QT: Against My Will

212 4.36 – My Body – Dangerous Angels

As they got closer to the streets with long rows of different restaurants, the crispy waves of charred fat glistened in the air, tasting like a swine roasted over a campfire. Bing Shi sniffed in the smell of fried food while observing the situation through Kuro’s eyes. It was like having an extra pair of eyes in the back of her mind, a very bizarre experience for sure.

Levitating in its majestic form, Kuro looked over the situation in the city. From above, the buildings spread out like the most sumptuous picture. Spotting its target, it craned its head and zoomed on the spectacle below, sending the information to Bing Shi.

“A thief! Catch the thief!” someone shouted at a running boy in rags.

Holding an unknown package, the boy quickly averted all the people like the main character from the movie Aladin. The package in his hands was the medications for his ill mother. In the world story, after the female lead saved him from the city thugs and healed his mother, this boy would become her faithful shadow guard in the future. The hidden pendant around his neck was proof of his deep roots. Bing Shi knew this agile child, whose identity was like no others. He was an heir from an old clan of mysterious assassins.

She was not eager to help this boy and continued on her way. But someone else might be interested in snatching this opportunity. And who else if not the other host, who knew the future? To discern Fei Lan’s process of actions, she sent some people to watch over the key individuals in the plot.

· · — · ???· — · ·

Finally, they reached the restaurants without any obstacles. As soon as Bing Shi showed the gold emblem to the restaurant’s staff, she received immediate access to the private room with a clear view of the streets. After giving her escort thirty Kangs, she sat near the window and sipped on the fragrant tea, reading the strategies of war, waiting for the Prince’s arrival.

‘The hunt on Fei Lan won’t be easy.’

‘I should as well slow down her growth in power.’

.....

‘Who knows what that host is capable of doing.’

‘What if she goes on a killing spree like a maniac?’

?Mrs. Jelly:? She won’t kill you, would she?

?Mr. Jelly:? Why not? My death could get rid of her once and for all. If she went against yours or her missions, the HQ wouldn’t stay idle.

When Xuan Mu showed her the situation on his side, she stuck her lower lip out in protest and showed her puppy eyes at the colossal Kuro above the city.

?Mrs. Jelly:? No. Anything besides that. Nobody shall hurt my man.

“Alright,” answered Xuan Mu amusingly; he said that just to see his flustered Bing Shi. Sitting on the floor carpet for hours, he stretched his muscles and stood up, a small device followed after him according to his will. The sandy hair flopped over his ruddy eyes, his lips with rosy luster arched up into a wicked smile, “General’s daughter from a Triweria kingdom, hm?”

?Mrs. Jelly:? Her family choose dead over dishonor, and perished together with the Royal family. Except for the enslaved children and women, most men were executed. But I believe some are in hiding.

“Are they?” Xuan Mu started to pack up his things, or more like, taking the unnecessary stuff out of his backpack, surprised at the whole arsenal of hidden weapons.

?Mrs. Jelly:? Yes. Why are you taking out the two extra pairs of socks and underwear? Check if there are still the dried bananas and sour candies that I prepared beforehand. A raincoat should be in there too...

“...” Xuan Mu looked up at the ceiling, sighing while reminiscing their past. Before a two days business trip, this woman would cram a week of stuff into his suitcase, which he’ll later, ‘accidentally’ forget at home. Leaving half of the stuff behind, he walked outside her room into an empty hallway, chuckling at the sulking girl on the screen, “I’ll stop by your place to take a bath, deal?”

Her eyes lit up immediately.

?Mrs. Jelly:? Deal.

Hasan, the rest of the servants and guards, were staying in Eliaros to protect their guests and Tianshies. If Fei Lan planned to do something with him, she got a chance to do so. It seemed like her focus switched to something else.

Reaching the backyard, Xuan Mu studied the person, whose face was grim against the frigid wind. He threw a necklace in her direction, “It’s time. Get ready.”

Slashing a heavy sword at the wooden dummy with stoic aggression, a sixteen years old Edan lifted her head in stillness, “Y-yes?!” Time for what? She quickly caught the object, studying it. The pendant around the leather string was light and quite old. She didn’t understand why she had to be this man’s bodyguard. A maid would be a better word to describe what she had been doing these past three months! Instead of searching for the remains of her people with Tian Shi, she had been stuck in this abandoned place; cooking, cleaning, and training in solitude.

Putting a saddle on the horses, both left the mansion and marched towards the Triweria kingdom in utmost secrecy.

· · — · ???· — · ·

Earlier that day...

The Sun broke through the holes of the old tree branches, lighting up the muddy path ahead for two little people. One in black, the other in rags. Taking in the fragrance of minty grass and the damp earth, Fei Lan swiftly passed through the forest as if it was her home. Hearing the roaring of water in the distance, she knew she was close. Arriving before a waterfall, she walked through the white water that cascaded down a series of rocky outcrops and appeared in a hidden cave. Were it not for her system’s scan; it would be easy to miss the small entrance.

Torches lit up the cave deep into a distance, children holding wooden knives and swords were training with each other. The noise of the water silenced the clamor and clanking of their weapons. Nobody would notice the disappearance of these children from the slums.