Chapter 36: Heading Towards the Tiger’s Den

Who exactly is that big sister…?

A small mystery lingered in Lydia’s heart.

She was powerful, mysterious, experienced, yet also a bit reckless. More importantly… she was kind.

Lydia was grateful to have met her.

She wanted to know her better.

Though they had only known each other for a single day, Lydia already felt as if her heart was tightly bound to this big sister.

She wanted to become even closer to her.

She wanted to know more about her.

Vaguely, Lydia felt as if a small seed was breaking through the soil in her heart.

“Let’s go, Lydia.”

Having finished searching through the spoils, Anna patted Lydia on the shoulder.

“This is for you.”

Anna extended her hand and opened her palm before Lydia’s eyes.

Lying quietly in her hand was a Ruby Pendant.

The silver chain was mottled and worn with age, but the ruby at its center was as if stained with fresh blood, glittering brilliantly under the sunlight filtering through the trees.

At a glance, Lydia could tell this was a piece of jewelry left from the Imperial Era.

She immediately saw that it wasn’t some cheap trinket… completely different from those fakes the team had given her before.

“Thank you, big sister.”

Lydia carefully slipped the pendant into the inner pocket of her clothes.

“You earned it, Lydia.” Anna glanced at the swamp behind them, still shaken. “If not for you, we wouldn’t have made it through the swamp so easily.”

She hesitated for a moment, but still reached out and placed her hand atop Lydia’s head.

She ruffled her hair, just like rewarding a well-behaved puppy.

“Big sister…”

Lydia was a little surprised.

“Sorry… I touched you without asking.”

Anna quickly pulled her hand back as if shocked.

“It’s fine, you can touch me whenever you want, big sister.”

Lydia bumped Anna’s shoulder with the top of her head.

“I actually quite like it when you pat my head.”

She nuzzled into Anna’s chest, acting a bit spoiled.

“Alright, alright.”

Anna petted Lydia’s long hair like one would stroke a large dog.

Anna’s fingers played with the strands of hair beside Lydia’s temples, sometimes brushing gently across her cheek. It tickled, like a feather tracing across Lydia’s heart.

It felt as if a light, misty rain was falling in Lydia’s heart.

The seed quietly sown in the soil of her heart was beginning to sprout.

“Big sister…”

Lydia wished this moment could last a little longer.

“Break’s over, let’s go.”

Smack. Anna gave Lydia’s butt a carefree pat.

“Hey!”

Lydia clutched her backside, looking at Anna striding ahead, secretly pinching off the budding feelings in her heart.

Big sister… really has no sense of boundaries.

After passing through the forest, a desolate, ruined village appeared before them.

The once-smooth stone streets were overgrown with moss. Logs that might once have been beams were now rotten and blackened by damp.

Among the ruins, bits of yellowed white could sometimes be seen. Upon closer look, they were fragments of human bones.

A faint stench of decay hung in the air. The forest fruits that once sustained the villagers now lay rotting and foul on the ground.

This was Amiens, once a prosperous little village, now a goblin-infested den.

“Big sister, I keep feeling…”

Lydia swept her gaze warily over every corner in sight.

Any corner could hide a deadly threat.

“Relax, those guys definitely don’t want to fight us out here.”

Compared to the tense Lydia, Anna seemed much more at ease.

“Eh?”

Lydia blinked.

“It’s too open here. They know exactly why we’ve come. So…”

Anna looked towards the end of the stone street, where Amiens’ only remaining Guard Tower stood.

On the map, it had once been a garrison for guards… now, it was most likely the goblins’ nest.

The gate stood wide open, like an invitation into a trap.

“They know what we’re here for… so they’re definitely waiting inside.”

Shing. Anna drew her sword, the sound echoing like thunder.

“Be prepared—you’d better not throw up later.”

Anna raised her sword and walked toward the Guard Tower.

What an overreaction. Lydia grumbled inwardly.

Did big sister think she’d never seen a dead goblin before?

She’d just watched her chop off a goblin’s head earlier.

She was being underestimated.

Lydia drew her dagger from her waist, following close behind Anna.

The sword in her hand was heavy and thick-bladed—utterly different from the one she’d originally carried.

Pushing open the half-closed wooden door, Anna swung her sword and several strands of thread snapped in the air, drifting down.

Whoosh. A hidden mechanism triggered, and a few arrows shot toward where the strings had broken, but struck nothing.

Anna lifted an arrow tip with her sword; the rough bone tip gleamed oily green. Lydia recognized it—the venom of the Snake-kiss Flower.

Those goblins had poisoned the arrows. That toxin could paralyze a wild wolf in moments.

It seemed Anna had known there would be traps here.

“Big sister… how did you know there’d be traps?”

“I’ve seen it before.”

Lydia always felt this big sister was shrouded in mist.

She was skilled in fighting monsters, calm in danger, and had a composure that belied her appearance.

Rumor had it her accent was from the royal capital, right? That bright, smooth hair, that delicate, fair skin, that beautiful, refined face… Could she also be from a noble family?

“What are you daydreaming about? Don’t get distracted.”

Anna rapped Lydia on the head.

On the battlefield, distraction was the most dangerous thing. One lapse could mean disaster.

Anna ascended the stairs, but before she could take another step, a log swung straight for her face. She raised her sword, slicing the log into two smooth halves.

Splinters flew, pelting Lydia’s face.

Before she could wipe them away, a blade thrust from the darkness toward her back.

“Hey, Lydia!”

She felt a gust of wind swirl around her, and fell like a sapling caught in the wind… right into Anna’s arms.

Anna’s sword had intercepted the ambush from the shadows. The sword flashed, and the hidden goblin lost its head before it could even cry out.

Thud, thud. Lydia could hear her own heartbeat.

It was racing—she didn’t know if it was from the close call or something else.

“Thank you…”

Anna pushed her away abruptly and turned to face the goblins ahead.

“Watch my back, Lydia!”

She didn’t look back, but her stern voice shattered Lydia’s daze like an alarm bell.

“Yes, big sister!”

Lydia braced herself and swung her dagger.

The blade sliced through flesh, blood splattering her face. Her vision blurred with each breath, her head pounding.

Lydia swung her sword desperately—this was truly her first real battle with monsters… She didn’t even have time to be afraid.

Her body acted before her mind could. What drove her now wasn’t a desire for bounty, but pure survival instinct.

“Urgh!”

A hoarse shout tore from her throat.

“Lydia!”

It wasn’t until a pair of arms wrapped around her that Lydia realized the fight was over.

Goblins lay dead at her feet, all felled by her own hand.

Lydia could hardly believe it.

“It’s your first time on the battlefield, isn’t it?”

Anna patted Lydia on the shoulder.

In her hand was a small handkerchief, which she used to wipe the blood from Lydia’s face.

“Big sister… I…”

So many words caught in her throat, unable to come out.

Lydia lowered her head, quietly accepting Anna’s kindness.