Startle the Snake by Beating the Grass

That night, Xia Lin and the others returned to the Adventurers' Guild, which also served as their temporary intelligence hub.

Seeing their weary expressions, the guildmaster invited them into his office and asked after their progress with concern.

"Any progress?" The guildmaster rubbed his hands together. "I hope you're more reliable than that bunch of adventurers last month who claimed they were going to capture an 'invisible Goblin.'"

"We found some things, but they're all—strange." Xia Lin chose his words carefully, deciding to give a selective report.

He told the guildmaster about the "dream complaints" he had heard from Ruby, the bathhouse prostitute.

"—A valkyrie who constantly flicked her hair, a princess who hummed local nursery rhymes, and an elven Queen who only liked cheap fruit wine." Xia Lin spread his hands. "There's no pattern to these details. They're full of personal, even baffling little habits. But nearly every victim with clear memories mentioned similar flaws."

"What does that prove?" The guildmaster was utterly confused. "Those habits sound more like the everyday quirks of some country girl than a succubus."

"It proves our opponent may have just graduated from an Abyss training class and hasn't gotten her official license yet." Xia Lin stopped there.

He did not direct suspicion toward anyone specific. Until he was certain, he did not want to casually reveal that he suspected the Priest.

Over the next few days, an eerie calm settled over Baras Town.

Ever since Xia Lin's group had loudly announced that they were taking the commission, the elusive "succubus" seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth. No further attacks were reported.

Rather than putting them at ease, that abnormal silence only cast a deeper shadow over their hearts. It was hiding from them.

That night, the four gathered once