There was once a village called Triola, whose people were famous for worshipping King Falung.
The villagers had always believed themselves to be the remnants of King Falung's people.
The place where King Falung and his subjects resided was called the Promised Land.
The Promised Land could grant anyone's wishes.
Where exactly was the Promised Land? Some said it was above the sky, others said it was beneath the earth.
The Promised Land? It might be a room, it might be an isolated island, or both.
They spent generations searching for this place, only to find nothing in the end.
One day, the villagers captured a Witch and her daughter, subjecting them to torture.
To protect her daughter, the Witch agreed to tell the villagers a secret.
The Witch told them that King Falung only listened to the prayers of those with crimson pupils.
Because only those with crimson pupils were the true remnants of King Falung's people.
If they wanted to enter the Promised Land, they just needed to turn their eyes crimson.
To turn their eyes crimson, they must sacrifice a true descendant who possessed crimson pupils.
Fearing the Witch was lying, the villagers decided to burn her daughter first to test her honesty.
However, the Witch's daughter had the ropes binding her hands pecked through by a small blue bird, and she vanished without a trace.
The villagers immediately burned the Witch and began searching for her daughter.
The villagers were not so much angry at her daughter as they were terrified.
The Witch's daughter was also a Witch—a terrifying, selfish, and despicable Witch.
One day, a villager named Linda picked up a girl.
The girl Linda adopted possessed the most perfect crimson pupils.
Linda and the other villagers praised the girl's eyes as perfect.
Over time, everyone called her—The Perfect Miss.
——————
Moonlight, like mercury, stingily spilled into the firmly locked attic room through the narrow slit of a high window.
The air was filled with the scent of old wood, dust mites, and a faint, almost imperceptible herbal fragrance used to perfume clothes.
The four walls were bare, save for a simple bed and a worn jewelry box, hinting at the occupant's situation—seemingly privileged, but in reality, imprisoned.
The Perfect Miss, possessing a waterfall of long black hair, wore a slightly oversized black velvet robe—perhaps the lining of tomorrow's ceremonial dress.
She sat hugging her knees on the cold floor, chin resting on her knees, gazing blankly at the pale moonlight strip on the floor, like an exquisite but lifeless porcelain doll.
Just then—
"Cheep—Cheep cheep—"
A crisp and unique bird call pierced the silence of the night, abruptly pulling her back to reality.
"That sound is..."
The Perfect Miss suddenly lifted her head, and her dim eyes instantly brightened.
She couldn't be mistaken; this was the cry of her friend, Xiaobai's blue bird!
She practically crawled to the window, using both her hands and feet, struggling to stand on her tiptoes, and cautiously pulled aside the heavy curtain.
The window was nailed shut from the outside, but through the gap, she indeed saw that familiar figure downstairs—Xiaobai, with her neat white single ponytail, anxiously looking up at her.
What surprised her even more was that a sturdy hemp rope had silently lowered from the roof, one end firmly secured to a hidden protrusion beneath the windowsill.
"Shh—"
Xiaobai placed a finger on her lips, making a shushing gesture, her purple eyes flickering with anxiety and vigilance in the moonlight.
"Hurry, let's go. Meet me at the usual spot."
The Perfect Miss's heart pounded, filled with both the excitement of adventure and a hint of fear at breaking the rules.
But her trust in her friend overcame everything.
She took a deep breath, grabbed the rope that felt like the embodiment of freedom, and, relying on her nimble movements, carefully slid down to the ground.
The two quietly slipped away to the massive, leafy ancient tree at the edge of the village, nimbly climbing onto their familiar branch.
The moonlight, fragmented by the leaves, dappled their bodies.
"Tomorrow they're going to kill me in the ritual and turn me into a sacrifice?"
After hearing Xiaobai's urgent whisper, The Perfect Miss's face was filled with disbelief. She almost cried out but quickly covered her mouth, keeping her voice extremely low.
