Mission: Catch Paula

Now that Ryu was no longer monopolized by Darla, he got the opportunity to properly interact with the ladies from the Wilder clan. The woman who introduced her as Yalda was supposedly the maid of the more authoritative woman who goes by the name Linda. 

Linda was the person with the real bloodline of the Wilder Clan. Her entire body was covered in distinctive tattoos of beasts. Ryu was familiar with this strange body art. Two gentlemen from the same clan had earlier dropped by their town with the intention of investigating the Demonic activities. 

Lady Linda possessed a tall frame with a stacked build. Well-defined muscles and an ever-stern expression gave her a menacing presence. It's obvious she was not a fan of socializing. 

However, the same was not the case with Mrs. Yalda, Lady Linda's maidservant. With a benevolent elderly smile, the woman was a lot more approachable. Therefore, most of Ryu's conversation was directed at her. Mrs. Yalda too answered his question freely. 

"Is there a specific reason why you guys are visiting Korua, miss?" That was the obvious question after Yalda briefed Ryu on their background. The mature lady didn't fret about the young boy's question, however, she did take a little while to come up with a response. 

"It is a personal matter, young one. We are looking for someone." This answer was not surprising for Ryu who added two and two together to discern these women might very well be looking for the two individuals from her clan. 

Out of his gratitude towards the ladies, Ryu informed them what he knew. "Yes, they were here. But it has been months since I came across any of them. They might have left the town long back now." The boy answered in his naivety. 

Ahead of them, Lady Naila released a breath of cold air from her lip. Having been aware of the fate of the two individuals from the Wilder clan, she can only smile at Ryu's obliviousness. 

Yalda turned to find her mistress looking ahead at the horizon with relative disinterest. Next, she beamed at the boy and rubbed his head like a senior looking after her junior. "Ohh.. Thank you for the details. I know those two individuals must have left but we are looking for another person." 

Seeing Yalda was being vague now, Ryu took the hint and did not bark the tree any further. "If you are planning to stay in the town for a while, you can lodge at my house." He didn't say those words randomly, rather the boy was very deliberate. 

Having seen what kind of mayhem Linda has caused in her fight against a possessed Paula. Even a blind person can tell she was probably a powerhouse from the capital. She might not be at the same level as his grandmother, but she should not be too far off. 

Since he was going to land in the capital one day anyway, the more connections he could forge the better. Master Lyod was certainly worried about being targeted by some strong individual because of his mysterious ability to control plants and vegetation. As a learned person, his worries should not be unfounded. Hence, Ryu was better off making early preparations. 

"That's so nice of you. Let us think about it once he gets over to your town." Yalda didn't refuse him and that was enough for Ryu. They were still far from Korua. Traveling on foot, the journey was bound to take the whole night. Thankfully, everyone in their band was a cultivator now after Itzel's group was dropped at their village, this meant they could easily take on this hour's journey. 

"If I may ask Ms. Yalda, what is the capital like?" It looked like this was a good opportunity to get Yalda's perspective of the wider world. 

Although Ryu's mind was still occupied with concern for the fate of Amelia after Demon informed him Paula had been roleplaying his mother for a while now. Now that he had called down and thought things through, Ryu could tell Demon was trying to unnecessarily frustrate him. 

Demon very well knew how important Amelia was for him. He would never allow his mother to get hurt. Amelia is definitely missing but she must be in good shape wherever she was. All he has to do is get back to Korua and get the information out of Paula. 

Ryu raised his head to stare at the woman in pitch-black leather clothing lying lifelessly on the back of Darla's Aunt. Grabbing Paula from the clutches of a Grand Mage-level individual was going to be just as difficult as it sounded. Hopefully, with a sneaky intervention from Demon, he will be able to capture the woman. 

Maintaining a peaceful disposition, Ryu focussed on Mrs. Yalda who generously explained to him how the capital worked. "Royal clan occupies the very top of the chain of command. Each member of the Royal clan is to be treated with utmost respect. I am sure even you must be aware of the authority of the royalty." 

Ryu nodded his head slightly, Emily did fill him about the prestige of the Royal clan. "Right beneath the Royalty is the Royal court, occupied by the most respected elders of this country. Their jurisdiction can not be challenged, sometimes surpassing even the members of the Royal clan except the King himself." 

Royal court was so powerful? To think Emily was facing such a formidable band of people was in itself a mind-bending insight. "Thereafter, we have some extremely important clans that somehow have each made immense contributions towards this country over centuries which granted them their current position."

