Night wind blew across the cobblestone streets of Rantesti City.
Orlando walked slowly along the street, hands in pockets.
“Seven days.”
He looked up at the moon.
“That Victoria, she said seven days and it’s seven days, but she didn’t even give an address.”
“The Alderon Ruins… I don’t even know what the hell that is.”
He kicked a pebble at his feet.
“And what am I now? Human? Dragon? Or some messed-up thing?”
“The God of Love is still living inside me, not even paying rent.”
That pink-haired consciousness in his head had no response at all.
Probably asleep.
Or rather, do gods need sleep too?
Who knows.
He turned into an even narrower alley.
Half of the magical streetlights were broken, the light dim.
Footsteps sounded behind him.
Very light.
But he had lived in the Dragon Clan Palace for two years; the Silver Dragon Queen’s footsteps were ten times lighter than this.
Orlando didn’t turn around.
He kept walking forward.
The sound of an iron sword slicing through the air came stabbing from behind.
He raised his right hand and pinched with two fingers behind him.
*
“Clink——”
The sword tip stopped between his fingers, motionless.
Probably some blind fool trying to assassinate him.
Orlando sighed, his tone lazy.
“Your daddy once said, in Alderon——”
He turned his head, ready to see which blind fool it was.
“Can only be considered a, loli.”
White hair.
Red eyes.
Black cloak.
Height roughly up to his chest.
Holding an iron sword, gritting her teeth and trying hard to pull it back.
Can’t pull it out.
“…Damn.”
Orlando stared at her for two seconds.
“How is it actually a loli.”
The white-haired loli’s eyes sharpened, she let go of the sword hilt and jumped back.
Her right hand reached into her cloak.
Orlando simultaneously stepped back, creating distance.
“——Whoosh!”
An arrow shot from deep within the alley.
The white-haired loli reacted extremely quickly, doing a backflip to dodge the first arrow.
But just as she landed, the second arrow struck her square in the back.
“Ugh——”
She let out a muffled grunt and fell face-down to the ground.
The black cloak spread open, revealing white hair.
Not moving at all.
Orlando was also lying on the ground.
He had just been hit in the chest by another arrow at the same time.
Also not moving.
The alley fell silent.
One minute passed.
Two minutes passed.
Orlando suddenly did a kip-up and sprang to his feet.
He looked down at his chest.
The arrow was caught on the button of his shirt, the arrowhead just embedded in the groove of the copper button.
It hadn’t even scratched the fabric.
“Idiot.”
He dusted off his clothes.
“Can’t even finish off your target. Are assassins these days this lousy?”
He walked over to the white-haired loli and crouched down.
The little girl was lying on her stomach, an arrow stuck in her back, blood staining a small patch of the cloak black.
“Hey.”
Orlando poked her head with his finger.
No response.
He turned her over.
White hair, red eyes, face delicate like a porcelain doll.
She was still breathing, but very weakly.
“You’re in this state from a sneak arrow attack, and you still dared to come out and assassinate.”
He stood up and looked deeper into the alley.
The person who shot the sneak arrow had already run away.
Or rather, they had never intended to show themselves from the start.
Orlando looked down again at this loli on the ground.
“So what’s this supposed to be?”
“Assassin infighting? Or someone trying to silence her?”
The white-haired loli’s brow furrowed slightly, her lips moved a little.
Couldn’t hear what she was saying.
Orlando crouched back down and brought his ear closer.
“…kill…you…”
“Alright.”
He stood up and patted his knees.
“Still able to curse, she won’t die.”
He turned and walked away.
Took three steps.
Stopped.
Took two more steps.
“…”
He looked up at the sky.
The moon was very round.
“I’ll just be a soft-hearted fool.”
He walked back and hoisted the white-haired loli onto his shoulder.
Can’t just pull out an arrow wound.
At this hour, no clinics in the city are open.
First find a place to stop the bleeding.
The white-haired loli’s head hung over his back, her white hair swaying with his steps.
“…Let…me…go…”
“Shut up.”
“…Kill…you…”
“You survive tonight first, little one.”