Vanessa was now walking toward the deeper district.
Her footsteps echoed through the narrow corridor—one, two, like some kind of suppressed tapping.
And her expression was terrifyingly cold.
Those flame-colored eyes held no warmth at this moment, only a frozen wasteland filled with deathly silence.
Deep in her pupils, faint black light stirred, like some kind of forcefully suppressed beast, ready to break free at any moment.
Her teeth were clenched tightly on her lower lip, almost drawing blood.
And her fingers were clenched into fists so hard that her nails dug deep into her palms, leaving bloody marks—but she felt nothing.
In her mind, she replayed the scene just now.
That damned pink-haired witch, standing behind her, using that soft, gentle voice to disrupt her magic circuits.
So close.
She was so close.
If not for their sudden appearance, that little fairy would have already disappeared at her hands.
Useless trash with no value should just disappear!
Vanessa stopped abruptly.
“Mew—!”
A sharp yelp came from her arms.
Iras leaped out of her arms, landing on the ground, fur bristled, tail standing straight up.
At this moment, those emerald eyes were wide open, staring intently at her owner, filled with terror and unfamiliarity.
Vanessa froze.
Her frenzied consciousness came to an abrupt halt, and her entire body softened.
She looked down at her empty arms, then at the fluffy black cat on the ground.
Those icy eyes instantly thawed, replaced by a tenderness that was almost ingratiating.
She crouched down and reached out a hand toward Iras.
“Sorry, my little one…”
Her voice carried a hint of cautious testing:
“I lost control a bit… Can you forgive me?”
Iras didn’t move.
She crouched on the ground, tilting her head, staring straight at Vanessa’s face with those emerald eyes, as if carefully trying to recognize something.
Three seconds later.
Her tail flicked lightly, like a tsundere little girl pretending to ignore you while her body remained honest.
Vanessa watched this little tsundere act and finally laughed out loud.
She reached out and gently scratched under Iras’s chin.
The tail flicked again.
Like a tsundere little girl who ignores you while letting you do whatever you want with her body.
She turned her head away, twisting her face to the side, presenting her backside to Vanessa.
Her tsundere meter was maxed out.
“Alright, don’t be mad~ I’ll buy you some dried fish when we get back~”
Iras wriggled her body, rolled on the ground, exposing her soft belly, waving four paws in the air.
Clearly, she was very satisfied with this apology.
Vanessa smiled as she watched her mess around.
A few seconds later.
The black cat leaped up, landing lightly in her arms, tiny claws gripping her shoulders, and rubbed her head against Vanessa’s neck.
“Mew~ mew~”
She rubbed vigorously, practically hanging off Vanessa.
Vanessa felt ticklish and giggled.
The gloom from earlier was completely dispelled by this little black cat.
***
At that moment, a cold, low voice sounded from behind her.
Vanessa’s smile paused slightly.
She turned around.
While she was getting close to her pet, it seemed she had also been surrounded by some ill-intentioned people.
Five figures stepped out from the surrounding shadows, forming a semicircle, trapping her in the center of the corridor.
Vanessa narrowed her eyes and noticed they were all beastmen.
The leader was a wolfman, with gray fur extending from his neck all the way to his ears, and amber vertical pupils flickering with dangerous light.
He wore light leather armor and carried two short blades at his waist, the blades glinting coldly in the dim light.
Behind him stood four others, equally well-trained.
This was no ordinary street thug’s stance.
This was a group of well-trained mercenaries.
Vanessa held Iras, her smile fading slightly, but she didn’t show any panic.
She just quietly looked at the wolfman, waiting for him to speak.
The wolfman looked her up and down, his lips curling into a meaningful smile.
“Miss, our boss wants to have a word with you.”
He paused, his amber vertical pupils narrowing slightly:
“Our boss is very interested in that thing.”
Vanessa raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Interested?”
Her voice remained calm.
“That’s my goods. I paid for them. If your boss is interested, why not go talk to the seller beforehand?”
His gaze fell on the box in Vanessa’s arms.
“Want it.”
The wolf leader laughed.
“That little boss won’t be doing business anymore… And you—”
“Happen to have one ready-made.”
Vanessa’s lips curled into a cold smile.
“So? You plan to steal it right in front of me?”
“Don’t put it that way.”
The wolf leader spread his hands, looking like he was being reasonable.
“We just want to ‘borrow’ it for a look. After our boss is done, we’ll return it to you.”
“Of course—”
He paused, a dangerous gleam flashing in his amber pupils.
“If miss is willing to cooperate.”
Vanessa looked at him, then at the four mercenaries around her, already poised to strike.
The air froze for a few seconds.
Then she let out a soft laugh.
“Cooperate?”
There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
“You come with this kind of formation and call it asking for my cooperation?”
The wolf leader’s smile didn’t waver.
“Miss, you’re alone, and you’re carrying a cat. There are five of us, and we’re all professionals.”
He took another step forward.
“Smart people know what choice to make.”
“Oh?”
Vanessa’s voice remained calm.
But Iras stirred in her arms, those emerald eyes fixed on the approaching wolf leader, pupils slightly contracting.
Just then—
A young beast-people squeezed out from the side, impatience written on his face:
“Brother Hua, why waste words with her!”
He rushed a few steps to Vanessa, reaching out to snatch the box from her arms!
“Give it here—!”
His movements were rough, as if he didn’t regard Vanessa at all.
But Vanessa’s lips curled slightly.
She took a step back, easily dodging the outstretched hand.
The young beast-people froze, then, enraged and humiliated, lunged at her again.
Then he saw Vanessa’s expression.
Her face carried an eerie smile.
Her lips curled upward into a dangerous arc.
The young beast-people’s movements paused.
For some reason, a piercing chill crept up his spine.
And in those flame-colored eyes, strands of black light surged once more, like specters staring at you from the abyss.
The next second.
Vanessa raised her hand and tossed the fire-black box into the air!
Everyone’s gaze instinctively followed the flying box.
In that instant—
Behind Vanessa, pitch-black magic surged forth!
That magic moved like a living thing, gathering behind her, transforming into a massive vortex in the blink of an eye.
And at the center of the vortex were her increasingly deep, dark eyes.
She took a step back, her entire body sinking into the surging magic.
“Since you want to know the power of the forbidden…”
Her voice came from within that darkness, ethereal and cold, like an echo from another world:
“Then bear the courage of madness well.”
As the words fell.
That magic suddenly contracted, and then—
Exploded.
The black light surged outward in all directions like a tide, consuming even the light wherever it passed.
The five mercenaries instinctively closed their eyes, stepped back, and tried to wave it away.
And when they opened their eyes again.
The corridor was empty.
Vanessa had vanished.
The fire-black box lay on the ground, pink potion spilled across the floor, emitting a strange, pungent odor.