"Impossible! Everyone is so nice to me! They give me new clothes, they give me delicious food..."
She desperately listed the villagers' "kindness," trying to convince Xiaobai, but mostly trying to convince herself.
"It's absolutely true!"
Xiaobai's tone was decisive. She spread her palm, and a small cluster of flames danced and leaped on her fingertips as if alive, illuminating her serious face.
"I personally overheard Linda's conversation... They need a 'perfect' sacrifice to please the so-called 'King Falung' and receive His grace. And you are the 'most perfect' one they chose."
"But tomorrow I will become the true Perfect Miss and make a wish to King Falung! This is a moment of unparalleled glory and honor!"
The Perfect Miss tried to grasp at the last straw. She even forced a smile, attempting to dispel the unsettling topic. She turned to Xiaobai, her eyes holding a trace of pure expectation: "Xiaobai, guess what my wish is?"
"To become an idiot."
Xiaobai practically blurted it out, her tone carrying the frustration of disappointment and unconcealed heartache.
"How could that be!"
The Perfect Miss puffed out her cheeks, extremely dissatisfied with the answer.
"My wish is..."
"You've been used!"
Xiaobai interrupted her, her voice suppressed yet sharp.
"You will gain nothing but death!"
Her gaze sharply focused on The Perfect Miss's clear and bright red eyes, visible even in the dark night.
"Your red eyes, just like my cursed identity as a Witch, are regarded in this ignorant village as a curse upon the living for all eternity! They are an ominous symbol! They fear us, yet they want to exploit us!"
Xiaobai's voice dropped, carrying a sense of weariness and world-weariness inappropriate for her age: "Can death bring relief from pain? I don't know... And precisely because I don't know, I have clung to life like a rat in a gutter, surviving until now..."
She looked at The Perfect Miss, her expression bordering on pleading.
"Wake up. You will only be a paving stone on their path to beg for divine power. Stop holding onto any naive ideas."
"Xiaobai, you're too pessimistic. There must be some misunderstanding!"
The Perfect Miss stubbornly shook her head, refusing to accept the cruel truth.
"It was the people of this village who took in the homeless me and gave me a place to stay. Once I become The Perfect Miss, I will definitely convince everyone to accept you too! We can live here together!"
Xiaobai looked at the pure, unadulterated trust and kindness in her eyes, feeling a tremendous sense of powerlessness well up inside her.
She was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "As long as this curse remains in the world, as long as ignorance and fear persist, this world... has no place for me."
"I will help you find one! Trust me!"
The Perfect Miss grasped Xiaobai's hand, her tone utterly firm. Her red eyes shone with sincere light under the moonlight, as if capable of dispelling all darkness.
Xiaobai: "..."
Faced with such heavy trust and innocence, Xiaobai fell silent.
She gave The Perfect Miss a deep look, as if wanting to engrave her image onto her heart.
Then, as if having made a certain resolution, she carefully pulled out an old-fashioned but immaculately clean silver key from a pocket close to her body, and abruptly shoved it into The Perfect Miss's hand.
The cold temperature of the key made The Perfect Miss tremble slightly.
"Take this Silver Key. It's for you, as a talisman."
Xiaobai's voice was slightly hoarse.
"I hope it... can protect you."
She knew it might be useless, but it was the only item she could give that contained power and blessing.
"Isn't this the only keepsake your mother left you? It's too precious! I can't accept it!"
The Perfect Miss tried to refuse, as if she had been burned.
"Then keep it until you truly find a place for both of us to belong."
Xiaobai pressed down on her hand, forcing her to grip the key tightly, her eyes Burning bright.
"Then you can personally give it back to me."
The Perfect Miss looked at Xiaobai's determined gaze and finally stopped refusing. She tightly gripped the key, which still held Xiaobai's warmth, and nodded vigorously: "Alright! It's a promise!"
Carrying the promise with her friend and her chaotic thoughts, The Perfect Miss used the rope to carefully climb back into the second-floor room.
