A finger-length dagger slid out of Aisifenni's sleeve.
It was one of the few weapons Miss Liar carried.
As such, it was finely crafted, with a keen edge.
In particular, the narrow face of the blade was as smooth and bright as a mirror, allowing Miss Liar to see everything behind her without turning around.
But when Miss Liar saw what was behind her, she froze.
Ash-blond hair, pale blue eyes, and those familiar features.
It was her.
And yet it wasn't.
Because that version of her was terribly old.
It was her, decades in the future.
And as she watched, "she" continued to age.
Gradually, her hair lost its luster, her eyes grew cloudy, and her teeth fell out one by one. Her breathtaking face shriveled like orange peel.
"No!"
Screaming as though she had witnessed the most horrifying sight imaginable, Miss Liar rushed straight toward Qin Ran and Audef ahead of her.
But the instant she moved...
Qin Ran, who had been examining the wolf's head closely, turned and smiled at her.
That cold, eerie smile sent a chill down her spine.
Even the beastlike growl rising from Audef's throat beside him frightened Miss Liar less than that smile.
In that smile, she once again saw the past she least wanted anyone to know about.
Those days of hunger, beatings, and torment, when she never saw the light of day.
"Idiot. You couldn't even steal a wallet."
"You moron! You actually returned what you stole! You feel sorry for them? Aren't you pitiful too? Over the next week, you'll learn what being truly pitiful means."
"Useless trash. Trash like you should be sold to Old Deli."
The scolding of the "parents" in her memories began to engulf Miss Liar like a rising tide.
By the time her