Chapter 184: People who shouldn’t be here

“Alright then, when there’s time, let’s sit down and properly talk about it.”

The old man smiled as he agreed.

“Big Sis…”

Kriya tugged at her sleeve, looking at her resentfully.

“You said we came out to have fun, so why did you start talking about work again?”

“Hahaha, force of habit, force of habit.”

Perletti laughed awkwardly and gently wrapped an arm around Kriya’s shoulders from behind.

“My bad.”

“Hmph, Big Sis is always such a cheater.”

Kriya turned her face away, pretending to be angry, though the corners of her lips secretly curled upward.

“Alright, alright, I was wrong.”

Perletti rubbed her hair, then turned to the old man.

“Grandpa, how much is this rattle drum?”

“No need to pay!”

“If the little girl likes it, just let her have it.”

The old man smiled kindly at Kriya.

There was an extremely complicated emotion flickering in Kriya’s eyes. Perletti couldn’t fully understand it, but she could vaguely tell it was happiness.

“That won’t do.”

Perletti took out a silver coin from her pocket and gently placed it on the cloth covering the stall.

“Please keep it safe. Don’t lose it.”

After saying that, she wrapped an arm around the still-pouting Kriya, coaxing her as they slowly walked away.

The little drum went dong-dong in Kriya’s hands.

Meanwhile, Perletti pulled out a small harmonica from inside her cloak.

She had never learned how to play it properly, so she merely followed her instincts, blowing out a broken, uneven melody.

There were not many pedestrians on the street. Only a few children were laughing and playing in the distance.

Kriya let go of her hand and spun lightly with her arms spread wide like a fluttering butterfly.

Sunlight poured onto her snow-white hair, refracting into rainbow-colored glimmers that drew countless curious gazes from passersby.

“Hey, Big Sis.”

Kriya stopped spinning and tilted her head at her, her eyes full of laughter.

“Does Kriya look pretty?”

“Mm. Very pretty.”

Perletti smiled and nodded, her gaze filled with warmth.

This was how Kriya should have been.

Free and unrestrained.

Not merely a caged bird clinging to her older sister.

Perhaps… the very first Kriya in her memories had once been like this too.

Kriya received the praise and smiled even more brightly.

She walked backward while shaking the rattle drum, running toward Perletti’s direction at the same time.

Perletti had just opened her mouth to warn her to be careful—

when she suddenly noticed a figure in a black cloak appear behind Kriya.

Her heart tightened instantly.

Just as she was about to shout a warning, the shadowy figure suddenly lunged violently toward Kriya!

“S-Sor—”

Kriya’s voice caught in her throat as her entire body went limp, collapsing forward weakly.

Perletti watched the figure entangle with Kriya, and her heart suddenly clenched hard.

An ominous premonition surged through her chest.

At that exact moment, the previously clear blue sky was abruptly swallowed by pitch-black darkness.

A crimson figure flashed by with lightning-like speed.

Perletti only felt her vision blur before she saw a white-haired girl in a red evening gown appear out of nowhere.

One arm tightly held Kriya, while the other viciously gripped the cloaked attacker by the throat, lifting them high into the air by sheer force.

Clang—!

A short dagger fell onto the ground, producing a crisp metallic sound.

Perletti’s gaze landed on the dagger.

Her pupils contracted violently, and it felt as though all the blood in her body had frozen solid.

It was 【Azure Fury】.

That dagger was one of the Divine Origin Weapons.

Its special ability allowed the target struck by it to temporarily lose all special powers.

Whether it was magic, alchemical enhancements, or racial talents, everything would be forcibly stripped away.

Even passive healing effects would cease functioning.

Perletti subconsciously reached toward the inner side of her cloak.

That was where 【Everbright】 and 【Azure Fury】 should have been stored—

yet now, there was nothing there.

“Damn it!”

She had not even realized when her Divine Origin Weapons had been stolen.

Over the past year, Perletti had never needed to use either of them, but she had always treasured them carefully, keeping them hidden inside her cloak.

