Chapter 60

The buzzing sound of an object slicing through the air rang in her ears.

Eve's distraction caused the ever-present strands of hair to hesitate. Her opponent, however, would not consider her thoughts and seized this rare opportunity. Mengmeng instantly found the most reasonable route, relying on the obstruction of trees along the way, and launched a counterattack before Eve could react.

Thud.

True to her nature as a killer who had crossed countless battlefields, Eve barely managed to block the kick aimed at her head with her hands at the last moment. Unfortunately, the time was too short for her to activate the micro-machines within her body. If she had transformed her hands into solid metal pipes at that moment, the sheer force of the counter-shock would likely have shattered her opponent's leg bones.

But Eve did not feel regret. As her hands tingled with numbness, her agitated heart steadied.

She had hastily raised her hands to block the long-distance attack, which gathered all the strength of the other party. This proved something: the short-haired girl, though more agile, was still far behind in terms of strength!

—She won't lose.

Her slightly shaken confidence became firm once again. But it was precisely this moment of hesitation that gave the other party ample time to retreat.

The short-haired girl, seeing her move fail, immediately abandoned the idea of pursuit and quickly retreated to a distance that would avoid a surprise attack.

Mengmeng, who had been staring intently at Eve without taking her eyes off, felt her luck was truly terrible.

Early in the morning, she had only wanted to breathe in the fresh air of nature, but she inadvertently witnessed a scene she shouldn't have. The notorious killer was actually crying? That moment of surprise made her noticed by the other party. Then she was forced to engage in this overly intense morning exercise at the start of the day.

She was too rash, Mengmeng scolded herself. She had long heard the rumor that every part of the Golden Shadow was a weapon and had personally verified its truth. Her supposed surprise counterattack just now, if the other party had turned her defensive hands into sharp blades...

Mengmeng dared not think further, feeling as if her right leg was about to break.

What should she do? Recalling the scenery on her way here, she began to plan her escape route. Without her most important weapon, Mengmeng, who was on an unknown planet, decided never to be so careless again.

"Good morning, do you two also enjoy the scenery here?"

The voice from the side startled both girls, who were in a standoff. From each other's eyes, they could see that neither had noticed when the unexpected visitor had arrived.

"Caster."

Unlike Mengmeng, who had just moved in, Eve was already very familiar with that calm yet proud voice. As a Heroic Spirit, she was more accustomed to addressing her kind by their class.

"The new one, exercising early in the morning? Young people these days rarely have such healthy habits."

Anyone who saw Mengmeng's tattered dress would not think she was exercising. Even without protective gear in a full-field rugby match, it wouldn't be this miserable.

Knowing it was a lie, Kaguya still said it, and her tone and expression showed no sign of joking. Even Eve, who knew her a bit, almost believed that this Heroic Spirit, who seemed to come from ancient times, had just happened to pass by and hadn't noticed the tense atmosphere in the dense forest.

"Ha, ha, actually, I'm quite lazy. Today, I was just excited about moving in, so I went exploring. But the branches here are too dense, tearing my dress. In the future, I'll wear more comfortable sportswear."

Although she didn't know the relationship between Eve and the other residents of the cabin, Mengmeng felt that the killer's natural aura of death had suddenly disappeared after the black-haired girl appeared.

Mengmeng never had the intention of fighting to the death with the Golden Shadow. Even though she was a criminal, the principle of "not in one's position, not one's concern" applied. The tedious work of arrest was someone else's responsibility. Moreover, after seeing various messages, she had developed some goodwill towards this killer, who was unique in both gender and appearance.

The clever girl followed Kaguya's lead, turning the tense battlefield into a leisurely morning stroll.

"Ah, right, Assassin, your Master seems to be looking for you."

Wearing a long dress that didn't get caught on the branches, Kaguya strolled up to the two girls as if she had just remembered something and said to Eve.

Those words seemed both real and fake. Although it was time for Levi to go to work, Eve had a record of going to school. But regardless, Kaguya's appearance meant that the matter with Mengmeng was temporarily over.

Eve could not fully trust this ally who also aimed for the Holy Grail. Exposing her back to another Heroic Spirit during a battle with a strong enemy was not something the blonde killer would do.

"Going back."

Nodding to Kaguya, Eve spread her wings and turned to fly towards the cabin. She did not look at Mengmeng again until her figure was hidden by the dense tree canopy, as if she had forgotten the 'enemy' she had just been fighting. But Mengmeng, who watched her leave, could feel that the Golden Shadow's attention had never left her.

"Thank you, big sister."

After Eve's presence and even her aura had disappeared, Mengmeng turned to thank the black-haired girl she had only heard of but never seen since moving into the cabin.

Kaguya had never indicated that she was there to mediate. She seemed to be completely unaware of what had happened. Moreover, her words made it sound like Eve was on her side, making Mengmeng feel more like an outsider. But she did not find Mengmeng's gratitude strange and nodded in acceptance.

Why did she help me? Mengmeng found herself unable to see through this beautiful big sister.

In terms of appearance, she was undoubtedly outstanding. Mengmeng secretly compared this woman, whom she was meeting for the first time, to her most admired sister, and the result was a tie.

Perhaps her sister, who could make everyone fall in love, was more stunning. But the girl in front of her exuded a mysterious aura. Although young, Mengmeng knew very well that a mysterious beauty would always capture men's hearts more than a naturally beautiful one.

The more mysterious, the more fresh and exciting, the more it would captivate men with a spirit of adventure and a desire to conquer. How a young girl knew all this, if Levi found out, he would surely worry about her education.

"What are you thinking about, little girl?"

Seeing the girl in front of her not react for a long time, Kaguya, of course, did not know what was going on in her mind. Although she knew someone who could, she did not know how to read minds.

"Um, big sister is very beautiful."

Hearing Mengmeng inadvertently say what she was thinking, Kaguya covered her mouth and laughed softly. She suddenly realized that she quite liked this little girl.

Of course, she was not pretending not to have seen the fight between Mengmeng and Eve. In fact, she had followed Eve from a distance after she went out, watching the entire early morning fight live.

She also knew that this young girl was not as innocent as she appeared. But what did it matter? Rebellion was a characteristic of this age, and Eve's personality was the abnormal exception.

But even so, what needed to be said still needed to be said. Men never understood women's thoughts, and women didn't understand each other either. Kaguya didn't know why, but she attributed this strange feeling to the woman who brought her here. It was not for Levi, but to understand that woman.

"Although I helped you today, it's best not to have a next time."

After saying this, seeing the girl nod carefully, she turned around satisfied and led Mengmeng back towards the cabin.