Chapter 96: Whispers in the Night
Bai followed the voice, seeing a young man in a black trench coat and a monocle, his gentle smile sending a chill down her spine.
“…A Demon Hunter?”
Her expression hardened.
She could sense the faint demonic aura within him, and the demon-slaying blade strapped to his back was a clear giveaway.
Salred and his team in Vikarn Port hadn’t carried such blades; he had used a silver crossbow, and the others had been in disguise.
The demon-slaying blades, forged with a special technique, were incredibly effective against demons, though “effective” was a relative term. They were rare, powerful weapons, not something every Demon Hunter could wield.
This man, to possess one, must hold a high rank in their organization.
And if she could sense his demonic aura, he could sense hers.
His gaze was fixed on her, the smile on his face growing colder.
The sudden commotion caused the float to pause, but Bai quickly waved, signaling them to continue.
The falling petals concealed the Fallen Demonspawn’s remains, and the experienced envoys from the embassy district didn’t seem particularly alarmed.
Several Crown Guards quickly cleaned up the mess, while others silently surrounded the Demon Hunter.
“So cute…” he murmured, ignoring the knights, his gaze still fixed on Bai as he walked alongside the float.
“Stand down,” Bai said to the hesitant knights, then, with a dismissive glance at the Demon Hunter, turned away.
“Yes, Commander,” the knights replied, melting back into the crowd.
The Demon Hunter was stunned. He had expected anger, perhaps even an attack, or at least a reprimand.
He hadn’t expected her to simply… ignore him.
Princess Lilia also noticed the commotion, but she trusted Bai to handle it.
As the float moved away, the Demon Hunter’s expression darkened, and he hurried to catch up.
“Hmph, Commander Bai? Aren’t you afraid I’ll reveal your true—”
His words caught in his throat.
Bai hadn’t looked at him, but the purple-haired little girl beside her had, her deep purple eyes filled with a strange, unnerving power, a seed of fear taking root in his heart.
“Luka!”
A sharp voice broke him from his trance.
He realized he was drenched in a cold sweat, and the float was gone.
“What are you doing here?” another Demon Hunter, a young man, stood before him, his brow furrowed.
Although the Demon Hunters had been invited to the festival, they were not participating in the parade, especially not the flower offering.
This Demon Hunter, Luka, had acted on his own, using the Fallen Demonspawn’s remains to harass Bai.
“Captain, I…” Luka started, but the captain cut him off.
“Were you trying to cause trouble for Commander Bai?”
“…” Luka’s silence was a confession.
“Don’t provoke her,” the captain said, shaking his head. “I met her in Vikarn Port, and…”
He trailed off, realizing he had said too much.
The Demon Hunters had been aware of Bai’s existence for some time.
To those not tainted by demonic power, she might seem normal. But to them, whose senses were attuned to the demonic, her aura was as potent as a demon commander’s.
Without Sasha’s transformation rune, Bai was in her true form, her aura unconcealed.
But the Demon Hunters had decided not to interfere. Bai’s demonic traits were constantly shifting, making it difficult to determine her true nature. And besides, they were no match for Leticia…
Leticia’s loyalty to Bai was unwavering.
To get to Bai, they would have to go through her.
And besides Lugner, no one in the Empire could match Leticia in a fight, not even another Legendary Knight.
And Bai’s own strength was an unknown.
So, they had decided to leave her alone.
“Don’t provoke her again. If something happens, the organization won’t be able to protect you,” the captain warned, then, after reminding Luka of their scheduled meeting, left.
Luka stood there, his expression a mixture of confusion and frustration.
But then, a strange light flickered in his eyes, his expression turning resolute as he looked down, lost in thought.
…
As evening fell, the festival ended, and a curfew was imposed on the capital.
The city fell silent, except for the footsteps of the night patrol.
Bai’s earlier lapse had given Sasha an opportunity to escape. The brief period of invisibility had made her even harder to track.
But Bai, having reorganized the search, was slowly closing the net. By noon the next day, they would find her.
But just then, at midnight, unnoticed, the capital’s large-scale detector, for a brief moment, stopped working.
In that instant, countless demonic auras, of varying strength, flickered throughout the capital, then vanished as the detector came back online.
But something had changed…
“Isabelle, that useless fool! Useless, useless, useless! I knew I couldn’t rely on her!” a voice whispered in the darkness, a low growl. Then, it softened.
“Of course, I’m more than happy to clean up your… unnecessary mess…”
