet. But if the plot were allowed to develop further, that might not be the case.

‘No, forget about recognition. They shouldn’t even be meeting at this point! Moreover, one of them was even captured by the other!’

“Ms. Ellen, you’re back.”

Just then, Ellen entered the mansion with Aila and Natasha, indicating that the situation at the cult’s stronghold had been dealt with.

Eve rose to greet them, and Xiluo’er’s gaze immediately fixed on Irene.

‘This won’t do! Ellen is already starting to deal with Irene’s problem. I must find a way to let Irene escape, or the consequences will be severe!’

Xiluo’er glanced subtly in Eve’s direction. Eve seemed to be talking to Ellen, and everyone’s attention was temporarily focused on the more important items.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xiluo’er also shifted her attention to Irene. ‘They’ll probably start dealing with Irene soon.’

Xiluo’er slipped in front of Irene, her face dark.

Irene was clearly looking at her too. To be safe, Xiluo’er even secretly removed the mask from Irene’s face for a split second.

After removing the mask, Xiluo’er saw Irene wink playfully at her. There was no sense of being captured at all. Instead, it was more like, ‘What a coincidence, you’re here too.’

Xiluo’er couldn’t help but roll her eyes, then spoke in a tiny whisper that only the two of them could hear.

“Wait, I’ll find a way to get you out.”

Xiluo’er’s small body held immense questions, but no matter how many she had, they all had to wait until after Irene was rescued.

Xiluo’er examined Irene’s current state. She was wearing a tattered hemp cloak with a cognitive impairment enchantment. The mask on her face wasn’t the one she usually wore, and it clearly had an inscription magic added.

Evidently, Irene had intended to accept the Chaos Cult’s commission under the identity of ‘Red Spider’ this time.

Xiluo’er understood Irene’s actions. Concealing one’s true identity was sometimes the best course of action. Or, for an assassin, having a ‘fixed’ identity was inherently wrong, as it allowed others to easily grasp their weaknesses.

Xiluo’er checked Irene’s bindings. Eve apparently hadn’t paid much attention to this ‘hostage’ she had brought back, simply using ordinary hemp rope to tie Irene’s hands and feet.

Then, she added enchantments like [Firmness] and [Resilience] to the rope, making it not so easy to cut.

Her teacher had said that if it were just a simple rope, it wouldn’t be difficult to untie; just a quick flick of the wrist. However, Xiluo’er knew she couldn’t do that.

Not to mention, even if she untied the rope, could Irene escape in front of two heavyweights like Eve and Ellen? And how would Xiluo’er explain herself afterward?

Although she really wanted to rescue Irene, doing so might also lead to her being trapped alongside Irene.

So, the real problem now wasn’t how to release Irene, but how to ensure Irene’s complete escape without exposing herself.

“Xiluo’er, what are you doing?”

Ellen was currently examining the items Turing had brought back. Eve also took a moment to glance at Xiluo’er, noticing her standing in front of the captive she had tied up, seemingly doing something.

“Ah, that…”

Xiluo’er turned her head, forcing a smile.

“Just a little curious.”

“Be careful, it’s dangerous, Xiluo’er.”

Although Eve realized as soon as she spoke that the captive was tightly bound and she had already checked that there was nothing on her, Xiluo’er didn’t want to reveal how she planned to rescue Irene.

Even if Xiluo’er got close, there wouldn’t be any danger. “Yes, okay, Sister Eve.”

Xiluo’er had just sweetly replied to Eve when she heard a very low, indistinct, muffled chuckle from Irene.

Xiluo’er couldn’t help but sigh. ‘What’s so funny? What’s there to laugh about! Can’t you at least act like you’ve been kidnapped? If I can’t figure out a way, you’ll be finished soon!’

At this moment, Eve’s earlier words, “Be careful, it’s dangerous,” suddenly flashed through Xiluo’er’s mind.

She immediately thought of a way to allow Irene to escape completely. However, this method was still somewhat risky. If it failed, Irene’s fate would be even worse than it was now.

But there weren’t many other options available now, so she might as well take a gamble.

