When Zane arrived near the City of Valeria, Prince Arthur was already inside the city, investigating what was going on with the monster that had been killing people.
"My prince, we have been here for days, but we haven’t found anything but dead bodies every day," a guard said.
"Well, I think this monster is disguised as a human, so we need to find out who was the last person they talked to," Prince Arthur said while walking down the city’s dark streets.
"Well, if you say so, but how?"
"John, whenever there is a crime, there will always be a witness," Arthur said, looking around the spot where the last person was killed. "Like that one over there," he added, pointing to a small inn with broken doors and windows.
"Huh? How can that be a clue?" John asked.
"Just watch and learn," Arthur said as he walked into the broken inn. Inside, he saw a ten-year-old girl wearing rags without shoes, her clothes stained with bruises and blood.
Arthur kneeled down on one knee. "Hey, little girl, what’s your name?"
The girl looked at him. "I am hungry... can you please give me some food?" she asked, her hands shaking.
"Sure, here," Arthur said, taking a piece of bread from his space bag and handing it to her.
"So, little girl, can you tell me what happened here?" Arthur asked, sitting down next to her.
"A... a... a monster... no," she shook her head. "A demon."
"A demon?" Arthur said, opening his eyes wide.
"Yeah, it... it... it killed everyone who was here," she said, pointing around the inn.
"Tell me everything that really happened and what it looked like."
"It looked like ! Aaaaaaaah... save me, please!" she shouted, clutching her neck as she fell to the ground, her body turning pitch black.
"Well, will you look at that? It seems we need to find another witness," Arthur said, standing up and dusting off his hands.
"There is no one else around, Young Master. I sent some people to search, and they looked all over but didn’t find anyone here," John said, entering the room.
"Well, send some guards to streets like this one," Arthur ordered as he headed back toward the Ashford Mansion.
"Hey, sweetheart, what are you doing all alone in the middle of the night? Why don’t you come spend some time with us?" the leader of the C-rank adventurers called out, clearly drunk.
"Yeah, that’s right! We’ll make this the best night you’ve ever had!" his teammate added.
"Hahaha... That’ll be the best, Boss!" another laughed.
"Well, what do you say, little girl?" another member said, stepping closer to her and resting his hand on her shoulder.
At first, the girl did not react. Then...
"Well, if you say so, why don’t we do it in that corner over there?" she said, flashing a wide smile that made even the C-rank leader feel a slight shiver. "Mmm... Backing out on your word isn’t funny, mister. So, are you coming or not?" she asked, turning around and walking toward the dark alley.
The C-rank adventurers were taken aback, then laughed it off and started following her.
"Why don’t you come closer, big guy?" she invited, leaning against the building wall.
The boss didn’t need to be told twice and rushed forward.
The moment he got close, the girl’s mouth split wide open. She bit the leader’s head clean off and swallowed it whole.
"This is more fun than I thought. So, are you guys going to come and have fun with me or not?" she asked, licking her mouth clean with her tongue before looking back at them.
The remaining adventurers stood frozen in horror, unable to move.
"BOSS!" they shouted in terror.
"Aww... Why are you making such a fuss about having fun?" she said, drawing a dagger, licking the blade, and glaring at them.
"No... no... no! We just finished clearing a treasure dungeon and were about to become famous! Why is this happening now?!" one of them panicked, clutching his head violently.
FWOOOSH!
The girl vanished and reappeared directly behind him.
"What are you doing? Let’s continue having fun, shall we?" she whispered.
CRACK!
She grabbed his head and ripped it straight off, sending blood spraying across the alley.
"connector Wow, this is the best night ever!" she giggled, looking up at the pale white moon as blood dripped down her face, which she licked with delight. This chapter was copied from novelping.com without permission.
FWOOOOOOOSH!
SLASH! SLASH!
She swiftly decapitated the rest of the party and began laughing maniacally.
"Hahaha... Just one night left for him to acknowledge me as his soldier," she muttered, closing her eyes under the moonlight.
"How disgusting," Arthur remarked, sitting on the rooftop of the Ashford Mansion alongside John.
"What is it, Young Master?" John asked, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
"Let’s go back and sleep. Mmm... We are meeting earlier than I expected." Arthur said while looking back at the city entrance.
"What do you mean, Young Master?" John asked, glancing around.
"It’s nothing. I just sensed the mana of someone I know getting closer," Arthur replied with a subtle smile.
At the exact same time, Zane and his party were stepping through the gates of Valeria.
"Mmm..." Zane paused, scanning his surroundings before turning his gaze toward the direction of the Ashford Mansion.
"What is it, Zane?" Maria asked.
"I just sensed two people in that direction, plus a few others across the city whose auras don’t feel entirely human," Zane said, resuming his walk.
"What do you mean?" Gloria asked, quickening her pace to keep up with him.
"There’s something wrong with this city. It smells heavily of blood, and there are far too many powerful individuals gathered here," Zane explained, taking a deep breath.
"Zane... if you fight them, will you win?" Gloria asked cautiously.
"Maybe. But there’s a particularly strong entity buried deep under the city... that one is going to be tricky," he answered, gazing up at the moon.
’For him to be able to gauge a threat like that instantly... he’s unreal,’ Gloria and Maria thought simultaneously.
"Let’s find a good place to eat and get some rest," Zane said casually.