Yuri Hero and Loli Demon King - Chapter 20

Determination and ideals are merely manifestations of memory.

Once memory is lost, the determination that once existed and the ideals that were once pursued… will vanish completely.

(by Rei)

Due to sending too many members on missions previously, the Fairy Guild had almost become a deserted city, with fewer than twenty members remaining.

The orange sunset gradually tilted to the west, casting a dull hue across the sky. Undoubtedly, this was the best opportunity for a night raid.

As the vice president, Rei seemed oblivious to the looming crisis, lazily lying on her bed, unsure if she had dozed off. She moved infrequently, spending most of her time lying still.

The sun had been down for almost half an hour, yet no one had turned on the large lights in the hall, leaving it dim just like the outdoors.

A shadow passed through the hall, the blade in its hand reflecting a hint of light, though the lack of a light source made the reflection barely noticeable.

The shadow crept into the room where Rei was, quietly approaching the bed. It seemed to have observed the Fairy Guild for some time, as it could discern the correct position of the bed even in the unlit room.

Rei remained unaware of the intruder beside her and continued to sleep soundly.

Time seemed to stand still, and everything held its breath to witness the unfolding events.

♀ ♀ ♀

Watching Inari leave, Tapfer finally exhaled a sigh of relief.

For some reason, making eye contact with her always brought an indescribable sense of pressure. Perhaps it was due to the negative impressions associated with “Blood Fox”? However, she did not feel this way when facing Lufulus. Inari’s appearance could be considered cute, lacking the imposing majesty that would typically create such pressure.So, what exactly causes cold sweats?

“How boring! Was all this talk just to perform a farce?”

Tapfer appeared to complain, but she actually felt quite relieved.

The idea of “invading the Fairy Guild” was probably just that nasty Blood Fox trying to create a spectacle with the City Lord as part of the act, right? Since it was a play, it indicated that it was not factual.

However, the City Lord shook his head.

“That matter is genuine; we indeed have to attack the Fairy Guild.”

The City Lord picked up a map from the shelf next to his seat and tossed it towards Tapfer.

It was a regional map centered on El Dorado, with the Fairy Guild to the south and her original destination, Western Liaoning House, to the north. Further northeast was Saint Yeloin, directly opposite which lay the territory of the Blood Clan.

“Previously, Saint Yeloin had engaged in a battle with the Blood Clan. Although it wasn’t a full-scale war, the King of the Blood Clan inflicted considerable damage on Saint Yeloin. Even though it was once the third-largest organization, it won’t be able to recover quickly, will it?” At this point, the City Lord smiled, “Having been restricted by Saint Yeloin and unable to expand for so long, now is the best opportunity for us…”

As he became more excited, the City Lord finally rose from his massive throne and raised his hands high.

“Now is the moment for El Dorado to rise! We will expand and claim the top spot!”

However, Tapfer paid little attention to the City Lord’s enthusiasm.

El Dorado was already the second-largest organization among humans, yet they were unsatisfied with their status and aimed to expand while their nearby third-place competitor was weak.

What a… boring vanity!

“Since the third organization is weak, why attack the Fairy Guild instead of Saint Yeloin?”

“The ‘Season of the Moon,’ the fourth organization,” the City Lord rarely answered Tapfer’s question directly. “Its leader, Lost, offered us a reward and provided military support for us to jointly attack the Fairy Guild. This is only natural, after all, he is the son of the Pope of Saint Yeloin, and turning against his father is normal.”

The City Lord continued, “Although the Fairy Guild ranks fifth in strength, its members’ expertise in Fairy Magic makes it a headache. But even so, they won’t be able to withstand the combined forces from the second and fourth organizations.”

It seemed the City Lord had forgotten Tapfer’s connection to the Fairy Guild, openly revealing his strategic plans and objectives.Was it that too much excitement had clouded his judgment? Or was he just as stupid as a pig? Regardless, Tapfer thought that the City Lord resembled many BOSS characters from young adult comics—no matter what big, dark schemes rolled in, he acted as if he would die if he didn’t voice them! Resulting in a “it’s all over now” situation.

“How about this? As long as you agree to lead the way, I’ll give you a position and ensure you won’t have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of your life.”

“Why does it have to be me? Any random Southerner could do it, right?”

“Because gold can significantly boost morale!”

This answer nearly made Tapfer choke on her own spit.

What kind of reasoning was that!? The people of this city were disgusting! Would anyone actually enter a frenzy at the sight of gold, treasure, and riches? They were behaving like dung beetles rather than humans!

Ah… thinking back, there might be quite a few people like that.