Ryu didn't interrupt Yalda, grasping all the wisdom tossed his way. "If I may ask, isn't your Wilder clan among one such powerful clan!?" The mature maiden revealed a comforting smile and nodded back at him. "It is. But Lady Linda is not from the main family. We belong to a branch family. Therefore, we don't hold the same level of prestige and resources."

Seeing the boy befuddled by the revelation, Yalda patiently explained to him the concept of a branch family and how accession to a main family was possible. 

"Mh.. doesn't that mean unless the main family is totally wiped out, a branch family can not take its place?" The curious boy inquisitively asked. "That is correct. However, there is one more case. If the main family cannot produce any heirs or all of their heirs are dead, even in that case the main family must adopt a child from the branch family." 

"Hm.. yeah. That makes sense." Yalda found the boy very charming. Last time when he acted all possessed, she was left palpitating. Nevertheless, that must have been an odd occurrence. Overall, Ryu was an extremely bright kid with great prospects. 

"It was very insightful, miss." Ryu thanked the woman. "Hn.. considering you are Lady Emily's very own grandson, I find it surprising that she would not teach you about these mundane matters." Yalda found it hard to believe Ryu could remain so uneducated at this age when teens start their academic learning.

"What can I say.. grandmother was not in the right state of mind after the loss of grandfather. Her presence around us was mostly symbolic only." Ryu explained with a very mature outlook. Yalda finally comprehended. Lady Emily was heartbroken from the loss of her husband, where would she have found the zeal to teach her grandchildren about the functioning of this country?

"That's sad to hear. I hope she is coping well now?" Yalda showed her concern but Ryu replied to her with a beaming look. "She is a lot better now." 

Besides Ryu and Yalda, Linda remained walking calmly. From time to time she would take in the figure of the green-haired boy. Though she had been observing his behavior since the start, the Wilder damsel didn't find even a hint of deceit in him. 

By all metrics, he was just a regular teenager who was fascinated to meet people from the capital and couldn't help but annoy them with his exhaustive questionnaire. 

Yet, Linda witnessed with her very own eyes what kind of evil magic this young lad manifested. Even when she was not the target, her heart could not escape its terror. The image of two piercing golden eyes was imprinted in her mind. It was seemingly impossible for the fierce matron to overlap that evil presence with this harmless young boy. 

Then again, even calling the pair of eyes evil was false from Linda's perspective. If Ryu would not reveal them and put Paula in a trance state, Linda might not have survived her last sneak attack. The sword missed her heart only by a couple of inches after all. 

Today's event has been tiring for Linda. After she pushes her body to the limit, it will be a while before she can fight again at her full potential. Fortunately, Lady Naila was kind enough to expedite her natural healing with her abundant aura. Otherwise, even the idea of a walk like this would have been utterly outlandish. 

Linda once again glanced at the boy engaging with her headmaid. Whether he did it by mistake or if it was deliberate, Ryu did end up rescuing her from a life-threatening danger.

Given her gratefulness towards the boy, Linda's only worry at this time was none other than her benefactor. If Lady Naila can read Paula's mind and figure out that the woman was originally planning to capture the boy from the very beginning, she might have a change of heart toward Ryu. 

Alas, she was grossly incapable of helping Ryu with this. If she tries to ask for Paula's custody at this point, Lady Naila will only become more suspicious. Linda was in an impasse over this matter. 

"Huh..?" Right when the Wilder woman thought Lady Naila might have read her mind as well, she noticed the centaur lady turn her head back. Fortunately, she was not interested in her but rather in the body sticking to her horseback. 

"Is there something going on, my lady?" Linda's question proved to be unnecessary because right after the words left her mouth, they discovered Paula's fingers twitching. 

"I guess she is waking up." Naila muttered carelessly. She was obviously not very alarmed by the development. And why should she be alarmed anyway, Paula was akin to a bantering child in her eyes. 

Then again, her companions did not share the same invulnerability as her. "All of you get back a little. Linda, make sure they are not hurt." Being the number two powerhouse after Naila in the group, it was Linda's responsibility to protect the rest of their entourage. 

"Get behind me, both of you." Her words were meant for Ryu and Darla. Both of them saw Paula's body had begun showing signs of fully waking up, hence they quietly slipped behind the muscular woman. 

Naila meanwhile brought Paula away from the group, introducing some distance between the two groups. In the meantime, Paula's throat voiced a grumbling cry. Instead of a threat, the cry sounded more like an anguish to the centaur however, she did not let her guard down a

nd composedly stood there waiting for the chaotic human to open her eyes.