Her heart was still racing, and her mind was a mess, containing the fear brought by Xiaobai's warning, the anticipation for tomorrow's ritual, and the small hope stemming from the promise to "find a place to belong."
"I shouldn't have been discovered, right... But, was everything Xiaobai said... true?"
She muttered softly while frantically trying to hide the rope.
However, just as she stabilized herself and before she could catch her breath—
"Creak—"
A sound.
The room door was abruptly shoved open from the outside!
The candlelight instantly dispelled the darkness in the room, illuminating Linda's face, which was twisted with rage, at the doorway!
Several grim-faced villagers followed behind her.
"How dare you sneak out behind our backs!"
Linda's shriek tore through the night's tranquility. She lunged forward and violently slapped The Perfect Miss across the face!
"Slap!"
The crisp sound of the slap echoed in the room.
The Perfect Miss staggered back several steps, and a clear red imprint of five fingers instantly appeared on her fair cheek.
Covering her face, she fearfully curled up against the wall, her large red eyes instantly filling with tears. Like a startled fawn, she cautiously and helplessly looked at "Aunt Linda," who had instantly become completely unfamiliar.
Linda's chest heaved violently. The candlelight cast dancing shadows on her face, making her look especially ferocious.
Pointing at The Perfect Miss, her voice trembled with extreme fury: "Do you know how worried everyone was when they found you missing?! You ungrateful child!"
She stepped closer, her voice suddenly rising, full of accusation and condemnation: "If anything had happened to you, do you know how upset everyone would have been?! You almost ruined everything! You ruined everyone's hope!"
The Perfect Miss was stunned by this sudden storm of rage. Tears rolled down like broken strings of pearls. She huddled, her voice a mosquito's whisper, filled with fear and grievance: "I'm, I'm sorry... Aunt Linda... I... I won't dare to do it again..."
However, in her tightly clenched hand, the cold Silver Key seemed to become her only anchor in the darkness.
Xiaobai's warning and Linda's ferocious face clashed violently and painfully within her innocent heart for the first time.
The seed of doubt had been planted.
The rough footsteps of Linda and the others gradually faded away, and the heavy door lock dropped with another "click," like the final nail in a coffin.
The Perfect Miss covered her stinging, Burning cheek and slowly slid down onto the floor.
However, what chilled her more than the pain on her face was the sentence Linda uttered just before leaving, which, although lowered to the guards outside the door, was still clearly audible: "Watch her closely... If necessary, to prevent her from escaping again... break her legs. As long as she doesn't die, the ritual can still proceed..."
These words were like the most malicious ice pick, instantly piercing the Perfect Miss's last shred of hope and warmth.
She curled up, hugging herself tightly, trembling uncontrollably.
So... what Xiao Bai said was true... They really would... Immense fear and despair drowned her like a tide.
She didn't know how long she had sat blankly on the cold floor; her tears had long run dry.
Outside the window, the deep night seemed to be gradually stained and illuminated by an unusual orange-red glow.
The Perfect Miss raised her head blankly, her vacant eyes reflecting the increasingly bright halo.
"Is it... the sun... finally coming out?"
She murmured to herself, as if searching for the last bit of illusory hope.
Just then! Without warning, a small cluster of warm, flickering candlelight suddenly sprang up in her palm with a 'poof'! This flame was not scorching; instead, it carried a strange sense of comfort.
The Perfect Miss jumped in surprise and snapped back to reality. "Is this... Xiao Bai's ability?"
She immediately turned her head to look out the window—that was no dawn light at all!
It was a towering blaze!
The entire village seemed to be Burning! The scorching flames dyed the night sky an ominous blood-red!
"Clang!"
The window was violently smashed open from the outside!
Amidst the flying splinters of shattered wood, a figure draped in a black cloak with edges scorched by the flames, like a saving angel or an avenging devil, stood upon the windowsill!
