Chapter 32: A Bitter Tea and a Lost Bow

In truth, Xiluo’er harbored no desire to engage Rona in combat. The sharp-witted woman, a suspected cultist, had already cast a considerable shadow upon her psyche.

However, she found herself with no recourse. Cornered, with nowhere left to retreat, Xiluo’er knew that if she failed to retaliate, she would undoubtedly find herself back in that familiar interrogation room, forced to ‘drink tea’ once more.

Yet, Xiluo’er detested tea. Its inherent bitterness was a stark contrast to the delightful sweetness of cake, which she much preferred.

Nearly flattening herself against the ground, Xiluo’er propelled herself forward, lunging with fierce speed toward Rona. Seeing that Xiluo’er had no intention of parleying, Rona wasted no more words. She gripped her knight’s sword with both hands and adopted a ready stance.

Sparks flew, and the clang of metal echoed through the narrow alley as Xiluo’er’s dagger met Rona’s knight’s sword.

They locked in a struggle, teeth gritted, for only a brief moment before Xiluo’er feigned retreat under the sheer force of the knight’s sword, pulling herself out of Rona’s attack range.

‘No, pitting an assassin against a knight in a head-on battle of strength is a definite disadvantage,’ she thought.

Moreover, Rona was in no hurry to decide the victor. She merely needed to stall Xiluo’er until the City Guard reinforcements arrived.

Rona could afford to wait, but Xiluo’er could not. With another powerful surge of strength, Xiluo’er understood that if she failed to break through this time, she might genuinely be forced to ‘drink tea.’

‘Anything but that!’

Yet, just as the two were about to clash once more, Rona suddenly frowned, swinging her knight’s sword in a wide, sweeping arc toward another direction.

In the pitch-black night, silken threads, like spiderwebs, were effortlessly severed by the knight’s sword. Seizing this unexpected opportunity, Xiluo’er pressed her attack.

But at that very instant, before either of them could react, several spherical objects rolled between them, immediately erupting into pungent clouds of smoke.

The sudden turn of events forced Xiluo’er to pause her assault. As the smoke billowed, completely obscuring their vision, Xiluo’er felt someone grab her hand, pulling her into a leap in a certain direction.

Soon, Rona reacted. With a few powerful swings of her knight’s sword, the smoke quickly dispersed, but there was no one left in sight.

“Rona! Are you alright?”

Watching the arriving City Guard, Rona coughed as she spoke.

“*Cough, cough*. I’m fi—ine. Where did that person go?”

“That strange smoke covered the entire alley. We only saw two figures dart out.”

“Tsk…”

Rona clicked her tongue in frustration. Without knowing their direction of escape, even attempting a roundabout interception was futile.

With a solemn expression, Rona gazed into the boundless night.

“You all continue your patrol. I need to return to the Lord’s Manor.”

“This matter must be reported to Lord Serol swiftly.”

Beneath the cloak of night, a peculiar glint flickered in Rona’s eyes.

****

“Little Cat Tail, you owe me another favor now, you know.”

Irene’s voice sounded exceedingly pleased. However, Xiluo’er felt no gratitude whatsoever. After they stopped, the first thing Xiluo’er did was shake off Irene’s hand.

‘Honestly, why did she have to grip my hand so tightly…’

Looking at Irene, who stood before her with a beaming smile and hands clasped behind her back, a question suddenly arose in Xiluo’er’s mind.

She had just recalled hearing Eve and Rona chatting idly before, mentioning that the last missing person case in Kana City occurred a month ago.

This fact, taken alone, seemed unremarkable. However, Irene had just used a scroll inscribed with a Tracing Magic spell.

Tracing Magic itself was a high-tier spell. The further back in time and the clearer the ‘playback’ desired, the higher the required tier of Tracing Magic.

If it were just an ordinary magic scroll with Tracing Magic inscribed, Xiluo’er would merely think Irene was generous. But if it was a scroll capable of tracing events from over a month ago…

Xiluo’er frowned, mentally calculating based on the game’s rules.

That magic scroll was no ordinary item. The person capable of inscribing such a high-tier Tracing Magic onto a scroll… to be precise, there were only a handful of individuals or organizations that could produce such a high-tier magic scroll.

Among them were the Cult of Chaos, where Xiluo’er resided, the Pure White Church, the Fate Observation Society, the Demon King of the Abyssal Sea… and, of course, the Assassin Shadow Kill Group, which Irene belonged to.

Xiluo’er quickly considered the individuals or factions in the game capable of providing such a high-tier scroll. While it was true that the Shadow Kill Group could produce such magic scrolls, it seemed highly improbable for Irene to casually use one for a mere favor-seeking commission involving her.

“Red Spider, where did you get that magic scroll you just used?”

Thus, after a moment of contemplation, Xiluo’er posed a less direct question.

Irene showed no hint of panic. She merely stuck out her tongue, replying in her usual sweet tone, “Oh dear, as an assassin, one always has a few little secrets, you know.”

“Unfortunately, given our current relationship, I can’t share this little secret with you just yet.”

“However…” Irene suddenly pressed her index finger against Xiluo’er’s mask, roughly where her lips would be, “if our relationship were to grow a little closer, I could tell you then.”

With that, Irene playfully winked.

Xiluo’er ignored Irene’s nonsense. If she didn’t want to say, then so be it. After all, it was undeniable that Irene had indeed helped her significantly in this matter, even if… there had been many twists and turns along the way.

“Alright, Little Cat Tail, let’s call it a day here. Oh dear, I didn’t expect to be targeted like this.”

“Just in case, it’s better to retreat first.”

Though Irene seemed to be deliberately changing the subject, Xiluo’er had to admit she had a point.

“Alright, then today we’ll…”

Xiluo’er’s words were cut short by Irene’s action.

Irene’s hand, which had been resting on Xiluo’er’s mask, suddenly flicked upwards, flipping her hood open. Xiluo’er’s twin ponytails reappeared in Irene’s line of sight.

“Alright, Little Cat Tail, this makes us even for that favor just now.”

By the time she finished speaking, Irene had already darted a considerable distance away.

Xiluo’er stood rooted to the spot, her expression shifting between light and shadow as she watched Irene disappear into the distance.

However, she wasn’t reacting this way because of Irene’s actions.

Only after her hood was removed did Xiluo’er notice something important.

One of the twin ponytails Eve had braided for her had come slightly undone.

This was because the red bow, which had been fastened at the end of that ponytail, was now nowhere to be seen.

‘Oh no!’

Xiluo’er had no idea when she had accidentally lost the bow. If it had been any other time, it might have been fine, but if she had dropped it inadvertently during her confrontation or battle with Rona…