Chapter 48: The Kill Order, An Inside Job?
High noon.
Eleanor sat up, rubbing her eyes, and yawned.
“Ah~ that was a good sleep—wait!”
She saw the bright sunlight streaming through the window and her heart skipped a beat.
“It’s… almost noon?”
She clutched her chest, her heart pounding.
She usually slept in, but never this late…
“Phew, as long as Aunt Norma doesn’t find out, it’s fine,” she muttered, changing out of her pajamas. “And besides, why would Aunt Norma come here… oh well, I’ll go find Bai for lunch.”
She opened the door, and there, in the middle of the hall, was Norma, sipping tea.
Heart. Lungs. Stopped.
Slam!
Eleanor quickly shut the door, her heart pounding against her ribs.
“Come out, Eleanor,” Norma’s voice came from the other side, her calm tone more terrifying than any storm.
“A-alright, Aunt Norma, I’m coming…”
She cautiously opened the door a crack, then slipped out, tiptoeing to the seat opposite Norma and sitting down, her posture a model of perfect obedience.
Norma looked up at her. “It seems you had a good dream.”
“W-well, it wasn’t that good…” Eleanor stammered.
Norma could tell that Eleanor had slept so late because of the lingering effects of Bai’s dream power.
So, she didn’t reprimand her. Sternness didn’t mean she had to be unreasonable.
“By the way, where’s Bai?” Eleanor asked, noticing the absence of the twitchy-tailed beast-eared little girl.
“She…” Norma looked away. “She said… the little fox had to leave, and perhaps we’ll meet again.”
“Huh?” Eleanor’s face fell. “Aunt Norma, are you saying… Bai’s gone?”
“Yes.”
“Why?” Eleanor blurted out, her voice filled with disappointment. “But… she hasn’t even learned magic circles yet. And she wanted to do something with the sacred artifact fragments…”
“I’m sorry, Eleanor,” Norma said softly, interrupting her.
“I see…” Eleanor’s expression turned somber.
“And the sacred lands have issued an order. They will cooperate with the North Empire and the Savage Lands to hunt down this demon,” Norma said, placing a photo on the table. It was the image Arnold had recorded during their standoff.
Although Norma didn’t know why Bai had suddenly transformed into a black-haired girl, she had secretly taken a sample of her pink fur and compared it to the descriptions in the ancient texts, confirming that Bai was a true Dream Demon.
But strangely, Bai’s resemblance to the Dream Demons in the texts was almost… too perfect. Norma had wondered about this. Was it because the Dream Demon race was so rare that their characteristics were relatively uniform?
Eleanor picked up the photo. She instantly recognized the black-haired girl as Bai.
Although her appearance had changed, her ethereal beauty was unforgettable.
“Why… why are they hunting Bai?” she asked, her hands trembling.
“Because she’s a demon,” Norma said calmly.
“But… even if she’s a demon, she’s a good demon! You know that, Aunt Norma. She’s kind and cute…”
“I know. But that doesn’t mean others do,” Norma said, lowering her eyes.
Even Eleanor, who was so close to Bai, had struggled to accept her demonic identity. What about others, who didn’t know her at all?
Including the humans and the beastkin. All they knew was that a demon had appeared on Solor, and this time, they were determined not to make the same mistake as they had centuries ago, fighting alone and being defeated one by one. They would unite against the Abyss.
“How could this happen,” Eleanor murmured, stroking the image of the beautiful girl. “The little girl I just summoned…”
But after spending so much time with her, Eleanor had come to consider Bai a close friend.
She had finally found someone her own age (?) who she could connect with. She didn’t want to lose her.
“The sacred lands have ordered every region to dispatch at least one squad and one Destruction Class warrior to hunt down the demon,” Norma said, looking at Eleanor. “What is your current rank?”
“Mid-Destruction Class. Wait, Aunt Norma, are you saying…”
Eleanor’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe what Norma was suggesting.
…This was practically making her an inside agent!
“Yes,” Norma said, seeing that Eleanor understood.
“But I have no experience leading a squad…” Eleanor hesitated.
“The sacred lands didn’t specify that the Destruction Class warrior had to lead a squad,” Norma added.
True, it wasn’t explicitly stated, but it was generally assumed…
“I… I see…”
Eleanor scratched her head. This would be her first time on a solo mission.
“I don’t know anything. I just came to inform you of the kill order,” Norma said, standing up and walking towards the door.
Before leaving, she turned, her voice softening slightly. “Be careful.”
“Ah… yes, Aunt Norma!”
Eleanor was so surprised by her aunt’s gentle tone that she almost didn’t respond.
Norma stepped outside to see a guard rushing towards her.
“Report, Leader! The High Priestess… is here!”
“The High Priestess?”
Norma’s heart skipped a beat. Why was the High Priestess here, now?
No, at a time like this, it was perfectly normal for her to be here… though it was still a surprise.
“Take me to her, immediately,” Norma said, her voice firm. The High Priestess wouldn’t have come to the Twilight Marsh for no reason.
It couldn’t be just for Eleanor. She was in no danger here. The High Priestess had more important matters to attend to.
“Yes, Leader,” the guard saluted, then led her towards the High Priestess’s location.
