Night was the best cover for the docks and a perfect breeding ground for evil.
Aurelia crept silently through the vast Port Area, staying alert for sailors moving cargo while dodging the patrolling City Guard.
She deliberately avoided the main roads and the few taverns that still echoed with rowdy noise and cheap singing.
Instead, she chose to navigate narrow, winding alleys piled high with clutter.
Underfoot was a slippery, greasy ground mixed with unknown substances.
In her ears was the dull thud of waves hitting the embankment in the distance, while nearby, the rustle of rats scurrying through trash heaps filled the air.
Occasionally, these sounds were punctuated by the slurred curses or retching of a drunkard, mysterious whispers leaking from pitch-black doorways, or the short clink of metal against metal.
In even more hidden corners where doors were left ajar, she could faintly hear the sounds of the flesh trade, making Aurelia’s skin crawl.
Just as she turned a corner from a relatively quiet spot, a sensation of being watched quietly slithered up the back of her neck.
Aurelia frowned and ducked into an even narrower alley filled with broken wooden crates and empty barrels.
At the end of the alley, a faint light was visible, seemingly leading to another slightly wider passage.
‘Heh, soon you will experience the malice of humans. At that time, let us see how you handle it with that frail body.’
‘What do you care? I’ll never use your power anyway. Just shut up and don’t bother me,’ Aurelia retorted in her heart, but her nerves tightened further.
Footsteps followed her.
There seemed to be more than one person, their gait staggering and heavy.
The steps were incredibly sluggish yet reckless, and coarse, drunken laughter echoed through the narrow space.
“Hey, look at that little mouse in front… runs pretty fast, doesn’t she?”
“Dressed like a sack of potatoes, but look at that figure… tsk, might be a good prize…”
“Let’s just stop her and find out. Who’s going to care in this hellhole?”
“Exactly. I’ve been cooped up at sea for three months…”
Foul language mixed with lewd laughter.
From the sounds of it, there were at least three men, and they were quite drunk.
They were likely sailors who had just finished a voyage and were looking for “fun,” emboldened by alcohol to commit atrocities.
Aurelia’s heart sank.
She couldn’t run; they had blocked the path she came from.
Although there was light at the end of the alley, she didn’t know where it led.
Rushing out blindly might make things worse.
Her eyes swept over a slightly more open corner ahead where several large, rusted, discarded iron drums were piled, forming a semi-enclosed recess.
She suddenly accelerated, lunging forward a few steps until her back was against the cold iron wall, facing the three men who were pursuing her.
Three swaying figures blocked the mouth of the alley, cutting off most of the dim light and shrouding both themselves and Aurelia in deeper shadows.
These were three typical sailors.
Their skin was dark and coarse, weathered by sea winds and the sun.
They wore filthy short-sleeved shirts and baggy trousers.
They were unshaven, and their eyes were bloodshot, shimmering with a murky, excited glint.
“Oh? Done running?”
The leader grinned, revealing teeth stained yellow by tobacco, and let out a beer-scented burp.
“Smart move. Let us get a good look at you. If you look decent, play with us for a bit, and maybe…”
“I don’t have much money on me. You chose the wrong target for a robbery.”
Aurelia interrupted him, shaking her coin purse which only held a few copper coins.
Then, she raised a hand, pointing her index finger toward one of them.
“I don’t want to hurt the innocent. You had better move aside.”
Her words caused the three sailors to freeze for a moment.
They seemingly hadn’t expected this girl, who looked weak and had a visible injury on her neck, to not only show no fear but to actually threaten them.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, they erupted into wild, mocking laughter.
“Hurt the innocent? Hahaha!”
The sailor she pointed at laughed so hard he bent over, his breath reeking of alcohol.
“With what? Are you still asleep, or are you talking in your dreams?”
Before he could finish, the sailor Aurelia had pointed at — who was also the one laughing the loudest — couldn’t restrain himself.
Driven by the alcohol, he cursed under his breath and reached out to grab her.
“Why waste words with this little brat? Let’s see what she looks like first…”
However, in that instant, he froze.
Before him was no longer a delicate, easily bullied girl.
Beneath the skin of her right arm, fine, scale-like patterns seemed to flash for a split second, and her fingers grew abnormally long.
At the same time, a staggering Dragon’s Might pressed down on him in an instant.
It was different from the brief, simple intimidation she had used on Helen.
This was an endless pressure, like a physical tsunami, completely submerging him from his spirit to his flesh.
The air became incredibly thick, and every breath brought a sharp pain as if his lungs were being crushed.
The blood in his limbs seemed to instantly cool and solidify.
His heart hammered wildly in his chest, yet it couldn’t pump out the slightest bit of warmth.
He felt as if his very soul was being scrutinized by those Crimson Slit Pupils and then discarded like trash.
