Chapter 79: Reunion
“—in.”
As the newcomer entered, Leticia’s voice faded.
She frowned. It was rare to encounter such rudeness. A flicker of annoyance appeared on her face.
But then she saw who it was, and her lazy demeanor vanished. She stood up, her hand reaching for her waist.
Although she had decided to retire, to live out her remaining days as an old tailor, she still possessed the instincts of a knight. Beneath her old, heavy dress, a longsword was hidden.
“It’s you! You’ve come to the capital!”
Before the other could speak, she continued, as if to herself, “No, if it’s you, then the border defenses wouldn’t have stopped you. Even the Demonic Rune detectors are useless against you… but I’m surprised. Why have you come to the capital?”
“…Miss Isabelle, the Shadow Demon Commander,” the dark-haired, seductive woman said, her voice a low murmur, her skin a pale, almost sickly, white.
Her expression was indifferent, her deep, black eyes fixed on Leticia.
Although Isabelle hadn’t been present during the Imperial Festival, she had left her mark on the capital, stirring up a bit of trouble.
But because the incident had involved Bai, the sealing ritual had erased most of Leticia’s memories of her. She only had a vague impression.
Although she remembered Isabelle as a seven or eight-year-old girl, and the woman before her was at least twenty, her aura, her very essence, was the same.
But what puzzled her most was that her impression of Isabelle wasn’t… negative?
But regardless, a demon commander, at least at the peak of the Calamity Class, had appeared in the capital, and had sought her out. This was not a good sign.
Even without her Authority, Leticia was still the strongest in the capital. Her strength was on par with the other eight Legendary Knights.
But Isabelle was a genuine peak Calamity Class being, perhaps even stronger. Leticia had no chance of victory.
“I… am just… waiting for someone,” Isabelle said, her gaze downcast, her form solidifying slightly, as if she were transferring her true form into this avatar.
“Waiting for… who? Empress Lilia?”
Leticia’s eyes narrowed, her hand on her sword, her other hand on a communication device.
If Isabelle was here for Lilia, she would immediately send a message, warning her to stay in Vikarn Port.
With the current situation in the capital, they couldn’t protect Lilia from a peak Calamity Class demon commander.
To defeat Isabelle, they would need at least three Legendary Knights.
So, if Isabelle was really here for Lilia… Leticia was powerless.
Hearing her question, Isabelle frowned, a look of confusion on her face. “Empress Lilia? The human leader… no, she’s not the one I’m waiting for.”
“If not Her Majesty, then who are you waiting for?”
Leticia’s “old woman” disguise vanished, revealing a tall, graceful woman, her features delicate, yet her expression resolute.
The old woman disguise had hindered her, had limited her combat abilities.
She didn’t believe Isabelle was just here to “wait for someone.” It was likely just an excuse.
So, she was ready to fight, even if it was a hopeless one.
But Isabelle didn’t seem to be preparing for a fight. She seemed to be genuinely… thinking.
“Hmm, I’m also wondering, who am I waiting for…”
After the battle in the heart of the Abyss, her memories had been fading, irreversibly.
She didn’t know what she had forgotten.
And this feeling of not knowing, of not being in control, was frustrating. And so, in a daze, she had come to the capital.
She had never been particularly interested in Solor. Before her… breakdown, she had been a master strategist, a shadow puppet master.
And after, a fanatical follower of the Abyssal Lord.
So, although she could freely enter human territory, she had never had a reason to.
But now, she had forgotten who she was waiting for, why she had to come here. She only remembered…
“I still have something to give back to her,” she said softly. “Yes, she’ll definitely come here. So I have to wait here. Because what she needs, I have to give to her myself…”
She looked at her own, slightly ethereal hands, and unconsciously touched her lips.
A faint, sweet fragrance lingered, and a fragmented image flashed through her mind.
A girl with long, black hair, her dark eyes, like her own, wearing a simple white dress.
“Wait, but why the capital… hmm?”
In that instant, Leticia felt a strange, fleeting sensation.
She felt as if they were not alone in the room, as if there was another presence, unseen.
“Who… else?”
“Then who is she?” Isabelle asked softly.
Another silent pause, and then, as they were both lost in their own fragmented memories, the creak of the wooden door pulled them back to reality.
“I’m back. Long time no see—hey? You’re all here? Wait, why are you here too?”
A familiar, yet strange, childish voice, and Leticia and Isabelle turned to see a silver-haired girl at the doorway, her eyes wide with surprise.
“…”
Ara’s expression was also a mixture of confusion and surprise, though for a different reason.
She tugged at Bai’s sleeve. “Bai, are we in the wrong place? Although the bad woman Isabelle is here, I don’t think Grandma Leticia lives here…”
