Xaya walked over to Anlina, who was lying on the ground with an expression of despair, and disdainfully tossed aside the fainted Nightmare Butterfly.
He then crouched down and began feeling around her neck, moving past her ample evil-looking chest and stomach. Finally, he found his target within a hidden compartment in her waist-area clothing.
It was a small stone carving, depicting a twisted beast's head. Occasionally, a faint, intangible aura of decay and death seeped from it. This aura was one Xaya knew well—it was definitely a tainted object, corrupted by the aura of an evil god.
Xaya examined the stone carving for a moment before placing it in a secret silver box that he had prepared earlier, where the corrupting aura was effectively contained.
"Next time, remember this—if you're going to use your imagination, at least pick the right person," he said, a hint of mockery in his tone. "Though, given your crimes, the best outcome for you would probably be spending the rest of your life in the Black Iron City prison under the jurisdiction of the Overseer Bureau. So there won't be any next time for you to use that trick again."
"Ha, you're nothing more than a selfish bounty hunter, yet you still insist on putting on a facade of superiority," Xaya continued. "You had the power to control the situation, but you let me kill that young man in the beginning just for a bit of bounty."
Anlina seemed to regain some consciousness, her body still limp on the ground. A mocking smile appeared on her face as she seemed to realize her inevitable fate. Her once-beautiful features twisted with hatred and loathing.
However, Xaya remained indifferent.
"Although I won't deny that I'm selfish," Xaya said, carefully closing the silver box and tucking it close to his body, "There's one thing you seem to have misunderstood."
He stood up, looking down at Anlina, who had fallen prey to the temptation of the evil god's power.
"When I take on a mission, causing innocent casualties leads to a deduction in my bounty," Xaya added. "And as a selfish person, I value my own life highly."
"To think I would rush out and fight head-on without summoning a beast—that's the kind of strategy you'd find in the Knight Academy, with those reckless brutes. I'm not one of those guys whose brains are full of muscle."
He gazed at Anlina, his voice becoming cold and indifferent.
"So—"
"When did you start thinking that I didn't use Kyōka Suigetsu?"
His words, now tinged with indifference, caused Anlina's body to freeze in place.
The next moment, the silver moon outside the window suddenly became unbelievably bright, its clarity and radiance blinding. In an instant, it seemed as if some magical force was pulling all of Anlina's attention toward it, occupying her every thought.
On the surface of the moon, three blood-red crescent-like patterns began to swirl, constantly growing larger.
Anlina suddenly snapped back to herself, only to realize that she was still lying on the floor, drenched in sweat, as if she had just woken up from a nightmare.
Xaya stood before her, calmly watching her with his steady gaze.
The only difference was that, somehow, a small white figure had appeared on his shoulder. It was a cute snow ferret, its silver fur smooth like silk, reminiscent of the sacred snow mountains of the far north.
The little snow ferret lay on Xaya's left shoulder, its blood-red eyes glimmering as three crescent-shaped red marks slowly faded away.
Was that... his beast?
It looked no different from a decorative pet, and certainly didn't seem like a powerful fighter.
Had she really been defeated by such an unassuming Beastmaster?
When Anlina shifted her gaze from the snow ferret to her surroundings, her eyes froze completely.
Behind Xaya, the people who should have died after drinking poisoned wine were still sitting in their seats, looking at Xaya and Anlina with confusion. Even the person Anlina had killed with a dagger earlier stood, unscathed, looking at her with disbelief.
The people were witnessing their beloved angel transform into a devil who killed without mercy. The sudden collapse of her image was a crushing blow to those who had admired her.
Xaya, seemingly indifferent to the chaos around him, spoke calmly, "Thanks for your hard work, Silver."
He reached out to gently stroke the little snow ferret, "Silver"—who lazily closed its eyes in pleasure while rubbing its fluffy tail around Xaya's neck.
After a few moments of playful interaction, Xaya turned to face the confused group in the hall.
"I'll take her to the Oversight Bureau's branch in the city center," he said. "As for you, don't worry."
"Once the Bureau's hounds finish their interrogation, you'll probably be free. Given that you all have the qualifications of apprentice Beastmasters, the officials should make proper arrangements for you."
"Whether you join the military as reserves, enjoy an imperial stipend, or get accepted by one of the local extraordinary academies in Reza City, those are all good options considering your current situation."
"Now, it's time to wrap things up."
Xaya yawned, removed his coat from the back of a chair, straightened it out, and draped it over his shoulders.
Just as Xaya finished speaking, Anlina, still in shock, suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of drowsiness.
Even with her mid-level Beastmaster mental power, she couldn't resist the rapid spread of exhaustion.
"I almost forgot to mention," Xaya said with a grin, his voice tinged with irony. "My main beast also excels at illusions."
Before she was completely consumed by the encroaching darkness, Anlina saw Xaya make a subtle hand gesture in front of her.
"And its illusion, 'Tsukuyomi,' is probably... a tiny bit more advanced than your ugly butterfly's."
With that, darkness consumed her completely.