The girl looked a bit disheveled. Her delicate face was smeared with dust, suggesting she had been wandering for a long time or had just come from a great battle. Although her clothes were intact,
they were stained with various marks, much like her face. Nevertheless, these flaws could not hide her ethereal aura. She looked like a high-born lady who had merely swapped her finery for commoner's rags; anyone with a shred of insight could see she was special.
Furthermore, she was wearing a black nun's habit made of a fabric that was clearly of superior quality.
Strangely, however, her wrists were bound by heavy shackles, the kind used to restrain criminals.
"Are you okay? Both of you."
Despite her own poor condition, the girl showed concern for total strangers, leaving Kiana staring at her in a daze.
The "idiot" didn't realize what the white hair and blue eyes meant; she only felt that this "Big Sis" was very beautiful and very kind.
"We're fine. Thank you for your concern," Hua Yi responded with a smile.
Aside from the girl who resembled Kiana, the other people on the street didn't seem to notice them. They remained slumped against the walls of the buildings, looking weak and lifelessthe same wretched appearance of the Black Death patients they had seen earlier.
Is this still the virtual reality? Kiana wondered. But this girl can clearly see us.
Her mind was full of questions. Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from a distance as a group of people approached.
The girl's expression shifted almost imperceptibly, clouding with helplessness and fatigue. She stepped in front of Hua Yi and Kiana, shielding them.
"You two should leave quickly."
"Miss Kallen, why are you running away?"
Before Hua Yi or Kiana could respond to the girl, the crowd arrived. The leader of the group was the one who had spoken.
They were dressed in waxed linen coats and black hats, wearing bird-beak masks stuffed with herbs to filter the air. They wore white gloves and carried wooden sticks used to move the bedding or clothing of the sick. They looked exactly like Plague Doctors from the era of the Black Death.
However, judging by their aggressive posture, they seemed to hold another identity beyond that of a doctor.
"Grandpa Arthur, I wasn't trying to run. I just saw two people fall from the sky and came over to help them."
Hua Yi and Kiana had indeed fallen from a great height. Even if no one had been looking at the sky initially, everyone in the city should have seen these two "visitors from beyond" after Kiana's panicked scream.
Yet, the group in front of the girl named Kallen didn't seem to see them, nor did they believe her.
"Nonsense. As a traitor to the organization, your word carries no credit. Don't forget, it was you who stole the organization's crystal half a year ago."
The rebuke came from the crowd after a brief silence, sounding as if a fixed program had encountered a logic error or a bug and was now being patched over.
Then, the group finally seemed to perceive Kiana and Hua Yi. Hua Yi could clearly feel several pairs of eyes focusing on them.
"Miss Kallen, if you are willing to repent, I can still plead for mercy with the Lord."
The leader withdrew his gaze from Kiana and Hua Yi, seemingly dismissing them as mere commoners, and resumed his conversation with Kallen.
"It's no use. The Overseer and the Council have already made their decision. Besides... I no longer have any reason to want to live."
Kallen lowered her eyes. Her voice and expression were as still as a stagnant well. It didn't look like the despair of someone who had given up everything, but rather a form of numbnessthe kind that comes from repeating the same sentence so many times that, no matter its meaning, it eventually becomes mundane.
One of the men in the crowd stepped forward, reaching out to grab the shackles on Kallen's hands, but Hua Yi blocked him.
"Your actions are far too crude and rude toward a beautiful lady, nameless Plague Doctor."
The atmosphere turned heavy in an instant.
"Watch out!"
Kallen shouted a warning in concern. In the moment she spoke, the figure Kallen called Grandpa Arthur turned into a blura residual image left behind by extreme speed. Simultaneously, the stone slabs on the ground shattered with a loud crack, testifying to the immense power erupted by his movement.
However
The attack, which far exceeded a normal person's reaction speed, failed to land. When Arthur reappeared, he was behind Hua Yi. He thrust a hand with bulging veins out from under his coat, intending to strike the back of Hua Yi's neck, but his motion was caught halfway as Hua Yi gripped his wrist with a backhanded grab.
"You have quite the strength, old man. Fortunately, I'm still young and fit."
"..."
Arthur glanced behind him. One of his subordinates had already been kicked to the ground by the girl who looked so much like Kallen. After a short silence, he spoke.
"Who are you people?"
"Unidentified suspicious individuals."
As Hua Yi gave his answer, the tension between the two sides reached a breaking point.
Kiana pulled the bewildered Kallen behind Hua Yi, cracking her knuckles and preparing to take down these guys who wanted to hurt the beautiful lady. However, she froze at Hua Yi's next words.
"So, while you're taking Miss Kallen away, feel free to take us along as well. Don't worry, we won't resistprovided your movements remain graceful."
"Eh? EEEH?!"
Kiana let out a cry of disbelief, then met Hua Yi's eyes. He was serious.
I don't quite get it, but I guess I'll trust him for now.
Kiana puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. She and Hua Yi stayed by Kallen's side, surrounded by the wary Plague Doctors as they marched down the street in a set direction.
🚨 Note: Consider supporting this story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access 400+ advance chapters and 2 new chapters daily! (Full story bundles also available without a subscription).