It was Xiao Bai! Her white Horsetail whipped wildly in the hot wind, her face was smeared with soot, and her purple eyes burned with resolute fire!
She reached out to the Perfect Miss, her voice hoarse from inhaling smoke and dust, yet carrying undeniable power: "Go! I've exhausted every method to help you! Even if—it means setting the entire village ablaze..."
The Perfect Miss looked at the hellish scene outside the window and shook her head in terror: "Thank you, Xiao Bai... but the others... they are innocent!"
"Not a single person is innocent!"
Xiao Bai's tone was decisive and filled with cold hatred.
"Silence is indulgence, enjoyment is complicity! This village is rotten to the core!"
She stopped talking nonsense, grabbed the Perfect Miss's cold wrist, and leaped down from the windowsill!
After landing, Xiao Bai quickly draped a thick cloak over the Perfect Miss, wrapping her up tightly, grabbed her hand, and tried to rush out of the sea of fire amidst the chaos.
However, just as they rounded a corner of a Burning house, Linda's familiar and shrill roar came from ahead!
The two immediately ducked behind a pile of debris.
"If the offering is lost, the heads of your entire family will appear at the city gate tomorrow morning!"
Linda was roaring at several panicked guards, her face contorted like a ghoul in the firelight.
"W-we are very sorry, Madam Linda! I was watching carefully, but, but that Witch directly set fire to our granary!"
A guard stammered his defense.
"Find them at all costs! Execute the Witch—with extreme punishment!"
Linda's scream almost cracked.
Just then, a shrill scream came from the nearby alley: "Help! Someone here is on fire! Quick, someone put out the fire!"
Linda ignored it completely, even pulling a cruel, cold smile at the corner of her mouth: "This is the Witch's trick! She is trying to divert our attention! They must be nearby! Don't be fooled! Prioritize the search!"
Hidden in the darkness, Xiao Bai's face was so grim it looked like it could drip water.
This woman's cruelty and malice once again exceeded her imagination.
"Xiao Bai, we can't escape..."
The Perfect Miss's voice was full of despair and guilt.
"I... I'll go admit my mistake! You hurry and hide while you have the chance! They... they shouldn't hurt me..."
Even now, she still held onto a ridiculous fantasy.
"Since the bird has left the cage, it will never go back!"
Xiao Bai suddenly turned her head, staring at the Perfect Miss, her gaze fiery and fanatical.
"I don't care what happens to me! I only hope you can live the happy life of an ordinary person! Leave this place! Never come back!"
"Thank you... but... why are you helping me to this extent?"
Tears welled up in the Perfect Miss's eyes again; she could not understand this heavy protection that risked destroying everything.
Xiao Bai's answer was unusually calm, even carrying a hint of self-mockery: "It's just misery loving company; it's not noble."
Her gaze drifted towards the raging sea of fire, her voice faint.
"A Witch is not omniscient or omnipotent... I have never been able to use this power to save myself... perhaps this is my fate."
She paused, a faint flicker of longing, one she hadn't even noticed herself, crossing her eyes: "What does salvation taste like? I don't know... but I want to know."
She wanted to catch a glimpse of the imagined light through the freedom the Perfect Miss might attain.
The Perfect Miss felt even sadder after hearing this. She lowered her head, looking at her red eyes, which were seen as an ominous symbol: "I'm sorry... it's all my fault... for having these eyes..."
"Eyes?"
Xiao Bai seemed to be sharply jolted by that word!
Her body trembled, and her emerald eyes suddenly shone with terrifying brilliance!
A plan—mad, cruel, but perhaps the only one that could save the Perfect Miss—instantly formed in her mind!
"Heh heh... Haha... Hahaha..."
Xiao Bai suddenly let out a low, twisted laugh. This laughter sounded especially chilling amidst the crackling of the fire and the sounds of the search party in the distance.
"Xiao Bai? Why are you suddenly..."
The Perfect Miss was so frightened by the sudden laughter that her hair stood on end, and a chill ran up her spine.
