Night fell.
Stars glittered. Moonlight draped Orario in silver.
Adventurers finished their day's dives and moved toward taverns to start their nightlife.
Then a furious shout echoed from a side alley.
"Brat! Stop right there!"
"Only an idiot would stop."
Lili darted through alleys, glancing back at the burly man closing the distance.
He was strong—stronger than her.
If it became a test of speed and stamina, she'd be caught within minutes.
But using terrain? Different story.
She turned into another alley, zig-zagging until she vanished.
"Damn it! Where'd she go?!"
The man stopped, face twisted.
He spent most of his time in the South District and the dungeon—he didn't know this area well.
Then he caught a scent drifting from the left path.
He knew it. The wolf-girl who stole from him carried that same smell.
"Tch—brat's fast!"
He sprinted down the scent trail.
Seconds after he left, Lili stepped out from a side path in the opposite direction.
"Idiot. Lili would never leave a clue that obvious."
She ran back the way she came.
Ten minutes later, she reached the other end and pulled a pouch from her clothes.
The crisp clink inside and the heavy weight in her hand lifted her mood instantly.
Good luck today. She hit a rich target.
With this money, she was one step closer to buying her freedom from Soma Familia.
A cool night breeze blew. Her hood slipped down, revealing fluffy beast ears.
She raised both hands to her ears and whispered her chant.
"Twelve O'Clock Revelation."
A faint magic ripple rose.
A gray film covered her small body like dust settling.
In silence, her ears dissolved away.
The bangs covering her eyes and the tail swaying at her waist vanished too.
In an instant, the werewolf became a pallum.
"That should do it."
Lili tucked the pouch away and walked toward the alley exit.
Her transformation spell—Cinder Ella—was her only trump card.
As a pallum, she was weaker, slower, and had less stamina than other races. In combat, she had no advantage.
In Soma Familia—where everyone fought over divine wine, where greed had driven members mad enough to rob and assault each other—
The only way for a weak Lili to survive was to change faces and steal money from wealthy adventurers.
Dangerous, yes. But her magic let her slip away again and again.
If nothing went wrong, she'd soon save enough to leave Soma Fami—
"Guess who I am?"
Her vision went dark as a hand covered her eyes. A strange voice spoke from behind.
Lili paused, then forced a stiff smile.
"Sir… please don't tease Lili."
"Sigh. That's a boring answer."
The hand withdrew. Her vision returned.
Lili didn't move, only turned slowly to face the black-haired boy who had appeared behind her without warning.
Handsome.
That was her first impression.
He looked like someone painted into reality—refined, noble, too perfect.
In all her years in Orario, Lili had only seen two humans whose looks rivaled gods.
The first was Ais Wallenstein, in the crowd outside Babel Tower.
Back then, Lili had thought: the gap between humans was larger than the gap between humans and dogs.
Ais was born with a golden spoon. Lili was a sewer rat—dark and small.
"Lin Dong. Captain of Hestia Familia."
He introduced himself, and Lili stepped back, increasing distance.
"Lili's name is Liliruca Arde. A member of Soma Familia."
"Captain Lin Dong… what do you want with Lili?"
"I'm a bit short on money."
"…Eh?"
Lili blinked.
"That magic just now—I saw it."
Lin Dong poked her cheek with a smile.
"Lili… you don't want Soma Familia to know you can transform, do you?"
"..."
Lili's face sank. That charming smile looked like a demon's grin now.
Her hand slipped into her clothes and gripped a crimson dagger.
"I'd advise you to calm down," Lin Dong said lightly. "Even if you use a magic sword, you won't hit me."
"…Captain Lin Dong, you misunderstand. Lili is looking for her vault key."
She hesitated, then produced a key pendant and handed it over.
"This is the key to a dwarf-rented vault in the East District. It contains all of Lili's savings."
"Hey, hey—don't make it sound like I'm robbing you."
Lin Dong pocketed the key, smile deepening.
"Captain Lin Dong… can Lili go now?"
Lili lowered her head, cursing him silently.
That money was everything she'd saved through years of misery.
Now it was gone—back to zero.
No, worse.
She recognized that smile.
It was the "money tree" smile—the look of someone about to squeeze every last drop of value out of her.
"Relax, Lili."
Then let Lili go!
"I'm a reasonable person. Since you paid me, I'll help you a little."
Lili doesn't need your help, go away.
"You want to leave Soma Familia, right? I can help."
…What?
Lili's eyes widened. "C—Captain Lin Dong… what did you just say?"
Lin Dong smiled. "I can help you leave Soma Familia. But only if you behave."
"…Lili can do that."
Lili hesitated, then agreed.
His tactics weren't unfamiliar—Soma Familia used this kind of pressure-and-lure all the time.
Normally, she would've played along and never trusted him.
But this time was different.
Her magic was exposed. Lin Dong had targeted her.
She'd lost her method of saving money, her path to freedom.
Whether Lin Dong lied or not, she had to believe—because this might be the only chance in her life.
"Captain Lin Dong… what does Lili need to do to leave Soma Familia?"
"For today—come home and sleep."
"…Eh?"
-------
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