Dong—!
With the sound of the bell echoing through the castle, night fell once more.
Everyone was gathered beside the spatial gate. At the slightest disturbance, they would immediately jump through it.
They waited for a while.
Nothing happened.
There was no sign of Valerius at all, which surprised them.
Last night, the moment darkness fell, Valerius had appeared immediately. Why was he so late tonight?
"Everyone, stay alert," Lumine whispered, subtly taking a few steps backward.
When she successfully positioned herself behind the group, her eyes suddenly turned blood-red, an eerie glimmer flashing within them.
[Yae Miko: Here it comes, here it comes. The spy is making her move.]
[Raiden Ei: Is she using that illusion trick again?]
[Jing Yuan: The spy isn't powerful, but her ability is extremely hard to guard against.]
[Yukong: A very convenient ability indeed… so what does it plan to show them this time?]
[Sunday: Yesterday's rat swarm probably won't work again. This time it'll be something they have to run from.]
[Phantylia: Simple. Just create an illusion of Lord Valerius. They'll run into the spatial gate immediately.]
[Seele: You're that sure?]
[Phantylia: Naturally.]
Although they couldn't possibly defeat Valerius, when it came to manipulating the human mind, Phantylia had full confidence. She could see through tricks like this at a glance.
In her opinion, the spy would inevitably be exposed—but who got exposed would depend on Valerius's plan.
Sure enough, after a short wait, a figure slowly emerged in the distance.
"Who's that?"
Bronya, sharp-eyed as ever, noticed the sudden appearance immediately.
"It's Valerius!" Lumine reacted instantly and waved her hand.
"Itto, block him! Everyone else—into the spatial gate, now!"
"Got it!"
Arataki Itto still had a skill on him. He immediately stepped to the front of the group, ready to unleash Moe Voice Fist the moment the figure moved.
The others quickly passed through the spatial gate, escaping into the storage room.
"Itto, let's go!"
Seeing that everyone had gone through, Lumine called out, then jumped in herself.
As Lumine's figure disappeared, Valerius's silhouette slowly faded away—as if it had never existed.
"Phew… what now?"
Inside the storage room, everyone instinctively looked toward Lumine.
They were beginning to realize just how incredible this Traveler was—always calm at critical moments, issuing commands with perfect clarity.
Thinking for a moment, Lumine spoke again.
"Bronya, is the armory spacious?"
"It's very spacious."
"Good. Let's go there."
Narrow spaces weren't ideal for evasion. Lumine's suggestion was unanimously approved, and the group immediately set off for the armory.
Upon arrival, the place was indeed wide and open, with many crates stacked full of weapons.
Jingliu stepped forward, picked up a sword, and gave it a few test swings before nodding in satisfaction.
Even if the weapon couldn't harm Valerius, having a sword in hand gave her peace of mind.
"Hi~"
Valerius's voice suddenly rang out beside them.
"Hiss—!"
Only then did they realize that Valerius had already been waiting there.
They had walked straight into a trap.
"Move!"
Same tactic as before—Itto blocked the way while the others retreated immediately.
Fortunately—or perhaps deliberately—Valerius didn't pursue them this time. He simply stood there, watching as they fled.
"That's not right…"
As they ran, Firefly heard Lumine muttering beside her.
"Lumine, what's wrong?"
Lumine glanced at her and leaned closer, whispering,
"Something's off. How did Valerius get there so fast?"
"Did he come through the spatial gate too?"
"No." Lumine shook her head.
"I've been watching the gate the entire time. No one came through."
"Then…?"
Firefly was confused. If not through the gate, how could he arrive that quickly?
Suddenly, Lumine's eyes widened. She looked ahead at the others who were still running.
"What is it?"
"Come with me."
Without warning, Lumine grabbed Firefly and quietly slipped into a small side room.
"Lumine?"
Firefly was baffled. Everyone was escaping—why leave the group now?
Huff—
After taking a few deep breaths, Lumine finally spoke.
"There might be someone among us leaking information to Valerius."
"…That can't be…"
"It's very possible."
Lumine's gaze darkened as she explained.
"Think about it. From yesterday onward, hasn't Valerius been able to find us the moment night falls?"
"…Yes."
"Then we moved locations, and he still knew to block the dining hall's back door."
"And this time, we even used spatial transfers—and he still caught up."
"All of this makes it hard not to suspect that someone inside the group is constantly reporting our location."
As Firefly replayed everything in her mind, she froze.
It really did line up exactly as Lumine said.
Which meant… the truth might be exactly what Lumine suspected.
"Then… who do you think it is?"
"I don't know."
Lumine shook her head, then added,
"We'll quietly follow from behind. Don't let anyone notice."
"Alright."
Firefly nodded firmly.
Just you wait, traitor.
This time, we'll catch you.
[Herta: Heh… hehehe… Stellaron Hunters are really this easy to fool.]
[Silver Wolf: This has nothing to do with Firefly. Anyone would fall for this.]
[Seele: Firefly is done for!]
[Furina: Didn't you say Firefly + Lumine = guaranteed win? Cyno, explain yourself!]
[Cyno: ...]
Speechless.
Why weren't things following the script at all?
[Alhaitham: Lumine was left behind—logically speaking, that checks out. Besides, Firefly should be safe for now.]
[Screwllum: Conclusion—Firefly is required to "verify" the traitor, therefore Firefly is temporarily safe.]
[Herta: So then… who exactly is going to get framed as the traitor?]
[Ningguang: I vote Bronya.]
[Serval: Same—Bronya.]
[Seele: …I knew it.]
Everyone knew—Bronya and Valerius's relationship was… ambiguous.
If someone was going to wear the "traitor" label, Bronya was the most likely candidate.
[Sampo: Fast-forward to Firefly vs Bronya!]
[Sparkle: Heehee… love it. Can't wait. ]
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