Chapter 252: A Curious Girl
Within the underground palace, outside the Secret Realm, the True Ancestors constantly monitored the shifting rankings. The first to score a kill, a werewolf-vampire hybrid named Wofoo, rocketed to the top of the leaderboard, earning the True Ancestors’ grudging admiration.
“As expected, these wolf cubs aren’t so easily tamed,” Snyder, Sharon’s ancestor, remarked with a sneer. He had participated in the war against the werewolves and harbored a deep-seated animosity towards them. He even kept several pure-blooded werewolves as slaves in his estate, descendants of the war’s captives. He wasn’t attracted to their beastly forms; they were merely curiosities, objects of his cruel amusement.
However, the hybrid offspring of these slaves and vampires, inheriting the vampire’s form but retaining the wolf ears and tails—beast-eared girls, essentially—were far more… intriguing. If it weren’t for his status and his disgust for werewolves, this ancient True Ancestor, his libido undiminished by the centuries, might have indulged his baser desires. But such entanglements were messy, and he preferred to avoid the complications of offspring. This explained Sharon’s neglected childhood; it seemed most of Snyder’s male descendants had inherited his emotional detachment.
“Their plight is pitiful,” Lady Chen Xi said, defending Wofoo. “It’s only natural for them to seek… an outlet for their frustrations. Besides, this is a fair competition, and there’s no real danger.” The protective runes she had bestowed upon each participant ensured their safe return, even in defeat.
“Speaking of which,” she continued, turning to Snyder, “I mentioned abolishing the slave status of all werewolves in Twilight City. If I recall correctly, you objected.”
Snyder sneered. Of course, he objected; he wasn’t about to release his slaves without compensation. “Chen Xi, must you bring up this trivial matter again?” he asked, his voice laced with irritation. “Aren’t you magnanimous enough? Both vampires and humans sing your praises. Why bother showing sympathy for these… invaders? Do you crave their gratitude?”
“That’s not what I seek, you know that,” Lady Chen Xi replied calmly, though the tension in the air thickened. “Besides, the pure-blooded werewolves who participated in that war are all dead, their final days spent in servitude, their sins atoned for. But their descendants are innocent; they had no choice in their birth. Should we hold their heritage against them forever? Especially considering many carry vampire blood in their veins.”
Snyder, unwilling to argue further, simply said, “You know abolishing their slave status won’t change anything.” The prejudice in people’s hearts was a far greater obstacle, one that couldn’t be so easily overcome.
He turned his attention back to the leaderboard. Wofoo’s name had already been pushed down the rankings. Her killing spree had been interrupted by an unexpected encounter with Adele. She hadn’t scored any more points, while the other vampires continued their battles, her rank steadily declining.
After a while, Lady Chen Xi’s eyes widened slightly, as did the other two True Ancestors. Adele, who had been at the bottom of the leaderboard, had suddenly gained points, her ranking rising.
At the same time, a Sequence Three vampire girl was teleported back to the underground palace, collapsing onto the ground in a daze, her eyes wide with disbelief. It was a common reaction among the eliminated participants, the shock of near-death still fresh in their minds.
But because she had been defeated by Adele, the girl instantly became the focus of the True Ancestors’ attention.
To everyone’s surprise, it was Ron, the robed True Ancestor, who approached the girl, his hand outstretched, shimmering with starlight. His skin, pale and smooth as jade, made one wonder if his body beneath the robes was even human.
“Child, show me your hand,” he said, his voice a low murmur.
“…Y-yes, your Excellency!” the girl stammered, her fear quickly replaced by awe.
She offered her hand, and Ron, taking it in his, closed his eyes, a faint starlight emanating from his touch.
“A strange technique,” he murmured, seemingly replaying the girl’s encounter with Adele within the Secret Realm.
“What did she do?” Snyder asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
Ron considered his words, then offered a cryptic answer, “She… was like a cat. Just… a flick of her paw.”
Lady Chen Xi: “…”
Snyder: “?”
………………
Adele, if she had heard Ron’s assessment, would have protested vehemently. After all, she was just a first-year student at Cromwell Academy, her magic training limited to basic theory and textbook knowledge.
It would be years before she learned truly powerful combat spells. So she had to rely on her “kitty tutor,” First Snow, for practical training.
First Snow, despite her long lifespan, was still a novice in magic, her skills a hodgepodge of self-taught techniques: Kitty Paw Strike, Magic Fishing Rod, Short-Range Teleportation, Tail Whip Attack, and Cat-Bird Gale. The Kitty Paw Strike, with its multiple variations, was the most powerful among them.
Adele had also learned the Magic Fishing Rod for ranged attacks, though she wasn’t yet capable of mastering teleportation, and the Tail Whip Attack was out of the question, given her lack of a tail. As for the Cat-Bird Gale, it required wings, something Adele could only access in her witch form. First Snow, as a Cat-Bird, might not be the most accomplished mage, but as a teacher, and as a cute little kitten, she was perfect. She had patiently taught Adele everything she knew, and without her help, Adele wouldn’t have been able to defeat her opponent so easily. Though the other girl’s underestimation of Adele had also played a part, it was a testament to the effectiveness of Master First Snow’s Kitty Paw Strike.
It seemed she didn’t need Dorothy and the others’ protection after all, she could survive in this dangerous Secret Realm on her own.
