翁公在厨房和我猛烈撞击

The archeologist fell to her knees. Tears, mucus, and blood mixed with the dirt of the alley. Taly has never thought this will be where she dies: an unknown, damp alley with no one to care.

Her life flashed through her mind as her body became increasingly cold. It was one filled with misery, and she found nothing to cherish in her final moments.

The dark being crouched in front of her, and he searched through her clothes for the tablet until he found it. Taly wondered when she was going to die, but it was soon.

"You need to wake up now," said the dark being as he looked at her in the eyes. "Otherwise, you will die for real."

The words struck her like a thunderbolt, sending her consciousness into a state of hyperactivity. Taly gasped for air as the world in front of her changed, and she was standing up now.

"What... happened..." she muttered with a daze as she looked down. There was no hole in her chest, and she was breathing and well. "The tablet!" she searched for her storage pouch but found nothing.

"You care about the tablet more than your life?" said a voice in front of her, and Taly snapped her head toward it. A distance away stood the masked young man holding her pouch in one hand and the tablet in another. "This belongs to you," he said and threw the bag toward her.

"You killed me," she said as she caught the item. "How am I still alive?"

"I only used your fear. You gave me the tablet obediently," said the dark being as he examined the tablet. "This tablet reeks," it said with disgust.

Taly placed a hand on her heart, and she could tell that it was beating. That means what happened a moment earlier was nothing but an illusion, as the dark being said.

\'What a terrifying ability,\' she felt awe. \'I would have died for real because of my fear toward him. This creature, or human, can use our emotions against us.\'

There was a sizzling sound and the smell of burnt flesh. Taly frowned as she looked at the dark being throwing away the tablet as if it was a hot potato.

"A holy item," hissed the dark being with disgust and repulsion. "I will protect you for two days, but I need to go back for now."

"You are giving me the tablet back?" blinked Taly with surprise.

"You don\'t trust me now because you saw me kill you, but your knowledge is far more valuable than any tablet," smiled the dark being. "Give me your dagger."

Taly did not refuse and handed him her dagger before picking up the tablet. As she held to it, she could tell that her body was growing stronger under the effect of holy power. However, for this dark being, it was nothing but a nuisance.

\'As the case with all dark beings, its weakness is holy powers,\' Taly began to think of ways to defend herself against this creature. The nightmare of dying was still replaying itself in her mind.

Then, she turned toward the dark being, who was holding her dagger. The darkness left the dark being and covered the blade, making it matt black.

"This weapon will destroy the barriers of the fairies, so they should be easy targets for you. I will come back in the morning, so keep sharing your location with me."

"I understand," she nodded. "Are you... going to kill me once this is all over?" she asked, and the dark being paused. Taly watched as he pondered the matter before shaking his head.

"I have no reason to kill you."

Then, it disappeared into the darkness.

***

Nikolai stared at the illuminated mansion from a distance. His phone rang again in his pocket, and he saw that it was Taly, sending him her new location.

"She is not trying to run away," Nikolai was impressed. Dark Echo uses dark emotions to make the victim fulfill his wishes. It so happened that the strongest feeling Taly had toward the world was fear. "A pitiful person," he sighed.

As he turned back to look at the mansion, his stomach turned. Nikolai needed an excuse to convince Princess Maria. The archeologist required two days to decipher the tablet, and he needed to find a way that would not raise suspicion.

His feet carried him through the gardens of the mansion. The music reached his ears, and it seems that the worst of the gathering has come: dancing.

\'An excuse...\'

It was hard to find a suitable one because Master Edward could monitor him using the red tattoo on his forearm. Nikolai could erase it using his darkness, but it would alert the old monster.

This was a pinch.

Nikolai walked into the hall and saw the nobles dancing with each other. Saint Maria was dancing with a young man from the Bestial Race, and it seems he was from the royal family. 

Lilith was dancing with a noble from Rosaria, the same person who saved Nikolai from her talons. Most people were dancing, making Nikolai stand out like a sore thumb.

\'My refugee is the balcony,\' Nikolai sighed as he walked toward it. However, it seems that someone has already beaten him to it, and it was not Lucas.

"Another deserter?" said the young beastwoman as she turned to face him. "I would have kicked you away, but you are the one serving that idiot princess."

"You should not insult her if you know of my position," said Nikolai with a frown. There was a feeling of apprehension warning him from the person in front of him.

The beastwoman turned, wearing a silver suit. Nikolai couldn\'t tell her race, but she had two large red horns over her short, messy gray hair. A silver mask hid her face, making Nikolai unable to deduce her identity.

"I can tell when people are forced to be somewhere or someone," she pointed with her chin at him. "The last place that you want to be is here, and your loyalty toward that princess is almost zero."

"...who are you?"

"As always, that is the first thing they ask," she sighed as she raised a cup and gulped it down. "Are you going to worship me if I was god? Are you going to fear me if I was the devil?"

Nikolai did not respond and only stared at her silently. These horns were somewhat distinguishable, so it was not impossible to deduce her identity. Only one person had such horns among the nobles of this kingdom, and Nikolai met him in his past life: the bestial king.

\'His horns were smaller in comparison,\' Nikolai frowned. \'There are a handful of people that share the same race as the Bestial King. Among them, there is only one woman as young as I am.\'

"Are you done guessing?" she asked, bored. "You wasted so much time, so I will kill you if you guess wrong," the horned woman laughed.

However, Nikolai knew she meant every word of hers despite her laughter. A faint killing intent seeped out of her, and she treated it as if she was playing a game. This woman was abnormal.

"You are the only daughter of the previous King of Beasts," Nikolai frowned as this was the extent of his knowledge. "There is no other person who fits your appearance.

"Men are so shallow," she sighed. "They always judge us by our appearances. I am telling you this: you will die alone if you don\'t care for a woman\'s heart."

The tension defused as she walked closer to him. Nikolai blinked, and his mask was gone. Instead, it was between her fingers, dancing.

"Are you a human?" she asked with a playful smile as the mask danced between her fingers. His heart froze because he couldn\'t even see what had happened. This woman took off his mask, and he couldn\'t even react.

"I am," he said while his face was cold. "Please return my mask."

"Are you upset that I saw your face?" she grinned again, showing her fangs to him. Nikolai could feel dark energy coming from within her, and it pulled out the worst of him. However, Nikolai did not move.

"I wish for anonymity."

"Oh my, oh my, oh my," she repeated, her face showing her surprise. "You are controlling the darkness of your heart quite well. But, no, that is wrong. You are not trying to hold it back because it was never restrained."

As the woman said that, she handed him his mask. Nikolai wore it while the woman turned toward the balcony.

"Be careful, retainer," she said with sincerity. "Your heart is the favorite meal to devour by those beings. If you are not careful, you will meet a tragic fate."

"What are you warning me?" Nikolai questioned as the woman turned toward him. She grinned, showing her fangs in a wide smile.

"Be careful, or a demon might devour you."