The Elusive Thief and a Risky Retrieval

Upon returning to the teahouse after enduring the police’s questioning, Mo Linyu and Han Xiaoyu found only Li Yue present, slumped back in her chair with a look of utter despair, as though something vital had been wrenched from her.

Mo Linyu’s gaze swept across the deserted teahouse, a slight arch to her brow.

“Where is Su Luoli? You didn’t let her slip away again, did you?”

The answer to her question hung in the air, painfully obvious.

“She escaped, and she took my holy… my baseball bat with her.”

“Oh my? What exactly happened? You mean you couldn’t even keep a common thief contained?”

“I just had a feeling at the time…”

Li Yue trailed off, casting a quick glance at Han Xiaoyu before falling silent.

Even from that fragmented snippet of information, Mo Linyu seemed to grasp the full picture, a hint of mockery and amusement playing across her features.

Realizing she had inadvertently become a third wheel, Han Xiaoyu merely stood by the table, hands on her hips, and spoke:

“So, the person you went to such elaborate lengths to capture has, in the end, slipped through your fingers once more?”

Li Yue merely mumbled, “It’s all the fault of those overly nosy hotel staff.”

“It’s quite obvious you were the one who failed to keep her contained, isn’t it?”

Mo Linyu sighed, a faint headache beginning to throb at the realization of their current predicament.

After all, Su Luoli had now clearly seen Han Xiaoyu’s face; attempting the same trick to capture her again would likely prove far more difficult.

Indeed, a more dire situation loomed before them.

“She’ll likely try to fence the goods first,” Han Xiaoyu remarked. “That baseball bat of yours certainly looks expensive.”

Li Yue’s face clouded over at the suggestion.

“She’s a habitual thief; she undoubtedly has channels for fencing stolen goods,” Mo Linyu added.

Li Yue, however, sighed. “From what I gather, she’ll likely head to a gold shop first, just to confirm if that baseball bat is genuinely made of gold… The way her eyes lit up when she saw it, they were practically sparkling, weren’t they?”

But how could the Holy Sword possibly be forged from mere gold?

If she were truly to have it appraised, they might just discover a metal unknown to this world.

“There’s no other way; we’ll have to resort to that method we used last time.”

“You remember how we retrieved that bat before, don’t you?” Mo Linyu prompted.

Li Yue certainly remembered; Mo Linyu’s very walls bore witness to it.

Despite her reluctance, failing to retrieve the baseball bat swiftly could lead to considerable trouble.

“…Where to, then?”

“To your place, of course? We can hardly return to the hotel, can we?”

Han Xiaoyu tilted her head, utterly baffled by their cryptic exchange.

“However, before we depart…”

Mo Linyu turned her gaze to Han Xiaoyu.

“Xiaoyu~ Is there anything you desire?”

“Hm?”

Though the thief had ultimately escaped, Han Xiaoyu had undeniably rendered assistance.

Mo Linyu, considering herself an enlightened sovereign, knew that Han Xiaoyu’s meritorious service warranted a reward.

“Even if it’s not money, I can still grant your wish. Just speak your mind.”

Han Xiaoyu, however, demurred, seemingly embarrassed to voice her request.

“What’s wrong? Is there truly nothing you desire?”

“No, it’s just that I haven’t done anything particularly remarkable.”

The well-behaved and sensible student council president pondered for a moment before earnestly stating, “How about this~ After school resumes, you’ll follow my arrangements within the student council. Whatever I say, you’ll do.”

Mo Linyu propped her chin, replying with an ambiguous smirk, “Oh my? What a surprisingly bold request. So, Xiaoyu enjoys this kind of ‘play,’ does she?”

Han Xiaoyu let out a startled “Ah?” and froze.

“No problem at all. You can make me do anything you wish then.”

“No, what on earth are you thinking!?”

Feeling thoroughly teased, Han Xiaoyu indignantly stomped her foot, though she swiftly regained her composure.

