Chapter 44: The Steps That Follow

“Hum!”

Xiao Guang, the fastest to react, almost without needing to open her eyes, appeared in front of the attacked Miss White Fox like she had teleported, her fingers transforming into dragon claws as she struck down heavily towards the empty void!

“Poof!”

Accompanied by a crisp sound like fabric being sliced open by a sharp blade, it seemed as if some invisible object was sliced into two large pieces, the impact and tingling sensation on the skin disappearing in an instant.

“Eh?”

At that moment, Tilysha, lacking in battle experience, finally reacted, surprisedly opening her eyes to see the two white-feathered girls beside her already armed and warily watching their surroundings, her expression a mix of confusion.

“Miss Xī, what was that just now?”

“Mm… what was it?”

As if pondering by herself, the White Fox Girl exchanged glances with the giant dragon who had driven off the attacker and slowly crouched down, feeling the soft and damp ground beneath the tree shade.

“Oh, found it.”

Moments later, she stood up again, this time holding something in her hand and gesturing for the puzzled Tilysha and the others to come closer and take a look.

“What exactly is it…”

The blue-haired girl curiously leaned in, and upon closer inspection, she discovered that the strange object Miss White Fox was holding was a lot of thread-like, nearly transparent materials?

Before Tilysha could voice her question, Leila’s expression shifted to one of realization.

“This is… silk thread?”

“Yes.”

Miss Vilyric’s tone hinted at amusement.

“Got it now, this is the true nature of the invisible attacks on the merchant caravan within the Holy Spirit Path; it’s not some demon or monster, just some tricks to fool ordinary people. You should all be aware of this if you pay a little attention, except for Tilysha, you’re all rare strong people from the outside world.”

With a hint of implication, the girl wearing the white fox mask spoke softly.

“Even young eagles will one day spread their wings and soar; relying too much on others is not a good habit.”

“Ah?”

“Uh… eh heh heh…”

One of the singled-out blue-haired girls tilted her head in confusion, while the more astute Renée awkwardly stuck out her tongue. As for Leila, after staring at the silk thread in Miss White Fox’s hand for a while, she suddenly looked up and said.

“Miss Xī, may I ask you and Lady Xiao Guang to temporarily watch from the sidelines this time, while we try to resolve this ourselves?”

“Oh ~?”

Surprised by this turn of events, Miss Vilyric didn’t immediately respond, only smiled and said.

“So you’re confident about this?”

“Yes, though I can’t guarantee we can solve the problem perfectly, as you said, if we want to grow, we can’t hide under the shade forever. Though I’ve reached the transcendent realm, I believe… my knowledge and experience still don’t match the strength you’ve granted me.”

Taking a deep breath, Leila expressed everything she wanted to say.

“Since the moment we were recreated, my sisters and I have always been a burden to you, but even if it’s just a little, I want to… mature and be truly capable of helping you.”

“I see…”

In the silver-blue depths of Miss White Fox’s beautiful eyes, a subtle hint of appreciation flashed by. Although Miss Vilyric had heard similar words from Leila before, and the latter had indeed worked hard to reach the transcendent realm in a short time, she didn’t seem to have become arrogant. Instead, she was more aware of the real gap between the true strong in this world.

That’s a good thing.

“Since that’s the case, then this exploration will be entrusted to you. How you proceed is up to your judgment, but no need to force yourselves, just do your best.”

“Yes!”

Nodding seriously, Leila patted her younger sister’s shoulder and turned to lead the way.

“Renée, cheer up! Don’t disappoint Miss Xī.”

“Eh?! Me, I have to join the battle too?! But I haven’t reached transcendent yet… Ow, ow, don’t pull me! Okay, okay! I’ll go!”

The two sisters squabbled as they left the group to move ahead, while Tilysha, even if a bit dull, understood after hearing Leila’s prior words, her expression becoming somewhat anxious.

“Miss Xī, I…”

Gently rubbing the blue-haired girl’s head, Miss White Fox merely reassured her.

“It’s okay; everyone has their strengths, and value isn’t solely reflected in combat. Leila and Renée are mythic beings of ancestral blood, you don’t need to force yourself to become strong like them so quickly. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

“Um… okay…”

The minor internal matters of the group quickly passed, and now they needed to tackle the real issue.

Miss Vilyric’s earlier shout was not without purpose; every attack must leave its trace. Using transparent silk thread as a weapon might indeed be difficult to notice, but once it’s genuinely revealed, that mystery would naturally diminish.

The key lay in the sound of the wind.

As a mythic being angel who had reached the transcendent level, Leila’s perception might not match the higher-level beings like Vilyric or Xiao Guang, but the wind that reached her ears during the earlier attack was enough to determine its general direction.

This was one of the reasons why Miss Vilyric had asked them to close their eyes—by shutting down some perception of the body, the remaining senses would become more sensitive and sharp.

[So do you understand? Lady Vilyric has been giving us the chance to perform from the start. That lady’s steps are moving forward continuously. If we don’t actively grab hold and pursue, it won’t be long before we get left far behind and lose the eligibility to follow her. Renée, you should mature a bit and be more mindful; we are no longer children undergoing the adult trial. Lady Vilyric is not obligated to take care of us forever.]

While walking through the lush forest, Leila patiently explained the situation to her younger sister while tracking the traces of their target.

After breaking through transcendent, many high-level abilities belonging to angels from the mythic bloodline had awakened; this kind of spiritual communication through blood relations was one of them and was a fundamental ability possessed by many mythic beings.

Of course, Renée, who had not yet reached that level, couldn’t converse but could only listen. However, she wasn’t foolish, and after just a little prompting from her sister, she had already realized the seriousness of the problem, her fingers instinctively tightening around her staff.

Seeing her younger sister nod seriously, Leila finally felt relieved. Actually, she wasn’t worried about unknown enemies here, but rather about the rare opportunity to perform. If Renée’s lazy demeanor caused any mistakes due to carelessness, making Lady Vilyric unhappy, that would be the real big problem.

After finishing her words of caution, they waited for a moment until Vilyric and the others caught up before continuing their small team’s advance.

At this moment, it had been more than half an hour since they left the merchant caravan and entered the depths of the Holy Spirit Path. This forest wasn’t very large, and during this time, they had reached a place where few had treaded.

Though the previous attack had been fierce, during their subsequent movements, they had not encountered another wave of attacks, whether due to not offending certain taboos, or if the Little Dragon Daughter’s decisive counterattack had frightened those pulling the strings behind the silk thread, it was unclear.

But in any case, their forward steps would not stop here.

Until the girls arrived at a spot that looked, at first glance, to be quite ordinary, deep, and tranquil among the trees.

“Mm…?”

As if sensing something, Leila suddenly furrowed her brows, halting, kneeling down, and pressing her hand on the fallen leaves of winter, unsure of what she was doing.

“What’s wrong, sister?”

Not responding to her sister’s curious voice, the angel lady stood up, glanced at a nearby White Fox Girl, and seeing that she remained impassive, pointed to the ground beneath her feet.

“Renée, use your most powerful magic to break through the ground here.”

“Eh?!”

   

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