“Is that so?”
After hearing Liz squeeze out a nearly exhausted “I can’t do it,” Monica just habitually tilted her head, her eyes betraying no emotion.
She didn’t look emotionless so much as simply… dazed, like she had reached an understanding of ignorance itself.
Combined with the silly tuft of hair atop her head, she truly did resemble those Dumb Geese from Sakaz Marsh.
“Although… I may not be Mr. Red’s favorite type, if it’s to help you out, Cousin, I… I can still sacrifice myself a little.”
Like a grade schooler who had just made an important decision, she stood up lightly, symbolically brushing at invisible dust on her skirt.
But before she had taken a few steps forward, she seemed to recall some “sisterly bond” detail and stopped, turning back to look at the stiff, frozen Liz, her face carrying a sincere “I want to share something good” expression.
“Oh right, Cousin. When I’m… hmm, ‘communicating’ with Mr. Red,”—she picked the word after careful thought, believing it to be very tactful—”I’ll make sure they save a room next door for you. The soundproofing… might not be that great, but the location is definitely close enough.”
“You just wait right there!!”
Liz hurriedly grabbed Monica, who was about to walk away, her cheeks so red they seemed ready to drip blood, but she still bit her teeth and forced out her words one by one.
“Who would want to eavesdrop on something like that?!
I have zero interest in those things and absolutely no intention whatsoever, do you understand?!”
“Is that so…?”
Monica seemed a bit confused by Liz’s intense reaction.
She tried to figure out why Cousin would refuse to “eavesdrop,” and then a look of sudden realization flashed in her eyes:
“Ah, so Cousin, you think next door… isn’t close enough? You want… to share the bed?”
Monica frowned slightly, as if analyzing a very complicated feasibility study.
“That might be a bit difficult, since your relationship with Red is kind of… delicate. But don’t worry, Cousin!”
Suddenly, she clenched her little fist, her eyes firm.
“I’ll do my best to get you a spot! Men usually have a strong urge to conquer, and even though you’re always so stubborn with your words, your body is still so soft. That really gets the conquering urge going. I think Mr. Red would probably like that too… Having a former enemy lying in humiliation beneath him or something—”
“Shut up, shut up, shut up!!”
Liz finally couldn’t take it anymore and lunged forward, covering Monica’s mouth with her hand.
She had to stop her before this got any worse.
A noble lady like herself, being talked about this way?
Where was her dignity?
Where was her authority?
“Mmmph mmmph…”
The commotion between the two quickly caught the attention of Bethany and Jessica, who were still chatting idly in the living room.
The two of them looked through the window and saw Liz, red-faced and pressing Monica’s mouth shut, a little confused, they asked, “Captain, what’s going on?”
“Nothing… nothing at all!”
Seeing Monica stop struggling, Liz released her hand from Monica’s mouth and, not forgetting, gave her a fierce warning.
“Don’t tease me anymore!”
“I wasn’t teasing. I was just talking about what might happen in the future…”
“Mo! Ni! Ca!”
Click.
Just as the two were about to start bickering again, the door of the Dawnblade base was pushed open.
Liz turned to Bethany and Jessica, who were by the window.
“Who is it?”
Hearing Liz’s question, the two instinctively turned toward the door.
There stood Letia, and behind her was someone completely unfamiliar.
“Ah~ It really has been a long time, everyone!”
Letia scratched her head a bit sheepishly.
“I’ve just been having fun on Succubus Street lately and haven’t had time to come back.”
Liz, who had just returned from the training grounds, naturally heard Letia’s words and replied a little irritably,
“You might as well just stay on Succubus Street forever.”
“I’d love to, but… my wallet can’t keep up. I can’t afford my dream of dancing the night away every night.”
Just as Letia was about to gloss things over, a giant Dumb Goose came right over.
“Sniff sniff… sniff sniff.”
She scanned Letia up and down and finally said, thoughtfully,
“You went to Succubus Street… but you don’t smell like a succubus at all. Instead… you reek of Mr. Red.”
As soon as she spoke, all three—Liz included—turned their gazes to Letia.
Liz’s eyes were full of interrogation.
Jessica’s were full of anticipation.
Bethany, on the other hand, looked a little dissatisfied.
But none could deny that under their stares, Letia felt an immense pressure.
“If I said Red took me to Succubus Street, would you believe it?”
“I believe you, I really do.”
Jessica nodded seriously, though there wasn’t the slightest hint of trust in her eyes.
After watching for a while, Liz also seemed to recall Monica’s earlier words.
