Chapter 56: A Change of Plans

I found myself disbelieving, my gaze filled with suspicion as I watched him. It felt as though he were teasing me, for I was acutely aware of my own capabilities. I had merely mastered an additional Purification Spell; I hadn’t advanced in rank, nor had I acquired any other skills or magic. How could I possibly have suddenly reached a Rank 4 level?

“It’s true, trust me.”

Amos suddenly looked at me with earnest conviction.

“You killed a Rank 4 Ghost-Mask Dragonfly, and you kicked away a Rank 5 demon. While the demon was drunk and you took advantage of the situation, you couldn’t have done it without Rank 4 strength.”

“That was only because they were affected by the Purification Spell.”

Amos wouldn’t understand. I knew perfectly well that kicking Buck away was purely due to my raw, unrefined Rank 4 brute strength; my overall combat ability was still severely lacking.

Had I truly engaged in a head-on fight, I wouldn’t have stood a chance against either the Ghost-Mask Dragonfly or the demon. The truth was, I possessed no martial techniques whatsoever, and the Purification Spell could only catch a monster off guard. If an opponent defended against it, I would simply be chased and beaten.

“Besides, even if I could refresh my rank, I’d have to actually get back first.”

I sighed, a helpless sound escaping my lips. The memory of being injured and chased moments ago was still vivid in my mind. Ever since arriving on this Dark Continent, I had been almost constantly wounded. Though I healed quickly, the memory of the pain lingered.

“In a city like this, located deep within enemy territory, danger lurks everywhere. Perhaps I won’t even live to see that day.”

I felt that from this moment on, I could perish at any corner of this Dark Continent, forever unable to wash away this historical disgrace.

I could vividly imagine a dark creature, one day after my death, picking up my discarded ID card. The description of a ‘Rank 3 Angel’ on it would undoubtedly send all dark creatures into paroxysms of laughter.

Should the news even reach the human world, nearly everyone would learn the shameful truth of Flora, the Rank 3 Angel.

“Don’t get stuck in your own head again.”

Amos studied my expression, seemingly guessing that I was once more preoccupied with matters of ‘face.’ But why did he say ‘again’?

“Don’t worry, I will definitely get you back!”

He suddenly stood up, raising his voice as he spoke to me.

“Huh?”

His sudden declaration left me utterly bewildered, freezing me on the spot.

After all, in my memory, Amos hadn’t had many chances to speak with me before today. For him to say something like that, it could lead to a significant misunderstanding.

“Aren’t you worried about not being able to update your rank? I’ll make sure you get back to update it. That way, you won’t feel disgraced, right?”

Seeing my confused expression, he elaborated further.

“These are clearly minor matters, it’s fine.”

I quickly waved my hand, clarifying my stance. Amos had brought up my fear of losing face again, and from his tone, it sounded as if he was slightly displeased with my constant concern for my reputation.

Moreover, it wasn’t as simple as him *wanting* me to go back for me to actually *be able* to go back. While Amos was far more powerful than I was, Tiffany had mentioned he wasn’t quite Rank 5 yet.

“Actually, there are still two months until the next test. It’s too early now; rushing back won’t do any good.”

As I spoke, I put away my ID card, hoping to prove I wasn’t thinking along those lines. I resolved never to bring up the topic of ranks again.

“You really don’t need to care so much about what others think.”

Seeing my reaction, Amos shook his head and reiterated his point.

“No, it’s not like that! Listen to me, mentioning refreshing my rank was just an offhand remark.”

Realizing he had genuinely misunderstood, I quickly explained.

If I had been afraid of being ridiculed for my Rank 3 status before, I admitted that I might have cared somewhat about how others perceived me. But to say that my fear of not returning was solely for the sake of advancing in rank was truly absurd.

“That’s not what I meant…” Amos said with a helpless expression, sinking back into his chair.

I was a little confused, unsure of what he was actually referring to. Yet, seeing his demeanor, I worried he might be disappointed in me, and a wave of unease washed over me.

“Oh, what are you two doing here?”

At that moment, Erica descended the stairs. Noticing the silent atmosphere in the downstairs room, she asked, puzzled.

“Nothing at all…” I watched Erica approach and sit opposite me, finding it somewhat odd.

“Why aren’t you resting?”

“Humans aren’t nocturnal creatures, after all. I couldn’t sleep.”

Erica playfully stuck out her tongue. Now that we were more familiar, she wasn’t as shy as she had been initially.

‘It’s a long day. So you couldn’t sleep either.’

I secretly glanced at Amos, noting that he wasn’t paying attention to my conversation with Erica. Instead, he was staring at the ground, seemingly lost in thought. I couldn’t help but let out a silent sigh of relief.

It was already evening, and the light outside was gradually dimming. I noticed that some of the surrounding houses had begun to light up.

“Do dark creatures really use lights too?” I asked, curious.

“Indeed. Most dark creatures also see with their eyes, and if you use your eyes, you naturally need light.”

Amos answered suddenly. My question had actually been directed at Erica, but he had unexpectedly spoken first.