The next second, Xiao Bai suddenly stretched out her finger, pointing straight at the Perfect Miss's eyes with lightning speed!
Eerie blue magical energy surged frantically from her fingertip!
"Steal!"
"Ah—!"
The Perfect Miss let out a short cry of alarm, feeling an intense, tearing Burning pain in her eyes!
She shut her eyes tightly. When she opened them again, her eyes felt uncomfortable... She tremblingly raised her hand, wanting to touch them... Meanwhile, the amethyst-like color in Xiao Bai's eyes was rapidly fading, replaced by two fiercely Burning, dazzlingly eerie clusters of ruby-red—scarlet!
"Actually..."
Xiao Bai's voice became cold and unfamiliar, tinged with deliberately manufactured greed and malice.
"I have always coveted your eyes!"
She stroked her newly acquired eyes, which glowed with a bloody radiance, and a cruel arc formed at the corner of her mouth.
"Now, I finally have the chance to make them mine! Heheheh..."
"Aah!!!"
The immense shock, the fear of betrayal, and the terrifyingly unfamiliar look in the person before her instantly shattered the Perfect Miss's last psychological defense!
She let out a scream of extreme terror, as if seeing the most horrifying nightmare, turned, and stumbled away, running frantically and tearfully toward the endless darkness outside the village!
She didn't even care about the direction, wanting only to flee far away from this place that had devoured everything beautiful!
Xiao Bai stood cold-faced in place, watching the small, cloaked figure stagger and finally disappear into the darkness outside the village.
Her fists were clenched tightly at her sides, her nails digging deep into her palms.
"Hurry and go... this place no longer needs you..."
"Goodbye... 'Perfect Miss'..."
She whispered her farewell in a voice only she could hear.
In that voice, there was none of the malice she had just performed, only endless exhaustion and... a hint of relief.
Then, she slowly turned around, facing Linda and a large group of villagers armed with torches and weapons who were rushing over upon hearing the noise.
The corner of her mouth once again curved into that mad, desperate smile.
Alright, now... in everyone's eyes.
The "Perfect Miss" has fled in terror.
And the one who remained is the unforgivable Witch who stole the "Perfect" eyes.
"The Witch is there! Catch her!"
"Her eyes changed! She is indeed an evil Witch!"
"Kill her! Avenge the village!"
Linda's screams and the villagers' roars rushed toward her.
Xiao Bai slowly opened her arms, as if to embrace her final destiny.
Whether it was the innocent and kind Perfect Miss, or me, this cursed Witch... after tonight, neither will exist.
She murmured internally, her gaze seemingly piercing the crowd, following the fleeing figure.
Run quickly, my only friend... run to the ends of the earth, run to the edge of the world, never come back, forget me, forget the 'Perfect Miss,' forget everything here... To be hated, scorned, and burned by the world... this was always the Witch's fate... I don't beg for your understanding... I only hope that you... must live well... Flames shot up behind her, painting her lonely figure with a tragic and magnificent golden outline.
She smiled, a smile containing the relief of giving up everything, and the ultimate "perfect" ending achieved by sacrificing herself for another person's freedom.
——————
"Xiao Bai... Xiao Bai..."
The Perfect Miss knelt weakly on the cold grass, having fled the village's firelight but unable to flee the intense pain in her heart.
Tears silently streamed down, mixing with the dust on her face, leaving messy streaks.
She didn't understand why her best friend would suddenly show such greedy, unfamiliar eyes, or why that protection would instantly turn into a blade of betrayal.
She tightly gripped the cold Silver Key in her hand; it was the only relic of Xiao Bai's mother, and the last link between them.
The world seemed to have lost all its color, and the motivation to live faded with it.
Just then, a steady and strange set of footsteps sounded from behind—it wasn't the light pace of a human, but rather the sound of heavy, armored hooves treading across the grass.
The Perfect Miss was unresponsive, still immersed in profound grief, numb to everything around her.
