Chapter 21: Run! Run! Run!
“Terra, Martin, Bruce…” Sugg muttered, staring at the spot where his men had sacrificed themselves to buy him time to escape. He quickly shook off his grief.
Ara was still hidden in the smoke and dust; he didn’t believe that small explosion could kill a monster like her.
He knew he owed his life to his men; he couldn’t let them down.
He had to escape. He had to survive.
While the smoke still lingered, he slipped into a hidden escape tunnel within the warehouse, fleeing without looking back.
“It seems one escaped…”
As the dust settled, Ara’s small figure reappeared, unharmed, her dress spotless, not a speck of dust on it.
She looked around, her gaze settling on the hidden entrance to the tunnel.
But just as she was about to blast it open, her face lit up with joy.
“Bai! Bai’s here… nearby!”
Forgetting about Sugg, she turned and ran in the direction she sensed Bai, her steps light and joyful, like a dance.
…
Ara had sensed Bai’s presence when she deactivated the transformation rune.
However, with Rolof’s arrival, Bai had reactivated it, and Ara had lost her again.
Meanwhile, Bai looked at the dresses Leticia had selected for her, a troubled expression on her face.
“Lady Leticia… are there no other options besides dresses?”
“Dresses are the prettiest for young ladies like you,” Leticia said with a smile, her eyes twinkling.
Rolof had left to attend to some business, promising to return later to accompany Bai to Sugg’s hideout.
So, Leticia took the opportunity to pick out some clothes for Bai, or rather, dresses.
She wasn’t giving Bai any other options…
“Dresses are inconvenient for… work, Lady Leticia,” Bai said, trying to appeal to her sense of practicality.
Leticia nodded thoughtfully, then picked out a short, black leather skirt that barely reached mid-thigh. “This one won’t hinder your movement.”
Bai: “…”
It wouldn’t hinder her movement, but was it even decent?
Sighing, Bai resigned herself to her fate—though she refused to wear the leather skirt.
Leticia, however, seemed delighted, the wrinkles on her face softening slightly.
Bai rarely saw this side of Leticia, or even her true face.
During the war, even on the battlefield, Leticia had always worn heavy armor, her face concealed.
Of course, there was a reason for that. As the price for wielding the Authority of [Absolute Negation], Leticia’s psychic circuits were incredibly weak. Instead, she possessed superhuman strength and fighting skills, relying on heavy armor to maximize her power.
Lin Yan’s combat style had been influenced by Leticia, initially intending to inherit her Authority.
But after the Glaimond incident and Lugner’s death, Lin Yan was now the most suitable candidate for the Authority of [Time Stop].
That’s why she and Leticia were so close; Leticia treated her like a true successor.
After a while, Bai chose the least objectionable dress and changed into it in the changing room.
“Hmm…” Leticia looked at Bai, nodding. “Although this is a middle school uniform, a bit young for you, your… mature demeanor makes it work.”
“…Does it?” Bai looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror.
A white short-sleeved shirt, a red ribbon tied at the collar, a knee-length plaid skirt, and black knee-high socks.
It was much more ordinary than the dresses she had been wearing.
And for Bai, ordinary was good…
Leticia stood behind her, tying her light brown hair back with a blue ribbon, creating a short ponytail.
“If you still had your gray hair, I could have put it in pigtails,” she said, her voice slightly disappointed.
Bai’s eyes widened in horror.
Pigtails would be even more embarrassing!
Just then, another knock came at the door, and Rolof’s voice called out,
“Lady Leticia, I’m ready. Is Captain Bai prepared as well?”
“One moment,” Leticia replied, then looked at Bai questioningly.
Bai hesitated, then nodded.
But Leticia didn’t answer Rolof immediately. She frowned, studying Bai intently.
“…What is it?” Bai asked, stepping back slightly.
Leticia’s gaze was a bit unsettling…
“Are you using that… short sword of Little Lin Yan’s?” she asked, her eyes sharp behind her glasses.
“Yes,” Bai nodded.
“No, you can’t use that sword,” Leticia shook her head.
Bai paused, drawing the dagger strapped to her thigh. “Lady Leticia, is there something wrong with this sword?”
“It belongs to Little Lin Yan,” Leticia said, her voice serious. “Little Lin Yan has enough problems right now. I don’t want to cause her any more trouble.”
The sword had the Lin family crest, and many people recognized it as Lin Yan’s weapon.
Lin Yan was about to inherit the Authority; she couldn’t afford any unnecessary complications.
“But…” Bai understood, but she was still hesitant.
She was comfortable with this sword. Her preferred weapon had always been a sword.
Although she used to wield a longsword, with her current size, this short sword felt similar.
“What about that pulse pistol?” Leticia asked, noticing the small, intricate weapon at Bai’s waist, though she didn’t recognize it as Victoria’s creation.
