Allie's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.
Almost instinctively, her fingers tightened around the hilt of her sword. The mana that had been flowing lazily through her body instantly became dense and alert.
Her intuition was screaming a sharp warning at her.
The beautiful black-haired girl before her was definitely not as simple as she appeared on the surface.
Beneath that calm exterior lay something deep, something that felt vaguely unsettling.
"Is there something you need here?"
Allie spoke first. The lethargy was gone from her voice, replaced by a subtle, searching edge.
She did not loosen her grip on her sword. Beneath her cloak, her body had already shifted into an optimal combat-ready state.
Faced with Allie's guarded inquiry, the black-haired girl didn't show the slightest hint of tension or fear.
She tilted her head slightly, her deep purple eyes lingering on Allie for a moment as if she were seeing through everything in an instant. Then, the corners of her mouth curled upward into a playful arc.
"No, nothing in particular."
Her voice was clear and pleasant, yet it possessed a certain magnetic quality that seemed to pluck at one's heartstrings.
"It's just... I seem to have arrived a bit late. It looks like there's nothing left for me to do here now."
Her answer was ambiguous, but her gaze swept seemingly casually toward the direction of the alley behind Allie.
Allie frowned. The girl's attitude was inscrutable, and that underlying sense of danger hadn't vanished.
She didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble, especially since she had important business to attend to tonight.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Allie's tone was flat. "Then you should leave quickly. A place like this isn't very safe for a... lady like you."
"For someone like me?"
The black-haired girl repeated softly, as if finding the phrasing amusing. She raised a slender finger and lightly covered the corner of her mouth.
"I think... those words might suit you just as well, don't you think, big sister?"
She deliberately paused on the word 'sister,' the smile in her deep purple eyes deepening as if she had seen right through the disguise beneath Allie's cloak.
But then she nodded, her tone returning to its previous indifference.
"However, you're right. It really is time for me to leave now."
With that, she gave Allie an elegant, slight bow—a small gesture, yet one that carried an inimitable classical grace.
Without staying a moment longer, she turned and walked away with light, composed steps in the opposite direction from which Allie had come. Her black dress and long hair swayed gently in the dim light before she quickly merged into the deeper shadows ahead and vanished.
Allie stood where she was, watching the girl disappear, her brow still slightly furrowed.
The girl's final words and that look had left her feeling unsettled.
But for now, dealing with the Gray Rat Gang was more important.
She shook her head, pushing the sliver of doubt aside for the moment, and set off once more with her sword.
...
On another fork in the road not far from the alley entrance, within the shadows behind a corner.
The black-haired girl had just turned the corner when a phantom-like figure drifted silently from the roof of a nearby low house, landing half a step behind her without making a sound.
The newcomer was also draped in a dark hooded cloak, their presence perfectly concealed.
"Cult Leader."
A respectful, low female voice came from beneath the hood, carrying a trace of cold killing intent.
"Shall I... eliminate her? She seems to have noticed something."
"Eliminate her?"
The black-haired girl didn't stop walking, nor did she even turn her head, though the mysterious smile on her lips seemed to deepen slightly.
She shook her head gently, her voice remaining soft and pleasant, yet carrying an unquestionable indifference.
"There is no need."
"Cult Leader?" the hooded figure asked, sounding confused.
The girl finally turned her face slightly, her deep purple eyes glancing at her subordinate. That calm, rippleless gaze caused a chill to instantly shoot up the hooded figure's spine.
Melina turned back, her gaze fixed on the deeper darkness of the slums in the distance. "Because you do not have the strength. Not just you—even if the others currently lurking in this city joined you, the result would not change."
"Wh-what?!"
The hooded figure was truly shocked this time, her voice cracking slightly.
She knew her own strength and that of her companions well. Working together, they could even put up a fight against, or even defeat, an expert around LV50.
To think the Cult Leader would give such an evaluation.
The girl didn't seem to care about her subordinate's shock, continuing to speak as if merely analyzing the situation calmly.
"Though she looks young, her mana fluctuations are as obscure and deep as an abyss... She has firmly stepped into the Hero Realm. In fact... she may already be very close to the threshold of the Ancient Hero Realm."
"H-Hero Realm? Above LV60?! And approaching the Ancient Hero Realm?!"
The hooded figure gasped, the color draining from her face.
That was a top-tier powerhouse in the truest sense, the kind of existence that could serve as a pillar for a small nation!
How could such a being appear in a place like the slums?
"What interests me more..."
The girl's fingertips unconsciously toyed with a strand of her black hair, a thoughtful glint in her deep purple eyes.
"Is that a person of her strength is not even the Bishop of this Dark Night Order... Then just what kind of terrifying power does their true Bishop possess? Or, what kind of complex identity must they be hiding deep within?"
She let out a soft breath as the night wind ruffled the stray hairs on her forehead.
"At this stage, there is absolutely no need for us to make an enemy of such a mysterious organization with unknown depths. For now, simply maintain observation."
The hooded figure was completely cowed by the Cult Leader's words. Drenched in cold sweat, she quickly bowed and replied:
"Yes! I understand! I shall follow your orders!"
The girl nodded and said no more, continuing her walk.
The hooded figure followed closely, not daring to offer any more suggestions.
After walking in silence for a while, passing through several more filthy and secluded alleys, the hooded figure seemed to remember something. She hesitated for a moment before lowering her voice and reporting cautiously:
"Cult Leader, there is one more thing... that I must report to you."
"Speak," the girl said without stopping.
The hooded figure's voice dropped even lower, carrying a hint of barely perceptible tension.
"Rock Spike, who was sent to assist Audrey Hope and monitor the seed implantation... his Life Mark was completely extinguished a short while ago."
Melina's footsteps paused almost imperceptibly.
The night wind blew through the empty alley, swirling the dust and scrap paper on the ground with a low, mournful sound.
She slowly stopped and turned around. In the dim light, her deep purple eyes looked like two frozen pools of cold water as she stared silently at her subordinate.
"Rock Spike... is dead?"
Rate on N.U.
