Volume 2, Chapter 32 – The Bait

The new day was still pouring with rain.

Although it was morning, the sky was still overcast. The lingering heat mixed with the moisture rising from the ground, making the entire city feel like a stuffy can.

Going out in this weather was not a good idea.

Estelle, holding an umbrella, couldn’t help but think this. Even the sun, which made her skin feel prickly, was better than having her clothes soaked by the rain. Ordinary vampires would turn into charcoal in the sun, but pure-bloods were not afraid of the sun. At most, it just made them feel uncomfortable.

She was walking on the road to cleanse the chaos.

Unlike Fia, who was advancing in the southern district, she had chosen the eastern district. This was a part of the plan she had laid out to Fia. Although no one knew Noreen’s motive or why she had destroyed the city, one thing was clear to everyone: Noreen’s target was very specific. It was her, Estelle, and the fourth son of the House of Oro, Norton.

Since there was still a lot of chaos in the city, the still-capable Noreen would very likely make a comeback and once again target Norton and herself. Instead of staying in the sanctuary, nervously on guard against Noreen’s attacks, it would be better to take the initiative, go out into the streets, and lure Noreen out.

With their forces dispersed, it would be easier for Noreen to take the bait. And being in a street full of ruined buildings was more conducive to their plan than being in the sanctuary. There were only soldiers here, so they didn’t have to worry about collateral damage to ordinary people.

As for the effects of Noreen’s appearance last night, Estelle could only confess everything to the innocent people in the sanctuary. The person who looked like Noreen did indeed attack Norton, but due to the elf princess’s timely arrival, Noreen was repelled, and Norton’s injuries were healed by magic. The unease on people’s faces only subsided a little when they saw Norton standing with Estelle in person. The [Firestorm] that Fia had displayed had left a very deep impression on them. The flames, which were like the might of the heavens, gave them a great sense of security.

Although people were still whispering about Noreen’s change, it was already a fortunate situation that they had not panicked and fled or tried to kill themselves. After all, Noreen’s reputation in the Oro territory was not inferior to that of Count Oro himself. As the publicly and factually recognized successor to the Count, for her to have done something like destroying the city was enough to make people’s faith crumble.

All that was left was to wait for her sister to find her.

Thinking this, Estelle tightened her grip on the golden long scissors and followed the team led by Anastasia. Fia, with Liti and the soldiers, formed a team of nearly a hundred people, while Estelle, Norton, and Anastasia, along with a hundred and fifty people, formed another team. To create a weakness, Estelle also deliberately hung back at the end of the team with five or six soldiers, making it easier for Noreen to find her.

Once Noreen actually appeared, Estelle and Anastasia would fire a signal, informing Fia, who was constantly on the lookout from a distance, of the situation, so that Fia could rush over.

It was impossible to suppress her sister, who had allied with chaos, without Fia’s power. Without that, there would be no chance for a conversation. Estelle knew this very well.

“Lady Estelle, we have already advanced two hundred meters. Shouldn’t we let everyone rest for a bit…?”

Norton, who had run back from the front, suggested with a hesitant expression.

Unlike when he was advancing with Fia, the current Norton was panting, and his entire body was soaked by the rain. Anastasia was very strong, but she did not have the mana to cast area-of-effect spells as freely as Fia did. The hard parts could be left to Anastasia, but the remaining chaos had to be dealt with by the soldiers themselves. As a result, the soldiers were exhausted from the high-intensity fighting. This was especially true for the chaos hiding in the houses. They would cling to the ceilings, and if the soldiers walked into the houses without checking first, the chaos would jump down and lunge at their faces.

As a result, even though they had only been out for an hour, they had no choice but to sit down and rest. Their reaction speed and swordsmanship were already much slower.

It was worth mentioning that Norton, due to the large amount of blood he had lost in the incident last night, could only follow the team and was unable to participate in the battle.

Estelle looked at the soldiers fighting chaos in front of her, thought for a moment, and turned to a guard.

“What time is it now?”

Rеad oո ΚаtRеαⅾіոgСаfе

“Nine-forty-five.”

It was almost the agreed-upon time.

With a heavy heart, Estelle looked up with a blank expression.

“Stop. The team will rest for a while before advancing again. Have someone go to the house on the left. We can’t just sit in the rain.”

“Yes!”

Watching Norton’s loud command to the soldiers in the blurry rain, Estelle, who was holding an umbrella, looked at the guards around her.

“You all go and rest as well. I need to inspect the surroundings.”

“You, alone?”

The guard’s voice was filled with surprise.

Estelle smiled wryly.

