The heroes looked at one another. Good grief—so, in Ling's eyes, they had all been illusions.
It seemed that before they could persuade her, they first had to help her sort out what was real. Everyone turned to Sakura in unison. Only Ling's sister could handle this; they would be useless.
What a fluffy, soft tail. Zhang Wei's attention was drawn to the furry tail behind Ling. Just looking at it made him want to touch it. It had to feel great—he would have to find an opportunity to pet it someday.
"Ling... I'm sorry. Your sister failed to protect you!"
Tears streamed down Sakura's face as she pulled Ling tightly into her embrace. Her tears dripped onto Ling's still-confused face. Kevin sheathed his greatsword and stood nearby, ready in case anything went wrong.
It felt too smooth. There was no way this Herrscher could be so easy to reason with, so he had to prepare for the worst. The other heroes were also poised to act, ready to strike like thunder at the first sign of trouble.
"...Sister... is it really you?"
Ling could feel Sakura's intense emotions. Her voice was full of disbelief, and her eyes held both hope and unease.
After all, in her understanding, Herrschers were all bad people who loved to deceive others. Her sister had been dead for so long that even her ashes were gone. How could she possibly appear again?
Sakura: Can this little sister still be saved? This is downright filial piety on a grand scale!
"Ling, it's me. Let me tell you something about when you were little!" Sakura thought for a moment. She would mention something personal to prove her identity.
The heroes and Zhang Wei all pricked up their ears. This kind of little gossip was quite interesting