章 1813: Behind the Mask

The river was, indeed, on fire. 

It was quite a strange sight. A vast expanse of clear water was boiling, and more than that, a sea of white flames was spreading across its surface like burning oil. A wave of heat assaulted Sunny like a tide, bathing him in warmth. 

Neph slowly turned her head and looked at the river, a calm and composed expression on her face. The flames fell and were extinguished under her impassive gaze. 

Then, she cleared her throat. 

"Ah, yes. There… there was a Nightmare Creature preparing to surface. I burned it."

Her tone was poised and confident.

Sunny kept the smile off his face.

"Oh, I see. Of course. Thank you for reacting promptly."

His shadow sense was still enveloping the entire area, so he knew perfectly well that there had been no abomination. However, he wasn't going to mention it. 

Instead, he raised the steaming cup of tea with a trembling hand, gulped it down, and sighed.