Chapter 493: Being Seen

Midday sun filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled light on the park path.

Huo Huo walked alone down the street.

Ailixiya didn't know where she had run off to— that troublesome woman hadn't returned since leaving home this morning.

Huo Huo didn't bother to mind her; with that woman's abilities, nothing serious could happen.

She wandered aimlessly, eventually stopping in a small park.

The bench was clean, the sunlight just right, and the breeze gentle.

Huo Huo sat on the bench, tilted her head slightly upward, feeling the warmth of sunlight on her face.

The surroundings were quiet.

In the distance, a few elders were playing chess, a young mother pushed a stroller slowly by, and several sparrows hopped across the grass.

This was the life she wanted.

Calm, stable, with no Ten Kings Office memos, no Judges' nagging, no bizarre demons and monsters she had to subdue.

(If only it could stay like this… )

Huo Huo thought to herself.

Of course, it would be even more perfect if she could ignore the faint noise at the edge of her ears.

Huo Huo frowned slightly.

What was that sound?

She rose from the bench and walked toward the direction of the sound.

Passing through a small grove, the view opened up—a clearing surrounded by trees, sunlight pouring straight down, warming the grass.

In the clearing, a little girl was rolling on the ground.

Her silvery‑white long hair lay on the grass, and her red jacket and short skirt were now stained with grass clippings and dirt.

She clutched something in her arms, humming contentedly as she rolled.

"Uhh… so tired… but so comfortable…"

Huo Huo halted, tilting her head to watch the scene.

(What… is this doing?)

A question mark flashed in her mind.

After watching for a while, Huo Huo reached a conclusion:

(Sudden illness?)

She wasn't quite sure.

During her time at the Ten Kings Office, she had seen some people possessed by the Year Sun who also behaved oddly.

On the grass, Ilya was immersed in a "relaxing time after training."

She had taken the day off and didn't go to school.

Robin Jiejie accompanied her to this secluded little park to practice flying— after a morning of effort, she finally managed to grasp the basics of flight!

Though she didn't fly high, though her flight was unsteady, though she kept crashing into trees—

she could fly!

Ilya, in high spirits, collapsed onto the ground after training, clutching a ruby and rolling, enjoying this rare leisurely moment.

Robin Jiejie said she was going to buy a drink and would be back shortly.

So she could roll to her heart's content!

"Uhh‑huh‑huh‑huh…"

Ilya was rolling happily when she suddenly sensed something was off.

She stopped, remaining in the lying position, tilting her head slightly—

a pair of eyes were staring at her.

They were claw‑shaped green eyes, pupils deep, showing little emotion, simply gazing at her.

The owner of the eyes was a green‑haired little girl in simple clothes, standing at the edge of the woods, expressionless, watching her.

Ilya: "…"

Ilya's mind froze for half a second.

Then she sat up abruptly!

(I've… been seen!!! )

(My rolling on the ground was seen!!! )

(So embarrassing!!!! )

Her face flushed bright red instantly, and she scrambled to stand, patting off grass and dirt, but the more she patted,

the messier it got, and her clothes became even dirtier.

"Um…" Ilya stammered, "Y‑you… hello…"

At that moment, a voice rang in her mind:

"Dii—! Ilya! Pay attention to the opponent's hand!"

Ilya froze for a moment, instinctively looking toward the green‑haired little girl's hand in front of her—

Ilya froze briefly, instinctively looking at the green‑haired girl's hand—

the back of the right hand.

There were three bright red markings there.

Command Spell.

Ilya's pupils constricted slightly.

【61】 (Master?!)

(This girl who looks about my age is a Master?!)

Her heartbeat instantly accelerated, and her brain raced.

The other party is a Master, so there must be a Servant nearby!

Has she been discovered? Will the other side suddenly attack?

"Ruby!" she screamed in her mind, "What do I do, what do I do! I've been discovered!"

"Stay calm, Ilya!"

The ruby's voice also carried a hint of tension: "The other side shows no intention to attack, and I've scanned—there's no Servant magic reaction nearby for now!"

"Just for now? That means there could be one?!"

"In theory, yes, but at least there isn't one right now. It could also be an Assassin-type class that specializes in hiding…"

Ilya grew even more nervous.

She instinctively looked at the back of her hand—clean, with nothing on it.

She had hidden her Command Spell using magic, a trick the ruby taught her.

(Phew, phew… the Command Spell is hidden…)

(But why hasn't she attacked? Could it be she hasn't noticed I'm a Master?)

(Or… she has noticed and is just waiting for an opportunity?)

Just then, the green-haired girl across from her spoke:

"What were you just doing?"

Her voice was flat, without inflection.

Ilya's heartbeat skipped a beat.

(She really did see it!)

(She's questioning me!)

(What do I do, what do I do, what do I do——)

But on the surface, Ilya struggled to stay calm.

She scratched her head and gave a goofy smile:

"Ahaha… just… resting! I was tired, so I lay on the ground and rolled around—totally normal, right? Right?"

She said this while standing up and brushing off the dirt on her clothes.

"Um, I, I have something to do! I'm leaving first!"

She turned and started to run.

"Wait."

That flat voice came from behind her.

Ilya's body instantly stiffened.

That flat voice came from behind her.

Ilya's body instantly stiffened.

(Done for, done for, done for——)

She stiffly turned around, squeezing out a smile worse than crying:

"W-what do you want?"

Huo Huo didn't look at her, but raised a hand and pointed at the grass beside her:

"You didn't take your things."

Ilya followed her finger—

Ah, her backpack!

After taking the day off, she'd come straight to the park and left her backpack tossed in the nearby bushes, almost forgetting it!

"Th-thank you!"

Ilya ran over, grabbed the backpack, and clutched it to her chest.

Then she noticed the green-haired girl's gaze fixed on her chest—more precisely, on the ruby in her arms.

Ilya's body stiffened again.

(She noticed?!)

The ruby also grew tense.

In theory, it had been disguised as an ordinary toy, its magic waves fully suppressed, so ordinary people shouldn't notice anything odd.

But the green-haired girl's look at it…

…was off.

Ilya's mind raced, then a flash of inspiration struck!

She lifted the ruby and flashed a brilliant smile:

"This is a hot-selling merch item from a recent magical girl anime—a magic ruby! Sis, wanna play with it?"

(Please say no, please say no, please say no……)

Huo Huo stared at the glowing, oddly shaped… thing.

(Is this what toys are like in this world?)

She had never seen anything like this on the Xianzhou.

As a kid, her pastime was tearing paper people in her room alone.