Chapter 234: A Woman Who Comes and Goes Like the Wind
The wolf-serpent woke up from a nightmare, his wounds healed.
He remembered the poison, the moment of death.
Why…
Lena’s face came into focus.
Ah… he had eaten a human, then been captured and imprisoned by the Falmouths…
He, a noble prince of the Second Empire, had been reduced to this pathetic state by a mere human!
What a disgrace…
The wolf-serpent clenched his fists, looking at the darkness around him.
Flash—
A bright light, and the wolf-serpent covered his eyes, screaming in pain.
“Wolf-serpents are nocturnal, they fear bright lights and sunlight, I prepared this especially for you, how do you like it?”
Lena hadn’t left, she had been waiting in the interrogation room for the wolf-serpent to wake up.
“But, judging by your expression, you don’t seem to have repented.”
Lena clapped her hands, a sweet, metallic scent filling the room.
Molly appeared, her hands on her hips, a cold glance at the wolf-serpent on the floor. “A prince? Never heard of you.”
When a fake noble met a real one, their vulgarity was always exposed.
Molly’s every move exuded an undeniable regal aura, while the wolf-serpent was like a stray dog, barking senselessly.
“You’re a bloodkin?!”
The wolf-serpent’s eyes lit up, as if seeing a lifeline.
“We’re on the same side! Help me! Let’s kill this woman together! When we return to Cyprus, I’ll have the Beast King promote you!”
The wolf-serpent was desperate.
His magic power was gone.
“Oh.”
Molly’s expression was still arrogant.
Hearing her reply, the wolf-serpent was overjoyed. “Then, let’s do it quickly!”
He couldn’t stand this place any longer!
The wolf-serpent was already fantasizing about this powerful non-human defeating Lena, then him tearing Lena limb from limb, even crushing her bones…
However,
“What are you doing?!”
Countless small, invisible cuts appeared on the wolf-serpent’s body.
His blood flowed out at an alarming rate, as if a thick needle had been plunged into his artery.
The pain of being drained dry by a bloodkin was indescribable.
“I told you, the best way to repent is to experience death. I’ll make you willingly reveal your secrets, I promise…”
The wolf-serpent, his heart filled with resentment, died, his blood completely drained.
But Lena wouldn’t let him die so easily, a more cruel punishment awaited him…
He woke up again.
The power of [Resurrection] had restored his body, his blood replenished.
Molly had initially refused to participate in such a pointless act, but Lena had offered her a price she couldn’t refuse, and…
Molly looked down at him with contempt.
She was bored anyway, and the wolf-serpent’s barbaric behavior had annoyed her, she felt like he was representing all non-humans, so she might as well teach him a lesson.
“You sided with the humans! Traitor! A disgrace to all non-humans!!”
“Shut up, you mongrel.”
Molly was a pure-blooded bloodkin, this wolf-serpent was nothing compared to her.
“Enjoy the darkness, this will be your last time in its embrace.”
Molly disappeared, leaving the wolf-serpent alone in the dark, with Lena.
“You’ll die a horrible death, you bastard! You disgrace to all non-humans! You traitor!”
He roared with all his might, but Molly was gone, and the wolf-serpent was completely desperate.
“Have you decided?”
Lena leaned against the cold wall, smiling at him.
Her smile was filled with mockery, contempt, and disdain, the same attitude he had shown towards humans.
“What goes around comes around. No matter how strong you are, there will always be someone stronger. Guess how you’ll die this time?”
Lena’s anger hadn’t subsided.
Although her smile was bright, it was laced with menace.
The wolf-serpent had crossed her line, her bottom line.
She had promised Mines she would take care of these little ones, and now, because of this beast from nowhere!
“You almost ruined my promise.”
“Haha! What an honor!!”
The wolf-serpent said, resigned to his fate.
Whatever, at least he could mock her before he died, it was worth it!
His vision went black.
The wolf-serpent died again.
[Resurrection]
Lena cut off his limbs, a twisted form of revenge, just like how he had tortured humans.
She threw him into a vat of nutrient solution.
His limbs were hung from the ceiling to dry.
The alchemical nutrient solution would keep him alive, and with his non-human vitality, he could survive for at least a year.
