Chapter 36: Can We Make Peace?
The man hidden in the smoke felt a chill of dread—he’d been exposed, right under their noses.
No choice now but close-quarters combat. He was confident in his strength, honed over years to take down beasts far larger than this small girl.
But before his dagger could strike, a bone-chilling killing intent flooded the mansion, freezing everyone.
He knew that feeling…
A pure white blade, a striking blonde ponytail, and that unmistakable ancestral swordsmanship—years ago, it nearly took his life.
“Wasn’t she supposed to be a wreck after losing her memory?”
Before he could finish, a golden sword aura slashed down, severing his weapon and arm in one stroke. The shockwave cleared the fog and tore a gash in the roof.
“Hiss… Can we make peace?”
Under the weight of past nightmares and current helplessness, the one-armed man gave up, collapsing to his knees.
Meeting a prodigy like this, no amount of effort could win.
He’d only wanted to settle an old score, but years later, he was still a worm—nothing to her but a casual swipe.
“Huh? Giving up already? You were having fun a second ago.” Tina found his defiance more amusing.
“This is beyond human. How could a mortal win? If she goes berserk, she’d cleave the whole city.” His eyes were dull, devoid of spark.
“Really? That strong?”
Seeing no response, Tina turned around.
To her shock, Irene was walking toward her, sword in hand, eyepatch half-off, her blazing red eye glinting with unclear intent—murder or affection?
A bad feeling hit Tina. “Wait, are you still in control?”
Irene was torn by two emotions. A newer one urged: She’s the one you’ll protect, the one you’ll make submit. The older one screamed: She’s your enemy—front forgotten, middle forgotten, end forgotten, but she’ll submit to you too.
Whatever. Both led to the same outcome—she belonged to Irene.
“Hey, hey, hey!”
Tina was pinned against the wall in front of everyone. The knights covered their eyes but peeked through slits, thinking: Even if we die today, this show’s worth it.
“Wait, that hurts!”
The rough press on Tina’s shoulder reopened her unhealed wound, blood seeping out.
Irene paused, her core logic reminding her to prioritize protection.
Seizing the moment of distraction, Tina quickly fixed Irene’s eyepatch, easing the tension.
“Uh… you’re hurt? Did I… do that?”
Irene reverted to her clueless self, making Tina laugh and sigh.
“It’s fine. It’s over. You saved me—I’m really grateful.”
A phrase popped into Tina’s mind: When you’re safe, your teammate’s the biggest threat.
Today, she got it. One second, they were a happy family; the next, with the seal undone, Irene was a killing machine.
Good thing there was an off-switch.
Tina shuddered to think what’d happen if the eyepatch came fully off—would she even walk out alive?
“Irene, how about you take out those guys first?” Tina pointed at the cowering crowd.
Having learned their secret, they couldn’t be spared.
The knights, seeing death’s hand reach for them, surrendered, offering their most prized possessions.
“What makes you think surrendering saves you?”
“Miss, have mercy! We’re just grunts, here for a paycheck! Look, the hostage—we didn’t hurt her at all!” they pleaded.
Tina untied Vanessa, checking her. True enough, she was unharmed, even a bit plumper.
“See? We gave her all our food, went hungry ourselves!”
“Vanessa, is that true?”
Maybe wanting to save face or deny the weight gain, the blonde twin-tailed girl fidgeted. “They were… decent to me. But I’m not that big of an eater.”
“Alright, no issues then.”
Tina turned, her face hardening.
“Even so, I can’t let you off easy.”
“Spare us! We’ll do anything!”
“Really? Then tell me where you’re from and your goal.”
The knights bickered among themselves.
“We… we gotta tell her?”
“Idiot, don’t tell, and we die now. Tell, and we might live.”
A representative stepped forward to answer.
“We’re from the Empire. Kidnapping this lady was part of a plan. Our higher-ups ordered us to abduct all noble heirs in the city within a week.”
“And your ultimate goal?”
“Don’t know. We’re just conscripted grunts, not privy to the higher plans.”
“For real?” Tina conjured a magical grip on the knight’s neck, squeezing.
“R-really…” He stuck to his story despite the pain and choking.
“Fine, I’ll believe you for now.”
“Yes! Thank you, miss!”
“Wait, I didn’t say I’d let you go.” Tina’s tone shifted.
“You said leaking info gets you executed, right?”
“Y-yes.”
“And you were conscripted because you’re men, right?”
“Right.”
“I’ve got a way to save you.”
“Really?” Hope returned to their eyes, Tina their sun.
“Yup. To let you feel what it’s like for the girls you kidnapped, I’ll perform a little magic trick~”
Tina deftly summoned a magic array, pulling out her tools.
From then on, a new rumor spread among Valencia’s border residents.
They said an abandoned suburban mansion was haunted, with screams echoing if you dared approach. But inside, you’d see nothing—just bloodstains and lingering resentment in the air.
“So, no actual ghosts?” a passing traveler asked.
“Who knows? Doesn’t make the tale any less chilling.”