Chapter 79: A Party of Villains? No, a Party of Pink-Hairs.

Approaching the gates of Lion City, the sense of scale shifted from impressive to oppressive. What seemed grand from a distance now loomed over them, a crushing weight of stone and history. The main archway soared a full fifteen meters into the air, its surface a mix of carved reliefs depicting roaring lions and crossed swords. The deep grooves of time-worn erosion were cross-hatched with the fresh, sharp scars of recent battles, a silent proof of the blood and fire this frontier fortress had endured.

Beneath the monumental gate, the temporary recruitment station was a pitifully crude affair. A few creaking wooden tables had been haphazardly pushed together, and behind them sat three officers in worn armor, their expressions of bored indifference making them seem like extensions of the stone wall at their backs.

There wasn’t much of a line. The few people waiting were dusty, travel-worn adventurers, but their eyes burned with the greedy fire of those hoping to cash in on the fortunes of war.

“Name, class, level. Any prior military service?”

When it was Celeste’s party’s turn, the young officer tasked with registration didn’t even bother to look up. The quill in his hand hovered over a sheet of parchment as he rattled off the questions with mechanical disinterest.

“Celeste, Level 22 Priest.”

“Selene, Level 22 Paladin.”

“Su Wan, Level 23 Ice Mage.”

“Xia Lian, Level 22 Ranger.”

Snap.

The crisp sound of the quill’s tip breaking echoed in the quiet. A small, dark droplet of ink spattered across the clean parchment.

The young officer’s head shot up. His gaze darted across the four young women, each with a vastly different aura, before finally locking onto the two priestess sisters, Celeste and Selene. His eyebrows shot up to an almost comical height.

“A priest, a paladin, a mage, and a ranger?”

The commotion drew the attention of the middle-aged officer sitting in the center. As he turned, a hideous scar that snaked from his brow bone all the way to his chin twisted with the movement. His eyes were sharp, predatory, like a butcher sizing up livestock.

“A very standard squad configuration,” the scarred officer rumbled, his voice a gravelly rasp, like a broken bellows being forced to work. “And two holy practitioners… you’ve got both healing and protection covered. Where are you from?”

“A small town up north,” Celeste replied, her expression placid. She met his gaze without flinching, completely unfazed by the scar that could make a child burst into tears. “Heard the front line was short on people, so we came to see if we could help.”

The scarred officer’s scrutinizing gaze raked over them, lingering for an extra half-second on the complex, shimmering ice crystal patterns embroidered on Su Wan’s mage robes, and then on the heavy shield in Selene’s hand that practically screamed ‘expensive’.

He gave a slow, deliberate nod. “Alright. With a composition like yours, the front-line headquarters will be happy to have you.”

He pulled out a piece of parchment stamped with a scarlet wax seal, scrawled a few lines on it with bold, sweeping strokes, and handed it to Celeste.

“Take this to the quartermaster’s office in the west district. You’ll collect your supplies and temporary identity badges there.”

“Tomorrow morning, a convoy will be heading to the northern front. You’ll be on it, destination: Frostmark Fortress.”

“Once you arrive, report to Commander Rodney. He’ll give you your specific assignments.”

The young officer, having recovered his composure, hurriedly added, “A word of warning—the roads haven’t been safe lately. We haven’t spotted any Elven rangers, but there have been… other things active out there. Be careful.”

Celeste took the parchment and offered a simple word of thanks.

As the four of them turned to leave, she distinctly heard the scarred officer mutter to the man beside him.

“Two holy practitioners… let’s hope their faith is strong enough to keep them alive until they reach the fortress.”

…

By the time they had collected their supplies from the quartermaster, dusk had already settled over the city. The temporary dormitory they were assigned was a large, shared room. It was spartan, but at least it was reasonably clean. For now, in a space that could easily accommodate eight, the four of them were the only occupants.

“Did you guys get the feeling that officer was trying to tell us something more?” Selene asked in a low voice, her words slightly muffled as she inspected the standard-issue plate armor she’d just received. “‘Other things’… you don’t think he meant those monsters with the twisted aesthetics, like the Kobolds, do you?”

At the mention of them, Xia Lian visibly shuddered and subconsciously reached up to touch her hair—thankfully, it wasn’t pink.

Su Wan, who had been sitting on the edge of her cot carefully wiping the crystal tip of her staff with a soft cloth, looked up. “Domain rules don’t repeat. But for him to give us a specific warning, it means the danger level is significant.”

Celeste wasn’t part of their discussion. Her gaze was fixed on the temporary identity badge resting in her palm. It was cold, hard iron. The front was emblazoned with a blue-enameled background and a golden lion sigil, while the back was engraved with her name and a serial number.

It was all too familiar. The style, the craftsmanship, even the deliberately weathered edges… it was an exact replica of the one from her Remembrance.

‘…Sister?’ Selene’s voice cut through her thoughts. Noticing her silence, she had leaned in closer.

“It’s nothing.” Celeste snapped back to the present. With a single, crisp motion, she pinned the badge to her collar, treating it as if it were just another ordinary accessory. “Get some rest. We have a long journey tomorrow.”

