The setting sun hung in the distant mountains. The soft glow of the twilight poured down from the horizon. One after another, the Fluorit street lamps lit up, extending to the edge of their vision. The Lost Ones from the “Gathering of the Lost” cult and the unconscious priest were left in the underground hall. Duquesne would interrogate them and take some “necessary measures” to ensure their safety there. Then they would be taken to the police station.

The group returning to the station therefore consisted of only five ordinary citizens, who had unfortunately been sacrifices, and two experienced second-tier observers.

Selene hummed a tune, walking at the end of the group. As she was walking, she suddenly frowned.

“Aren’t there a lot of people around?”

It was dusk. It was time for the workers to finish their work, have a drink, and socialize. Those who weren’t going to the taverns or other places of entertainment would be having dinner with their families. There shouldn’t be many people out and about on the streets. However, as they walked along, they saw groups of people watching them on almost every street…

Though her appearance did stand out somewhat, it wasn’t usually this bad.

The guard supporting the old man glanced back and explained,

“It’s probably because Miss Rumia’s screams were so loud. She attracted a lot of people. Miss Nitya might not know this, but Miss Rumia screamed ‘The cultists are killing people!’ and ‘Help!’ all the way from Whistle Street to Reeves Street, where the station is located. She was incredibly brave…”

Walking ahead, Rumia, the one who had actually experienced it, blushed and whispered,

“I was afraid the guards wouldn’t hear me…”

The old man, however, picked up something important in her statement. He turned his head to look at Selene, who was still in disguise, and asked dubiously,

“Miss Nitya?”

Selene was startled for a moment, wanting to say that she wasn’t worthy of that title, before she finally reacted—the police officers were already very familiar with her disguises. After all, every disguise she used was this same face. It had been etched into the police officers’ DNA.

After all, before she went straight and narrow (or at least, seemed to), she had often done things that ended up with her getting visited by the police. Sometimes it was her underlings causing trouble, sometimes she got caught breaking into a place, and sometimes the police didn’t have any leads and decided to come see her.

Selene casually wiped her face, removing the makeup and the magic used for disguise. She revealed the face of an eighteen-year-old girl and smiled at the several people who had turned their heads to look back.

Although her hair was still covered in blood, matted together, and there were still some bloodstains on her face, her incredibly striking features still held a captivating allure when she smiled, like a white lotus blooming in the mud.

The group stopped for a few seconds.

After a moment, the old man said casually,

“This young lady is as skilled as her appearance suggests. Her strength is unparalleled.”

This was the truth. The ratio of ordinary people to superhumans was about one hundred to one. And the ratio of second-tier superhumans to first-tier superhumans was also about one hundred to one.

In the old man’s eyes, Selene, who could cooperate with “Shadow Walker” to defeat more than a hundred heretics, had to be at least second-tier… He had a very flawed understanding of the situation and Selene’s capabilities, but she didn’t bother correcting him. She simply nodded in agreement.

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A music player was turned on, and others in the group began to chat. The old man and the two women introduced themselves. The old man’s name was Ryan Hamilton. The two young women were his granddaughter, Rumia Hamilton, and his hired maid, Doris. They were from Molan and had been kidnapped by the “Sect of Sin” during a military exercise. They had been taken from Molan to Nymph Fu, then from Nymph Fu to Schwerdt Town.

One after another, their fellow sacrifices had been taken away, only to be returned as cold corpses. They were lucky to have survived.

Old Ryan gave a self-deprecating laugh.

“I guess the Evil god doesn’t really like old farts like me, eh?”

The two children also introduced themselves. The older boy’s name was William. Surprisingly, he was from the South Continent, from the “Allinge Tribal Nation.”

It was a country where the main race was a mixture of various races, including beastmen. The religious atmosphere was very strong there, and almost every citizen was a devout believer. William and his parents had traveled to the North Continent to make a pilgrimage, planning to visit the Holy City. They were captured while passing through Molan.

Selene wisely didn’t ask about his parents’ whereabouts.

Finally, Reigns, who was being carried on the back of another officer because he was unconscious, mumbled,

“My name is Reigns. I’m from Nymph Fu…”

Selene remembered the four silver coins she hadn’t received yet. She patted his back.

“Your parents are very worried about you. They spent a lot of money, hired many people, and traveled many places to find you…”

She paused, then added,

“Your father is in town. You’ll be able to see him tomorrow.”

Reigns’ eyes widened slightly. He seemed a little disbelieving, but he didn’t think this beautiful sister was lying to him, so he nodded shyly.

Selene patted his shoulder again, then, feeling happy about the good deed she had done, went to the front of the group. She stretched without any grace, trying to loosen the congealed blood on her body, and almost fell because she didn’t see where she was going.

The sun was setting in the west. The Loki Mountains blocked the halo of the sun, and the twilight gradually faded. Darkness spread beyond the glow of the Fluorit street lamps, filling the uninhabited alleyways.

Behind her, old Ryan asked when he would be able to reunite with his family. The two guards softly explained the current situation—the shortage of staff in Schwerdt Town—and didn’t dare make any promises. William, who was mature for his age, remained silent, clutching the corner of his coat. Doris, the maid, looked at him with a sorrowful expression. Rumia looked around curiously. Everything in Schwerdt Town was different from Molan, where she had lived half her life. The new and beautiful scenery of the mountains made her widen her eyes, as if trying to take it all in.

At the end of the alley, the people who had been drawn by Rumia’s cries began to disperse. They discussed the tense atmosphere at the station and the woman’s screams that had traveled across several streets. A sense of unease quietly took root in their hearts. The mage who had returned from the cemetery was staying there and pondering where he should go, what he should eat.

He heard the police officers talking and turned his head to look.

A bouquet of white roses, which he had been holding the entire time, fell to the ground, kicking up some dust.

...

At the entrance to the police station, Selene met Louise.

The white-haired, blue-eyed elf was sitting in a chair on the first floor of the station, engrossed in a book titled 《A Traveler’s Guide to the North Continent》. Hearing footsteps, she slowly looked up, nodded at Selene.

“I heard the commotion and guessed you were up to something again. So, I came to bail you out.” She said, glancing at the people behind Selene. She pondered for a moment. “You broke into someone’s house during their family gathering, fell into a sink full of bloody water while escaping, and were caught on the spot by the patrol guards?”

“…. If you put that imagination of yours to good use, you’d have become a great artist whose name was etched in history!”

Selene casually cursed her friend. Old Ryan quickly explained the events of the afternoon, causing Louise’s eyes to widen in disbelief. It seemed as if she couldn’t believe that her friend could do such a good deed.

—Looking at the way she was contemplating, she was probably wondering if Selene had been possessed by some ancient, powerful mage.

Only after two guards brought easy-to-digest food for the victims to regain their strength, and after Selene was taken to the room where reports were written, did Louise smooth her face and whisper,

“The Sacrificial Ritual…”

Though old Ryan didn’t describe the fight, she knew that the only way Selene could have defeated those cultists and survived would have been by using both the Sacrificial Ritual and the Ritual of Wounds… As Selene’s teacher, who taught her the Sacrificial Ritual, she knew the effect of that ritual quite well.

She thought for a moment, putting aside her worries about her friend, and rubbed her forehead.

“She’s ready to level up…”