Chapter 51 : Important Matters

Important Matters

Noticing the tail following behind her, Serea did not choose to alert the pursuer.

"You all go ahead. Don't look back. Find a safe place and wait for me."

"But, Your Majesty..."

"I need to handle a small issue."

After speaking, Serea stopped in her tracks. She stood by the roadside, pretending to be waiting for someone.

Upon seeing this, the servant trailing them on Cain's orders also paused, observing the four from a distance.

Then, he saw one of the group wave to the other three, after which those three left, leaving only a black-robed girl behind.

Did she notice me?

He couldn't help but wonder, but the girl didn't glance at him even once. Just as suspicion arose in his heart, she moved again.

Seeing this, the servant hurried after her.

The girl slipped into a narrow alleyway, and, having lost visual contact, he quickly sped up to follow, dashing into the alley as well.

Seeing the empty alley, Cain's attendant was utterly stunned.

"Where did she go?"

He stared blankly for a long while after losing his target and, finding nothing after searching, he dashed back out onto the street to look for the other three.

However, when he got outside, those three had vanished as well.

"They actually got away. Damn it!"

He cursed under his breath, but since he had lost his quarry, he had no choice but to report back to Cain.

Yet, as he left, he didn't notice that a pair of eyes was locked tightly onto him.

And the darkness was Little Black's best cover!

Before long, the man returned to Cain's side. By this time, Cain had emerged from the Xiyun Merchant Group's shop. He had just learned the name of that mysterious girl from Linda.

Yun!

Mulling over which noble house this name might belong to, Cain strolled down the night-shrouded streets.

"Young Master!"

Spotting Cain, the servant shouted. When Cain saw his attendant return, he immediately asked,

"Did you find out anything?"

"Young Master, I... I lost them."

"Lost them?"

Cain flew into a rage. Given how hurriedly the other side had left, he realized that the so-called noble was probably deceiving him.

"Useless fool!"

Cain slapped his attendant across the face. Clutching his cheek, the man, wronged, said,

"I'm sorry, Young Master, I didn't expect them to notice me..."

"You!"

Cain raised his hand again. The servant flinched, trying to dodge.

However, thinking of 'that matter' which still needed his attention, Cain forcibly suppressed his anger.

Regarding 'that matter', Cain's father, Niltos, had personally urged him to handle it with utmost caution and discretion.

"If I didn't have urgent business to attend to, I'd beat you to death!"

"Yes, yes, your lesson is well-taken, Young Master."

"Hmph. Forget about those people for now. As long as they're still in Jones City, I guarantee I'll root them out."

As he spoke, Cain clenched his fists tightly. When he finally relaxed his hands, he gave a commanding wave.

"Come with me back to the merchant group."

"Yes, sir." x5

Cain took the lead, his attendant following behind, clutching his face.

Trailing them were four somewhat disheveled guards.

The six of them headed towards the eastern district of Jones City, toward the hidden commercial area, just behind which lay the headquarters of the Terrence Chamber of Commerce.

Meanwhile, Serea, having slipped her pursuer, found Celia and the others through Dossiers's spiritual connection.

After regrouping, they quickly found a place to stay.

It was an inn just beside the Jones City slums.

The living conditions left much to be desired, but the important thing was its concealment, enough to evade Cain's search.

Once inside the room they booked, Serea took off her mask and tossed it onto a rickety wooden table.

The other three did the same, each finding a place to rest.

Although they were temporarily safe from exposure, that man named Cain had most likely already discovered Lola's identity.

By pure coincidence, he was also from the same slavers' guild as that slave trader 'Dohr.'

For some unknown reason, a sense of unease lingered in Serea's heart.

Noticing Serea's faintly furrowed brows, Lola bit her lip. Thinking her queen was still annoyed by her earlier mistake, she stood up and approached Serea.

"Your Majesty, I'm sorry. It was my fault we almost got exposed."

"Huh?"

"If Your Majesty is angry, please punish Lola to vent your anger."

So saying, Lola hung her head. The former queen of the Darkmoon Clan had lost all her former pride and now wore an expression of complete submission, her face an image of weakness and pitifulness.

Serea felt as if the softest part of her heart had just been struck. For some reason, a flutter stirred within her.

She'd only ever felt this way while browsing certain questionable websites in her previous life during work breaks.

Oh, adorable loli!

No, no, that's not the point.

"Ahem. I wasn't blaming you. Just be more careful next time,"

Serea said very seriously. Hearing this, Lola glanced up at her.

"Your Majesty, is it really alright?"

"Mhm, it's fine, it's fine. Get up."

"Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty."

Standing upright, seeing that Serea had resolved the issue, Lola lit up with her usual radiant smile.

Grrrr~

At that moment, a strange sound echoed. Everyone turned to look at Lola.

Lola clutched her stomach, blushing at the noise it made.

"Hungry?"

"... Yes."

She nodded, the shame making her voice barely louder than a mosquito's hum.

"Let's get dinner ready. After rushing for so long, it's time for a real rest,"

Serea said. Right away, Vina stepped forward.

"I'll handle it. This is a human inn, we should be able to buy some food."

"Alright, I'll trouble you, then."

"Please wait, Your Majesty."

With that, Vina threw on her cloak, adjusted her mask, and went downstairs.

Downstairs was oddly quiet, not a single person eating in sight. Behind the counter, a chubby landlady sat in boredom, flipping through a battered old book.

(To be continued...)

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=