Lena wanted him to watch his own body decay, to let despair be his punishment.
An eye for an eye.
“A lowly and filthy creature, even in human form, you can’t change your barbaric nature.”
Lena left the dungeon, not even bothering to lock the door.
The wolf-serpent couldn’t escape.
The vat was made of a special ore, strong enough to withstand a rank six expert’s attack.
And it could only be broken from the inside.
Only an attack from within could free him, and he had lost his limbs, his magic power depleted by the alchemical poison…
A dead end.
…
The next day, in the frosty courtyard, Lena sat reading a book, her white dress revealing her slender neck.
Her expression was serene, as if searching for an answer.
“I need help investigating these non-humans, who do you think is suitable?”
“Investigating? A lamb entering a tiger’s den?”
A figure with long, orange hair appeared, her beautiful face and the tear mole at the corner of her eye incredibly alluring, her amber eyes filled with a hint of teasing.
It was Megan, the leader of the [Nea Cult], who had been missing for a month.
“You’ve raised Lian Lian well, I almost didn’t recognize her.”
Megan teased, noting Lian Lian’s increased weight.
The little fox girl, flustered, ran in circles.
“No! Just… one pound!”
“Really?”
Lena feigned disbelief.
“Really!”
Lian Lian hugged her fluffy tail, offering it to Lena for inspection.
Lena pulled her into her lap.
“It seems leaving Lian Lian with you was the right decision,” Megan stroked Lian Lian’s head, ruffling her ears. “She looks much healthier, and her personality is more cheerful.”
After all, when she had been with Megan, they had been constantly on the run, hiding from the empire, a difficult life for a young child.
She didn’t mind the hardship, but Lian Lian was still young.
Sigh, seeing Lian Lian so well-cared for, she was relieved.
“So you came back just to see Lian Lian?”
Lena rested her chin on Lian Lian’s head.
“Half and half, but mostly for Lian Lian.” Megan handed Lena a letter.
“What’s this?”
“Humans against bloodthirsty non-humans, isn’t that a lamb entering a tiger’s den?” Megan chuckled, answering Lena’s previous question. “This letter might help you, it’s a recommendation for two people…”
A recommendation from Megan?
Lena opened it skeptically.
The letter contained only two pages, but its contents were shocking.
Cheryl, Nicole…
Weren’t these members of the hero’s party?!
How did Megan know them?!
Lena’s expression turned complex, but she remained calm.
“Thank you for the recommendation, I’ll accept it.”
“I knew you would like it.”
Of course.
A Beast Tamer and a Shield Guard, the former could easily handle non-humans, with powerful animal companions.
The latter, like a late-game tank in a MOBA, with high health and defense, and a passive aura that made them stronger when hit.
In short… ahhhhhhhhhhh!!
If she could recruit these two, conquering the world would be a piece of cake.
Lena cleared her throat, hiding her excitement. “How do you know… them?”
“Don’t worry about that, consider it rent and protection fees for Lian Lian, please accept it,” Megan said with a smile.
“Fine.”
Even if Megan had demanded a price, Lena would have paid it.
This was too good to be true!
Like a freebie!
“With you as a guarantor, I’m much more at ease.”
Lena carefully put away the letter signed by Megan. With this, she could easily recruit the two, they would naturally join the Falmouths.
A kind of employment recommendation.
Using Megan’s connections to link the employer and the employee, with Megan as the guarantor.
“When will they arrive?”
“In a few days, they should be here soon.”
With that, Megan rubbed her stomach, a playful smile on her face. “So, am I a distinguished guest of the Falmouths now?”
“Of course, of course! What would you like to eat? I’ll have the cook prepare it immediately!”
Lena puffed out her chest, overjoyed.
Gaining two powerful allies without any effort, and they were Snow’s teammates, even Snow wouldn’t have expected to see them like this…
Lena stood up, placing the little pink fox girl in Megan’s arms.
Lian Lian, confused, simply snuggled into the new embrace, her tail wagging.
“You two catch up, I have some business to attend to.”
Lena left, probably to make preparations.