“The chaos around here has already been cleared by Anastasia. There won’t be any danger. I just want to check the extent of the damage to the surroundings. If the houses are still habitable, we won’t have to plan for this area in the future. You go and rest. This is my order.”

Although they wanted to say something, Estelle had used the word “order,” so the guards could only nod and obey.

The rainy street was soon left with only Estelle. She looked around, and after confirming that no one was watching, she put the long scissors into her storage item and turned to walk into an alley to her right.

Someone was waiting for her here.

She continued forward.

The alley was filled with shattered rubble. The crumbling walls and collapsed roof beams on both sides looked desolate in the whooshing sound of the heavy rain. If it were night, Estelle would have surely suspected that ghosts, zombies, or chaos would crawl out from the holes in the walls and the debris on the ground at any moment.

It wasn’t until she reached a certain spot that Estelle felt someone pat her shoulder.

“Ugh!”

Although she had been mentally prepared, Estelle still stiffened all over.

It wasn’t until Fia’s voice sounded.

“Shh.”

Reаd oո KatRеαdіոgСаfе

The person who had been waiting for a long time was Fia.

The two had already calculated that one hour was the limit of the soldiers. Fighting any longer would result in casualties. Therefore, they had agreed beforehand to have their respective teams rest at this time and to meet up at an agreed-upon location.

To prevent the chaos and the soldiers from noticing her presence, Fia had deliberately used [Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea] to merge herself with the environment. As long as she wasn’t standing in the rain, her figure would not be exposed—at this moment, she was leaning against the wall under the eaves of a house.

Her heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled. Estelle complained playfully.

“Hah, you should have said my name first. You just suddenly touched me. I thought I was being attacked.”

“Shh, keep your voice down. Do you want Noreen to find us? Who knows if Noreen is watching us. Did you find anything unusual?”

“No. I was on guard against my sister’s attack all the way, but there was no sign of her.”

“Same here.”

Fia’s words made Estelle give a wry smile.

“If she still chose to go to your side to cause trouble after seeing your magic, her mind must be broken. My sister isn’t an indiscriminate killer; she’s only targeting me and Norton. She still has some sanity left.”

“That’s true. Speaking of which, why does she only target you and Norton? You two have always been her favorites, right? We should talk while we walk. You have to pretend I’m not here. If Noreen knows I’m here, she won’t come for you. Your plan of using yourself as bait will fail.”

“Mm.” Gently nodding, Estelle, holding her umbrella, walked forward slowly as if no one was beside her. “I don’t know why my sister Noreen is only targeting me and Norton. This is exactly what I want to ask her about. I can’t think of any reason for my sister to do this. The center of the explosion was in the main hall of the castle. Now my sister is with chaos. She must be the one who caused this disaster…”

By the end of her sentence, Estelle’s voice was almost inaudible.

If Noreen was the one who caused this disaster, then Estelle had to point her sword at Noreen and personally kill the sister she had once seen as a beacon, even a mother.

A hint of concern was added to Fia’s voice.

“Are you… okay? Maybe I should just—”

“No, this is a family matter. It must be resolved by me. Even if that is my sister Noreen, she must be punished for committing such a crime. As a noble with the blood of the House of Oro flowing in my veins, I will not allow my sister to commit such a heinous act. If my sister still had her sanity, she would support my decision. Everything I am now was taught to me by my sister. The thoughts I have now are also a reflection of her will… I must be the one to end this cause and effect. It’s my final repayment to my sister. I have not failed to live up to her expectations.”

By the end of her sentence, Estelle was gritting her teeth, and the umbrella in her hand was clenching with a squeaking sound.

“Fia, if my sister appears in front of us later, please do not intervene until the very last moment. I cannot allow my sister to commit the crime of killing two hundred thousand people. I must get a reason from her myself.”

Without needing to see Estelle’s expression, Fia could feel the deep sadness and overwhelming anger in Estelle’s voice. She responded as calmly as possible.

“But if she tries to kill you, I will immediately take her out.”

Reаⅾ оո KatRеaⅾiոɡСаfе

“That’s enough. Thank you.” A hint of bitterness was added to Estelle’s beautiful face. “‘Thank you’ is the word I’ve been saying the most recently.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m not helping you for a reward. It’s because I respect your character, Estelle.”

Her unwavering and brave will. Even though her enemy was the sister she had seen as a beacon, she did not become dejected. This overwhelming determination made Fia feel a deep sense of respect. Last night, Fia had thought it would take Estelle months to get over the pain. But surprisingly, Fia had not had to do anything to guide her. Estelle’s eyes had been reignited with determination, and she had climbed out of the abyss herself. The toughness of her heart far surpassed that of most people in this world.

“Even if you say that, Fia, I will still pay you a reward. One thing is one thing.”