A distinctly non-human foot stepped into her lowered line of sight, flattening several blades of grass covered in night dew.
A strange voice spoke, deep and hoarse, seeming to mix the roar of a beast with the friction of metal: "Are you giving up just like that? Giving up the second life that your dearest friend bought for you with 'betrayal' and sacrifice?"
The Perfect Miss suddenly raised her head. Through her tear-filled eyes, she saw a tall figure.
He wore a Wooden Mask, and the skin visible beneath it was covered with fine blue patterns. His entire body exuded a faint mist and pressure—
It was Elliot, but at this moment, he completely lacked his usual flightiness and chuunibyou tendencies; instead, he possessed a deep-sea-like calm and powerful presence.
He extended his armored hand toward the Perfect Miss: "Your dearest friend sacrificed everything for you, even letting you misunderstand and hate her... just so you could live."
His gaze fell upon the Silver Key that the Perfect Miss still desperately clutched in her hand even in her breakdown, and his tone softened slightly: "But deep down, you never truly believed in that 'betrayal,' did you?"
"Xiao Bai!"
The Perfect Miss was struck as if by lightning, instantly awakening from the mire of despair!
Her dearest friend's final mad and unfamiliar gaze, her cold words, and her previous reckless rescue clashed wildly in her mind!
She suddenly knelt before Elliot, grasping his cold armor as if holding onto her last lifeline, her voice shattered by tears: "Please! Sir! Please save Xiao Bai! Whatever the cost! I beg you!"
"Of course, I will save her."
Elliot's voice was unwavering.
"And you, too, must pay the corresponding price."
"What price? I agree to anything! As long as Xiao Bai survives!"
The Perfect Miss shouted without hesitation, her eyes filled with determination.
"When the time comes... you will naturally know."
Elliot's voice carried a hint of inscrutable mystery.
Meanwhile, in the center of the village square.
Xiao Bai was tightly bound with rough hemp ropes to a tall wooden stake, and dry firewood was piled at her feet.
Linda held a torch, a cruel and excited smile on her face, surrounded by villagers driven by anger and fear.
"Burn the witch!"
"Rid the village of evil!"
"Make her pay the price for the great fire!"
Shouts rose and fell continuously.
Xiao Bai calmly closed her eyes, accepting the inevitable outcome.
She had no regrets; as long as Xiao Mei could leave safely... that was enough.
Just as Linda was grinning viciously and about to throw the torch onto the pyre—
Whoosh—
A strange, refreshing breeze carrying the scent of salty sea air swept across the square!
The next second, Xiao Bai vanished into thin air from the stake!
"What's going on?! Where is she?! Where did the witch go!"
Linda's smile froze on her face, replaced by a shriek of exasperation!
"Ah—!!"
A guard beside her suddenly let out a miserable scream! Everyone watched in horror as an inhuman arm, covered in azure patterns and sharp claws, reached out like a phantom from the shadows, instantly piercing his chest!
When the arm retracted, its claw tightly clutched a heart that was still faintly beating!
Jesse's figure appeared like a gust of wind. He casually crushed the heart, shook off the bloodstains, and steadily held Xiao Bai, who was still in a state of complete bewilderment after being rescued from the stake.
He gently placed Xiao Bai in a safe corner, drew the short knife from his waist, its blade glowing with a faint green light under the firelight.
"You... what kind of monster are you!"
Linda retreated in extreme terror, her voice trembling.
"Monster?"
Jesse's voice was icy cold. He approached Linda, who was slumped on the ground, step by step, blood dripping from the short knife onto the earth.
"We are not monsters... You, who would burn a child to death out of self-interest and fear... are the real monsters!"
"Quick! Kill him! Kill this monster!"
Linda screamed hysterically at the surrounding guards.
But when she turned her head, she realized in despair—in just these few breaths, a large number of guards and radical villagers on the square had already fallen!
