Chapter 25: Past? Truth and Lies
Xu Bai didn’t dwell on Lin Yan’s curiosity, nor did she realize she had been observed.
Despite her caution, her ingrained instincts set her apart from an ordinary little girl, something both Lin Yan and Salred had easily noticed.
As seasoned veterans, they could instantly distinguish between ordinary civilians and those with combat experience.
While Xu Bai could also make this distinction, it didn’t mean she could perfectly disguise herself as an ordinary, inexperienced person.
After parting ways with Lin Yan, Xu Bai walked cautiously, making sure she wasn’t followed, then examined the dagger.
It was light and agile, its thin blade exceptionally sharp, perfect for a knight favoring agility, a stark contrast to Lin Yan’s heavy-armor style.
Xu Bai had rarely seen Lin Yan use a dagger; she preferred using her armor for direct assaults in close combat.
“I suppose I owe her one…” Xu Bai rubbed her temples. She seemed to be accumulating debts, including one to the still-missing Sasha.
Sasha was likely still investigating Lugner’s attack, but Xu Bai now knew it was Glaimond’s doing, and that even Lugner himself was aware of it. Sasha’s efforts were futile.
This was beyond a mercenary’s purview. And with Vikarn Port under lockdown, even if Xu Bai wanted to help Sasha escape, she couldn’t.
And then there was Ice Lily…
The thought of the straightforward demon gave Xu Bai a headache.
Ice Lily’s existence had shattered her worldview.
Even after her transformation in Saint Noyes, Xu Bai had firmly believed she was human, that her current form was the result of some unknown spell cast by Sister Neily to save her.
But her effortless control of Demonic Runes, and the fact that Sister Neily and Ice Lily were acquainted, suggested a different reality.
So, for all the answers…
Xu Bai sheathed the dagger, her expression serious as she looked ahead.
She was home.
This was where she had lived with Sister Neily for over a decade, before joining the Knights.
Except…
“I was only gone for four or five years, right? How has it changed so much?”
Xu Bai scratched her head, retracing her steps mentally, confirming she hadn’t taken a wrong turn, then looked at the dilapidated, gloomy buildings before her with a frown.
While the layout was familiar, everything was far more decayed and desolate.
She vaguely remembered this place being remote, far from Vikarn Port’s center, but it hadn’t been this deserted, as if no one had been here for years.
And it hadn’t just been her and Sister Neily living here. There had been many others, mostly doctors in white coats like Sister Neily.
“Where did I go wrong…?”
Xu Bai frowned, troubled. She had hoped to find those doctors, Sister Neily’s colleagues.
Although she hadn’t interacted with them much, they had worked with Sister Neily before she joined the Knights. They might know something about her.
But the current state of this place confused her.
As she debated whether to investigate further, a kind, elderly voice called out from behind her.
“Ahem… little girl, what are you doing here all alone…?”
Xu Bai turned to see an old woman, her body devoid of psychic energy, radiating only the aura of age. She was just an ordinary person.
Wrinkles lined her face, making it difficult to read her expression, but Xu Bai saw concern in her cloudy eyes.
Before Xu Bai could speak, the old woman continued, her voice rambling,
“Leave quickly. This place is dangerous. Several children have gone missing here…”
“Gone missing? When?”
Xu Bai blurted out, a sense of foreboding washing over her.
She had never heard of children going missing here…
“Just a few years ago,” the old woman said, looking at the buildings with fear, then back at Xu Bai, urging her to leave. “Little girl, come back. They say there are monsters inside… like the one this morning. They eat people!”
She even put on a frightening expression, her concern for Xu Bai genuine.
“A few years ago…”
Xu Bai fell silent, her face paling.
Her memories were wrong again.
A sense of fear crept into her heart. As her memories crumbled, piece by piece, she didn’t know what to believe anymore.
As this realization dawned, she noticed inconsistencies and gaps in her fragmented memories, things she had subconsciously ignored before.
The faces of the doctors in white coats blurred, the bustling buildings in her memories falling silent.
“I understand. Thank you,” Xu Bai bowed sincerely to the old woman, then turned and left in the opposite direction.
She needed to find Ice Lily and get some answers.
Hidden in the shadows, Uncle Lin watched Xu Bai leave. He didn’t follow.
After a moment of silence, he reported to Lin Yan,
“Miss, there’s nothing unusual about her. She’s gone home.”
The old woman, relieved that the little girl had heeded her warning, turned to leave, leaning heavily on her cane.
But just then, a gentle voice called out,
“Excuse me, madam. Could you wait a moment?”
The old woman turned, startled, to see a strange man with his face wrapped in bandages, only one eye visible. She instinctively took a step back.
“Who… who are you?”
The man was Salred. Realizing his appearance was alarming, he softened his voice.
“Don’t worry, I’m not a bad person.”
He gestured to his face, a wry smile on his lips. “I was disfigured in the war. I have to wear these.”
It was Salred’s usual explanation, and technically, not a lie.
Beneath the bandages was the monstrous, scarred skin caused by his forced fusion with Demonic Runes.
The old woman’s expression softened. “Oh, I’m so sorry, young man. I apologize…”
“It’s alright.”
Salred smiled, then paused, looking in the direction Xu Bai had gone. “Madam, do you know that little girl?”
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