Catching Kama’s ill-intentioned gaze, Nolan raised an eyebrow and returned it with an equally brazen, teasing look, letting her eyes roam up and down the instructor’s curving light armor.
Deep in the night, the empty valley was eerily quiet. The firewood crackled in the campfire, only making the intensity of that raw desire grow.
Kama’s lips curled as she reached out and lifted Nolan’s chin with a finger.
But Second Joestar grabbed her wrist, shoved her down onto the grass, and pinned her beneath her.
The instructor laughed, amused. Her heated gaze gleamed with interest as the overwhelming power of an eighth-level Soul Warrior suddenly surged forth. She pinned Nolan beneath her in turn, holding her firmly in place.
Kama leaned down and lightly pecked the girl’s adorable cheek.
“Always think of yourself as a man when you fight, but don’t forget what you really are. It’s in your nature. You can’t hide it, and there’s no reason to be ashamed of it.”
“Oh?”
Nolan smiled.
She hadn’t forgotten her primordial form. It might not be something ordinary mortals could accept.
The Destroyer of Worlds was born of Chaos, but Nolan had to admit that mortal pleasures could affect even a divine being. Still, it seemed she was missing something crucial.
Kama leaned close to the girl’s ear and whispered softly, like a lover, while her armor came off piece by piece.
“Protect yourself. The world outside is dangerous. Everyone wants to tear the dress off a noble young lady—and there are just as many people eager to strip off your armor and turn you back into a she-beast.”
A gust of wind swept through, and the bonfire abruptly went out. The valley was plunged into complete darkness.
Apparently, this was the real final lesson: an unconventional sex-ed class, so she wouldn’t lose her head when faced with the same situation in the future.
And it was hands-on instruction, too—a reminder to the airheaded Second Joestar to protect what mattered most while traveling alone.
Of course, it only went as far as a little taste.
When Nolan woke the next morning, the instructor was gone. She was the only one left in the valley.
Kama had also taken the two griffins. As expected, it was probably another order from that old geezer. He really was raising Second Joestar like a boy.
“Well, this works too...”
Nolan stretched. Her flawless body gleamed in the sunlight, then she put on her light leather armor and boots again.
Tearing through space and heading straight to school would be far too shocking. It might scare the locals half to death, so walking there with the map was her only option.
After leaving the valley, Nolan followed a bend in the River Valley south. The highway was frequented only by merchants and adventurers traveling between the Free Federation and Golden Broom territory.
Most of Noland was peaceful. The free folk she met along the way were kind, and now and then a friendly caravan would give the poor little wanderer a ride.
A month later, after sleeping rough and eating whatever she could find, Second Joestar managed to join a Free Federation merchant caravan, saving herself quite a bit of time.
If they were lucky enough to avoid the storms sweeping across the plains, they’d reach Lunsa City in the highlands in another week.
That night, the caravan made camp in the wilderness. Before long, the smell of grilled meat and stew drifted around the camp, and a tone-deaf bard began his performance.
The merchants and adventurers traveling with the caravan crowded around the campfire, laughing as they traded stories from the road. In the middle of the group stood a splendid carriage and a band of mercenaries. They were escorting some important person to the Free Federation, though no one knew who.
Nolan pulled on a cloak to hide her figure and smeared mud over her fair face. She looked like any skinny little boy you might see on the road.
She accepted a bowl of wild-vegetable soup and a chicken leg from the chubby cook, thanked him, then quietly hid behind the crowd.
When a god becomes invincible, it’s hard not to get a little weird—especially after the Bitch Goddess plays a prank on you and turns you into a pretty girl.
Nolan muttered to herself, babbling and grinning like an idiot as she planned out her grand talent-scouting scheme for the next hundred years.
She was going to make the Witches of the Chaos Throne famous across every plane!
Why did that sound so much like a cult...?
Ahem. Never mind that. Finding the first Apostle was crucial, and Nolan had already settled on a believer with exceptional idol appeal.
The real question was how to tempt her into joining the entertainment business.
A sudden swell of noise nearby caught Nolan’s attention. As soon as the well-fed travelers had nothing better to do, they’d started bragging, just as she’d expected.
“Things haven’t been peaceful around here lately. A lot of caravans have vanished without a trace. But people are still pouring into the Free Federation. Maybe it’s because Saint Lensa War-Soul Academy is about to open for the term.”
“I heard it was because the Star Songstress is touring.”
Someone immediately scoffed. “Relax. With me around, there’s nothing to worry about. The Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps aren’t pushovers!”
When they heard there was even a sixth-level Soul Warrior in the group, everyone gazed at him with admiration, thoroughly satisfying the mercenary captain’s vanity.
The mercenary corps had taken a bounty job. Their target was the unusual, splendid carriage in the middle of the caravan. A tall man in heavy armor stood beside it, never leaving its side.
The chubby cook kindly went over to offer him a cup of the River Valley’s finest wine, but the man coldly refused.
Everyone exchanged glances and started murmuring. Even the mercenary corps had no idea who their employer in the carriage was. Their job was simply to get it safely to Lunsa City.
They figured it was probably a noble heading there to study. After all, ordinary people couldn’t afford the tuition at Saint Lensa.
Whoosh!
Just then, everything changed.
An arrow pierced the bard’s throat, cutting off his awful singing mid-note.
The mercenary captain froze for a moment, then realized what was happening. He drew his axe and shouted at the top of his lungs, “We’re under attack!”
The merchants shrieked and scattered. The adventurers hurriedly drew their weapons and scanned the surrounding darkness, with no idea where the enemy was coming from. The camp descended into chaos.
The enemy had struck under cover of night. By the time they realized what was happening, it was already too late. A cold incantation rang out in the darkness, followed by a burst of blazing light.
“Fierce fire elementals, heed my command!”
The next moment, a rain of fire poured down from above, swallowing the caravan in an instant. Screams rang out without end.
“An eighth-level secret art—Meteoric Firefall?!”
The captain had barely escaped the blast, but his heart sank. Under that massive AoE, the Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps had been nearly wiped out.
He turned around to see the others who were still standing being cut down one by one by enemies emerging from the shadows. A hulking man, grinning savagely, was charging straight at him.
The Wild Wolf Mercenary Corps’ captain raised his battle axe and roared, unleashing his sixth-level Soul Spirit.
His battle axe slammed into the giant’s chest, but couldn’t even pierce the armor. A moment later, the tremendous impact crushed him into a bloody pulp.
Even a sixth-level Soul Warrior was powerless against them. They clearly weren’t ordinary bandits. They were assassins.
Their target... was unmistakably that carriage!
