Chapter 3017: Chapter 3018: Female Warrior
About three minutes later, new footsteps resounded from the end of the corridor.
Aex assumed that the person Angel was looking for had arrived, so his expression remained unchanged. However, hidden in the shadows, Angel furrowed his brow.
Because it was the sound of two peopleâs footsteps.
Aex wasnât aware whether Angel was looking for one person or two, so he found nothing unusual about hearing two sets of footsteps. But Angel knew for sure that he was only here to find Kaier.
Among these two different sets of footsteps, one was definitely... Angel was certain it was Kaier. But the other footsteps were slightly heavier, unfamiliar to Angel.
Angel thought to himself: Could it be Kaierâs friend?
Suppressing the doubts in his mind, Angel focused his gaze into the dark corridor.
Although he didnât know why there were two footsteps, as long as he found Kaier, any unexpected matters could be explained by Kaier once they left.
Soon, under the dim light, two figures appeared.
As expected, one of them was indeed Kaier, whose robe was noticeably wrinkled and his hair rather disheveled, as if he had encountered some crisis.
However, Angel wasnât surprised by Kaierâs messy appearance.
Apart from when encountering ruins, when Kaier would burst forth with incredible enthusiasm, he usually acted like a reclusive scholar, unkempt for years. His current appearance was actually no different from this afternoonâjust a bit haggard, which was truly Kaierâs typical state.
But it was the person beside Kaier that caught Angel off guard.
A woman with fiery red hair and a wild allure.
She was an ordinary person, but her attire was far from ordinary.
She wore armor, though unlike Nausicaaâs soft armored skirt, hers was made of wooden lattice rope armor, a kind that had fallen out of favor in the iron-rich Flourish Continent.
Due to the numerous gaps in wooden armor, she wore animal hide beneath: a cropped top and a short skirt.
The wooden armor, beast hide lining, and the three stripes painted on her face made her seem like a warrior from a primitive tribe.
Of course, the primitive armored appearance alone wasnât enough to surprise Angel. What truly surprised him were the intriguing emotions of this âfemale warrior.â
The âfemale warriorâ clung to Kaier, showing caution upon spotting Angel and Aex.
This was merely surface emotion, but Angel could clearly sense that she felt âprideâ towards Angel and âwarinessâ towards Aex.
Wariness towards Aex was normal enough, but pride directed at Angel was puzzling.
âPrideâ is an emotion typically shown among acquaintances. So that means... she most likely knew him.
Had Kaier mentioned him?
Angel looked towards Kaier again, noting that Kaierâs emotions also seemed peculiar.
Kaierâs feelings were normal towards Angel, grateful towards Aex, but towards the âfemale warriorâ who held his arm, he felt a sense of resignation.
Resignation can be both positive and negative, and Kaierâs was of the âpositiveâ variety.
This made things rather interesting.
Angel watched the âfemale warriorâ as she cautiously glanced at him before hurriedly withdrawing... Seeing her movements and sensing her emotions that were completely contrary to her actions, Angel began to guess her identity.
On the other side, Aex saw the newcomers and asked Angel, "Are they the ones you were looking for?"
Angel didnât speak and instead looked at Kaier, "Is he the one protecting you?"
Aex furrowed his brow, asking such a question in front of others was quite rude. Yet he simply frowned and said nothing more.
Kaier had already identified Angel, despite Angel currently being in a ghostly shadow state, he was familiar with Earl Mi, and moreover, he also knew Speedy.
So without any hesitation, Kaier nodded in response to Angelâs inquiry, "Yes, Aex is a good man; heâs been protecting us consistently. Moreover, heâs rescued many outside as well."
Kaier spoke sincerely, not only were his words earnest, but his emotions matched them. In Kaierâs eyes, Aex was indeed a good person.
However, the âfemale warriorâ beside Kaier seemed to have differing sentiments.
Angel didnât question the âfemale warriorâ; he merely glanced at her before focusing on Aex, "Forgive the impolite inquiry."
Aex waved his hand politely, "No worries, the situation is urgent, exercising some caution is wise."
Angel smiled, "Nonetheless, Iâm grateful to Aex for protecting them. Indeed, they are the ones Iâm looking for."
"Thatâs great, as long as youâve found them," Aex paused before asking, "So, do you have any plans now?"
Angel glanced at Kaier and the âfemale warrior,â remarking, "I plan to take them away from here first. Would that be agreeable to you?"
Aex hastily replied, "Their comings and goings donât require my consent. I merely assisted some people to avert disaster."
Aexâs words were earnest, and at least in Angelâs perception, his emotions were genuinely sincere.
Angel: "Then... May I take them away now?"
Aex nodded, his voice laced with concern, "Okay... You must be careful when going out."
Angel glanced at Kaier and the others, signaling with his eyes for them to depart.
Kaier complied readily, but the âfemale warriorâ hesitated, ultimately following Kaier to Angelâs side.
Angel nodded toward Aex before turning to leave.
However, after taking only a few steps, Angel seemed to have thought of something, turning back to Aex, "By the way, I have a question for you."
Aex was taken aback, "What question?"
"What do you think of the recent attack on the Bilun Tree Court?"
Aex paused, puzzled, "Why are you asking me?"
Angel: "Iâve been searching for them the whole time, so I havenât encountered the attackers yet. I havenât seen the blue gorilla either, nor do I know the specifics... But since you managed to save many under the threat of that gorilla, you must have some insights into the attackers, right?"
Aex always felt like there was something more to Angelâs words, but when he analyzed them closely, there seemed to be nothing particularly objectionable.
