Free Web Novel“Report, Captain. Third floor has been searched. No trace of monsters.”
“Report, Captain. Second floor, no monsters found either.”
“Report, Captain. First floor and the hall, no monsters...”
Tavern, first-floor hall.
The knights, eager to finish and go home, marched steadily and quickly to assemble and give their reports.
And the “captain” they spoke to was none other than the leader of the three who had shown up earlier at Ye Chi’s door.
“Not a single sign?” The captain straightened his back, voice serious.
“None.” ×5
“Good.” The captain nodded, satisfied, withdrawing his gaze from his subordinates.
In his view, monsters weren’t smart enough to perfectly infiltrate a city.
Unless it was some ultra-high-level monster. Like one of the Seven Demon Kings from legend, who could take on a human form.
Or, nobles in high positions—smuggling and keeping exotic monsters for their own indulgences. Tentacle beasts, slimes, humanoid succubi...
If it was one of those two cases, the Order couldn’t do anything.
Their job was to handle stray beast-type monsters in the wild, and specialized ones that threatened a city’s safety.
Like aberrant toads lurking in reservoirs. Wailing banshees haunting the forest. Mist giants in the sea, attacking ships. Or city witches born from human emotions...
“Captain...” The female knight, who had been silent, suddenly raised her hand, voice hesitant.
“Hm?”
The other knights stiffened. Damn. More overtime.
The captain turned back, waiting for her to continue.
“That little girl... are we really pretending we saw nothing?”
The “little girl” she meant was clearly Ye Chi.
The female knight hesitated, then added: “The tavern’s owner was obviously lying... And what noble young lady would, in just a few months, throw away ten years of etiquette to become a drunk little bar rat?”
“That’s not our concern.” The captain shook ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) his head.
“But in her room... inside her room...” The knight trailed off, suddenly looking lost. “I might be obsessing. Sorry, Captain.”
“Don’t think too much about the last incident... The founder of the Order once said, every person has a monster living in their heart. Desire can bind it—or release it...”
The captain sighed. His once-firm gaze grew weary. Looking at the female knight, his eyes drifted instead to the window behind her.
“Fino. Recite the Order’s creed.”
The female knight opened her mouth, glanced at her comrades, then bowed her head.
“Do not betray the Order.”
“Do not seek fame.”
“Only hunt monsters...”
“Do not guard humanity.”
...
Clang—
A crystal-clear glass bottle shattered. Scarlet liquid spilled across the floor, releasing a rich fragrance.
“That bottle was 3 gold coins. Materials worth 3 gold coins—if I’m unlucky, that takes me days in the forest to gather!”
Ye Chi’s lips twitched. She swallowed the pain of loss, forcing her focus back on the uninvited guest. Her face switched back to cold and expressionless.
“Meow? Have we met?”
The cat-eared girl crouched on the walnut table, staring doubtfully at Ye Chi. Her pale, shapely legs bent slightly, body leaning forward, crimson eyes sweeping carefully over Ye Chi from head to toe.
Like a wolf scrutinizing a rabbit at its den.
The lamp in the room flickered back on.
The “little rabbit” under that wolf’s gaze—Ye Chi—finally saw her visitor’s face clearly.
Black-haired, red-eyed, a short girl in a gothic black dress with lace frills.
Well, well. A familiar face.
Ye Chi clenched her fist out of habit—forgetting her black holy sword had been broken by the Demon King years ago.
My defeated opponent.
Long time no see.
This crossing of time and identity, to reveal herself now would be amusing.
But—
“Who are you?”
Ye Chi’s pretty little face stayed blank. Inwardly she sneered. There was no way she’d admit it. Not with that -800 Justice Value over your head.
The Demon King himself was only -9.
And I’ve beaten you before.
If I still had my holy sword, I’d keep my old promise—every time I see you, I beat you.
“You may call me Helcat Red. Meow~”
Helcat twitched her furry ears, sitting cross-legged on the table. Her soft thighs pressed together, crimson eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“I’m very curious about you. Clearly you look like nothing more than a cute human girl. Yet you give me a strange, familiar sense of danger. Meow.”
“So. Will you tell me your name?”
The cat-eared girl’s round face softened into something almost friendly.
“That way, I might consider postponing the siege a few days. Meow. My pets are running low on food anyway.”
At those words—
Ye Chi froze.
A siege?
Against this city, one of the strongest human fortresses?
Not even the Seven Demon Kings dared make such a move easily. Where did some hellcat demon get the guts?
Sure, humanity had lost its strongest Hero—her. But the demons had lost their strongest Demon King too.
Ye Chi’s mind filled with question marks.
Her old teammates in the Hero Squad... her swordmaster teacher, the Sword Saint... her disciple...
Looks like time was running short.
She hadn’t spent three years carefully shaping a human disguise just to buy liquor.
No matter what, she had to meet her old companions. She had to ask:
Why had the truth of that war been sealed away? Why had the Demon King’s death been hidden?
For the first time in years, Ye Chi felt a sharp ache in her chest—even though she no longer had a human heart.
Phantom pain?
Heh.
Dragging herself out of memory, Ye Chi lifted her pale face. She looked at the black-haired catgirl sitting on her table and said quietly: fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
“Vieya. That’s my name.”
