Chapter 57: The Familiar Daggers

Xiluo’er’s heart plummeted the moment Eve uttered, “Xiluo’er, don’t these two flying daggers look a little familiar?”

For a moment, she couldn’t discern if Eve intended to slowly torture her to death or merely test her.

The sudden question left Xiluo’er staring blankly at the two flying daggers, uttering only a series of noncommittal sounds before finally managing a single, questioning syllable.

“Eh?”

Seeing Xiluo’er’s apparent lack of comprehension, Eve patiently prompted, “The one you carried before, that dagger—I remember its style was quite similar to these.”

“Oh…”

A look of dawning comprehension appeared on Xiluo’er’s face, yet inwardly, she was gripped by profound anxiety.

‘This is bad, I almost forgot about that!’

‘No, wait, Sister, how do you have such a good memory? You only saw it once, and you remembered it was similar to these two flying daggers?’

Eve was referring to the dagger she had found on Xiluo’er after the carriage incident, when Xiluo’er had just been admitted to the hospital.

While Xiluo’er hadn’t even realized she was carrying such an item at the time, that had been quite a while ago. She hadn’t expected Eve to remember it so clearly.

Naturally, Xiluo’er didn’t know that Eve always remembered everything about her with exceptional clarity.

“Hmm, it does seem a bit similar…”

Xiluo’er stalled for time, her mind racing to devise a countermeasure.

She hadn’t clearly explained the dagger’s origin to Eve back then, and somehow, she’d inexplicably managed to muddle through. But now, with Rona and Serol present, she absolutely had to come up with a plausible explanation. Otherwise… otherwise, she might just be doomed here.

A common person carrying a dagger similar in style to those found at an accident scene would surely arouse suspicion in anyone with a shred of doubt.

“Xiluo’er, where did your dagger come from?”

Rona’s direct gaze made Xiluo’er’s heart skip a beat, but she quickly composed herself. With a natural tone, Xiluo’er replied, “I picked it up for self-defense before coming to Kana City.”

It was a reasonable explanation, and it matched the casual one she had given Eve previously: “for self-defense.”

Eve nodded, then continued Xiluo’er’s line of reasoning.

“Xiluo’er fled here from the Southern Kingdoms to escape the war.”

“Under such chaotic conditions, finding an item like this isn’t strange. The important thing is where Xiluo’er found it.”

Xiluo’er subtly observed the expressions of the other two in the room. Thankfully, Eve’s explanation didn’t seem to stir any suspicion; both wore thoughtful expressions.

“I, I only remember that the village was very chaotic at the time. People were running everywhere, and many strangers I didn’t recognize, wearing black robes, entered the village.”

“I hid. After they left, I found this dagger in the village.”

Since Eve had already provided a background story for her, Xiluo’er simply followed her lead.

“Black-robed figures…” Serol’s face showed a pensive expression. “Xiluo’er, do you know who they were?”

“Um… I only remember them calling themselves the Chaos Cult… or something similar.”

Xiluo’er, without batting an eye, sold out the organization behind her.

‘Anyway, I’m not lying. Leading the problem back to the Chaos Cult shouldn’t be an issue, right?’

‘The incident in the forest was indeed my doing, Xiluo’er’s, wasn’t it? And I, Xiluo’er, am a member of the Chaos Cult, aren’t I? So, doesn’t that make it the Chaos Cult’s doing?’

Half-truths are always the most convincing. Those two flying daggers were indeed products of the Chaos Cult. Even if the City Lord’s Mansion investigated along this lead, she wasn’t particularly afraid. Kana City didn’t just have her as a cultist; wasn’t Shadow also a member of the Chaos Cult?

“Chaos Cult…”

Upon hearing that name from Xiluo’er’s lips, the expressions on the other three’s faces soured.

This was normal. Xiluo’er knew how notorious the Chaos Cult was. During her gaming days, she’d noticed that the messy, troublesome daily quests she often took on were mostly caused by the Chaos Cult.

‘Yes, these lunatics, obsessed with resurrecting evil gods, really have a terrible public image.’

Serol stroked her chin, pondering for a moment.

“Hmm… that makes sense. The Southern Kingdoms are the Chaos Cult’s primary area of activity. I’ve even heard that the Chaos Cult is involved in the wars behind several nations.”

“Finding something belonging to the Chaos Cult in the chaos of war is quite reasonable.”

“But this is Kana City. Why would the Chaos Cult target here?”

Serol’s expression grew serious. As the City Lord, she couldn’t ignore such a problem now that it had arisen.

Before Serol could fully process her thoughts, she suddenly erupted into a violent cough. Rona quickly helped her lie back down to ease her discomfort.

“Lady Serol, please rest and recover. Don’t worry about these matters. I’ll handle them when I return to the City Lord’s Mansion this afternoon.”

Eve also nodded in agreement.

“If there’s anything, I’ll help too.”

“After all, this person not only attacked me but also affected Xiluo’er.”

“To dare to do such a thing during an operation by the City Lord’s Mansion—their audacity is truly immense.”

“If I catch this person, I will not let them off easily. I’ll start with those mischievous hands…”

As Eve spoke, her words took a dark turn, and her expression gradually grew grim.

How should one describe it? There was a kind of chilling beauty in her threat to hack the person into eight pieces.

“First, one finger at a time… Hmm? Xiluo’er, why have you been silent for so long?”

Xiluo’er, who had been awkwardly whistling by the window, turned around and forced a smile.

“Ah-ha, I was just… admiring the scenery outside.”

“Where were we? Oh right, this criminal is indeed incredibly audacious. If caught, they absolutely mustn’t be let off easily, haha…”

Xiluo’er sighed inwardly.

‘Now, more than ever, I need to hide my identity as an inside agent from Eve. Otherwise…’ Thinking of Eve’s expression and words just now, Xiluo’er had no doubt that Eve would carry out all those threats on her own body.

‘That would be truly terrible!’

“Xiluo’er.”

The sudden call snapped Xiluo’er back to reality. She blinked, realizing it was Serol, semi-reclining on the bed, staring at her.

“Xiluo’er, you fled here from the Southern Kingdoms, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Xiluo’er was a little puzzled, wondering why Serol was asking her this question.

“Then, what was the situation in the Southern Kingdoms like before you left?”

‘Oh, this…’

‘Serol isn’t suspecting me, is she, asking a question like this?’

Staring at Serol, who was half-propped on the bed and watching her, Xiluo’er couldn’t help but speculate.