The moonlight seeped through the window into the room, spotlighting the shadow, still hazy but discernible enough to know its shape.

The shadow was a woman, or more accurately, a girl. If one were to identify what was special about her appearance, it would certainly be her striking teal hair!

She brought the scissors in her hand closer to Rei’s body, and then…

“What are you doing?”

—Her wrist was caught.

“Wahhh! Rei is so scary!” Haitang suddenly shouted.

“Someone who sneaks in with scissors in hand has no right to call others scary,” Rei retorted.

“That’s not it!” Haitang clarified. “It’s a half-human, half-fairy sneaking in!”

Is that really the main point…?

Rei sighed, looking helplessly at the girl in front of her. “So, what are you doing?”

“I wanted to cut…””What are you planning to cut?”

“The sealing band around Rei.”

“…”

Well, Haitang, who possessed knowledge of magic, should definitely know that the symbols written on that band were magical inscriptions, and it wasn’t just ordinary cloth that could be cut with scissors.

Rei glanced at the scissors in Haitang’s hand — they were the most ordinary ten-yuan scissors, available in every convenience store, and not tools capable of breaking seals.

“Why do you want to cut it?” Rei asked.

“I want to make Rei… return to her original appearance.”

“This sealing band doesn’t just seal my level; it also suppresses my name and memories to a certain extent. No, to be precise, this band only seals my true name.”

Because her true name was sealed, everything associated with that name (ID) would also be sealed, which is the reason why her level and memories were suppressed.

Once the seal of the band was removed, Rei would regain her true name, along with all the memories and levels she once had, but…

— For Rei, this was misfortune.

“I don’t want to break the seal.”

“You told me about it, right? The story of restoring B.”

Haitang had previously asked Rei to forget this story when she first told it, but now she mentioned it herself.

She didn’t want to poke at someone else’s wounds, nor was she exposing someone’s past due to her own curiosity; she understood — evasion could only bring temporary happiness.

This was what Rei taught her.

“I accept the fact that I’m half-human, half-fairy, and I love Rei with this identity.”

Haitang smiled, climbed onto the bed, and hugged Rei tightly: “So now, it’s my turn to help Rei! Hey, let’s face ourselves together, okay? No matter how much you hate it, you are still you, and running away won’t change anything in the end.”

“Don’t say it’s that simple…”

“Don’t overthink it! If restoring B escapes prison and then shackles herself again… that doesn’t count as escaping at all! Being ‘imprisoned’ and ‘self-imprisoned’ are the same! So… so let’s break the seal?””Free yourself from this shackles and fly freely! If you get tired, let yourself rest on the Haitang tree.”

Once again, “shackles” and “captivity”… When did Haitang start using such profound words?

“Haitang, have you been reading anything lately?”

“Huh? Well… I read a book called ‘The Seagull and the Fish,’ which tells the story of a seagull rescuing a fish that was imprisoned by the ocean.”

Wait! Wasn’t that fish just eaten by the seagull?!

Even if I refuse, it won’t necessarily resolve the situation. On the contrary, if I decline and the City Lord seeks assistance elsewhere, it might lead to unexpected outcomes.

Although agreeing to such matters would logically make me a traitor, so what? After all, Rei already stated that as a Sword Fighter, I cannot be part of the Mage’s Guild.

Indeed, I did not come here as a member of the Fairy Guild, so there’s no need to think about whether I betrayed the guild.

“Alright, I agree to your request.”

Tapfer replied, “But on one condition: I want to enlist.”

“Oh?” The City Lord squinted, “I didn’t expect you to be interested in a position, but it’s understandable; who wouldn’t want to gain wealth?”

“Yes… I’ve come to realize that in the face of power and wealth, morality and self-respect are hardly worth mentioning.”

“As long as you understand, that’s great! I agree to your terms, and that’s settled! You will enlist as part of this southern expedition and lead us to victory!”

With that, the City Lord burst into laughter, as if he had already cleared all obstacles ahead.

Looking at the City Lord like this, Tapfer could only smile bitterly.

I did not come here as a member of the Fairy Guild; there’s no need to think about whether I betrayed the guild — I came here as a teammate of Rei and Haitang.

Yes, I am who I am, not belonging to the Fairy Guild or to El Dorado.

I don’t need to be accountable to any organization; it’s enough to be responsible for my own words and actions.

“When the army of the ‘Season of the Moon’ arrives, we will set out together and definitely take down the Fairy Guild!”

“Ah, yes, we will.”

Tapfer’s expression was similar to Inari’s at that time, revealing no discernible emotion: “I will lead everyone into the guild and bring victory!”