"Thank you both again for today."
Bowing politely to the two women in front of her, Lorena smiled.
"Don't be so formal, Lorena—we're already friends, aren't we? Aahh, you're just too cute!"
As she spoke, the black-haired woman with a long ponytail suddenly lunged forward and wrapped Lorena tightly in a hug.
"Lorena, why don't you just team up with us instead? That bastard Andy ran off to hang around with that guy who fights in his underwear again! It pisses me off! What's so great about men anyway? They're all fickle and cold-blooded! It's still better to be with you—you're cute, you're obedient! That's it, I've decided! You're joining our team, and together we're gonna go beat up those smelly men!"
"Ahahaha…"
Lorena, trapped in the woman's arms, smiled helplessly. The blonde woman beside them could only shake her head in exasperation.
"Alright, alright, Mai, stop clinging to her. Didn't Lorena say she already has a team?"
"Yes, Miss King, Miss Mai, I'm really sorry…"
"But—but—!"
"Enough already. If you keep pestering her like this, you'll only cause trouble. Come on, let's go. She's still just a child. I'll take you out for a drink—you can forget all the annoying things."
Dragging Mai by the collar, KING hauled her away, though Mai still managed to wave energetically at Lorena.
"Registration hasn't started yet anyway—we'll be waiting for you, Lorena!"
Watching the two leave, Lorena sighed with a wry smile, then turned and walked toward the other side of the street.
It was now dusk. The city glowed brilliantly under the evening lights. Cars and people filled the streets in an endless flow. Walking through the lively city, Lorena felt relaxed and content. No matter where she was, she always loved bustling, lively streets. To her, they represented peace, stability, and prosperity—and as a priestess, nothing brought her more joy.
And… this city suited her taste perfectly.
Lorena wasn't a battle maniac. She liked training, and she liked sparring, but private fights were strictly forbidden in the Holy City. And when external threats appeared, the paladins were always the first to intervene—someone like Lorena rarely had opportunities to fight.
After following Duanmu Huai, Lorena finally experienced plenty of battles. She didn't mind smashing an enemy's head when necessary, but… she preferred healthier kinds of fights.
So the moment Duanmu Huai brought her into Duel City, Lorena liked the place instantly.
There were plenty of fighters here, and nobody died from matches. People exchanged training methods daily, and everything here benefited Lorena greatly. By coincidence, she even became good friends with KING and Mai Shiranui—two female fighters who were planning to form an all-women team. Since they were looking for strong female members, Lorena naturally became a candidate in Mai's eyes.
Had Lorena come alone, she definitely would have said yes—but she understood why Duanmu Huai had summoned her here, so she had to decline.
"Hmm… Sir Knight said his new home should be somewhere around here…"
Checking the route displayed on her terminal, Lorena arrived at an apartment and pressed the doorbell. Soon, Duanmu Huai's voice came through.
"Who is it?"
"Ah, Sir Knight, it's Lorena."
"Oh, come in."
The door opened, and Lorena stepped inside.
"Sir Knight, I came to—eh?"
Just as Lorena walked in, she unexpectedly spotted a blue-haired girl hiding at the corner of a wall, peeking at her. As soon as the girl noticed Lorena's gaze, she darted into the interior room like a startled cat.
"Sir Knight, that girl is…?"
Puzzled, Lorena looked back at Duanmu Huai. He simply shrugged helplessly.
"Just think of her as a stray kitten I picked up."
"A… kitten??"
Duanmu wasn't exaggerating. It was basically the truth. After he impulsively bought Kula an ice cream, the girl had quietly followed him all the way home—just like how feeding a stray cat a sausage once could get you permanently adopted by it.
What else could he do? He could only bring the stray cat home.
Honestly, the girl really did behave like a cat. After he brought her back, she kept hiding and peeking around, curiously surveying the unfamiliar environment—just like a wild cat exploring a new home.
"Is she also a fighter?"
Lorena had naturally noticed the golden metal gloves Kula wore—clearly, she was not an ordinary girl.