Su Wan walked to the window, gazing out at the sky as it bled into twilight. She turned back to the others. “I’m going to use magic to conjure some clean water for a quick wash. Do any of you need some?”

When she spoke, her ice-blue eyes were as cool and distant as ever, as if she were merely stating an established fact.

“Wait,” Celeste called out, stopping her.

Su Wan turned, a hint of inquiry in her gaze.

Celeste lazily raised a hand, waving it casually toward herself and her sister. “Don’t go to all that trouble.” A grin touched her lips. “Cleansing Spell!”

Two halos of pink-purple light descended from above, washing over them like gentle streams of water. In an instant, all the dust from the road, the dried bloodstains from past skirmishes, and the sticky feeling of sweat vanished completely. Their clothes were suddenly clean and neat, even carrying a fresh warmth, as if they had just been taken down from a sun-drenched clothesline.

Immediately after, Celeste snapped her fingers, her smile turning mischievous. “And it comes with a complimentary hair-dyeing service.”

The moment the pink-purple light dissipated, Selene’s short, jet-black hair transformed into a brilliant, beautiful pink, glowing softly in the dim dormitory.

“Sister! You could have given me a heads-up!” Selene exclaimed, touching her new pink locks, caught somewhere between laughter and exasperation.

“You’d have to use it sooner or later anyway,” Celeste said, turning her grin to the other two. “You two want to try? Professional priest services, now online. Cleansing, skincare, and hairstyling, all-in-one package. Free trial offer.”

Xia Lian glanced at Selene’s surprisingly pretty pink hair, then at Celeste’s teasing expression. She was clearly tempted.

“This… how long will it last?”

“Ten minutes.”

“Then… then I’ll try it too!” Xia Lian decided, her voice firming with resolve.

The halo descended, and soon she too was sporting a head of soft pink hair, which made her usually shy face look even more adorable.

Now, only Su Wan remained. She stood frozen in place, a rare look of conflict on her face. The strict, rigid education she had endured since childhood made her instinctively recoil from something so… flashy. But deep in her heart, a small, rebellious part of her that had been suppressed for years was now frantically rattling its cage, screaming at the top of its lungs: Try it! It’s just for ten minutes! Just try it!

She looked at the three pink-haired young women in the room. In the dim light, their smiles seemed exceptionally bright, exceptionally free. It was a kind of wanton, unrestrained happiness she had never experienced.

“Will… will anyone see?” Su Wan finally asked, her voice laced with a nervous anticipation she didn’t even realize was there.

“Don’t worry, we’re in the dorm. Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, and I know,” Celeste coaxed, her tone like that of a sly witch offering a lollipop to a well-behaved child.

Su Wan bit her lower lip, her pearly teeth pressing into the soft skin as if she were making a life-altering decision. Finally, she gave a nearly imperceptible nod. “Okay.”

The halo fell. The ice beauty’s waterfall of long black hair was instantly dyed a gorgeous shade of pink. Miraculously, the soft color seemed to neutralize the cold, aloof aura that usually kept others at a distance, casting a dreamy, gentle beauty over her entire being. She just stood there, a cherry blossom blooming quietly in a world of ice and snow.

Four pink heads huddled together, looking at each other.

“Pfft—”

It was impossible to tell who laughed first, but that single sound lit a fuse.

“Hahaha!”

“Su Wan, you look… you look so good like this!”

“Xia Lian, don’t cover your face! Let me see!”

Su Wan stared at the completely unfamiliar reflection of herself in the polished surface of a nearby shield, watching her companions laugh so hard they were swaying. The perpetually tight line of her lips, a feature she’d had for as long as she could remember, finally trembled and curved slowly upward into an arc that felt utterly foreign.

The laughter in the dormitory gradually subsided as the brilliant pink faded away like a receding tide. Ten minutes were up. Their hair had returned to its original color.

Su Wan subconsciously touched her long, black hair, her fingertips seeming to retain a phantom warmth, a fleeting sense of unreality. She glanced at Celeste, whose smile hadn’t quite faded. In the depths of Su Wan’s ice-blue eyes, a solid glacier was quietly beginning to melt, shattering into tiny, shimmering specks of light.

“Alright, fun’s over. Time to rest.” Celeste clapped her hands and stood up, her demeanor calm and composed once more, as if the witch who had just instigated a “hair-dyeing party” was a figment of their collective imagination. Just like that, she was back to being their unflappable captain, the one who handled everything with ease.

Xia Lian and Selene also reined in their smiles, and the atmosphere returned to normal. Only Su Wan remained standing where she was, as if savoring the aftertaste of the moment.

“Tomorrow,” Selene asked, her tone serious again, “are we still continuing with the mission?”

“Of course,” Celeste’s voice was firm, certain. “We don’t have any other clues for now. But remember our primary goal: find the core, purify the Domain. We are not here to play saviors for this kingdom.”

[Elysian’s Note:

Having a good time with the story?

Every single bit helps immensely:

Thanks a ton for making this journey possible!]