X
Xiluo’er understood clearly that even if Rona faced peril, her intervention would be a mere drop in the ocean, given Serol’s formidable abilities.
She needed to find allies to join her.
Immediately, Eve sprang to mind. As the undisputed hero of this game, who else could she call upon?
The challenge, however, lay in convincing Eve to help.
If she were to blurt out, “Oh no, the City Lord Serol is a cultist, go chop her down!” then after Eve had dealt with Serol, Xiluo’er herself would be in trouble for lacking a reasonable explanation.
She had to devise a method to ‘lure’ Eve to the City Lord’s manor.
A brilliant idea quickly formed in Xiluo’er’s mind. With a push off the ground, she dashed towards the Adventurers’ Guild.
There was just one catch: this plan required her to sneak into Eve’s bedroom.
But at this hour, surely Eve would be sound asleep, dead to the world?
Imagining Eve sprawled out like an octopus in deep slumber, Xiluo’er reassured herself that she needn’t worry too much.
****
Late into the dark night, Eve was far from asleep.
Standing at Xiluo’er’s bedroom door, Eve’s gaze lingered intently on the doorknob.
Xiluo’er’s habit of locking her door was rather peculiar.
In fact, lately, Eve had been quietly appearing at Xiluo’er’s door every night; it had become a ritual.
‘This is just to protect Xiluo’er, to confirm she’s asleep. There’s nothing wrong with that, right?’ she mused.
‘After all, danger lurks everywhere. If monsters can suddenly attack Xiluo’er in the forest, why not within the guild? Though the probability is low, it’s not impossible, is it?’
‘But what if, just hypothetically, I could protect Xiluo’er from within her own bed? Wouldn’t that solve everything?’
‘It’s not as if I have any other intentions. It’s simply that being closer to Xiluo’er allows me to protect her better. There should be nothing wrong with that, right?’
However, Eve knew she hadn’t yet progressed to the point where she could sleep beside Xiluo’er every night. So, she settled for the next best thing: checking Xiluo’er’s sleeping state each evening.
‘It’s all for Xiluo’er’s protection, after all. That’s perfectly normal.’
Yet, Eve had noticed Xiluo’er locking her door occasionally at night. While it could be an absentminded gesture, the frequency had noticeably increased since returning from the Autumn Encirclement.
‘Did I scare Xiluo’er back then?’
Eve couldn’t quite recall what had happened, but a surge of emotion had overwhelmed her, and she had simply acted.
Though many things could be done when blood rushed to one’s head, Eve truly couldn’t hold back that time. Staring at the disheveled Xiluo’er and the carrion wolf, only one thought consumed her: ‘Kill it, kill it, kill it!’
‘Still, I should give Xiluo’er some time to recover. It’s normal, perfectly normal…’
Comforting herself inwardly, Eve turned and walked towards her own room.
****
Carefully identifying Eve’s window, Xiluo’er scaled the wall, pried open the window, and slipped inside. The entire sequence was second nature to her.
‘Good, the room is quiet. It seems Eve truly is fast asleep, and my plan can proceed smoothly… Wait, where is Eve?’
Xiluo’er froze, noticing the bed was now empty.
Just then, the sound of a doorknob turning echoed from outside.
‘This is bad!’
In that single second, countless possibilities flashed through Xiluo’er’s mind.
‘Is Eve setting a trap? Since she couldn’t find any evidence against me, is she trying to catch me red-handed this way?’
Without time to ponder further, Xiluo’er swiftly retreated the way she came, vaulting back out the window with a single push of her hand.
Eve opened her room door at that very moment.
Stepping inside, Eve frowned as her eyes fell upon the familiar furnishings.
Something felt amiss.
Though she had been out for a while… *cough*, she had stood at Xiluo’er’s door for quite some time, but how had her window opened in that short period?
Eve remembered clearly that the window had been shut when she left the room.
‘Did someone sneak into my room? Who? Members of the Chaos Cult?’
This was the most plausible conclusion Eve could reach at the moment.
In a sense, she wasn’t entirely wrong.
Eve’s reasoning was that the Chaos Cult might have been targeting her due to her identity as the hero, which was why they kept attacking her.
The same had happened during the Autumn Encirclement. Otherwise, Eve couldn’t fathom why the Chaos Cult, a group active in the Southern Kingdoms obsessed with resurrecting an evil god, would appear in Kana City.
Eve wasn’t afraid of the Chaos Cult attacking her; she feared they would threaten those around her.
For instance, during that incident in the forest, if it truly was the Chaos Cult plotting against her, then Xiluo’er and the others had been dragged into it.
Indeed, Eve’s line of thought was quite accurate, though it was off by just a hair.
‘Did a Chaos Cult member sneak in to scout while I was out? Am I being watched?’
‘No, Xiluo’er!’
Eve’s heart immediately sank. If Chaos Cult members had infiltrated this deep to test her, then Xiluo’er, who wasn’t far from her, might be in danger!
Without further thought, Eve immediately turned back.
Although Xiluo’er’s door was still locked, this time Eve placed her hand over the doorknob. A faint light glowed, and with a burst of instant magic, the door’s lock immediately clicked open.
‘It’s a joke! I’m the hero, and a mage of the Adventurers’ Guild. A simple room lock certainly can’t stop me.’
‘I just didn’t want to be so… forceful with my adorable little Xiluo’er.’
‘While a forced fruit can still quench thirst, if possible, Eve would prefer to take things slowly.’
‘A naturally ripened fruit is both thirst-quenching and sweet. Eve definitely prefers the sweeter one.’
‘The taste of slowly savoring sweet juice in one’s mouth is quite delightful… Hmm, Eve meant fruit juice.’
However, Eve knew it would likely be some time before she could taste just how sweet Xiluo’er was.
The room door was abruptly pushed open, and Eve’s gaze fell upon the bed.
“Xiluo’er?”
“Mmm… Sister Eve?”
Her reply was Xiluo’er’s drowsy, muddled voice.
‘Mmm, little Xiluo’er is so cute… *cough*, though that shouldn’t be the focus right now.’
“Is something wrong, Sister Eve?”
Xiluo’er feigned grogginess as she spoke, breathing a sigh of relief internally.
‘Thank goodness, thank goodness she had a contingency plan.’
‘If she had been even a moment slower, Eve might have caught her outside the room.’
You’ve got to see this next! The Heroines Were Supposed to Stay Female, So Why Did They All Gender-Swap? will keep you on the edge of your seat. Start reading today!
Read : The Heroines Were Supposed to Stay Female, So Why Did They All Gender-Swap?