The sneers on the other two sailors’ faces didn’t even have time to fully turn into shock before they watched their companion’s eyes roll back.
He began foaming at the mouth, twitching as he collapsed to the ground.
It took a long while for the two sailors to react.
After witnessing their companion’s miserable state, they let out a sharp cry.
“Mother of God — !!!”
One shrieked.
A large wet patch instantly appeared at his crotch.
He forgot even to stand up, scrambling backward on all fours for several paces before violently rolling over and scrambling out of the alley.
Aurelia gasped for air, her chest heaving violently.
Every breath pulled at the sharp pain from the wound on the side of her neck.
Her face was even paler than before, and fine beads of cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
The residual coldness and a hint of inhuman indifference in her eyes made her heart skip a beat.
‘See? This is the price of resistance. If you had just submitted and accepted it, why would you be in such a pathetic state? Why rely on the bloodline of that four-legged lizard?’
The voice in her heart rang out eerily, mocking the disheveled Aurelia.
‘… Still better than an old bastard who only knows how to destroy the world.’
She forced herself to shift her attention away from her trembling hands.
Her gaze swept over the miserable sailor on the ground.
This was his own doing; he deserved the lesson.
Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a faint metallic glint on the ground near the sailor’s twitching body.
It was two silver coins.
They had likely rolled out of his pocket when he suddenly fell and convulsed.
The silver coins weren’t brand new and the edges were heavily worn, but in the dim light, they still shimmered with an inviting luster.
Aurelia didn’t hesitate for a second.
She was penniless now.
Helen and that Little Priestess needed supplies.
Any extra resource could mean a chance at survival.
‘This… can be considered his retribution for his evil deeds.’
Besides the silver coins, a leather waterskin hung at his waist.
Although it looked old, it was relatively clean compared to the man himself and his companions.
Without much hesitation, she snatched the pouch and tucked it into her shirt.
She didn’t search the sailor for anything else; that would take too long and might bring unnecessary trouble.
The silver coins and the waterskin were enough.
Next, she warily scanned both ends of the alley.
In the distance, she could faintly hear the terrified shouts and frantic footsteps of the two sailors who had fled, but there were no signs of anyone else approaching the alley for the moment.
The sailor on the ground was still twitching, but he was no longer foaming at the mouth, only letting out unconscious groans.
Aurelia clutched the items in her arms tighter, gave the unlucky man on the ground one last look, and then turned without hesitation.
She walked quickly toward the exit at the other end of the alley where the faint light was shining.
She had to return to Helen as soon as possible.
Now that she had some capital — two silver coins weren’t much, but in a place like this, if used correctly — they might buy something more important than just a little food and water.
A more hidden, safer temporary shelter where they could catch their breath, like… an inn.
With Helen’s familiarity with the city, finding an inn shouldn’t be difficult, right?
After tracing her way back, Aurelia peered out from behind a wall and saw Helen, who was frowning slightly, and the Little Priestess, who was still unconscious.
Seemingly hearing footsteps, Helen turned his head and saw Aurelia poking half her head out, an embarrassed smile on her face at being discovered.
“Sister Lia!”
He called out in a low voice, his tone rasping with tension and unmasked concern.
“You’re finally ba — “
Before he could finish, his gaze fell on Aurelia’s face.
Her bangs were wet with cold sweat, and the rough cloth used to bandage her neck was now soaked with a large patch of fresh blood that was slowly spreading.
Although she was deliberately keeping her breathing steady, the frequency and depth of her chest’s movements were clearly more rapid and shallow than Helen remembered.
She met Helen’s worried gaze and gave a bitter smile.
“I ran into a bit of trouble on the way. But I handled it, and I got some unexpected gains.”
As she spoke, she began pulling things from her shirt, placing the waterskin on the ground before pressing the two silver coins into his hand.
“Silver coins?! Two of them?!”
Helen’s voice suddenly spiked before he realized where they were and quickly lowered his volume.
He stared at the two small metal discs in his palm, his eyes wide as if he couldn’t believe this sudden windfall.
Then, he looked up at Aurelia, his gaze moving back and forth between her pale face and her bleeding neck.
His joy was quickly replaced by a deeper worry.
“Sister Lia, this… are you really okay? This ‘unexpected’ thing…”
“A gift from an impolite drunkard who wasn’t thinking clearly. Don’t worry about it,” Aurelia said, waving it off.
She continued, “Look at these two silver coins… do you think we can find a budget-friendly inn?”
She glanced around at the drafty, dilapidated surroundings, the firelight dancing in her tired eyes.
“We can’t stay here forever. And her…”
She looked at the Little Priestess still unconscious in the corner.
“She needs a better environment.”
“…”
Helen scratched his head, trying hard to recall his memories.
After waiting for a while, he finally nodded.
“No problem, Sister Lia! Leave it to me!”