Although Aex felt a bit uneasy, he thought it over and still replied, "I only saw that gorilla. Itâs very strong, but it seems to have its own goals. As long as you donât provoke it, it wonât bite and not let go. Because of this, I was able to save some people. As for the rest... I donât know."
He lied.
Angel sensed the lie through Aexâs emotions. This was also the first time Angel detected a lie from that sincere heartâs thought.
However, Angel didnât expose him, just gave Aex a deep look, then thanked him, and left with Kaier and the female warrior.
Angelâs figure quickly disappeared into the darkness.
In Aexâs perception, indeed, this group had left along the stairs.
However, watching their departing backs, Aex frowned slightly, seemingly thinking about something. After a while, he sighed softly, turned around, and slowly walked towards the group of people he had protected.
...
Without a word along the way, it wasnât until they reached the Council Hallâs lobby that Angel spoke for the first time.
"Kaier, what do you think of that Wizard named Aex?"
Kaier was a bit taken aback, unsure of Angelâs intention, but still replied earnestly, "I saw him outside, and he saved many people along the way. I think heâs a good man."
"A good man?" The female warrior snorted coldly, "Only you would think heâs a good man."
Kaier looked at the female warrior awkwardly, not knowing how to respond.
Angel also turned his gaze to the female warrior. Under her gaze, Angel said softly, "And you, âRed Swordâ lady, what do you think?"
Angel emphasized the word âRed Swordâ.
Kaierâs eyes flashed with surprise upon hearing Angelâs words. The female warrior froze for a moment, then flashed a charming smile. "That silly goose Aex didnât even discover my identity, but you recognized me."
The female warrior smiled as she moved closer, trying to wrap her arm around Angel. However, Angel directly dodged.
"So heartless. I waited so long under the sun in The Garden Labyrinth to deliver a message to you," the female warrior pouted.
Angel: "A valiant female warrior wouldnât show such an expression, nor would she speak like that. Or are you planning to take the succubus route? If so, you shouldnât transform into this female warrior, at least remove the wooden rattan armor outside."
The female warrior stared at Angel for a while, eventually rolling her eyes, "... Boring."
As she spoke, the female warriorâs form slowly began to change, quickly elongating, with the wooden rattan armor transforming into a plaid vest, and the leather lining turning into a burgundy shirt and black pants. Her sharp face began to look more rugged and masculine, and her long red hair turned into a short style.
In the blink of an eye, she transformed from a valiant female warrior into a rugged handsome man.
The red hair remained, along with a sword at the waist.
It was "Red Sword" Dox.
Returning to his original appearance, Dox lazily looked at Angel, "By the way, how did you recognize me?"
Angel: "If I couldnât even recognize my own subordinate, I wouldnât be fit to be the boss."
Dox was taken aback, "I never said I was your subordinate! I just agreed to help you out!"
Angel: "Same thing."
Dox: "Itâs not the same. We need to clarify this point. My role at most is like that of a mercenary... Hmm, or half a follower, but not some little underling!"
Angel ignored Dox, turning his gaze to Kaier, "Why are you at the Council Hall?"
Dox: "Hey, did you hear what I said?"
Angel still ignored him, keeping his gaze on Kaier.
Kaier hesitated for a moment before saying, "I picked up Lord Red Sword outside, but the Lord said he wanted to buy some sword-making materials, so we went to the commercial district."
"Later, a huge rumbling sound came from the guild area. Before we could react, the attack began..."
After that, the whole Bilun Tree Court descended into chaos, people fleeing, hiding. Although the shops in the commercial district had protective measures, they were no match for the gorilla as big as a mountain. So, shops began closing one by one, shop owners and customers fleeing. Dox and Kaier also planned to leave.
But just then, the gorilla that had rampaged through the guild area arrived at the commercial district.
Since Kaier and Dox were already at the edge of the commercial district, they were not affected at all. However, there were many people who hadnât escaped yet, quickly covered by the gorillaâs pressure, causing their movements to become sluggish.
Fortunately, the gorilla wasnât interested in the people on the ground and didnât pursue killing them; it just headed toward the arena.
Of course, not everyone was lucky. A few people fell in the middle of the road due to the pressure, right in the gorillaâs path.
Just as someone was about to be crushed by the gorilla, Aex appeared.
Not only did he use a spear to hold off the gorillaâs foot, but he also saved the group of people immobilized by the pressure.
Kaier: "The gorilla then went to the arena."
Angel: "Did it not get angry because Aex blocked it?"
Kaier: "It was angry and attacked Mr. Aex madly, but Mr. Aex was very strong and wasnât caught by the gorilla. The gorilla seemed to have other, more important targets, despite hating Mr. Aex, it ultimately diverted to the arena and didnât chase us."
Angel stroked his chin, "Then why did you go to the Council Hall afterward?"
Since the gorilla didnât chase them, and they had already reached the edge of the commercial district, shouldnât they have gone toward Starry District? How did they end up at the Council Hall near the arena?
Kaier: "I originally planned to return to Starry District, but Lord Red Sword insisted on following Mr. Aex for some reason..."
"Because many people fled from the commercial district into the Council Hall, and Mr. Aex also went there, taking on protection duties. Lord Red Sword and I followed Aex to the Council Hall."
Angel: "Was it then that Dox transformed into âRed Sword Ladyâ?"
Kaier nodded, "Yes."
After roughly understanding the situation, Angel turned to look at Dox.
Dox seemed to know what Angel wanted to ask, and said softly, "Donât listen to Kaier, that hot-head, thinking Aex is a good person just because he saved a few people... My intuition tells me, that Aex definitely has a problem! Iâm planning to observe closely, thatâs why I followed him."