Chapter 122 : Can You Just Listen to Me for a Moment?

“What are you doing?!”
“Traitor!”

Chaos erupted in the alley. Screams filled the air.

When the last sound faded into the rain, the alley was littered with the remains of knights. The three survivors trembled, their swords still dripping with warm blood.

Thin silver threads had pierced their heavy helmets, embedding themselves in the back of their necks. The other end of the threads was wrapped around the fingers of a slender figure on the roof, gleaming in the rain.

Three left. The figure on the roof waved her hand. The ground below split open, like the maw of a great beast, and swallowed the remains. When the last piece was gone, the ground closed, and the smell of blood was washed away by the rain, as if nothing had happened.

The surviving knights mounted their horses and rode in the opposite direction from Milly. They would continue their search for the escaped demon girl. Under the control of the silver threads, they would just go in circles, far away from her.

As long as they weren’t wiped out, the Church, short on manpower, wouldn’t send reinforcements. And by tomorrow, the news that Milly had exhausted her magic would spread throughout the city. A city-wide bounty would be issued. Adventurers would join the hunt. And ordinary citizens, knowing she was now defenseless, would also participate.

Even if they didn’t directly join the hunt, providing information would bring a handsome reward.

For Milly to escape on her own would be difficult.

Stacy on the roof sighed. She could guess what Milly was thinking.

If she could just escape, she could be free of everything, far away from her.

The rain poured down. Stacy stood in the storm, letting the cold water soak her clothes. Her wet holy robes clung to her, outlining her full curves.

A strange, sharp pain pierced her heart. She clutched her chest, her fingers digging in until blood dripped from them. The physical pain was nothing compared to the pain in her heart.

When had she started to feel this way?

“Stacy, you’re so… pathetic.”

A self-deprecating smile on her lips. The rain trickled down her face, falling on the tiles below, on her heart, creating endless ripples.

She looked in the direction Milly had disappeared. A bitter feeling in her heart, a rare confusion in her red eyes.

“So… I can feel pain too.”

The rain drowned out her whisper. The coldness of the raindrops on her face reminded her of the look in Milly’s eyes before she left. A look of icy coldness.

“She hates me…”

In the rain, Stacy slowly closed her eyes. The image of the figure running into the storm replayed in her mind. Milly would rather face the whole city than stay with her.

If she hadn’t revealed her identity then, maybe… no, she knew. Milly had already suspected. Whether she had said it or not, the outcome would have been the same.

A flash of lightning lit up her pale face. She finally realized that something was wrong with her magic field. The rain should have been repelled by an invisible barrier. Because of Milly’s words… she didn’t need to be told. She would have realized it herself.

Her heart was in turmoil.

“This is so… unlike me.”

If Lillian were here, she would have heard her mocking voice.

Only when she was facing herself would the Saintess show such an attitude, just like her in the past.

She raised her finger. The raindrops were repelled by an invisible barrier. It should have been automatic. Had her heart been in such turmoil?

She thought of her original purpose. From the beginning, she had only had one goal. But now, she remembered the scene in the dungeon, when she was healing Milly’s wounds. The sleeping little one would snuggle up to her, unconsciously seeking the warmth of her palm.

Was she craving that?

In the dungeon, Stacy had imagined that when everything was revealed, they might still have that kind of relationship. Little Milly would lie in her arms, and she could feel the softness of her palm.

But with Milly running into the storm, those fantasies were shattered, along with the image of the dungeon.

If this continued, she would completely lose her. And then, all she would see in Milly’s eyes would be that suffocating coldness.

So, she could feel fear too…

Leaning against the cold wall, Milly curled up in a narrow alley filled with clutter. She had found a small space to hide, the junk above her shielding her from the rain.

The knights hadn’t caught up yet. She had used the last of her electricity to create a blinding flash, and in the confusion, she had flown to another street. They wouldn’t find her so easily now.

Unless they could really just spawn beside her. But she knew this wasn’t a game. It had been a coincidence before. If they caught up to her now, it would be a miracle.

She listened carefully. Besides the sound of the rain, the alley was silent.

Phew… they hadn’t caught up. She could breathe for a moment.

But she knew the real reason they hadn’t caught up.

Just as she had taken off, she had felt a familiar aura.

Stacy.

She had followed her.

A complex emotion welled up in her. She had made her feelings clear. Why had she followed her? The knights who hadn’t caught up had probably all been dealt with by her.

Why… why was she doing this?

From what she knew of her, the moment she had run out, tentacles should have shot out from the ground, dragged her back, and thrown her on the bed. That’s what she would have done, right?

“Why…”

She couldn’t figure it out. Just then, she felt that familiar aura approaching.

So… she had found her after all.

A pity. She had just found a temporary shelter. She had planned to wait for the rain to stop and then head for the city gate. Now, she had to leave.

She peeked out. It was too late. A familiar figure stood outside the alley, her wet holy robes clinging to her perfect body, outlining her breathtaking curves.

Their eyes met. Stacy’s voice trembled, a sound she had never heard before.

“Milly… can you just listen to me for a moment?”