Chương 4: Xia

The following morning, Felicity slowly opened her eyes. For a moment she remained still, then looked around: the room was simple, illuminated by a pale light filtering through the window. On a chair not far from the bed, Leah was asleep in a sitting position, her head drooping forward from exhaustion. Felicity tried to get up. A sudden stab of pain shot through her stomach, and she clenched her teeth to keep from groaning.

She lifted her haori and noticed the tight bandages wrapped around her abdomen, clean and carefully done. Leah woke almost immediately and, seeing her conscious, smiled in relief.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"The bounty hunter…where is he?"

"He's gone. When he regained consciousness, he tried to enter the inn, but they wouldn't let him".

"Who?"

"A strange woman. Very tall, with extremely long black hair. She's the one who treated your wounds". Felicity slowly climbed out of bed, ignoring the pain.

"Wait, you should stay and rest", Leah said worriedly.

"I'm fine", she replied curtly. She went downstairs. She noticed the woman immediately. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. The woman sat alone, composed, as though she did not belong in that place. Her black hair fell down her back, and her eyes, the same dark color, were deep and unreadable. She wore a dark blue kimono and wooden geta sandals.

Her skin was pale, and she was very tall, around one meter ninety, with an elegant posture and a voluptuous chest that contrasted with her absolute calmness. Beside her, resting against the table, was an extremely thin sword. When her gaze met Felicity's, the woman gave a faint smile.

"You should rest", she said calmly.

"Or you risk reopening the wound". Felicity looked at the blade beside her.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"And why didn't that bounty hunter have the courage to face you?" The woman tilted her head slightly.

"Straight to the questions, hm? My name is Xia. I'm not from these lands".

"You didn't answer the second question".

"That hunter had been injured by your friend" Xia explained.

"He could barely stand. He didn't want to risk a fight with me". Felicity remained silent. The answer did not completely convince her.

"I don't know why you saved me", she finally said, "but don't expect me to feel indebted to you. This is the first and last time we see each other". She turned and walked out of the inn, heading toward the horse.

"Wait!" Leah shouted, running after her.

"You're not seriously going to leave me here alone?!" Felicity mounted the horse.

"You can work at that inn. You'll be safe there". Leah stepped closer.

"And what if someone recognizes me? What if they exploit me instead?"

"Those aren't my problems", Felicity replied coldly.

"The only advice I can give you is to become stronger". Then she spurred the horse forward and rode away, leaving Leah behind. Meanwhile, Lucas Morte had gathered other bounty hunters. Four men, willing to do anything for a few crowns.

"I still don't understand why you didn't finish the job", one of them said.

"The demon was unconscious. You could've gone in and killed her". Lucas stroked his mustache.

"I already told you. A very tall woman stopped me".

"And you got scared of a woman?" another laughed.

"Are you serious?" Lucas narrowed his eyes.

"She wasn't an ordinary woman. She was a swordswoman. And there was something about her…an absolute calmness. My body felt a sense of pure unease. As if it were warning me to stay away from her". The others burst into laughter.

"Coward" one of them said.

"Still, I'm in. I'll help you kill that demon, as long as the payment is split evenly". The other three nodded as well. Lucas smiled.

"Don't worry. The crowns are all yours. There's only one thing I care about: personally delivering that head to the King".