Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Hessiana no longer doubted Hao Ren’s identity. At least, she now believed that he was a close friend of Vivian’s.
Not everyone could get Vivian’s little bat. As far as Hessiana knew, Vivian had never gifted anyone with her little bat, but the scent, tameness, and quietude were unmistakable. The smell proved that it originated from Vivian while the tameness and quietude demonstrated that it was indeed Vivian who gifted the little creature to Hao Ren.
“I have not seen Lady Vivian for hundreds of years. Has she gained a new hobby?” Hessiana stared blankly at the little fellow in Hao Ren’s hand. “She is still trying to fight against her amnesia.”
“Now you believe me, don’t you?” Hao Ren looked at her and laughed while he put the little bat back into his Dimensional Pocket. “I told you, I have known you for a long time. It’s just that you don’t know about me. Moreover, I also know that your existing guardian is Hesperides, isn’t that right?”
Hessiana felt a chill run up her spine. She looked at Hao Ren and had her guard up. “Are you going to say that you used to hug me in your arms when I was still little as well?”
“Why would I want to say that?” Hao Ren was stupefied.
“Don’t those relatives who come out of nowhere like to say that?” Hessiana said. “Things like ‘I used to hug you in my arms when you were still little’, ‘you used to pee on my neck’, and ‘you liked to pull my beard’ and so on. I tell you what, I don’t buy it. I am not really one who respects the elders.”
Little Bat’s childishness amused Hao Ren. “I am not going to say that. Moreover, you’ve been a bat all this while. You were already an adult when you finally transformed into a human.”
Hessiana scratched her chin and said, “You even know that. It seems I really have to believe you.”
“You’re still not going to believe me, are you?” Hao Ren forced a smile and then quickly changed the subject. “Okay, you have verified my identity. Can you talk about your plan now? Why did you let the humans take you?”
The witches, including Madam Marie, could not make head or tail of what Hao Ren and Hessiana were talking about earlier. But now, they had tuned in to what Hessiana was about to say.
Hessiana looked at the witches cautiously as she knitted her brows. “What I am about to say is absolutely top secret. I do not mind if you witches hear it, but if any of you leak this information to the demon hunters—”
“I think we can trust them,” said Hao Ren. Whatever happens next will be part of history, why should we worry about the leaking of information, which will only happen days later? Hao Ren thought. And he could not wait for Hessiana to tell them what happened. “Before we went to rescue you, they already knew that there was a group of demon hunters coming. But they still chose to take the risk. From this alone, we know that they would not easily betray you.”
“There is a group of demon hunters coming?” Hessiana’s eyebrows arched. “They are quite fast. If so, I do not mind letting all of you know. After all, we have to unite against the demon hunters eventually.”
Hao Ren’s heart skipped a beat.
Are the demon hunters coming for real? he asked himself.
Earlier, Hao Ren had made the story up to fool the witches so that he could gain their trust. How coincidental.
While Hao Ren was in thought, Hessiana continued, “I do not know how many of you have heard of Vivian Ancestor, the ancient elder of the Blood Clan. What I would like to tell you is that this powerful, great, wise, and perfect elder of the Blood Clan is hibernating here.”
It almost caused a panic among the witches. They exchanged looks and whispered to each other in confusion. No one had ever heard of the name, which Hessiana praised to the skies. Only Bain, the wizard, stirred slightly, and a hoarse voice rang out from under the hood. “I have heard of her name. It is said that she is one of the oldest and strongest Blood Clan members in the world.”
“Not one of but the one,” Hessiana said, proudly pointing her chin upward as if she was self-praising. “Only a wizard among you has heard of Vivian’s name? No wonder. After all, most of you were only dwellers and weaklings at the edge of the dark world when Vivian was still active. I tell you what, Lady Vivian has been hibernating in this place for over 200 years. I am her only blood descendant, and mama loves me!”
Hao Ren’s eyes were moist. He decided that he would persuade Vivian to treat Little Bat better after this mission.* Did Hessiana, the little kid manage to stay alive by telling herself that for 600 years?* he wondered.
“Was it because of the demon hunters that you let the humans capture you?” Lily seemed to have thought of something.
Hessiana nodded. “Vivian is hibernating here, and the humans have been pretty active around this area in recent years. So I have been worried that the humans would disturb her hibernation. Lately, a group of demon hunters suddenly popped up in the area as well, and they seemed to be after something. After some investigation, my suspicions were confirmed. They are here not for regular hunting activities, but they are searching for something.”
“Vivian’s hibernation location?” Hao Ren looked at Hessiana.
“That is right. I just cannot sit by and watch, so I came up with a plan to draw the demon hunters out and kill them. The demon hunters will never let go of their prey. As long as I come out in the open and be an ‘attractive enough’ target, the hibernation place of a Blood Clan member can wait. I planned for the humans to first capture me. With that done, the news of a witch’s capture would spread, and the demon hunters would definitely know about it. On the day of execution, I was supposed to pull off a high-profile escape from the stakes, the noise of which would attract the demon hunters nearby to take note and pursue me. That way, I could divert their attention from Vivian and lure them right into my trap. Is that not a perfect plan? And you buggers screwed it all up.”
Hao Ren was a little stupefied but soon realized that Hessiana’s plan could have worked. It would seem as a joke had it been regular vampires using themselves as bait to lure the demon hunters. But Hessiana was different. She had Vivian’s strength and talent. In other words, she was a freak who could drink holy water, chew garlic, and possess a strong resistance to the power of the demon hunters. Any relatively inexperienced demon hunter would have fallen into the trap that Hessiana laid.
However, Helen, the witch, had not gotten Hessiana’s point. “If that is the case, our actions have not disrupted your plan. Did you not wreak havoc as planned? The demon hunters must have learned about the chaos in the city today.”
“You bloody idiot!” Hessiana could not hold back her frustration. “Every move in my plan is precisely calculated down to how much noise and what form of noise there should be! How could you compare the actions of a motley crew like you to someone like me? Had I been alone, the demon hunters would have thought the incident an escape of a powerful witch. They would not hesitate to go behind enemy lines to hunt me down. But now that you’ve interfered, the news will describe it as something like a rebellion of the otherworldlings; a bunch of witches and wizards attacking the city; the appearance of werewolves; the return of the otherworldlings. By then, the demon hunters would come in a battalion.”
“Really?” Lily scratched her head.
“Heck! Do you not know how humans are? The church and the nobles, especially, would definitely play up the sensational stories so that they could shirk their responsibilities. And what you did today will be a perfect excuse for them—everyone saw a werewolf going on a rampage in the city. My elaborate plan to disguise myself as a witch has gone down the drain! Don’t you know that human wizards and purebred otherworldlings are of entirely different threat levels to the demon hunters?”
The witches finally came to their senses just as Hao Ren realized how the witches spoiled Hessiana’s plan.
Little Bat was confident that she could handle the few demon hunters lingering in the area all by herself. But the appearance of the witches and especially Lily, the werewolf, had alarmed the demon hunters. Instead of falling into her trap, the demon hunters would most probably call for reinforcements. It was a disaster for Hessiana, who was desperate to protect Vivian’s place of hibernation.