"She does have some ability, but… forget it."
Duanmu Huai shook his head. He knew Kula's strength very well—basically a low-budget version of Feilin. She could manipulate cold air and freeze people into ice blocks, but that was about it. Against ordinary enemies she could hold her own, but she wasn't qualified to take on real bosses. In the game's NPC power rankings, Kula hovered around the lower middle tier.
Of course… in another ranking, she'd definitely be in the top ten.
But at this moment, Duanmu Huai had no idea what kind of consequences this "adoption" would bring.
Not until a few days later, when someone rang his doorbell again.
Ding dong—
"Who is it?"
Still showering, Duanmu Huai shouted back.
"Kula, go check who it is."
"Mm!"
The blue-haired girl, sitting on the sofa watching cartoons, nodded and ran to the door.
Then… silence.
"Kula?"
Hearing the sudden quiet, Duanmu Huai paused. He turned off the water, dried himself, put on clothes, and walked to the entrance—and there he saw Kula and Olgis standing face to face, staring at each other like two animals sizing each other up.
"Olgis? You're back already?"
Seeing her, Duanmu Huai was a little surprised. He remembered the dollmaker saying it would take ten days—was he scammed?
"Yes, Master. Miss Alice said I've learned all necessary techniques and am fully prepared for the Duel Tournament."
"I see. Then I'll take you to the qualifiers right—"
"I've already passed the qualifiers."
"Oh…"
He didn't know why, but although Olgis's expression was as calm as ever, and her voice just as steady as usual… Duanmu Huai could sense an unusual pressure behind her words.
"Then—"
"Master."
Before he could finish, Olgis cut him off. Only now did Duanmu Huai notice—she wasn't looking at him at all, but staring intensely at Kula. Meanwhile, Kula stared right back like a cat guarding its territory—her metaphorical fur almost bristling.
"Who is she?"
For some reason, Duanmu Huai felt like what she really said was: "Who's this stray cat sneaking into my house?"
…Probably just his imagination.
"Oh, she's Kula. I picked her up off the street. She's staying here for now."
"...…"
Only after hearing his answer did Olgis finally glance at him—then return her gaze to Kula, examining her from head to toe. Her eyes lingered on the metal gloves.
"You're also a fighter?"
"… …"
Kula glared warily and nodded.
"Then let's fight."
"Hey… Olgis?"
Duanmu Huai attempted to say something, but Olgis interrupted again.
"Master must also want to know what I learned from Miss Alice."
…Now I really do want to know what that dollmaker taught you.
Seeing the suddenly tense atmosphere—and the unusually assertive Olgis—Duanmu Huai was speechless. She didn't learn anything weird… right?
"Mm!"
Before he could stop anything, Kula nodded firmly.
This was the first time Duanmu Huai had seen her look so motivated about something unrelated to food or cartoons.
"Ay…"
Duanmu Huai sighed helplessly at the two girls.
"If you're going to fight, do it outside."
At this point, there was nothing left to say.
"Um… so Kula is really going to fight Miss Olgis?"
Standing by the roadside, Lorena watched the two girls and asked curiously. Duanmu Huai nodded.
"Yeah. No idea why they decided to fight. Whatever—it's not like anyone will die. I'm just curious to see what Olgis learned."
Meanwhile, the match began.
"ROUND ONE! READY—GO!"
The moment the round started, Olgis suddenly spread her arms open. In the next instant, dozens of dolls appeared around her, forming a protective formation like a full army encircling their commander.
"Whoa."
Duanmu Huai whistled in surprise. Even Lorena widened her eyes.
The dolls were about the size of store-bought figurines, but unlike cute dolls, these ones wore iron armor, horned helmets, some wielding dual blades, some carrying spears and shields, others holding bows. They looked like a trained miniature army.
Seeing this, Kula clenched her fists, cold air rising sharply around her hands.
The next moment, she charged straight toward Olgis's advancing doll army without hesitation.
(End of Chapter)