“Phew, glad nothing happened… But how did it end up with Cass surrounded by a bunch of people?”
Kersey took off her Bluetooth earphone with a wry smile.
“Uncle’s method of recruiting people is still so simple and crude. But I was sure from the start that Cass wouldn’t waver.”
Valoran also took off her earphone and fiddled with it curiously.
“None of those women were assassins, were they?” Bried asked.
“I know them all. Some are supporters of mine, the others are neutral. They’re safe.”
The three of them emerged from the woods behind the large tent.
They had been lying low, maintaining contact with Cass the entire time. Now they had heard the whole exchange.
When Cass received the message from Baruma’s subordinate, he had already told them about it.
After discussing it, they let Cass meet Baruma under the guise of covert protection.
“Your human race’s Magitool is really convenient. You can make long-distance calls without using any magic. It seems there are many things I still don’t know.”
Valoran returned the Bluetooth earphone to Bried and couldn’t help but sigh.
“If you want, I can give you my old phone. It still works… But I think I left it at home. I’ll teleport back to get it.”
Bried brought up the Ring Chart’s window, but Valoran politely declined.
“Thank you, but not for now. If you teleport out of the Third Floor, I’m afraid it’ll be hard for you to come back.”
Valoran remembered the Valley Barrier they had passed through to enter this area. The Ring Chart’s teleport function could currently only teleport to the Boss Room entrance of a floor, and even then, it had to be unlocked after surveying.
Now they hadn’t yet surveyed the guarding Boss Room from the Third Floor to the Fourth Floor.
Valoran continued.
“Since Cass is fine, let’s head back too. We have to get up early tomorrow.”
8:08 PM.
When night fell, a cool breeze would blow.
Because the tall trees easily retain moisture, the humidity was quite high, and when combined with the heat, it felt muggy.
But once night fell, the mugginess gradually eased, and a breeze might even bring a slight chill.
Accompanied by two guards, Valoran and her mother Valmor walked along the old path.
They would set off early tomorrow, and today she wanted to spend more time with her mother. Besides, Valoran didn’t dislike these moments.
“I’ve already had the tribe’s Priests send out a Communication Magic to inform the Snake-kin and Wolf-kin that we’ll be sending an envoy. It’ll be easier for you to discuss matters when you get there.”
“Thank you, Mom.”
“But…”
Valmor patted her large belly, a worried expression on her face.
“Only the Snake-kin responded quickly with magic. The Wolf-kin haven’t replied yet. I hope nothing special has happened in their tribes.”
“Yeah, I hope they haven’t run into any other problems. I passed by their villages during my travels. It’s a bit rude to say, but the Snake-kin and Wolf-kin warriors are stronger than us Fox-kin. Our only advantage is having more Priests. They shouldn’t be in any trouble.”
“…Hehe, oh dear.”
For some reason, Valmor let out a helpless wry smile.
“What’s wrong, Mom?”
“Nothing. I was just thinking that the three tribes have known of each other’s existence but have always tried to avoid contact. We even fought over food shortages in the past… But because of that vampire, we gained the opportunity to communicate with each other.”
Valmor sounded rather moved.
‘The vampire forced us to unite with other tribes, gathering high-combat personnel from all three beast tribes. Could it be that the vampire wanted this situation all along?’
If she followed her mother’s train of thought, Valoran’s vertical pupils widened.
‘In that case, the enemy would easily be able to wipe us all out… The plan I proposed—could it actually be exactly what they expected?’
Valmor smiled gently and stroked Valoran’s frightened face.
“Don’t worry, don’t worry. I was just guessing. No basis at all. Facing such a powerful enemy, uniting is the only good option. Even if we tried to run, there’s nowhere to go. Outside the protection of the valley, it’s too dangerous. We couldn’t even establish a village. Let that vampire see the spirit of us beastkin!”
Valmor raised her fist to encourage Valoran.
“…Yeah, I was probably overthinking it.”
Valoran felt a little at ease.
“Come to think of it, when you were little, you even became friends with the Snake-kin and Wolf-kin children. You ran around on the Back Mountain, and your father chased after you multiple times warning you. You were such a handful.”
“Don’t bring that up. That’s all in the past…”
Valoran lowered her head slightly in embarrassment and pouted.
“And I don’t even know if you can call them friends. We just used to run into each other in the woods and fight. It’s been ten years. I don’t know how they’re doing.”
Besides, her mother was mistaken. Running around on the Back Mountain was actually Valoran’s hit-and-run tactics. At the time, she couldn’t beat those two Snake-kin and Wolf-kin.
“Regardless, if they still remember you and you have someone you know, the chances of a successful alliance increase.”
Valmor murmured quietly.
“Lately, I’ve often received reports of sightings of a Snake Woman. I hope they aren’t hostile toward us from the start.”
Then Valmor gazed at Valoran affectionately.
“You’ve grown from a child into an independent adult… Well, anyway, take care of yourself. And don’t overthink things. Shouting excitedly ‘I won’t let anyone die’ like before is more your style.”
“…I guess I really am an adult now. I’ll come back safely. Wait for me, Mom.”
The mother and daughter exchanged a bittersweet smile—then, without a word, they walked together for a while.
10:00 PM, Cass’s room.
Cass had now taken off the ring, and her identity reverted to the young maiden Katia.
Beside her, the silver-haired little girl was slurping down bananas, while Katia anxiously sent a message to Siloque, recording tonight’s events.
‘Baruma knows my name? Are you sure?’
‘This is bad. Very bad. Are you okay, Siloque? It’s obvious Baruma has his eye on you!’
She couldn’t have misheard. Baruma definitely said “Siloque.” There was no way she misheard it as “Forest Ranger.” How did Baruma know? That didn’t matter. What mattered was that Siloque was in danger, and that was a problem Katia had to solve right now.
‘Don’t do the First Floor quest anymore. Get out of there. To be safe, I’ll go kill Baruma tonight…’
She was still “typing” and hadn’t sent it yet when a voice call request from Siloque suddenly popped up on the window.
Katia immediately answered.
“Siloque, don’t worry, I… I’ll protect you! Now you should—”
“Don’t worry, maid of the House of Cass.”
A long-lost voice came through the Ring Chart’s microphone.
The hoarse, soft voice seemed to carry a comforting magic. Katia’s anxious heart instantly calmed down.
“Just continue with your own plans. I’m fine.”
“Ah… okay.”
‘I feel like I’ve walked into an air-conditioned room on a hot day. So comfortable and calm.’
On second thought, it had been half a month since she last heard Siloque’s voice. Realizing that, Katia couldn’t help feeling embarrassed by her earlier outburst. Her cheeks flushed red.
‘No.’
‘…No. Wait.’
‘Maid of the House of Cass?’
Hertanid, in the form of a little girl, kindly extended a Flesh Tentacle, hooked the ring, and handed it over.
Katia’s face turned from red to white.
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