Chapter 24: Reporting for Duty
As if falling, Eleanor felt herself sinking, her consciousness fading.
When she awoke, she was in a strange place.
“This is… the Bewildering Forest?”
She looked around, a sense of unease washing over her. It looked like the forest, but there was something… off.
And what had happened?
The last thing she remembered was Bai, channeling her power into the failed magic circle.
…What kind of power was it, to send her to this strange place?
“Welcome, child,” a gentle voice whispered from behind her.
She whirled around, but saw nothing.
“Who are you?”
“I am your…” the voice hesitated, then chuckled softly. “Perhaps it’s better to say I’m the last remnant of a bygone era, a spirit in your subconscious.”
“This place seems to be a dream world, created by a Dream Demon. And it is because of this that you can sense my presence, child.”
The voice, though unfamiliar, filled her with a strange sense of warmth, of kinship.
But she remained wary. She had never heard of a Dream Demon before, let alone encountered one. And this disembodied voice, so strangely familiar… it wasn’t a good sign.
Many a siren had lured sailors to their doom with such a voice.
Seeing her defensive posture, the voice said, “Perhaps I should appear in a more… trustworthy form.”
A soft, green light materialized before her, coalescing into a small figure.
A little girl with the same green hair and eyes as Eleanor, her delicate features a mask of indifference, at least ten years younger than her.
“Damn it, it’s a little girl!” Eleanor muttered. “And I have no resistance to them…”
Of course, she remained on guard. This strange voice had just admitted to a targeted approach. It was even more suspicious now.
I, Eleanor, am not a fan of all little girls!
“If you would remove your hand from my head, your words would be more convincing,” the little green-haired girl said, her voice still gentle, a faint smile on her lips.
Her gaze was filled with a deep, endless longing.
“It’s good to see you again,” she said, her smile widening slightly. “My child…”
“Eleanor.”
…
“Commander? Are you kidding me? My commander is the strongest in the world. How could he be a little girl?”
“She’s a demon. Don’t underestimate her…”
“Qin Su, what are you talking about?! I just finished loading my pulse cannon! You know how long that takes!”
Qin Su, her expression as cold and detached as Bai remembered, simply said, “Commander, we missed you.”
“I’m sorry…”
Bai looked down, tears streaming down her face.
Rayne, Victoria, Lockner, Qin Su…
They had all died at Saint Noyes, and she was the only one left…
Although she had been through so much since then, had learned so much more, the pain of that loss, of her helplessness, was still a raw, open wound.
She turned, looking at her former comrades, their faces, their expressions, just as she remembered them.
“That look… no way, is it really the Commander?”
“She doesn’t look like him, but that feeling… it’s…”
“Bang, bang, bang, Commander, I’m sorry, I’ll kowtow to you, bang, bang, bang…”
Rayne’s shocked expression, Lockner’s slight cringe, and Victoria, her eyes filled with tears, her words a jumble of apologies…
Bai’s gaze shifted to Qin Su.
Her usually stoic expression was softened by a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
She looked at Bai and nodded.
“I’m sorry, everyone… I…”
Bai wiped her tears. Even though she knew it was just a dream, the reunion was overwhelming.
“This isn’t like you, Commander,” Qin Su said, her voice soft. “No matter what, you’ve always been our respected commander.”
“I…” Bai looked down, struggling to control her emotions.
She had never thought she would see them again, even in a dream…
She didn’t move, afraid that if she did, if she touched them, they would vanish, and she would be alone again.
Qin Su, as if sensing her fear, walked towards her.
Bai started to back away, but Qin Su was faster, and she embraced her in a gentle hug.
“Commander, we’re back.”
“Qin Su, reporting for duty.”
Then another voice, choked with tears, “Commander, I missed you so much…”
Victoria hugged her waist, sobbing.
“Victoria… reporting for duty…”
“Rayne, reporting for duty.”
“Lockner, reporting for duty.”
Rayne and Lockner saluted from a distance. “Since the Commander is a little girl now, we’ll just… stay over here, so we don’t ruin the moment, hahaha…”
Bai smiled, a genuine, warm smile.
She awkwardly returned their embrace, ruffling Victoria’s hair, her hand resting on Qin Su’s back, saying nothing.
She wanted to burn this moment into her memory, to hold onto it forever.
But just then, Victoria gasped.
“Huh… Commander, why do you have a tail?”
“Oh, right, the Commander is a fox girl now. Reincarnated as a beastkin, huh?”
Before Bai could react, she felt a tingling sensation, a familiar electric shock, and she let out a small, cute “Wah~”
She looked back to see Victoria, holding a fluffy pink tail, poking it curiously.
