Irene was jolted awake from her shock and looked around in a panic.
High atop the alley walls, she didn’t know when they had arrived, but the shadows were now filled with flickering, twisted silhouettes.
More than a dozen pairs of crimson glints lit up the darkness, and low growls echoed from all directions, accompanied by a thick, nauseating stench.
With a quick count, she realized there were no fewer than seven or eight monsters of various forms slowly closing in.
Irene’s face turned as pale as paper.
Even if these monsters were relatively weak, she had already exhausted herself just dealing with two.
Now, surrounded by so many…
The hand holding her sword began to tremble uncontrollably, and cold sweat drenched her back.
‘Where did all these monsters come from!’
She nearly squeezed the words out from between her teeth, her voice carrying a desperate tremor.
She knew clearly that if no one came to her rescue, she would certainly die, and the three people behind her would share the same fate.
But who would come to save them?
Her colleagues from the Inquisition?
She could almost imagine them hiding in a safe place, watching this scene with cold indifference.
Even if one or two did rush over, facing this many monsters would be like trying to put out a forest fire with a cup of water—no different from seeking death.
The monsters seemed to gradually lose their patience.
One of the strongest among them stood up from the ground and let out a piercing roar, leading the charge straight toward Irene!
A foul wind blew against her face, and the scent of death instantly gripped her throat.
But at that critical moment!
*Whoosh — smack!*
A pebble the size of an index finger flew in from an unknown angle and accurately struck the side of the pouncing monster’s head!
The force wasn’t great, but it was enough to provoke its anger and draw its attention.
All the monsters, including Irene and the maids, were stunned by this sudden turn of events.
They saw Tia, the Daughter of a Count who was supposed to be extremely delicate, picking up another pebble.
She threw it at the monsters, her face showing none of the fear expected of a noble young lady; instead, she looked furious.
After attracting the attention of all the monsters, she shouted at the pack with all her might:
“Come and get me! You damned monsters!”
Before her voice had even faded, she turned without hesitation and sprinted toward the depths of the cluttered alley!
Stunned by the stone and further provoked by the taunt, the monsters’ bloodlust and survival instincts were overwhelmed by rage.
Most of them let out several roars and howls, abandoning their current prey to swarm after the bold, slender figure!
In an instant, the alley was nearly empty.
Only a stunned Irene and the worried Viola and Lily remained.
Irene stared fixedly in the direction Tia had vanished until the girl’s faint footsteps could no longer be heard.
Her throat felt tight, and her palms were cold as she gripped her sword.
“Lady Tia… she…”
Her voice was so dry it was barely a melody, mixed with a heavy dose of disbelief.
In her eyes, that pampered Noble Young Lady had actually used herself as bait just to give them a sliver of hope!
This… this, this…
She was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say to express the shock in her heart.
“Quick!”
Viola’s voice interrupted Irene’s daze.
“We have to leave here right now! We can’t waste the opportunity the Young Lady bought with her own life! Then, we’ll find someone to rescue her!”
Irene suddenly snapped back to reality.
That’s right, now was not the time to be dazed!
That noble lady was risking her life to clear a path for them; they absolutely could not waste it.
If they hurried, they might even be able to find other Inquisitors to save her!
Irene grit her teeth, suppressed the complex emotions churning in her heart, and turned to lead the maids toward the other end of the alley.
Unfortunately, the monsters here weren’t limited to just those few.
Drawn perhaps by the scent of living humans, many more monsters began to slowly converge again like a tide.
Dark red eyes lit up in the shadows, numbering no fewer than the group from before.
They surrounded Irene, Viola, and Lily, completely blocking all possible exits.
Irene’s heart sank to sub-zero temperatures.
Despair, like the coldest ice water, soaked through her body once more.
She backed against a cold stone wall, shielding Viola and Lily behind her, the tip of her longsword trembling uncontrollably.
Could she really break through these monsters…
“Ugh!”
A tail lunged out from the side shadows and whipped Irene hard in the ribs.
The sharp pain made her vision go black, and her sword nearly slipped from her hand.
She staggered back, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.
At the same time, more monsters growled and pressed closer, their foul saliva dripping onto the ground.
With her back against the wall, Irene was completely swallowed by despair.
She had never imagined that she would meet her end in a dark alley of Hela City, dying in the maws of monsters released by a filthy coup.
Ideals, justice, glory…
In the face of absolute violence and death, they seemed so pale and ridiculous.
And as for being an Inquisitor…
Hmph, as expected, it was the person who was noble, not the profession.
Just as the largest monster in the front opened its maw filled with spiral-shaped serrated teeth, preparing to bite off Irene’s head…
A bolt of lightning fell from the sky.
*BOOM — !*
Her vision was suddenly occupied by white.
The roars of monsters, the rumbling explosion, and the distant cries all faded away in an instant.
By the time her vision returned to normal, the largest monster had long since disappeared.
In its place was a deep, steaming crater.
And beside the crater stood a tall figure.
She wore a luxurious robe tailored from the night sky itself.
The hem of the robe drifted without the need for wind, and thick, dark purple Magic Power seemed to flow across it.
Her long black hair fluttered slightly under the surge of Magic Power, the ends of her hair seemingly dusted with starlight.
Most perfect of all was her profile and her breathtakingly beautiful, blood-red eyes.
She simply stood there quietly, not even glancing at the monsters.
But all the monsters reacted as if they were being stared down by a terrifying predator.
They trembled all over, their low growls turning into whimpers of fear.
Their claws dug deep into the ground, but they didn’t dare move another inch.
Irene’s eyes widened, and a powerful sense of fear naturally welled up within her.
She recognized her.
It was the Witch, Nightingale.
The terrifying Witch who played the entire Inquisition like a fiddle—a terrifying existence that even Master Mephia from the Imperial Capital couldn’t capture.
To a rookie Inquisitor like her, this being was likely no different from the Great Witches of legend!
So, why was she here?!
Could it be that she was here to save them?
…What a joke.
If that were the case, how could she be on a Two-star Wanted Poster?
How could she be the terrifying Witch who made infants stop crying?!