“Then I’ll take my leave! It seems you two have matters to discuss that are best not spoken of in front of me, correct?”

“Indeed. Thank you for your help today.”

Han Xiaoyu gathered the assortment of equipment she had brought, then slung it over her shoulder and departed.

“What a truly good child.”

Li Yue sighed with this sentiment, then cast a glance at Mo Linyu, who, by all appearances, seemed utterly despicable.

“To place such trust in this one, however, is truly pitiful.”

****

Having bid farewell to Han Xiaoyu, the two women returned to Li Yue’s residence.

“Well then, let’s dispense with the pleasantries and begin!”

The moment Mo Linyu stepped inside, she began to shed her clothes, prompting Li Yue to nervously intervene.

“Wait! Aren’t you being a little too impatient?”

Mo Linyu, however, continued to unbutton her collar, remarking, “Hm? Your nervousness only indicates how much ‘danger’ you perceive. Am I truly expected to wait for you to steel yourself?”

“I-we are merely in a temporary alliance, Demon Lord.”

“Are you suggesting we shouldn’t cultivate too intimate a relationship?”

Li Yue countered, “Is that not the case?”

She was the Hero, and Mo Linyu was the Demon Lord.

Li Yue incessantly reiterated this fact, terrified that the Demon Lord…

No, she was terrified of forgetting, of forgetting her deep-seated hatred for the Demon Lord.

Mo Linyu sighed, replying calmly, “Firstly, I am doing this for my own sake, not solely to forge that kind of relationship with you. Secondly, we are summoning souls from other worlds precisely to erase the vestiges of another realm…”

She settled onto the sofa and beckoned to Li Yue with a curled finger.

“Wouldn’t it be better if, at that time, I were no longer the Demon Lord, and you no longer the Hero?”

Could simply shedding these identities truly expunge all past sins and hatred?

Li Yue’s gaze drifted to the glass cabinet in the living room, where she kept the tokens of her companions—or rather, their mementos—brought back from the other world.

“I don’t know the answer. I’ll ponder that question once I’ve brought them back.”

“Do you believe that forgiving me before receiving their answers would be tantamount to betraying them?”

Though Li Yue was reluctant to admit it, Mo Linyu had indeed seen straight through her true feelings.

“But when you think that way, it implies… you actually wish to forgive me, doesn’t it?”

As Mo Linyu spoke, her shirt already unbuttoned, she leaned in closer.

In an instant, Li Yue found herself pinned against the sofa. Despite possessing greater physical strength, she invariably found herself unable to exert it in such moments.

“Compared to the secluded grove or my home’s hot spring, you’d feel much more secure in your own house, wouldn’t you? In that case, I might have to take a slightly more… aggressive approach~”

Mo Linyu’s fingertips prodded Li Yue’s lower abdomen, causing her core muscles to continuously clench and recoil from the unfamiliar sensation.

“S-stop, don’t be ridiculous! If you want to feel danger, surely there are other methods!”

“Are you truly not concerned about the Holy Sword? It might be waiting to be melted down in some crucible right now, you know? Or perhaps it’s about to be cut… about to snap in half?”

Mo Linyu’s words caused Li Yue’s nether regions to involuntarily clench.

Even for the sake of the Holy Sword, it seemed there was no time left for her to waver.

“…Just this once, do as you please!”

Steeling her heart, she threw caution to the wind.

She simultaneously realized the Holy Sword was her Achilles’ heel, vowing never again to let anyone take it from her.

Mo Linyu’s fingertips had already delved beneath Li Yue’s clothing, her soft pads pressing against taut skin, the warmth of her fingers and the hard touch of her nails alternately stimulating Li Yue’s sensitive nerve endings.

At this crucial juncture, a piercing shriek, accompanied by the sound of shattering glass, erupted from the balcony.

Simultaneously, a figure flew in through the broken sliding glass door, crashing heavily onto the single armchair.

“…Huh?”

It was Su Luoli, looking utterly shaken.

She was still clutching the Holy Sword in her arms.