After confirming that there was nothing amiss over there, Xiluo’er quickly extended a finger and pointed at herself. Then, she made a gesture of slitting her throat.

Though not a word was spoken, Irene immediately understood Xiluo’er’s meaning and nodded slightly.

Action followed thought. Xiluo’er pretended to be very curious about the cloaked figure, circling Irene once.

Then, she stood to Irene’s side, forming a straight line with the others, perfectly blocking their view.

Xiluo’er leaned her face slightly forward, bending her legs and holding her knees, as if she wanted to examine Irene closely.

But in reality, her peripheral vision ensured that no one was paying attention to her. At the same time, a dagger slid silently from Xiluo’er’s cuff, extending towards Irene.

Because of the concealment provided by her back, Xiluo’er’s movement would not be seen by them.

On the other side, Irene was also very cooperative, twisting her body and opening her bound hands upwards.

Thus, the dagger silently slipped from Xiluo’er’s cuff and was neatly caught by Irene’s hand.

Next, Xiluo’er just needed to keep an eye on these people and divert their attention when necessary.

Although there was no sense of being captured, Irene certainly wouldn’t miss an opportunity to escape. Her bound hands had almost no room for movement; she could only painfully grip the dagger and slowly cut the hemp rope by moving her wrists up and down.

Xiluo’er wasn’t worried about the rope not being cut. Although Eve had added many enchantments, Xiluo’er’s dagger itself had [Magic Break], so cutting the rope wouldn’t be a problem.

“So, Eve, is this the Chaos Cult member you brought back?”

Over there, Ellen and the others seemed to have finished examining the items, so their attention shifted to Irene.

“Hmm, if she’s truly from the Chaos Cult, then her status must be different from ordinary believers. We might be able to get some information from her.”

Eve’s gaze swept coldly towards Irene. She wasn’t aware that Irene was only there under the guise of being hired by the Chaos Cult.

If Irene were a genuine member of the Chaos Cult, Eve wouldn’t have a good impression of her. After all, that Chaos Cult member in Karna City had left such a troublesome poison in Shadow’s body.

“As for interrogation, we won’t trouble Miss Eve. Miss Eve has already helped us a great deal tonight.”

The content of the conversation among the others was entirely focused on Irene, which made Xiluo’er grow tense.

‘Isn’t Irene done yet?’

“Ouch, ouch.”

Irene’s muffled voice came from behind her. Xiluo’er could barely make out that Irene was probably saying, ‘Don’t rush, I’m not done yet?’

‘Don’t rush me? I’m dying of anxiety! Xiluo’er, haven’t you observed enough?’

“Ah, haha, this…”

Eve was already starting to walk towards Irene. Xiluo’er simply turned her back to Irene, hiding her small movements behind her, and began to speak to Eve.

“How should I put it, I just feel like this person is very mysterious.”

“Sister Eve, look, she’s wearing such mysterious clothes, and a strange mask. Are… are all cultists dressed like this?”

Eve smiled.

“Not entirely, perhaps, but regardless, cultists are very dangerous. If Xiluo’er encounters a cultist, remember to stay far away.”

“Yes, I know, Sister Eve.”

Xiluo’er, a cultist herself, obediently nodded, taking Eve’s advice.

“Alright, Xiluo’er, Sister and Ms. Ellen need to start serious business now.”

Eve did not stop her steps towards Irene. Now, Xiluo’er really had to rush.

If she could still block her from a distance, but if Eve walked over, Irene’s small movements might not remain hidden.

“Ah, Sister Eve, wait a moment.”

With only a few steps left, Xiluo’er couldn’t care less and quickly spoke, asking Eve to stop.

“Hmm? What’s wrong, Xiluo’er?”

“That… I have something to tell you, Sister Eve, about this person you brought back…”

Xiluo’er stammered, her words barely coherent and strung together with difficulty. She hadn’t thought about what to say before speaking. Now, she was forcing herself to speak while thinking, and nothing coherent was coming out.

In fact, Xiluo’er’s mind was now filled with only one thought:

‘Isn’t Irene done yet!’

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