Zane carried his massive hammer wreathed in violent lightning, its head smeared with red and white substances. He expressionlessly surveyed the survivors, his gaze like that fixed upon a colony of ants.
Matt's massive figure was like a God descending upon the world. He casually picked up a guard who tried to attack him, like picking up a chick, and then effortlessly crushed his skull, making a sickening crunching sound.
He cracked his thick fingers, making a clicking sound, and locked his gaze onto Linda.
"Don't you just love 'capital punishment'?"
Jesse's voice pulled Linda back to reality. He suddenly raised his foot and stomped down hard!
"Click!"
A sickening sound of bone cracking rang out!
"Ah—! My leg!"
Linda let out a pig-slaughtering shriek!
Jesse showed no mercy. He grabbed the screaming Linda like a bag of trash, swung his arm, and precisely tossed her into the pile of already lit firewood that she had prepared for Xiao Bai!
"No! Don't! Help! Ah—!!"
Linda's screams were instantly swallowed by the flames. She struggled and rolled frantically in the fire, eventually turning into a twisted, Burning ball of fire, gradually ceasing to move.
The three men watched all of this coldly until the flames completely consumed the sin.
Then, their gazes unanimously turned toward Xiao Bai, who was cornered, pale as paper, and trying to sneak away amidst the chaos.
Xiao Bai's body instantly stiffened. She felt the three gazes, which were almost palpable, filled with an indescribable sense of oppression.
She closed her eyes in despair, having already imagined a hundred ways she might die.
Just then, Elliot walked into the square, accompanied by the Perfect Miss.
When Xiao Bai saw the Perfect Miss, safe and sound, her face streaked with anxious tears, the cold mask she had been forcing herself to wear instantly shattered!
"Xiao Mei! Why did you come back! You idiot!"
Xiao Bai shouted, filled with urgency and anger, her voice catching with tears.
"Xiao Bai! You big liar!"
The Perfect Miss cried out, rushed over, and tightly embraced Xiao Bai.
"I'll never believe your words again! Never again!"
Xiao Bai froze for a moment. Feeling the real warmth and trembling in her arms, her tightly wound nerves finally snapped. She hugged the Perfect Miss back tightly, tears silently streaming down her face.
After a long time, the Perfect Miss finally let go of Xiao Bai, turned toward the quartet, and bowed deeply: "Thank you! Thank you for saving Xiao Bai!"
"No need for thanks."
Elliot waved his hand, his tone returning to his usual hint of playfulness.
"We said you would have to pay a price."
These words struck like thunder, instantly causing Xiao Bai's expression to change drastically!
"What?! Xiao Mei! What price did you agree to pay them?!"
Xiao Bai grabbed the Perfect Miss's shoulders in panic and demanded.
"I... I don't know..."
The Perfect Miss shook her head blankly.
"You super idiot!"
Xiao Bai, both angry and anxious, pulled the Perfect Miss behind her, shielding her with her small body. Although she was trembling with fear, she still stubbornly shouted at the quartet: "Don't touch her! Whatever the price is, come at me!"
"Xiao Bai!"
The Perfect Miss anxiously tried to pull her back.
"Oh? You said that yourself, you know~"
the quartet exchanged glances, and extremely mischievous smiles simultaneously appeared on their faces as they drew out their words.
"No! Please! Don't hurt Xiao Bai!"
Tears welled up again in the Perfect Miss's eyes from distress.
Just at this tense moment—
Jesse's figure flickered like a gentle breeze, instantly disappearing from his spot and instantly reappearing.
Only, he now held a strangely shaped camera, and Xiao Bai and the Perfect Miss's posture... had changed: Xiao Bai was holding the Perfect Miss in a perfectly standard Princess Carry. The Perfect Miss, who was wearing a beautiful Princess Dress and a Wreath woven from fresh flowers on her head, had instinctively wrapped her arms around Xiao Bai's neck because of the sudden lift!
"Perfect! Click!"
