Chapter 235: Blade Wielder

“It really doesn’t look like the headquarters of a large organization at all, but then again…”

It’s precisely because it doesn’t look like one that it can remain hidden and survive in a city riddled with demons.

With that thought, Miss White Fox casually pressed the doorbell on the quiet night of the dilapidated, remote streets.

*Creeeak ~ Creeeak ~*

A somewhat hoarse, faint sound emerged from inside, lacking clarity, resembling the low mournful call of an old crow.

After waiting for a moment, as if sensing something, the fluffy triangular ears atop Miss White Fox’s head flitted a bit, and she turned to the pink-haired little succubus standing beside her.

“Little Yu, take a step back.”

“Huh? Oh, okay ~”

The little loli complied and stepped back. Just as Gerald was curiously wondering what kind of unbelievable thing this mysterious, somewhat familiar White Fox Girl was planning to do, she had already revealed the answer through her actions.

She took a half-step back, and then, her seemingly delicate and fair long leg drew a beautiful arc in the air, suddenly delivering a powerful kick to the door!

*Bam!*

That old, rotting wooden door couldn’t withstand such a forceful kick that seemed to carry terrifying power from the girl. With a mournful crack, it shattered into countless pieces and was flung away.

The scene inside the house was immediately exposed to the three of them.

“Hey! Making such a ruckus will attract…”

Gerald almost instinctively wanted to remind her, shocked by the girl’s rough actions that were completely at odds with her delicate appearance, while his long-standing experience kept him on alert. But then he realized something else.

Sure, it would attract demons… but wasn’t there already a high-level demon present here from the start? It seemed there wasn’t any real threat anyway?

In fact, aside from the initial escape with their group, ever since the three of them set out on their own, these two girls had been brazenly walking the streets filled with demons alongside Gerald, showing no intention of hiding at all.

And those demons, upon seeing this succubus named Little Yu, directly chose to ignore the thief and Miss White Fox trailing behind her, making their way without any hindrances.

Is it customary for succubi to travel with their pets…?

What in the world is this succubus, anyway?

While Gerald’s heart was a tumult of thoughts, Miss White Fox had no idea of his inner turmoil. After kicking the door open without a hint of ladylike composure, she motioned for the loli known as Little Yu to enter and started to look around.

No one, or rather, no living creature.

This was something Vilyric had already noticed outside the door.

The inside looked like a low-end bar or tavern, where, though the floor and walls were reasonably clean and tidy, many facilities were just as ancient as that door.

She took a few steps forward and lit a half-burnt candle on the counter. The orange glow faintly blossomed, allowing Gerald, an ordinary person who followed behind, to finally make out their surroundings.

“It’s just as I thought…”

On the way here, the thief had already told the girls that due to the commotion near the temple and the city-wide demon search, the ever-vigilant Thieves’ Guild had likely abandoned their hideout and moved to a new location. Coming here would probably yield nothing.

But Miss White Fox just nodded in understanding while insisting on coming to check it out, so Gerald had no choice but to accompany her stubbornly.

Though secretly relieved, on the surface, Gerald could only shrug helplessly.

“See? I told you coming here is pointless. If the Thieves’ Guild’s hideouts could be found so easily, they wouldn’t have been able to stay hidden from the demons for so long.”

While saying this, the old thief intentionally glanced at the seemingly innocent pink-haired loli, as if hinting that they had encountered similar situations before.

Not minding such trivial emotions, Vilyric merely looked around again and casually asked, “Gerald, you seem to have put that fake sword away earlier. I believe I mentioned that it’s a worthless imitation, right?”

“…”

Seeing the thief suddenly go silent, the White Fox Girl chuckled lightly and spoke again.

“By the way, who do you think buried that fake sword beneath the ruins near the temple, waiting for someone to dig it up?”

“…Isn’t it a demon?”

This was a rhetorical question; the tone was supposed to be clear and affirmative, but Vilyric simply shook her head in response to Gerald’s subtle hesitation.

“Of course not.”

She casually took a seat on a nearby wooden chair, gesturing for Eudora to join her, before tapping the old but meticulously cleaned table with her fingers, producing a “thud thud” sound.

“Even without me saying, you should have enough sense to recognize that, given the demons’ power and influence in this city, if they wanted to wipe out your kind, they certainly have far more convenient and effective means than going through such trouble to set a trap just to catch a few little fish like you.”

“…What does that mean?”

“What do you mean, you don’t understand? Otherwise, how could they have made such a decisive choice to compromise with us earlier? Alright, alright, we still have some time. Let’s summarize the whole story regarding this matter.”

The White Fox Girl opened her palm, revealing an object resembling a compass in the air. This was the device Gerald had previously used to seek out the “Holy Sword of Judgment,” and now it was in Vilyric’s hands.

“You said you stumbled upon this treasure in the black market. Setting luck aside, Gerald, do you know how this thing was made?”

To this, the thief could only shake his head in confusion.

A light laugh came from under the White Fox Girl’s mask.

“Have you heard of a ‘Radiant Source Crystal’? It’s a type of high-purity light-elemental fifth-tier magic crystal. Each one in standard size can be worth over three million Holy Light coins on the market, and this thing…”

She gently brushed her fair fingertips over the dark pointer surface. Then, as if shedding layers of dust, it suddenly burst forth with a golden brilliance far brighter than the dim candlelight in the bar!

“It’s a higher-quality magical item made by fusing many types of fifth-tier light-element magical crystals together, so it can resonate with light-elemental items. It’s almost equivalent to a sixth-tier magic crystal or something nearing the level of a spirit treasure.”

“Even without considering such craftsmanship, just calculating the cost of the raw materials, it would still be worth several tens of millions. If you auctioned it off, it could probably sell for over one hundred million… oh, of course, the currency is Holy Light coins.”

She waved her hand, making the dial vanish as if it were a magic trick, then chuckled lightly to herself.

“Now, think about it—what are the chances that this nearly priceless treasure would conveniently fall into the hands of an unknowledgeable black-market merchant and that you would happen to buy it?”

   

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