“Hehehe~”
Megan gently stroked Lian Lian’s soft, purplish-red fur, resting her head on her shoulder.
Lian Lian nuzzled against her, sniffing the familiar yet strange scent, her tail wagging even more furiously, her small paws clinging to Megan’s clothes.
“What do you think of Lena?”
“Miss is very good to me.”
“You’ve already changed how you address her, it seems she’s very good indeed.” Megan flicked Lian Lian’s forehead. “I have to go, Lian Lian.”
“Ah.”
The little fox fidgeted nervously. “W-why?”
“Because I still have business to attend to, Matt and Delia are waiting for me.”
Megan patted Lian Lian’s back, her voice soft and gentle. “You’ll stay with Lena from now on, I’ll visit you often, okay?”
“No, I don’t want you to go.”
The little fox clung to Megan, she had just been reunited with her, and now she had to leave again.
For a young child, parting with a loved one was incredibly cruel.
But Megan had her reasons for leaving, her unwavering belief:
“When a person is sick, they take medicine, when the world is sick, it eats people… when a person realizes they only have one life, their second life begins…”
Her words were cryptic, and her retreating figure became the last impression in Lian Lian’s teary eyes.
[I don’t fear death, because I have my loved ones on both sides.]
…
“Is she gone…?”
Lena fidgeted with the letter, folding and unfolding it.
“She comes and goes like the wind, a true free spirit… well, let’s not waste a good meal, let’s eat.”
After a sumptuous dinner, Snow was stretching on a yoga mat, Angel beside her, one silver, one pink, their form-fitting workout clothes accentuating their youthful figures, a beautiful sight for Lena.
“You’re trying to seduce me, but I won’t fall for it.”
Lena crossed her legs, her mind filled with lewd thoughts.
“Do you think everyone… huff, is like you…?! Ow, ow, ow!”
Snow gently pulled Angel’s leg, her toes touching Angel’s, their bodies close.
Angel, having been cooped up for too long, almost pulled a muscle.
But after stretching, she was back to her peak performance, dancing gracefully, like an elegant swan.
Snow was doing simple warm-up exercises on the side.
Years of fighting had made her waist more toned and flexible than other girls, her long, slender legs, her graceful arms, her silver hair swaying, a combination of fragility and strength, her cold gaze meeting Lena’s, then suddenly softening.
“Oh—”
The dance ended, and Lena applauded, showering them with praise.
“If it weren’t for your profession, you could be the top dancers at my Golden Nightclub, hmm, performing only for me, of course.”
“Can’t you say anything clean for once?”
They walked over, and Angel, with a high kick, placed her foot on the sofa beside Lena’s head.
A foot-don?
Lena gulped, giving a “V” sign, then carefully moving the stocking-clad foot away.
“I was wrong, I shouldn’t have teased you…”
“Silly wife,” Angel said with affection.
“Well, whatever my little wife says~”
Lena played along, their interaction warm and romantic.
Snow watched them, silently memorizing their every word, like a diligent student.
“You’ll stink.”
“Smells bad, tastes good~”
“You pervert, what are you talking about…”
“It’s true, my wife’s… ‘ice cream’ doesn’t stink at all, it’s very fragrant.”
The conversation was getting out of hand, heading towards an indescribable direction.
Snow’s mind was in a mess, a sense of disconnect.
Her presence seemed insignificant, after all, compared to Angel, who was growing closer to Lena every day, she was just an outsider, a robber.
“Snow? What’s wrong?”
Angel removed her foot from Lena’s face, looking at Snow with concern.
“Nothing.”
Snow shook her head, her mood low.
“I’m sorry, I ignored you.”
“It’s… fine.”
Snow wanted to say she was the third wheel, just a friend, but why did she crave Lena’s attention, why did her chest feel so tight?
She clutched her chest, her expression sad.
Angel noticed this, and tried to comfort her. “You’re just like I was at the beginning…”
Confused, bewildered, lost…
Unsure of love, not knowing how to love, dissatisfied with the present, yet powerless to change it.
The root of it all, for most people, was insecurity.
But given Snow’s personality, her naivety probably played a bigger role?
Oh! I see!
Snow was still a virgin!
Angel had discovered a new continent…