Jesse smugly pressed the shutter, and an instant photo was ejected.
Holding the photo, he and Zane, Elliot, and Matt, who had gathered around, began commenting with great relish: "Tsk tsk, look at the composition! The lighting! The expression! Absolutely amazing!"
Xiao Bai: "..."
She stiffly and carefully put the Perfect Miss down, her expression shifting from readiness for death to complete collapse and utter bewilderment.
"This... is... the price?"
She felt her tragic declaration of sacrifice just now made her look like a complete clown.
The Perfect Miss was completely red-faced, head bowed, twisting the corner of her dress with her fingers, utterly daring not to look at Xiao Bai.
"Well, we've also received the 'Reward' we wanted. Here, this is for you!"
Zane tossed a Chess Piece carved with the image of an exquisite blue-haired girl to Xiao Bai, as if casually throwing a piece of candy.
Xiao Bai subconsciously caught it. The Chess Piece felt warm and smooth to the touch, containing a strange power.
"If you encounter danger, activate her with your mind!"
Matt added in a deep, booming voice, like muffled thunder.
"Farewell, 'Perfect' Miss! And 'End' Miss!"
Elliot grinned and waved vigorously at the two girls.
A huge, complex Teleportation Magic Array lit up beneath the quartet's feet.
"Wait! The price you mentioned... was it really just a photo?"
Xiao Bai couldn't help but shout, blushing, her emotions extremely complicated.
the quartet exchanged glances, then suddenly burst into a hearty (and slightly silly) fit of laughter:
"Of course not! The price you truly paid, what we truly wanted..."
Elliot's voice came through the light of the magic array, carrying an unprecedented seriousness and warmth:
"Was simply... a truly 'Perfect' ending to your story!"
With a flash of light, the quartet vanished without a trace, leaving behind the ravaged square and the two girls who stared at each other as if they had woken from a dream.
Xiao Bai tightly clutched the Chess Piece and the photo, staring blankly at the place where the four had vanished. After a long time, she suddenly turned around and forcefully hugged the Perfect Miss, her voice choked: "That's wonderful... Idiot Xiao Mei... We're both still alive..."
The Perfect Miss didn't speak; she just smiled, hugging her back tightly and gently patting her back.
It took a while for the two of them to calm down slightly from their intense emotions.
Xiao Bai looked at the surrounding burnt ruins and the empty, silent village, sighing: "Now what? Everything is gone... We're going to starve..."
"How about... we try that?"
The Perfect Miss pointed to the Chess Piece in Xiao Bai's hand, her eyes filled with curiosity and a hint of hope.
"...Alright, let's try it."
Xiao Bai took a deep breath, concentrated, and tried to transmit her thoughts to the Chess Piece named "Rimuru Tempest."
The Chess Piece warmed slightly, emitting a soft blue light... One week later.
Inside the newly constructed, otherworldly-styled Royal Palace of the Monster Federation.
Xiao Bai and the Perfect Miss wore splendid and exquisite gowns, their faces still showing a trace of daze and disbelief, as they accepted the respectful title of "Your Highness the Princess" from the monsters.
Meanwhile, the instigator, the Great Demon Lord (tentative) Rimuru, in his true form as a Blue Slime, nestled contentedly and relaxed in the soft, warm embrace of the Perfect Miss, making comfortable "punyu punyu" sounds, as if he had found the most perfect cushion in the world.
(Rimuru: (:з」∠) Ah~ Being a Mascot Demon Lord who doesn't have to manage things, and having a cute girl as a Hug Pillow, this Transmigration Benefit is truly awesome!)
Xiao Bai looked at the harmonious (?) scene before her, then at the photo left by the quartet in her hand, which recorded their "price." Finally, she smiled helplessly and took the Perfect Miss's hand.
Regardless of what lay ahead, at least for this moment, they were together and had a brand new, hopeful start.
Perhaps this was the "Perfect" story the four strange "Hilichurl" had spoken of.