“It’s a shame we can’t use lights for illumination,” Erica said with a hint of regret.

“This house is currently unoccupied. If lights suddenly appeared, it would alert the monsters in the vicinity.”

“How will we get out of the city gate tonight?”

With our departure time drawing near, I began to worry about our next steps.

“It should be similar to the method you used during the day,” Amos mused, offering a plan. “We’ll all disguise ourselves with cloaks and blend in with the monsters leaving the city.”

Amos thought for a moment before presenting his solution.

“If we get too close to those monsters, won’t Sally and I be easily exposed?”

I recalled the incident at the tavern earlier that day; even with my wings hidden, the Succubus had still detected me.

“Ah, right…” Amos immediately realized this was a significant problem.

“It seems the captain’s plan overlooked your and Sally’s unique characteristics. He’s only a swordsman, after all, and not familiar with magic.”

“Then let’s split up,” Erica quickly proposed a solution. “You take Sally and leave over the city wall, while the rest of us follow the original plan and meet outside the city.”

Erica swiftly conceived a solution.

“No!” Amos immediately objected upon hearing this. After nearly a week of activity within the city, he was intimately familiar with its various troop deployments.

“They were able to fly in during the day because most monsters were resting, and defenses were lax. But at night, when monsters are most active, there will be many guards on the city walls. Flying out then simply won’t work.”

He then looked at me as he spoke.

“Sally also mentioned that when your wings are spread, they become a huge light source for monsters in the dark. So, you absolutely must not expose your wings in the city at night.”

“Well, that’s a problem, then.” I rubbed my head, a headache forming.

“Are we only able to split up and act at different times?”

‘Staggered actions’ meant that Amos and his group would leave through the city gate tonight, while Sally and I would stay here until tomorrow morning, then fly away over the city wall.

“At least for now, it seems that’s our only option.” Amos nodded, unable to think of any better alternatives.

A few hours later, when everyone in the room had woken up, Alfred considered the suggestion of staggered actions and revised the original plan.

Consequently, Sally and I had no choice but to stay in this room for another night, agreeing to rendezvous on the hill east of the city the following morning.

“You slept for nothing.”

After watching Amos’s five-person team don their cloaks and leave the house, I offered a wry smile to Sally in the darkness.

“It’s fine, I didn’t really sleep much during the day either.”

Sally’s voice sounded rather languid as she ascended the stairs.

“You should go to sleep early too; we have to wake up early tomorrow.”

“I’m an angel; I’m always punctual when it comes to waking up.”

I figured that being an early riser was probably the only commendable trait I had left at the moment.

The second floor was merely an attic-like space, devoid of beds. Several sleeping mats were laid on the floor, likely used by others during the day. Since there were no windows, Sally was able to use light magic for illumination after covering the stairwell with a thick curtain.

Watching her retrieve a basin and other items from her ring, I pursed my lips. ‘Noble ladies certainly have delicate habits,’ I thought.

Just as everything was tidied and I was about to lie down to sleep, I suddenly heard a faint knock at the downstairs door.

“Oh no!”

Sally and I abruptly sat upright. Although we couldn’t see each other’s expressions in the dark, her trembling voice betrayed her fear.

“Did your light magic expose us?” I asked in a hushed tone.

“Wait! Don’t say anything yet.”

After Sally motioned for silence, I also noticed something amiss with the knocking; it seemed to have a distinct rhythm.

“It’s the three-tap-one-knock code for the door!”

After listening carefully for a moment, we both simultaneously realized.

We immediately rushed downstairs and flung open the main door.

Sure enough, the moment the door opened, the group outside swiftly streamed in, one after another.

“Why are you back?”

I watched the five of them enter the house, pull back their cloaks, and reveal their grim faces, instantly realizing the plan had gone awry.

“Let’s go upstairs to the second floor first.”

Alfred led the way up the stairs, followed silently by the others.

Once all seven of us had gathered on the second floor, the stairwell was immediately covered again. A single candle flickered to life in the attic, likely carried by one of the five who had returned.

By the candlelight, I could see that Amos and the others seated around us wore exceedingly somber expressions.

“What happened?” Sally couldn’t help but ask again.

“The city gate is under lockdown,” Alfred replied, glancing at us.

“When we went there just now, we saw that the number of guards at the city gate had more than doubled. Furthermore, every monster leaving the city was required to show its face and undergo inspection before being allowed to pass.”

“Is it because of what happened with us during the day?”

Sally and I immediately thought of the reason for this situation. After all, the chase with the Succubus earlier that day had caused such a commotion in the city; it was impossible for there to be no precautions taken.

“How could I have overlooked that before!” Amos exclaimed, seemingly filled with regret.

“I’m sorry…”

The thought that this entire predicament was caused by us, ultimately bringing trouble to their team, suddenly filled me with self-reproach. I could only offer an apology.

“You really don’t need to apologize,” Erica said, comforting me.

“If it weren’t for the huge commotion you caused in the city, we wouldn’t have known you were here, and naturally, this entire plan to leave the city wouldn’t even exist.”

Of course, I understood the cause-and-effect she described, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt.