I Became a White-Haired Loli 42

Chapter 42: Bai, I Once Had a Very Good Friend…

“Commander Lin, are you certain… you want to protect a demon?” Glaimond asked, a hint of feigned regret in his voice. “I wasn’t sure before, but now it seems quite clear. If I’m not mistaken, this little miss belongs to the Ice Demon bloodline, doesn’t she?”

He paused, his gaze on Xu Bai turning greedy. “Moreover, her bloodline is so pure… and she’s still a juvenile!”

Although demons possessed far greater innate power than humans, this potential hadn’t fully manifested in juveniles. A pure demon bloodline was incredibly rare. Xu Bai’s appearance, a perfect example of Ice Demon traits, meant her bloodline was untainted, a rarity even in the Abyssal Demon Realm.

Capturing such a valuable demon juvenile would be a huge boon for humanity, giving them leverage in their current truce with the Abyss.

“What a delightful, unexpected harvest…” Glaimond looked meaningfully at Lin Yan, but her expression remained impassive.

“Bai is a Demon Hunter,” Lin Yan stated firmly.

“A convenient delusion,” Glaimond sneered.

“Bai is a Demon Hunter,” Lin Yan repeated, her voice stronger, her expression resolute.

Glaimond narrowed his eyes, looking at the Demonic Runes on Xu Bai’s face, then chuckled. “Perhaps you should have your eyes, or perhaps your head, examined, Commander.”

“I tried to convince myself that this lovely little miss is a Demon Hunter, but I failed.”

“She’s too beautiful. Far too beautiful for a grotesque Demon Hunter.”

The surrounding Demon Hunters’ expressions hardened, but they remained silent. Wielding demonic power as a human exacted a heavy toll. The price wasn’t “cuteness.” It was a gradual loss of self, a transformation into a monstrous abomination. The more they used their Demonic Runes, the more their bodies warped.

Glaimond’s words, though harsh, rang true.

“Miss Lin Yan, you’ve probably guessed already, haven’t you?” Xu Bai sighed, her expression troubled. “I’m not a Demon Hunter, although I’m also reluctant to admit I’m a demon.”

Lin Yan suddenly smiled, then looked up at Glaimond and the others, whispering to Xu Bai, just loud enough for her to hear,

“Bai, you know… actually…”

“I never told you my name was Lin Yan.”

Xu Bai’s mouth opened slightly, then closed. She was speechless, her expression shifting to one of confusion.

She wanted to argue that Uncle Lin had told her, or that the twins had let it slip.

But Lin Yan’s meaning was clear. She had inadvertently revealed a prior connection. Lin Yan knew her from before.

A faint smile played on Lin Yan’s lips, her voice soft and gentle, as she abruptly changed the subject.

“Bai, I once had a very good friend…”

“A friend?” Xu Bai looked up, seeing a nostalgic look in Lin Yan’s eyes.

“Yes, a friend, a comrade-in-arms, and an exceptional knight.” Lin Yan looked down at Xu Bai, her expression filled with a tenderness Xu Bai had never seen before. “He was reliable. No matter the difficulty, with him around, there was nothing to fear.”

“He helped me so much, but when he needed help the most, I was powerless. I couldn’t do anything.”

“What… happened to him?” Xu Bai turned away slightly, avoiding Lin Yan’s gaze.

She probably already knew who Lin Yan was talking about.

“He died,” Lin Yan whispered, her gaze fixed on Xu Bai. “He fell defending Saint Noyes a year ago. His body lies buried in the ruins of our last line of defense, lost forever with his squad.”

“No one knows what truly happened at Saint Noyes. The only thing we know is that an entire demon legion perished with them—a feat we’ve never accomplished in centuries of war, regardless of our losses.”

Lin Yan’s calm, measured words revealed a truth the Empire had desperately tried to bury.

Glaimond’s face turned livid. Lin Yan had just exposed the one event he was truly ashamed of: taking credit for the Sharp Assault squad’s sacrifice, claiming to be the “hero” who forced the demons into a truce.

But his pride wouldn’t allow him to interrupt. That would only make him look like the petty thief he was.

…Although he wasn’t far from it.

The surrounding nobles held their breath, trying to forget what they had just heard.

Two powerful figures were locked in a confrontation, revealing secrets, and the nobles knew which secrets were meant to be heard, and which weren’t.

The Demon Hunters, their impassive faces finally showing a flicker of surprise, looked at Glaimond suspiciously. The truth had been expertly concealed. The Sharp Assault squad, a covert unit, was unknown to the public. No one had paid attention to them, not even the well-informed Demon Hunters.

But the Demon Hunters were also puzzled by Lin Yan’s revelation. Was it a diversion?

Perhaps her tactic had worked; the atmosphere in the hall was turning chaotic. Several hidden auras stirred, reacting to Lin Yan’s disclosure.

“This is irrelevant to the demon before us. We can discuss this later,” Glaimond said coldly, his psychic circuits flaring. “Commander Lin, as a soldier of the Empire, siding with a demon, influenced by some… sentimental attachment, is unacceptable. You may be relieved of your command.”

He decided to act, to silence Lin Yan. He was retreating.

“It’s not a sentimental attachment,” Lin Yan murmured, the image of a plain, yet strangely compelling, face flashing through her mind, his expression the familiar, quiet indifference. “It’s not like that at all…”