Second Lead Syndrome (1-187) | ✓

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Ephert was still struggling to throw Shin off, however, the young boy wouldn’t have any of it. Even when Ephert tugged roughly at his hair, and Shin had tears pooling in his eyes, he wasn’t letting go of his teeth clamping down on Ephert’s arm. 

His arm even started to bleed. 

Ephert then witnessed the moment of K’xug single-handedly disabling all the arrows coated in light magic, his face twisting in dismay.

“What?!” 

His arm throbbed in pain again, and Ephert was truly angry now as he flung the boy away. Shin could hold on any longer, and he stumbled back. 

“Get off!” 

Ephert reached out to strangle Shin again, only to be stopped by a nunchuck aiming swiftly at his neck in the shadows. 

“Don’t you dare.” 

“...big sister Kiyae?” Shin gasped, turning around. 

In an instant, his eyes were covered and he felt himself being pulled into a warm hug. However, something just didn’t feel right about this hug, it felt too...bare. 

“How did you get here?” Ephert staggered back. “Where’s Goro?” 

“I sent him running about like a headless chicken.” 

Ephert gritted his teeth. “That useless brawny man!” 

Kiyae laughed from within the shadows, her nunchuck still aiming steadily at Ephert. 

“He definitely is a brawny man with no brains!” 

Shin frowned, his eyes still covered as he moved his head up. 

“Big sister Kiyae.” 

“What?” 

“...are you...half-naked?” 

“...”

“...no.” 

“But your chest feels too close--” 

“Shush.” 

A grayish brown-haired woman stepped out into the light, forcing Ephert to take back each step. With every step she took, the expression on Ephert’s face gradually changed. 

Shin was right. 

Kiyae was half-naked, and she wore pants around her waist that clearly wasn’t her size. She tied it together in a rush. The only thing covering her chest was her undergarment. 

“Why the hell are you half-naked?” Ephert frowned. 

Kiyae made a face, recalling the memory of how she became half-naked. 

She was making her way up on her own, but that annoying bastard noticed her since he was making his way back to Goro too, abandoning his mission to chase them. Kiyae backtracked and tried to use another path but it seemed that Goro suddenly changed his target to her. 

She was beyond frustrated. 

Coincidentally, she knocked out one of the guards who turned out to be a female and had similar stature as her. Even the same hairstyle! 

She smirked impishly, stripping the female’s guard clothes and replacing it with her own. She quickly wore the female guard’s pants and rushed off. 

The ingenious plan worked, and Goro was fooled by the switch. 

Alas, Kiyae let her guard down and in her exhausted state, and she did not realise the subordinates Goro stationed near the entrance to the audience stand that led to Ephert and Shin.