Chapter 143: [Epilogue]—The Street Stall Sisters
With the members of the Sharp Assault squad now occupied with Knight affairs, and with their military records having to be reinstated after being declared dead at Saint Noyes, they were all quite busy.
Which left Bai with some rare, and welcome, free time.
After Eleanor’s departure, she and Ara went for a walk, hand in hand, through the bustling marketplace, just as they had done in Vikarn all those years ago.
Although years had passed, Bai’s appearance hadn’t changed, but Ara had grown slightly, now half a head taller than her.
Bai was four-foot-three, and Ara was just over four-foot-seven… both still in the “little girl” category.
But the height difference was more noticeable now, and Ara seemed more like the older sister.
She was also more stable. During their time in the capital, she had run errands for Bai, traveling between Leticia’s shop and the Knight headquarters. And her time in the endless void had forged a new strength within her.
Even if the events of the past were to repeat themselves, even the strongest Heart Demon wouldn’t be able to make her lose control again.
Bai, seeing this, was relieved. Ara’s incomplete personality had always been a source of worry for her.
Now, it seemed she was finally shedding the “Weapon” persona, no longer a killing machine on the verge of losing control, but a normal, complete being.
Well, she was a bit taller now, but she was still just as cute.
But…
Bai had to tilt her head to see Ara’s face, a strange, unfamiliar feeling.
Just then, Ara slowed her pace, falling behind Bai.
And before Bai could react, she felt a soft, light body press against her back.
“Ugh—”
She was caught off guard, but Ara’s arms were already around her neck, her cheek resting on her shoulder. “Ara is tired. Bai, carry Ara.”
“…”
Bai was speechless. Tired? After just a few steps?
But she knew it was just an excuse. Ara just wanted to be close to her.
She smiled, ruffling Ara’s purple hair. “Alright.”
After all, such moments of peace and tranquility were rare.
The bustling crowd around them was a blur, a memory of a distant past, a time when she and Ara had walked through a similar, crowded street, as if nothing had changed.
But so much had.
“Were you scared, Ara?” she asked softly. “Alone, in that dark place…”
“No, Bai. Ara wasn’t scared,” she said, but Bai felt her arms tighten, her body trembling slightly.
“Because Ara had to find Bai. So Ara couldn’t be scared… if Ara was scared, Ara couldn’t save Bai…”
Bai was silent for a moment, her heart aching. She couldn’t imagine how Ara, in her fragile state, had persevered, searching for a single, almost nonexistent, spark of light in that endless void.
“Yes. So Bai has to be strong too,” she said, a faint smile on her lips. She knew her own destiny was just as bleak, just as hopeless.
But for Ara, she would fight, just as Ara had, to find a sliver of hope in an endless despair, to break free from the finality of fate.
“If even Ara can be so strong, then Bai can’t fall behind.”
She tilted her head, her cowlick brushing against Ara’s nose, making her sneeze.
“Hmph! Bai is bullying Ara!” she pouted, her head shaking.
Bai chuckled, and Ara, seeing her laugh, also giggled.
Thankfully, they were both disguised with a rune, otherwise their cuteness would have drawn a crowd.
Just then, a familiar, loud voice caught her ear.
“Secret techniques for sale! Advanced beastkin secret techniques! Instantly increase your rank! Only ten gold coins!”
Two scantily clad, yet somewhat… lacking, figures appeared in her line of sight, and she couldn’t help but twitch her lips.
“Wh-why are they here…?”
The one hawking the beastkin secret techniques was none other than Karina, the older of the Blood Spider twin sisters she had met before entering the Wild God Altar. And beside her, her sister, Stina, was diligently scribbling in a notebook.
Although they were both of the Hellblood Spider royal family, they were both… idiots, as if their shared intelligence had been split between them.
Of course, the older sister was slightly smarter, but only slightly…
And so, Karina and Stina were the rare “slackers” of the Hellblood Spider clan, their greatest ambition to achieve financial freedom, and then to… do nothing.
But the last time she had seen them, Queen Arachne had used her forbidden secret technique, draining the life force of all the Hellblood Spiders… how had they survived?
With that thought, she walked over and picked up one of the notebooks. “Excuse me, how much is this?”
She skimmed through it, and was surprised to find that the technique described was… real.
Her disguise was only effective against ordinary people. Karina and Stina, with their own power, could see her.
“Well, well, little sister, you have a good eye! You’ve picked out the best, most powerful secret technique on our little stall!” Karina said, her eyes lighting up. “And this one, it’s a legendary beastkin secret technique. Normally, it’s twenty gold coins…”
“Sister, I can’t write the most powerful one yet,” Stina said, a look of despair on her face, interrupting her sister’s sales pitch. “I’ve almost forgotten it…”
Karina’s face darkened, and she smacked her sister on the head with another notebook. “Do you know anything about business?! You idiot!”
