At the forefront of the army were several individuals, including Alvin, dressed in lightweight attire. Most likely, eight or nine out of ten of them were what we’d call demon hunters, but these individuals clearly weren’t the ones in charge.
The leader was a woman, a highly recognizable young lady whose leadership position was evident at first glance.
She was wearing a deep blue light armor in the style of a senior officer of the Human United Kingdom, her black hair tied up in long twin tails that reached down to her waist. Her starry eyes were bright and piercing, her facial features delicate and lovely, yet her expression appeared quite cold. However, her gaze gave off a subtle fierceness, like that of a young leopard fixated on its prey, about to pounce.
This young female officer... no, not a young female leopard, but a female officer, had a large and peculiar-shaped long knife strapped to her back. Violet couldn’t quite describe it, but the shape of the knife reminded her of a weapon called a “longsword” in [Illusory World], though not exactly standard, the overall style was at least seventy to eighty percent similar.
Was it a coincidence? Or was there some kind of connection?
Lester, who was standing beside the young female officer, seemed to be about to say something more, but with the sudden appearance of Violet and the others, the entire army stopped in its tracks. The captain, as if sensing something, turned his head and met eyes with Violet, who was looking at him with a playful wink.
“............”
There was a momentary flicker of astonishment and confusion on his face. Lester’s expression changed several times, and finally, after a few forced smiles, he stopped speaking and just carried the jet-black shield, slowly walking over to where the few girls and the girl with Mr. Side-Swept Bangs were standing.
The leading female officer did not comment on his behavior, only lifting her gaze, sweeping it over Violet and her companions, then turning back to glance behind her with a somewhat evasive look, as if she wanted to admire the figure of a petite black-haired girl but dared not meet the eyes of Alvin, who was behind her.
“Is it them?”
“Not one missing... But sir, I think it’s better if...”
Before the demon hunter could finish, the girl raised her hand and drew the slender long knife from behind her back, pointing its blade forward.
“I am Lan Tulls, Captain of the Third Special Support Unit of the Internal Guard Bureau of Demon Suppression City. You attacked and killed law enforcement officers and then escaped. I am now arresting you on charges of obstructing official duties and serial murder. Anyone who dares to resist arrest with force will be shot on the spot!”
Violet raised her hand expressionlessly.
“Um... can I say a few words before you strike?”
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“You have the right to defend yourself, but that will have to wait until the trial. For now, any arguments are meaningless. Surrender!”
The girl who called herself Lan had a cold expression, seemingly not intending to listen to Violet. With a wave of her hand, the well-disciplined troops behind her pressed forward aggressively, surrounding the group in the center. The mages held their staffs, various colored lights illuminating from them.
The little dragon girl snorted, about to make a move, when suddenly she heard several strange sounds, like the flapping of wings. Thick white smoke filled the area!
“What... everyone cover your nose and mouth, be careful, it’s toxic! Mages, blow away this smoke!”
Lan’s expression changed abruptly. She immediately leaped backward, out of the range of the smoke. The mages behind her changed their spells under her command, summoning gusts of wind to disperse the obscuring smoke.
But a few seconds later, when the visibility cleared, the girls who had been standing in the center were nowhere to be seen, leaving only the girl with Mr. Side-Swept Bangs and Lester looking bewildered, staring at the troops.
“Tsk... they got away. What was that just now...”
“Lady Lan, that wasn’t human magic, it’s more akin to the innate abilities of monsters.”
Alvin approached the spot where the girls disappeared, carefully avoiding Lester and the girl with Mr. Side-Swept Bangs who had already put down their weapons and were pretending to whistle. He took out a certain type of magic crystal that could project beams of light in the dark and searched the ground for a while.
Finally, he pointed to a cluster of inconspicuous silver powder.
“Monster’s work? Are you sure? But didn’t you say earlier that they were all human?”
Ignoring Lester and the other who had slipped aside, Lan bent down to examine the area, also finding the scattered silver traces.
“Um, those women should indeed be of the human race, but what just happened was definitely the ability of monsters. Those guys are different from our mages, they don’t need to chant incantations. Many of their powerful abilities are directly driven through certain parts of their bodies.”
“Like these, you see, if I guess correctly, this should be powder secreted from the body of a monster, used with some special ability to rescue those women.”
“............”
Lan stared at the traces on the ground, contemplating silently.
Like Lester, she didn’t like these shady characters, including Alvin, who were involved in underhanded dealings. She also resented the decision to recruit poachers into the army.
But Lan had to admit that at least when it came to dealing with the monsters in the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains, the demon hunters indeed had a considerable wealth of knowledge and experience.
Since Alvin was so certain, there should be no mistake. However, just to be safe, she had the other demon hunters accompanying her investigate the nearby traces one by one, and the conclusions they reached were all similar.
Since those criminals had already escaped, there was nothing they could do. Presumably, the reason they dared to appear so brazenly in front of them was that they had long planned their escape route.
She stood up and sheathed her long knife back into its scabbard on her back.
“Hmph... disband, post notices and portraits, and search the city for these women. Their strength is probably not weak. If you find them, don’t act rashly, report back first before taking action. Understood?”
The deputy captain next to Lan nodded, but he glanced quietly at the mercenaries who had gradually gathered in the distance due to the commotion, hesitated, and whispered.
“Captain, what about the Black Knights Mercenary Group? Their leader openly shelters criminals and even stands against the authorities...”
Similarly glancing at Lester and the others, Lan shook her head lightly as she pondered.
The Black Knights hold considerable power in Demon Suppression City, and their members are important pillars of the Adventurers Guild.
Despite being established for only a little over a year, they have already gained a significant status in society. Especially their leader, Black Shield Lester, whose strength should not be underestimated, even she doesn’t have absolute certainty of victory.
Moreover, there are rumors that the adventure team, Reaper’s Scythe, just had a falling out with the military. At a time of internal and external turmoil like this, it’s not wise to engage in conflict with the Black Knights, a large-scale adventure group that ranks just below them. Escalating the situation would be detrimental to both sides.
So, the girl spoke up.
“The Black Knights haven’t truly clashed with the military, and Black Shield and those women are probably not truly aligned. In that case, let’s drop the previous matter. As long as they don’t push their luck further, let’s pretend like nothing happened tonight... Understood?”
“Yes, Captain.”
........................................
While Lan was inwardly regretting letting the targets slip away under her nose, Violet and the others had already appeared in another special place.
A remote and rarely visited deep mountain area.
It was nighttime, with the faint glow of the third moon shining through the clouds, casting silver ripples.
Nameless insects chirped in the thickets, creating a serene and beautiful scene.