MISS PAINTER {Chapter 41} She's Back!

“Waste! A bunch of useless waste! We pay our taxes diligently, what exactly are those patrol squads doing? How could something like this still happen?”

Having fled back to his home in panic, the man was still trembling with fear, venting his terror through furious curses.

He had merely gone to check out other stalls at the market, never expecting he'd nearly died there!

Beside him, his hardworking younger brother lifted his head in confusion, staring at his elder sibling.

“What happened?”

“...A wolf appeared! A gigantic wolf, maybe three or four stories tall!”

Instinctively exaggerating, the man described the enormous wolf as even taller than the church bell tower.

The younger brother, long accustomed to his brother's unreliability, simply kneaded dough while sighing helplessly.

“So that's what caused the commotion earlier.”

“What else could it be?”

The elder brother plopped himself down on a nearby chair, his face still pale and shaken.

But after a moment, he couldn't help erupting into curses again.

“Those patrol squads are completely useless! After all these years, incidents like this keep happening, why can't they handle it properly?!”

“...I think... it might not be the patrol squads' fault,” the younger brother shook his head slightly. “Rather than saying they aren't trying hard enough, it's more accurate to blame those heartless pet traders... They clearly know these creatures are dangerous, yet still bring them into the city to sell... and can't even control them! They're the real culprits!”

“There are definitely such people, but isn't that exactly why we pay the patrol squads, to prevent things like this from happening?”

The elder brother clearly held a different stance from his younger sibling. But both brothers knew there was no point arguing further, so after a brief discussion, they settled down.

After a pause, the younger brother asked hesitantly.

“Then... that wolf won't come over here, will it?”

That was actually his biggest concern.

Whether the patrol squads were good or bad, whether they should be reformed or abolished, these weren't issues a small bread merchant like him needed to worry about. What he truly feared was whether he should close shop early if that wolf really came this way.

“...No need. That wolf has already disappeared.”

The elder brother waved dismissively, his tone somewhat relaxed.

His younger brother exhaled deeply in relief.

After placing the kneaded dough into the oven nearby, he slowly stood up, preparing to take out the previous batch of baked bread and start the next round.

But,

“Ow—!”

A roar shook the skies!

The earth trembled!

The two brothers lost balance, nearly collapsing.

The younger brother saw the dough about to fall and quickly adjusted his posture, catching it just in time!

The elder brother, startled and scared, lifted his head and looked around.

Then... he saw it...

Above their small shop.

Above the grand restaurant, the very place the two brothers had admired countless times.

A monstrous, hideous, yellowish-brown beast plummeted from the sky!

Twisting, turning...

Its massive tail, like a battering ram, slammed down!

“Boom!”

The terrifying sound was deafening. Dust everywhere explodes. Wooden buildings were crushed into splinters!

The structure collapsed with a thunderous crash. The terrifying force leaves everyone stunned and frozen in place...

...

“Cough... cough... cough....”

Crawling out of the rubble, battered and bruised, Cassie stared blankly at the young subordinates who had protected her at the last moment. His mind was still reeling.

He gazed around in confusion, seemingly unable to comprehend what had just happened. But in the next instant, a figure suddenly fell from the sky, impaling directly onto a broken, jagged wooden stake beside him...

“Ahh!!!”

Her abdomen was instantly pierced through. This powerful second-stage Ascender only managed to utter his final scream before losing consciousness completely...

Blood began flowing steadily down the wooden stake...

“Uh... uh...”

Cassie's breathing became short and rapid.

His mind was utterly blank. Instinctively, he lifted her head, staring at the third floor of the restaurant.

In the very room he had just reserved, a white-clad girl silently stepped onto the broken cross-section, looking down at Cassie.

Her calm eyes held not a trace of human emotion...

The breeze swept through dust, fluttering her pure white hem...

“...”

Looking down at Cassie, Kaelis's eyes showed not a hint of hesitation.

Kaelis wasn't particularly emotional by nature, but even so, Old Struth had always been both mentor and friend to her.

She would never say something dramatic like “If you want to kill Old Struth, you'll have to get through me first,” but... if her own affairs dragged Old Struth into danger... Kaelis could never accept that!

So...

“...”

With a wave of her hand, two hideous hounds emerged from the darkness.

Just as Kaelis was about to act, a faint red light suddenly appeared within the mist.

Vaguely, someone was shouting.

“Is anyone there? Are there still people trapped?”

It was the voice of the Gravilier.

Kaelis frowned. And in that brief moment of distraction, Cassie scrambled forward, shrieking like a slaughtered pig.

"Here! Here! There's someone here!"

At this point, he no longer cares about dignity. This was his only chance for survival, he had to seize it!

“Tch...”

Recalling Gravilier's ability to wrestle tigers barehanded, Kaelis's brow furrowed slightly.

She could still kill Cassie now if she wanted to, but doing so would definitely expose herself.

Furthermore, Cassie had already sent people to assassinate Old Struth. Even if she killed Cassie now, the assassins she dispatched wouldn't stop.

Therefore...

“...”

Kaelis narrowed her eyes slightly, watching Cassie's pitiful, scrambling figure. After a moment of silence, she said nothing more, simply turned, and dissolved into the mist...

Meanwhile, upon hearing the voice, Gravilier immediately rushed in, bringing Big Sister Heather with her.

Seeing the bloody scene before them, her expression turned grim. Upon realizing Cassie's appearance, she frowned.

“You?”

As a notorious member of the Sea Voyage Association, Gravilier naturally knew her well; just a week ago, she'd personally sent this woman to prison…

“So, what happened here? Who did this?”

“I... I...”

Cassie struggled to steady herself amid the rubble.

Instinctively, he looked up.

Where was Kaelis now, in that ruined building?

He wanted to report it, but after meeting the sharp, serious gazes of the two women before her, he remained silent for a few moments, then quietly clenched his teeth...

“It was... just a sudden attack.”

Kaelis will definitely come after him later. If he reported it, the patrol squads would surely monitor his surroundings... He didn't trust the patrol squads. If he wanted protection, he'd have to rely on the Sea Voyage Association's own strength!

“Just a sudden attack?”

Gravilier clearly didn't believe him. Beside her, Heather looked at the building, half-destroyed, puzzled for a moment before turning her head.

“What kind of attack could cause damage like this?”

“...It was... a giant beast. A yellowish-brown giant beast... it suddenly fell from the sky..."

Cassie still looked shaken, but at least he revealed some information.

They had been attacked by a giant beast.

Gravilier still looked bewildered, but after pondering briefly, speculated it might be some Ascender's ability...

But beside her, Heather froze for a moment, then her beautiful eyes widened slightly.

Her crimson lips parted gently.

She thought of someone...

Someone who had disappeared without a trace ten years ago...

“It couldn't be...”

Her expression instantly turned extremely complex…