The Ranger’s Resolve

Here, take this back. It might come in handy when you’re searching for her, won’t it?

Dong Lu handed Li Yue her beloved car keys, adding a cautionary note. “Do be mindful of traffic safety. While Young Lady has a wide social circle, she rarely brings friends home, so please don’t give her cause for concern.”

‘Could I even be considered a friend?’

Li Yue mused, then sighed, “Besides, isn’t she the one we should be worrying about right now?”

“Should you receive any news of Young Lady, please inform me at once.”

“I understand. I’ll do my best to find her… though my capabilities in this matter might be limited, so please don’t expect too much.”

Indeed, Li Yue found herself largely helpless in the search, possessing few leads to begin with.

What a headache.

Having only just managed to recover Alezno, it seemed fate had a cruel twist in store: the Demon Lord, who had been their very ‘radar,’ was now kidnapped. This entire affair was truly fraught with misfortune.

“You’re all still preoccupied with the search, aren’t you? In that case, I’ll take my leave.”

With all pertinent information gathered, Li Yue saw no reason to prolong her stay at the Mo family manor.

“Still, if any news comes to light, please let me know.”

Li Yue and Dong Lu exchanged contact information, after which Li Yue departed, carrying Alezno on her motorcycle.

Naturally, she ensured the license plate from the trunk was properly affixed, and had no intention of exceeding the speed limit.

Ale, however, wore no helmet, a practical consideration since rangers traditionally eschewed heavy armor.

****

“So these are the horses of this world. They’re truly swift.”

Despite possessing theoretical knowledge of motorcycles, Alezno had never actually experienced riding one.

“Ha! This thing has far more kick than any horse!”

“Moon…”

Ale seemed troubled by something, her hand resting on Li Yue’s waist tightening imperceptibly.

“If something’s bothering you, just say it outright.”

“This morning, we shouldn’t have left her alone.”

“Dwelling on it now is pointless. Who could have foreseen such a mess? This world… or at least this country, is nothing like ‘the other side’; my life here is devoid of such dangers.”

“But we had already sensed danger then.”

Alezno had been the first to spot the two suspicious men in suits, yet had failed to act, leaving her now consumed by regret.

“She mentioned she was going to find someone to keep her company, which is why I deemed it safe.”

Ale continued, “If only we had waited for that maid to arrive…”

“We can’t be clairvoyant. What’s the point of talking about it now?”

“In this life, she’s merely an ordinary person devoid of magic, Moon. You ought to realize that.”

Alezno’s subtly reproachful tone made Li Yue bristle with discomfort.

After all, she was the Demon Lord, and their alliance was meant to be nothing more than a temporary collaboration.

While that was the intention, Mo Linyu’s disappearance undeniably stirred a restless anxiety within her.

“Instead of lecturing me, perhaps we should focus on how to find her.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“…I think there’s only one way.”

The only viable course of action Li Yue could conceive was to swiftly return home, initiate a live stream, and thereby lure out the Goddess, whom she would then question on how to locate the Demon Lord. After all, the Goddess herself had once mentioned that residual Holy Sword energy lingered on Mo Linyu.

It stood to reason, then, that the Goddess would be the first to find the Demon Lord.

“Let’s head back first,” Li Yue said, scratching her head. “If this truly is some sort of ‘business tactic,’ then the masterminds won’t harm her before achieving their desired outcome… or so one would hope?”

In Li Yue’s estimation, Mo Changhong still harbored genuine affection for his daughter.

Yet, the culprits remained unidentified, and the notion of a “business tactic” was merely Dong Lu’s speculation, leaving Li Yue’s own words tinged with uncertainty.

Moreover, given Mo Changhong’s vast family enterprise, his business adversaries were likely countless, and those with conflicting interests abounded.

How, then, could they possibly pinpoint the mastermind behind this?

“Sigh, let’s just go back and stream for now.”

****

Tsk, why did that Goddess vanish precisely when she was needed most?

Li Yue began her live stream.

Yet, the Goddess did not manifest as Li Yue had anticipated. Li Yue’s palpable impatience even bled into her tone, leading to an even more unfavorable reception from her live stream audience.

[This grumbling sounds exactly like a menopausal mother; unfollowed!]

Incensed, she abruptly terminated the live stream.

Ultimately, her mind was far from playing games at that moment.

‘It’s utterly bizarre, being a Hero yet fretting over the Demon Lord!’

“Moon, once we find her, we’ll still need to rescue her, won’t we? We should prepare some weapons.”

Alezno’s sudden question prompted Li Yue to move from the stifling heat of her computer desk to the comfort of the sofa.

“It’s difficult,” she replied. “In this country, ordinary citizens can’t acquire weapons. Virtually all arms, from small knives to firearms, are strictly regulated, and I certainly can’t get my hands on any.”

Of course, this restriction applied only to ordinary citizens.

Considering Mo Linyu herself could procure a taser, it wouldn’t be surprising if this mastermind possessed actual firearms.

“I don’t need a knife; close-quarters combat would harm Miss Su Luoli’s body… I want a bow.”

“A bow? Surely that’s also contraband?”

Puzzled, Li Yue searched for information online.

“It turns out it’s not?!”

While mechanical crossbows were indeed contraband, compound bows and recurve bows were not.

“It’s not contraband, surprisingly?”

“They’re classified as sporting equipment.”

That made sense; after all, few people truly possessed the skill to wield a bow effectively.

Li Yue met Alezno’s gaze, but still shook her head.

“There’s no need for you to take up arms again. Even if we locate Mo Linyu, we should entrust the matter to the police.”

“Then the Demon Lord will be in grave danger.”

Before the police could effect a rescue, those thugs might either move her or kill her.

“Then I’ll handle it,” Li Yue declared.

From beneath the sofa cushion, she retrieved her “Holy Sword,” the golden baseball bat gleaming brilliantly in the light.

“You’re no Hero in this world, Moon; you’re just an ‘ordinary person’.”

“So, without the Goddess’s blessing, one can’t be a Hero? Who decreed that?”

Li Yue, however, remained unfazed. To acknowledge her identity as a Hero solely by the Goddess’s bestowal would be to concede that her ability to defeat the Demon Lord stemmed entirely from a prophecy.

Such an admission would not only negate every ounce of effort she had poured into her mission but also invalidate the sacrifices of her comrades.

Li Yue raised her Holy Sword before her, declaring loudly.

“I am still the Hero, Ale.”

Of course, this steadfast resolve might be misguided…

Yet, even if proven wrong, she was determined to continue embracing her identity as the Hero.

Alezno gazed at Moon, the Hero, as that brief yet intense memory played vividly in her mind.

“Then I, too, remain the Hero’s companion.”

As she spoke, her gaze drifted to the glass display cabinet in the living room.

“Moon, that… could I use it just one more time?”

“That was yours to begin with…”

Alezno retrieved the ranger’s gloves from the display cabinet and slipped them onto her hands.

For an archer, gloves were essential protective gear during shooting.

Conversely, her donning the gloves could only mean one thing…

“So, you still intend to…”

“Take me to a weapon shop to buy a bow, Hero!”

“There are no weapon shops here!”