“That’s your business, Estelle.”

Although Estelle could not see Fia’s expression, she could probably feel that Fia was smiling. Estelle herself couldn’t help but curve her lips into a smile. For some reason, as long as she was with Fia, she felt an indescribable sense of ease. The heavy feeling that had been pressing on her chest also dissipated a little.

Saying no more, the two of them walked in silence and with a tacit understanding through the alley.

About ten minutes passed.

The two of them had walked through almost all the alleys around them. If they were to continue, they would enter the street covered in chaos.

Estelle stopped.

“It seems there’s no result.”

“It’s too idealistic to expect her to take the bait the first time. It’s about time we went back. We have a lot of time left, but Noreen doesn’t have much time left. She’ll get anxious.”

By tomorrow, the chaos would be cleansed, and at that point, Noreen would lose the chaos she was relying on and would no longer have the ability to continuously resurrect.

“Mm. Let’s go back. I’ll see you again in the next hour.”

“Be careful not to tell anyone else about our plan, not even Norton.”

“I know.” Estelle looked up at the direction where Fia was standing. “This is the condition I agreed to. I will keep my promise.”

“I apologize for suspecting your brother, but I’m not you. I don’t know what kind of person Norton is.”

Fia, who was one with the environment, spread her hands. Last night, after Estelle had proposed the plan of using herself as bait, Fia had asked her not to tell anyone else about the plan. That was why Estelle had dismissed her guards and had come to the alley alone without telling Norton.

Estelle let out a soft sigh.

“Saying I’m not bothered by it is a lie. After all of this is over, I’m going to make you apologize to Norton, Fia.”

“If he really has nothing to do with this, I will apologize. Hurry up and go back. Don’t let anyone get suspicious.”

Rеаⅾ on ΚatRеαԁіոɡСаfе

“Mm.”

Under Fia’s escort, Estelle returned to the resting area. Fia, on the other hand, used [Flight] magic to return to the team she was leading on the other side of the city.

…

Time flew by. It was now evening.

Just like the routine they had gone through several times during the day, Estelle dismissed her guards on the pretext of inspecting the ruins. She then came to the alley where she had agreed to meet Fia and waited for Noreen to show herself.

“This is the last time for today.”

Looking up at the overcast sky, which was about to turn dark, Estelle said in a low voice. As time went by, the soldiers’ stamina was no longer enough to support them to continue advancing. In addition, the heavy rain was quickly taking away their body heat. Fia’s side was still fine, but the soldiers on Estelle’s side were having a hard time even swinging their swords.

The target was in the alley alone, a perfect opportunity for an attack. But Noreen showed no signs of movement. After failing to use herself as bait several times, Estelle was starting to feel a sense of frustration.

“Could it be that the sister Fia killed yesterday was the last one… No, that wouldn’t explain why the chaos suddenly retreated. My sister must be the one commanding them.”

Compared to the disheartened Estelle, Fia seemed relaxed.

“Maybe she saw that Estelle was alone and without any guards and thought it was suspicious, so she’s just been watching you.”

“Should I start bringing a few guards with me tomorrow…”

“No. She doesn’t have much time left. If she doesn’t show up tomorrow, she will lose her chance forever. Even if she knows it’s dangerous, she will still come forward. Unless she gives up on dealing with you—”

At this, Fia’s voice suddenly came to a stop. She had sensed that the atmosphere around them had become strange. This was not a premonition from a single sense, but a conclusion from various senses working together. The smell, the sound, the color, and even the temperature of the air—all these things had changed subtly after she and Estelle had stepped into a certain spot in the alley.

The same feeling appeared in Estelle’s body. The moment the environment became dark, Estelle stopped, all the hair on her body stood up, and her muscles tensed.

And as if to respond to Estelle’s reaction, in the whooshing sound of the heavy rain, the rustling sound of mucus sliding on the ground came from all directions. Then, with a loud bang, the crumbling walls on both sides of the alley collapsed. Rubble scattered everywhere. Estelle immediately threw away her umbrella and retreated, gripping the golden long scissors in her hand.

However, Estelle’s reaction was still a beat too slow. When the crumbling walls collapsed, smoke got into her eyes, and she felt a sting. But the ambush Estelle had expected never came. When she opened her eyes in the smoke, the scene in front of her had completely changed.

The alley had been reduced to ruins. Rubble and broken tiles were everywhere, covered in chaos. Even her escape route behind her was filled with thick, black mucus. In contrast, about five meters in front of her, a figure appeared.

Red hair and a black dress. Her entire body exuded a mature and noble aura. The tall figure’s face was completely covered by a veil, making it impossible to see her features.

It was none other than Noreen.