Adele thought confidently.
Meanwhile, Wofoo, watching from the shadows, was stunned. As a Sequence Five, Adele shouldn’t have been able to defeat a Sequence Three so easily. And yet, she had done it without even breaking a sweat. If not for Adele’s continued failure to notice Wofoo’s presence, it would have been a flawless victory.
After a moment’s consideration, Wofoo decided to reveal herself, stepping out from behind the trees.
Adele’s senses weren’t sharp enough to detect Wofoo’s approach, especially given Wofoo’s skills as a werewolf hybrid hunter. But with Wofoo’s deliberate reveal, it was a different story.
Adele suddenly clenched her… well, her claws.
Because she sensed someone approaching.
At first, she thought she was out of luck, one wave after another.
But this time, she might not encounter a careless opponent, she might face a tough battle.
But when Adele quickly looked up, the sight before her, the girl she saw… made her wary expression instantly turn into “O_O!”
Then into (≧ω≦)/
“Wofoo!?”
Surprise turned into joy, and Adele, with her straightforward personality, immediately ran towards Wofoo, her slender legs moving swiftly like a deer in the forest.
Even though she was in a life-or-death Secret Realm, Adele still seemed unable to be wary of those she trusted.
But this statement itself was a paradox.
You shouldn’t be wary of those you trust.
It was just that others weren’t pure enough, and Adele was too pure.
That’s what made her so precious.
Wofoo felt her heart pounding faster and faster.
Facing the vampire girl running towards her, if it were the past Wofoo, her first reaction would be to panic and run away.
But now, she desperately wanted to embrace the girl in front of her.
But her hands were too timid to even reach out.
In the end, she could only stand there, frozen, as Adele hugged her, burying her face in Wofoo’s arms.
The girl’s body was light, her strength logically not that great.
But Wofoo’s body, along with her restless heart, fell.
They both landed on the lush, soft grass.
“W-Wofoo…!”
Adele hadn’t expected that her enthusiastic pounce could knock down Wofoo, who was tall and seemed to have a stable center of gravity.
Whether fighting or being beaten, one had to maintain a stable center of gravity, and Wofoo was clearly always on guard.
Against attacks, insults, and humiliation from others.
But she couldn’t defend against…
—-A girl who simply wanted to hug her.
So she was knocked down.
She didn’t know if it was by the soft girl, or by the feeling in her heart that “maybe… in front of her, I can finally relax.”
Constantly being on guard…
Was really tiring.
Wofoo thought she would be scared when she fell, but in reality, she felt incredibly relaxed.
The girl’s hood fell off, her long ash-gray hair no longer restrained, scattered on the grass behind her. A pair of pointed wolf ears, noticed by Adele, twitched slightly.
“I’m fine… ahem, I’m fine, Adele.”
Wofoo’s voice sounded a bit strange because she hadn’t spoken to anyone since entering the Secret Realm.
But after clearing her throat with a cough, she was fine.
“I-I’ll get up now.”
Adele was currently in a dominant position, sitting on Wofoo’s abdomen, her knees supporting her on the grass, sharing some of the weight for the girl beneath her.
But Wofoo reached out and grabbed the girl’s wrist.
“No need, it’s fine like this.”
“Eh…?”
Adele looked slightly confused.
Wofoo blushed, feeling like she was being seen as a girl with some special fetish.
But… maybe she really was that kind of weirdo.
But it wasn’t that she liked being pushed down.
It was that she liked letting go of her guard in front of this girl.
She was enjoying a rare moment of relaxation, not just for her tired body, but also for her tired mind.
And from this angle, Adele was so beautiful that she couldn’t bear to let her out of her sight, not even for a moment.
Adele blushed under Wofoo’s blatant gaze.
But her body was honest, her little hand, through the girl’s hoodie, couldn’t help but caress Wofoo’s slightly tense abs.
Wofoo lived in an environment where she couldn’t survive without training, she couldn’t even withstand a few blows.
Whether it was to endure beatings or for future… revenge…
She had been constantly training since she could remember, using sandbags made of rags in the slums, sweating in the free gym at school.
Wofoo was also a Body Technique type vampire, but she wasn’t just a vampire, she also had the werewolf’s berserker bloodline and other powers.
When she realized what she was doing, Adele’s ears turned bright red, and she quickly apologized,
“S-sorry! Maybe… I was just nervous, yes!”
She found a decent excuse.
But being nervous and then unconsciously touching someone, that wasn’t normal, okay?
It was like exposing how frivolous she usually was.
But unexpectedly, Wofoo shook her head with a smile.
“If Adele likes it…”
She swallowed, then reached out and carefully lifted the hem of her hoodie.
Revealing her well-defined abs, which looked very cool on a girl.
A girl’s muscle lines… were amazing!
Not overly masculine, still with soft and flat parts, but the lines were very beautiful.
It made one want to lick them~
“Please, feel free.”
“I trust Adele.”
“It’s just like… like last time at the ball, when you touched my ears, right?”
“Because Adele is a girl with a lot of curiosity and a desire to explore, as for me…”
“If I can be the subject of Adele’s research…”
“I-I’m very happy to!”
Wofoo even thoughtfully found an excuse for Adele!
This was a rare moment of high EQ for the shy and untamed werewolf girl!
It made Adele almost cry!