"You're the person the Imperial Army is searching for, right?" The blonde girl had a bright smile on her pretty face.
"How did you know?" Kaguya took a step back, feigning surprise, her body trembling slightly in cooperation.
"I've been watching you for a while," the blonde girl said, hands on her hips, smiling. "Seeing you sneaking around, I suspected you were a wanted criminal."
"Who are you?" Kaguya asked, her voice shaking. "Could it be you're..."
"No, no," the blonde girl waved her hand, saying, "I'm not a bad person. I just wanted to help you since you were being chased."
"Is that so?" Kaguya hesitated, saying, "Thank you."
"You're welcome, you're welcome," the blonde girl said, patting Kaguya on the shoulder. "If you want to repay me, just let me see your face. I'm really curious."
"This..." Kaguya hesitated.
"If you don't want to, it's fine." The blonde girl shrugged, looking indifferent.
Kaguya hesitated for a moment but eventually took off her hood.
"That's more like it; I'm not a bad..."
The blonde girl's voice stopped abruptly. Her eyes widened in astonishment as she looked at the girl in front of her.
Her first thought was that she had never seen such a beautiful girl. For a moment, she was stunned and suddenly understood why the Imperial Army was searching the entire city for her.
"Is that enough?" Kaguya said weakly.
"Yes, yes," the blonde girl nodded, smiling. "No wonder so many people want to catch you. If they did, you'd probably be sold to a brothel. No, that would be too wasteful; you'd probably be sold to some high-ranking official or wealthy merchant, haha."
Seeing the blonde girl laughing heartily, Kaguya twitched her mouth and thought, She seems nice, but she's actually quite cunning.
"By the way," the blonde girl suddenly remembered something and clapped her hands, "I haven't asked who you are and why the Imperial Army is after you."
"I'm the daughter of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Shaoer," Kaguya said, looking sorrowful.
Kaguya had already planned her fake identity as the daughter of Minister Shaoer. Shaoer was an honest and capable minister dissatisfied with the Empire's current policies. He once wrote to the emperor to advise him. Unfortunately, the court was already controlled by the minister, and the emperor had absolute trust in the minister. For opposing current policies and criticizing the minister, he was punished with the brutal "Five Punishments."
Not only that, but his wife and daughter were also killed, suffering great humiliation before their deaths.
Kaguya could use this identity; even if someone wanted to investigate, there would be no evidence.
"That's really unfortunate," the blonde girl said sympathetically. "So what are you going to do now?"
"I don't know," Kaguya said softly, tears welling up in her beautiful eyes.
Kaguya's heart moved. This was the moment she was waiting for.
She intentionally portrayed herself as miserable and alone. Most people would sympathize with such a girl and offer shelter, especially since a girl rarely poses a threat.
"Oh, I see. You should go."
"Thank you—huh?" Kaguya widened her eyes.
This isn't the script, director.
According to her plan, the blonde girl should take her in, allowing her to infiltrate the revolutionary army and gather intelligence. She currently had few subordinates and knew nothing about the situation, so Kaguya had to act herself. Only by thoroughly investigating each faction could she formulate her next plan.
But unexpectedly, the blonde girl didn't take the bait.
Kaguya's autumn-like eyes unconsciously showed disappointment, likely perceived by others as disappointment over not being helped.
"From here, there's a small town over there. You can hire a carriage to the north from there; it's relatively safe, and the Imperial Army hasn't reached there yet," the blonde girl pointed into the distance, then smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I can't accompany you because I have things to do."
"No problem, thank you." Kaguya forced a smile and turned north. Seeing that things weren't going her way, there was no need to linger.
Kaguya was quite sure that the blonde girl was part of the revolutionary army or some force opposing the Empire's rule. She wasn't ordinary; her strength was rare even in the military. She knew the tunnels beneath the capital well, and the tunnel they used was intricately hidden, extending almost to the city's outskirts—something no ordinary person could achieve.
Moreover, the tunnels were a maze, not just one tunnel but many interconnected. Anyone entering recklessly could easily get lost inside.
Also, the tunnel wasn't unlit; it just hadn't been lit, indicating the blonde girl didn't trust Kaguya yet.
"It seems these revolutionary army members are quite vigilant and don't easily trust others. I'll have to think of another way," Kaguya thought as she walked.
Suddenly, a surge of killing intent burst from behind, and a sharp gust of wind rushed toward the back of Kaguya's head.
It was the blonde girl who attacked, swinging her arm, her hand transformed into a claw, viciously reaching for Kaguya.
But Kaguya remained unfazed, as if she hadn't noticed, and continued walking forward without turning around.
Just as the claw was about to grab Kaguya's neck, it suddenly stopped, slowly retracting.
"Wait."
"What is it?" Kaguya seemed unaware of what had just happened. Her expression was unchanged as she turned to see the blonde girl, asking curiously, "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing. I just have some money you can use," the blonde girl said, approaching and handing Kaguya a pouch from her pocket. "This should cover your travel expenses."
"Thank you, you're very kind." Kaguya took the pouch with gratitude, thanking her repeatedly.
"You're welcome, haha." The blonde girl waved her hand with a cheerful laugh, "I'm off, goodbye." She turned and walked away without looking back.
Kaguya hefted the heavy pouch in her hand, watching the blonde girl disappear into the distance, her brow furrowing thoughtfully.
Kaguya's suspicion was correct; the blonde girl was testing her. She had been wary of Kaguya from the start, unsure if she was an Imperial spy, hence the test, and Kaguya wisely refrained from retaliating.
"Beast transformation, huh?" Kaguya smiled, playing with her long hair, a beautiful smile on her face. "It seems I've caught a big fish."