Because she had never once had reason to take them out, she never noticed they were no longer on her person.

Perletti raised her eyes toward the girl in red and recognized her immediately—

the Vampire Queen, Cirra Garfield.

The moment she sensed Kriya had been harmed, she abandoned everything she had been doing and rushed over immediately.

But she had still arrived too late.

Still too late.

“Big Sis Cirra!”

Perletti rushed forward and took Kriya from Cirra’s arms, trembling fingers gently touching her face.

Kriya’s condition was horrifying.

Two blood-soaked holes pierced straight through her chest.

Blood continuously poured out, yet strangely congealed around the wounds.

Perletti could tell Cirra had been desperately trying to heal her, but under the suppression of 【Azure Fury】, all healing methods were meaningless.

“Kriya? Kriya, wake up!”

Perletti held her tightly, her voice breaking apart as tears uncontrollably streamed down her face.

The droplets fell onto Kriya’s pale cheeks.

“Look at me… say something… please… just say something…!”

Cirra watched the sobbing Perletti in silence, a vicious coldness flashing through her eyes.

She suddenly raised a hand and tore apart the black cloak covering the attacker.

Revealing dazzling golden hair beneath it.

Perletti’s gaze landed on that face—

and she froze completely, as though struck by lightning.

It was Josuna.

Cirra gripped Josuna’s throat tighter and tighter, icy killing intent nearly freezing the air solid.

She wanted Perletti to see clearly—

to see exactly what kind of madwoman this “little sister” she had always protected truly was.

“Heh.”

Cirra sneered, her voice overflowing with ridicule.

“You really are Titi’s wonderful little sister, aren’t you? To come up with something this vicious.”

The instant those words fell—

Josuna’s body went limp.

Cirra released her hand, and the corpse crashed heavily onto the ground, no longer moving.

In broad daylight, the Vampire Queen had personally killed someone.

Yet Perletti could not process any of it.

Holding Kriya in her arms, she collapsed onto the cold ground, her mind completely blank.

Only Kriya’s faint breathing remained in her ears.

It was not until Cirra grabbed her shoulders and shook her that Perletti slowly lifted her head.

Her eyes were hollow as she stared blankly at the other woman.

Her voice was so hoarse it barely sounded human.

“Big Sis Cirra… Kriya… can she still be saved?”

Cirra looked at her current state, and her heart ached like it was being pierced by needles.

She desperately wanted to tell her there was still hope.

But Kriya’s wounds…

They were not ordinary injuries.

They were wounds inflicted by Azure Fury.

A weapon belonging to the God of Wrath.

There was no way an ordinary mortal species like Kriya could endure such damage.

“I used time magic to freeze her vital signs,” Cirra said with difficulty.

“She’s still alive for now… but… there’s barely any difference between this and death.”

For thousands of years, Cirra had carefully protected Kriya, believing she could keep her safe forever.

But there were too many accidents in this world.

No one knew whether tomorrow or disaster would arrive first.

Perletti’s body trembled slightly.

Then suddenly, a faint light ignited in her eyes.

Like someone grasping the final straw of salvation, she suddenly seized Cirra’s hand tightly.

Her voice trembled, yet carried almost obsessive determination.

“If injuries caused by the God of Wrath’s weapon… then can the power of the God of Nature heal them?”

A mortal’s strength could not oppose a god.

But what about another god’s power?

Though the God of Nature had already fallen, the World Tree left behind by that god surely still retained part of its divine authority.

“In theory… yes.”

Cirra shook her head helplessly.

“But the elves can barely take care of themselves right now. Why would they ever agree to let you use the World Tree’s nectar? They’re already running out of it themselves.”

“I can do it.”

Perletti interrupted her immediately.

A nearly fanatical determination burned in her eyes.

“I’ll make the elves save Kriya.”

“I definitely can.”

Cirra stared blankly at the light within her eyes.

After a long silence, she let out a soft sigh and patted Perletti’s shoulder.

There was a strange sense of resignation in her voice.

“Fine.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“And if they refuse…”

“I’ll slaughter the entire elven race.”

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