The night was deep, and the light of the Red Moon was strictly barred from the room by heavy black lead tiles and thick curtains.
Silvervein City had fallen into a deathly silence. Aside from the occasional faint clatter of armor from soldiers patrolling the streets, not a sound could be heard.
In Solitude, if a person stayed indoors alone, they would be enveloped by a sense of loneliness even if they weren't touched by moonlight, leading them to crave its touch.
Due to her complete resistance to mental abnormalities, the Hero was immune to this feeling of "loneliness."
However...
Kaila tilted her head slightly. Sophie, who was sprawled across her, was sleeping soundly.
“Whew... Zzz...”
Faint snores escaped from the silver-haired girl’s defenseless mouth.
As always, she had no sense of personal boundaries.
Sophie’s left arm was hooked under Kaila’s neck, tightly hugging the Hero’s slender shoulders, while her right leg was thrown arrogantly over Kaila’s legs, pinning her down. That face—more beautiful than any other, yet currently sleeping without a shred of dignity—was buried firmly against Kaila’s chest, rising and falling rhythmically with her breathing.
Kaila had also slept for a while yesterday, something she hadn't done in a long time.
By the time she woke up, she found she had been carried back to the tavern.
“Was the battle won?”
That was what she had asked at the time.
Sitting on the bed, Kaila looked up at the ceiling, then lowered her gaze slightly to look at the silver head pressed against her.
She tried to pull out her pinned right hand.
“Mmm...”
Sophie let out a dissatisfied mumble and furrowed her brows. Instead of letting go, she hugged Kaila even tighter, even rubbing her cheek against Kaila’s collarbone to find a more comfortable angle. Only then did her brow relax, and she returned to her steady breathing.
Kaila’s movements froze.
A flicker of helplessness, which she didn't even notice herself, crossed her usually expressionless, exquisite face.
She didn't force Sophie off. Instead, she used her left hand to gently retrieve a parchment notebook and a short charcoal pencil from her storage bag.
Turning her head and using the dim light of the wall lamp, she began to write on the paper with a soft scratching sound.
Her handwriting was still rigid and orderly, just like the Heroic Laws she had always lived by.
【New Calendar, Year 1453, October 19th, early morning.】
【Miss Hill, I hope this letter finds you well.】
【Circumstances have changed. I did not complete yesterday's commission as scheduled; instead, I was inevitably drawn into a localized war triggered by two Witches—the New Moon Witch and the Puppet Witch.】
At this point, Kaila’s charcoal pencil paused.
Images of the shattered sky, the inverted earth, and the mana turbulence that had nearly ground the entire world to dust on the wasteland flashed through her mind.
【The enemies' power far exceeded expectations. A collision of laws at the Forbidden Spell rank altered the terrain, and I was forced to perform limit evasions within a domain of gravity reversal and mana erosion. Unless absolutely necessary, I do not recommend confronting two Witches alone.】
【They are more troublesome than I imagined. It turns out that Phase 3 laws are not their full power. In Phase 4, they possess domains. With my current strength, I am not yet able to defeat them.】
【However, the focus of today’s report is not the Witches.】
Kaila’s writing shifted slightly.
【I wish to report further observations regarding Sophie.】
【She is... a very mysterious existence.】
【Her strength fluctuations are extreme and defy logic. A few days ago, she appeared exceptionally weak, with both strength and speed far below that of an average civilian. Yet even so, she was able to use an ordinary Oil-paper Umbrella to precisely block lethal attacks that even I would be wary of, and she did so completely unharmed.】
【She possesses extensive knowledge regarding Witches and is capable of utilizing their power to achieve her plans. Furthermore, she appears to be acquainted with some of them.】
【On the Witch battlefield today, after I collapsed due to erosion, she successfully snatched the top hat from the Puppet Witch’s head.】
【I still remember when I fought the Puppet Witch years ago; she would never let me touch her hat no matter what. I thought it was her weakness and spent a long time trying to strike it.】
【According to what Sophie said later, her relationship with the Puppet Witch is extraordinary. This point remains to be verified tonight.】
The charcoal pencil rubbed softly against the paper, making a faint scratching noise.
Kaila looked away from the parchment and back at Sophie’s sleeping face.
Sophie’s breath was warm, hitting her collarbone in a steady rhythm.
She recalled how that newborn, delicate body had awakened from its slumber in the Eclipse Domain, and how she had picked her up from the falling ruins with an absolute, commanding presence.
Putting the sudden explosion of power aside, it was mainly that... irresistible sense of security.
【Miss Hill, you once warned me not to easily trust Abyssal creatures, claiming they often hide the truth to plot something sinister. You also questioned whether she was “lusting after my body.”】
Kaila’s brow furrowed slightly.
【But I cannot determine what her plot might be.】
【If she has a plot, why would she stop me from throwing my life away in a desperate situation? Why would she expend precious Blood Essence just to heal the old wounds on my body that were supposed to be irreparable?】
【Even when faced with the pincer attack of two Witches, she clearly could have escaped alone, yet she chose to stay, commanded me in battle, and took over the battlefield in that odd way at the final moment.】
The charcoal pencil drew a heavy line under the words “odd way.”
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