She sighed, then asked Letia,
“You went drinking with Red, didn’t you?”
Her nose wasn’t as sensitive as Monica’s, but she could definitely catch the scent of alcohol.
“Well… we did drink a bit, but nothing like what you’re imagining happened.”
Letia seized the opportunity to change the subject, spreading her hands in a helpless gesture.
“After all, Red’s pretty well-off now, so I just wanted to get some money out of him, that’s all.”
After her vague explanation, Letia immediately dragged out the person behind her, Satania, and put her out front like a shield.
“The reason I came back today was to introduce you all to a new friend—this is little Satania.”
Being brought forward, Satania was stunned for a moment.
Then she confidently puffed out her chest and declared,
“Nice to meet you, everyone of Dawnblade,”
Satania patted her chest, her voice rising a couple of pitches.
“I! Am an Executor from Sakaz! A proud descendant of the Demonkin, Satania!”
After such a grand self-introduction, Satania confidently awaited the expected thunderous applause, sharp gasps of astonishment, and awed gazes from the crowd!
However—
The training grounds fell into utter silence.
Only Letia, with a bright “can’t wait to see the show” smile, offered a few lonely claps, the crisp sound echoing awkwardly and… piercingly in the empty hall.
The other four were frozen on the spot, and Jessica even gazed at Satania with a bit of pity.
Whenever Letia grinned like that… it was never a good sign.
She was obviously just treating her as the new source of entertainment.
At that moment, Liz recovered her composure.
Though she had no idea what this green-haired girl named Satania was doing here, as a noble she certainly wouldn’t forgo her manners and poise.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Liz, captain of Dawnblade. May I ask what brings you to us?”
In front of outsiders—or rather, anyone who wasn’t Red—Liz was the perfect noble lady.
“Heh heh heh~”
Satania pressed a hand to her forehead, flashing a mysterious smile.
“I’m here for one reason and one reason only. But before I say what it is, I have a question for you all…”
With that, Satania extended her finger, pointing at everyone present.
“Do you… all hate that guy named Red very much?!”
The place was dead silent, and everyone’s gaze simultaneously turned to Letia, who looked as though she was about to burst out laughing.
“Pfft… why are you… all… looking at me…”
“If you want to laugh, just laugh.”
Jessica muttered helplessly, but Letia, ever the trained professional, managed to hold back after a moment, though she couldn’t say a word.
Fortunately, Liz finally snapped out of it.
She looked at the supremely confident Satania and couldn’t help but ask,
“How did you come to that conclusion?”
“Hehehe~”
Satania seemed not the least bit bothered by the awkward atmosphere.
She simply covered her eyes and leaned back, striking a pose that looked very chuunibyou, and said,
“The reason is simple… You’re a famous all-female Hero Party, and Red, a man, forced his way into your team. That alone is a crime!”
At the words “all-female Hero Party,” Liz’s face went completely dark.
It was, without a doubt, the label she most hated hearing in her life.
No contest.
If not for this wretched reputation, recruiting new people wouldn’t be as hard as a pilgrimage to the west.
But as a noble—even though Red had already left their party—she couldn’t stand to hear this sort of twisted version of the facts.
Yet Satania seemed completely oblivious to Liz’s darkening expression and pressed on righteously,
“Honestly, I have no real grudge against Red, but my target is the nun named Litt by Red’s side. In a way, we’re comrades with a common goal.”
“So, we should team up. When the time comes, you take care of Red, I’ll handle Litt—one buried in the North Pole, the other in the South!”
“Ahahahaha!!”
Finally, Letia couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.
Clutching her belly, she laughed for a while before straightening her face and putting on a serious look.
“It’s nothing… I just remembered something that made me happy.”
Satania didn’t really understand why Letia was so amused, but she still pulled out the vial of Forbidden Elixir she’d brought as her bargaining chip and placed it in front of Liz.
“As long as you’re willing to cooperate, this is my show of good faith—a vial of… Forbidden Elixir that can greatly enhance your power,” she paused here, her tone growing heavier, “You may not know, but in our research, this is even one possible way to become a Goddess. So Miss Liz, you should understand how precious this potion is.”
Confronted with Satania’s offer, Liz just shook her head calmly and said to her,
“Sorry, I have no interest in the deal you’re offering. Please leave.”
“That’s right… As long as we work togeth—”
Satania was still caught up in her own world, but suddenly realized the reply she’d just heard seemed a bit off.
After double-checking, her face showed utter shock.
“Eh, eh, eh? Why not?”