Chapter 135: Karmic Fire (Part 1)
Elise moved closer and put the necklace around Peiya’s neck. As she leaned in, there was a faint, special fragrance.
The pendant still had a slight warmth. When Peiya looked closely, she realized it had been resting between Elise’s chest before, and that warmth came from there.
Thinking about it, Peiya’s face felt a bit hot. Her shy expression made Elise curious.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you like it? I can change it.”
“No need. If you gave it to me, then it’s mine now.” Peiya carefully held the pendant. “Now I have your weakness. Aren’t you afraid?”
Elise gently pinched Peiya’s nose with her fingers, a smile appearing on her face. “If I were afraid, why would I show my weakness to you on purpose? On the contrary, with your personality, you’ll just become more careful.”
“That’s not true. I… I can actually be very harsh to you.” Peiya sounded a bit unsure, as if her thoughts had been seen through. And honestly, Elise was right.
After knowing more about her, she really did start to hesitate…
She even thought that next time they fought, she could just bite Elise’s ear. But what if that made her enjoy it instead?
Peiya felt stuck. Even if it was an easy chance, she wouldn’t act carelessly.
But just like Elise said, thinking too much had become a burden.
Elise sighed softly. “Really? Then you must be more decisive next time. Otherwise, I might look down on you.”
“You’re right, I do think too much. But in a way, it goes both ways. You definitely don’t want anything to happen to me. Of course, I won’t use that to threaten you. So what you did today, your purpose was to show your cards and see what kind of person I am, right? After all, we’re about to go to Blackwater City. You’re worried that your background might affect my judgment. So you wanted to test me first, and then decide what to do there…”
“...From what I know about you, you would never just sit and wait. You must have already investigated your bloodline connected to Blackwater City and learned something. For this trip, you’ve probably already guessed what might happen. Of course, those are your secrets. I won’t interfere. The reason I’m going with you is because of this. Before I defeat you, I won’t let anything happen to you. And actually… I also have things I haven’t told you. Maybe one day, I’ll let you know everything about my past.”
After hearing all this, Elise could only shake her head helplessly.
“I really didn’t misjudge you. Yes, I do know some things about my past. But what’s true and what’s not… I’m not sure. I can’t clearly judge the meaning of my own birth or existence. If I interfere with you too much, it might only lead things back to the same old result. And I’m curious, if it’s you, what kind of answer will you give? Five hundred years of conflict… maybe it’s time for it to end…”
“...What I can tell you is this, people from Blackwater City are said to carry a curse, like sinners coming from hell. Those of us who left never truly escaped that muddy place. Like someone who hasn’t seen rain for a long time, when they finally see bright sunlight… it turns out to be a false sun. Even so, are you still willing to go to Blackwater City with me? By then, you might see me differently.”
Elise chose her words carefully. The Anthony family’s success in many fields was partly because of their bloodline.
But Elise truly disliked the idea of giving all credit to “good blood.”
Even someone with talent won’t achieve anything great without effort.
“How things really are… I’ll decide that myself when the time comes. But right now, you are still the young lady, and also my important friend and partner. I choose to live in the present.”
“Mm, I’ll listen to you. Then… can we go back now?”
Elise stood up and brushed the dust off her clothes. She looked at Peiya, who was still standing there, and asked with some confusion.
“Are your legs numb? Do you want me to carry you back?”
“No way. I’m totally fine. Let’s go.”
“Alright.” Elise watched as Peiya carefully put away the necklace and quietly let out a sigh of relief.
This necklace had been placed on her when she was born. It was said to help remove the “karmic fire” brought by the Blackwater City bloodline. For Elise now, it didn’t mean much anymore.
But this trip was very dangerous. If Peiya carried it, it might help her avoid danger.
“Aren’t you coming? If we wait longer, it’ll be dark.”
“Sorry, I was thinking about something and got distracted.”
“Oh. You’ve looked very troubled lately. You’re completely different from before.”
The Elise from before wasn’t like this. Why did she seem so strange now?
“Really? I don’t think there’s anything strange about me.”
“I’m not saying you’re strange. It just feels like… you’re holding something inside. Maybe the excitement from when we first met has faded, and we’ve both become more realistic. If you have something to say, you can just say it.”
“You’re quite funny.” Elise lightly tapped Peiya’s head. “I want to knock the sun down. Want to join me?”
“Knock down the sun? That’s a bit too ambitious.”
“I’m joking. Let’s go. If we’re any later, we’ll miss the celebration.”
Elise and Peiya returned to the Adventurers’ Guild together. But instead of the expected party, there were many people gathered at the entrance.
Peiya immediately felt something was wrong. They had only been gone for a short time, why had things become like this?
After scanning the crowd for a moment, Peiya found Maya, who was organizing people. Seeing her talking with several guild members, Peiya stepped forward and asked,
“What happened? Why was the celebration stopped? And why does everything look so messy?”
“Good timing.” Maya’s expression turned serious as she quickly explained what had happened.
“Not long after you left, a wolf-like creature suddenly entered the hall and started attacking people. Many adventurers have already been injured. In the panic, no one could organize a proper defense, so the demon wolf took advantage of the chaos. By the time we stepped in, it had already escaped. Now I’m discussing what to do next with a few witnesses.”
“How many witnesses are there? Did these people see everything?”
“Yes. Here’s the map. The demon wolf came in from the east gate, that’s the main hall. I think it was attracted by the food, but for some reason, it suddenly went on a violent attack.”
Peiya looked at the map and thought for a moment. Even creatures like Soul Beasts had some level of awareness. Unless it had gone mad, a demon wolf wouldn’t attack an entire guild like this for no reason.
There must be something else behind this.
Looking at the guest layout on the map, Peiya pointed to the southeast corner.
“Who were the main guests standing in this area? Do you know? This is important.”
Guild Leader Maya followed her line of thought and asked the nearby guards,
“Do you remember who was over there?”
The guards thought for a moment.
“I think… they were some low-ranking members of the Beast Tamer Association. They had invitations, so we let them in.”
The Beast Tamer Association!?
Everyone’s expression changed immediately.
That organization was known for controlling and enslaving magical beasts. And now, they just happened to be present when this incident occurred.
It was hard to believe this was just a coincidence.