Science/Magic

"… What in the hell is wrong with this city?" Liu Ying mumbled inwardly while returning from the market.

Leto was walking beside her carrying two bags with the clothes and accessories Liu Ying bought. The wolf just looked at Liu Ying briefly and nodded silently.

After spending the afternoon buying clothes, Liu Ying should be happy, however, she could not bring herself to smile. The reason was the things that happened while she was in the market.

She was attacked, on three different occasions, by three different groups of people.

And the three groups were targeting Leto.

Maybe because they thought Liu Ying did not seem very strong, they decided to test their luck and try to rob the wolf. Unfortunately, Liu Ying was not a normal C-Rank.

Furthermore, Leto was not weak either. To sum up everything in a few words, Liu Ying and Leto steamrolled the three groups of robbers.

But in the meanwhile, Liu Ying's mood worsened.

"Sigh… If I would have known about this, I would have come alone." Liu Ying heaved a tired sigh. Beside her, Leto seemed to be nodding too.

It was tired too.

After walking for a few minutes, the pair of a demon and a wolf arrived at their living quarters. Liu Ying sighed in relief when she saw their house's door without being attacked again in the way.

But when she was about to enter the house, she saw a girl looking towards the entrance.

The girl felt Liu Ying's gaze and turned towards her with a smile.

"Hello."

"… Hello?"

"Eto, can I ask you something? Are you the one that moved to this house?"

Liu Ying was startled. She looked at the girl carefully before nodding.

"Great!" The girl smiled brightly and walked towards her. "I wanted to meet you. My name is Gina, and I live in the house next door. Nice to meet you!"

Liu Ying was a bit overwhelmed by the girl's enthusiasm. For an instant, she did not know how to react.

Gina was a very beautiful girl. She seemed around 15 years old, but a bit younger than Liu Ying (who was also fifteen).

Her hair had a soft honey-colored tint, and her eyes were of a breathtaking silver. Liu Ying could feel her innocence and gentleness from miles away.

However, her body seemed a bit weak, and her skin was of a sickly pale color.

Liu Ying was certain this girl had never fought before. Moreover, she was probably ill.

She was like a beautiful orchid growing under the love of the sun but being hit but the merciless cold of winter at the same time.

Strangely, Liu Ying could not help but feel pity for her.

"… Nice to meet you. Name's Liu Ying."

"Liu Ying, huh. Such a beautiful name. You are not from Alterna?"

Liu Ying shook her head.

"Mm mm, I knew it. Yes, I'm sure you are the one. Liu Ying, can I take your hand?"

"Huh?" Liu Ying was startled, but seeing the pleading expression in the girl's innocent eyes, Liu Ying was unable to say no.

Finally, she heaved a sigh and gave Gina her hand. Of course, she made sure of being ready in case of a sneak attack.

But when Gina took her hand, her silver eyes became dim.

"… The princess…"

"!!!"

Liu Ying opened her eyes wide. She looked at Gina warily and tensed up her body.

Gina, on the other hand, looked into her eyes and smiled innocently.

The next second, she fainted.

"… Hey? Hey!" Liu Ying hurriedly caught the girl and tried to wake her up, but Gina remained unconscious. Instead, her breathing started to turn weak.

Liu Ying turned pale. Quickly, she lifted the girl and carried inside.

Then, she rushed towards the only person that could help her.

…

"So, who is this girl?" Bloed sighed and asked after making sure that everything was alright with the fragile-looking girl.

Liu Ying smiled wryly. "Actually, I don't know. She was waiting outside the house and talked to me when I appeared. She said her name is Gina."

Regina's expression turned dark. "So you brought a girl you just met to our house?"

"Hey, she fainted in front of me. What was I supposed to do? I was not going to leave her outside in her condition!"

Regina snorted but did not refute Liu Ying. Besides, she could see this girl was not dangerous.

However, she did not like seeing more girls around her master.

The girl woke up at that moment. She opened her eyes sleepily and looked around. But when she saw Bloed, her eyes brightened.

"My hero!"

Instantly, the atmosphere froze.

Bloed could feel Regina's eyes fixed in his back. Even Liu Ying was looking at him suspiciously.

Bloed did not know whether to laugh or to cry. It was obviously a misunderstanding.

He looked at the fragile-looking girl and asked in confusion.

"Do I know you?"

Gina was startled. She then smiled sheepishly and scratched her cheek. "Sorry, I mistook you with someone else. Nice to meet you, I'm Gina."

Bloed furrowed his brows. For an instant, he got the feeling this girl was hiding something.

However, he failed to find anything wrong with her.

"I'm Bloed, and she is Regina. You already met Liu Ying outside."

"Bloed and Regina. Mmm, I like your name. Bloed… It sounds weird but cool. Also, sorry for fainting suddenly. My body is a bit weak, you see."

Bloed smiled wryly. It was the first time he heard someone saying that his name was cool.

To be honest, even he thought his name was lame. Sometimes, he scolded his younger self for choosing a name like this.

But now, his name was linked to too many memories. He did not want to change it.

"Do you need some special medicine or something?" Bloed asked. "If you want, we can take you to your home."

"No, no. Don't worry, I'm alright. Besides, my older sister is not at home and so there is nobody else there. If you don't mind, I want to stay here for a while."

Bloed fell silent. He looked at Liu Ying and Regina and asked for their opinions.

To be honest, none of the three thought that the girl was dangerous. Of course, there was the possibility she was sent to spy on them, however, they just had to be careful with their words.

Besides, the girl seemed a bit weak and Bloed was not sure about her condition. So in the end, they decided to let her stay until her sister returned.

When Gina heard that, she smiled brightly.

However, Regina frowned.

For some reason, she felt that Gina's gaze towards Bloed was strange.

It felt like… A girl in love?

Regina shook her head and sighed. She was being paranoid. She could not believe she was jealous of even someone she just met.

Nonetheless, she decided to be a bit wary of her.