Chapter 45: Not taking action?

Watching the sudden appearance of Gavasa, both Lyami and “Furnacehook” immediately went on high alert as if facing a deadly enemy.

Lyami first distanced herself from “Furnacehook” and temporarily dispelled her “Shadow Veil” (remaining in this state continuously would drain her mana), waiting for Gavasa’s next move.

After seeing Lyami’s true face, “Furnacehook” was momentarily shocked, then suddenly enlightened. Finally, he and Lyami both turned to look at Gavasa.

Lyami watched Gavasa slowly approach them, mentally planning how to attack and evade if a fight broke out. Her hands moved without hesitation; first, she reinforced the shadow blade in her hand, then used “Shadow Step” on herself, ready to activate “Shadow Veil” and other assassination skills at a moment’s notice.

This assassination attempt could be considered a failure. She had thought it would be a simple mission, but so many things went wrong, and she unexpectedly encountered a demon. A fight was about to break out immediately.

None of this had crossed Lyami’s mind before, though realistically, it never could have.

For now, Lyami planned to stall for time as much as possible. If she could manage to kill this demon, all the better. If not, she would at least prevent it from taking the magical artifact from “Furnacehook.” Otherwise, she’d look useless.

After all, Lyami was not just an assassin but also a member of Colin’s squad. In situations like this, she naturally couldn’t just stand by.

Of course, she wasn’t reckless. She had already used the Paladin’s Emblem Colin gave her to notify him. Colin would probably arrive soon to deal with this demon. Her job was only to buy enough time.

If things turned truly dangerous and unsolvable, she had a teleportation scroll from Sifni. This was not the short-range teleport “Furnacehook” had, but a fixed-point teleportation scroll personally made by Sifni, capable of sending her directly back to the mansion.

Therefore, she could afford to go all out in a battle with the demon before her!

As for “Furnacehook,” she actually didn’t care much. Her mission only required “Furnacehook” to be dead. How or by whom he died was less important—only affecting the Guild Master’s assassin rating, which had nothing to do with the mission, just the secret society’s internal ranking.

Lyami’s decision to intervene personally was not only because of the Guild Master’s concerns but also to confirm whether her current strength had weakened and to maintain a bit of professional pride.

At this moment, “Furnacehook” was already thinking about escape. But just as he tried to flee into the grass, he found himself surrounded by a circle of those same little goblins from before.

Before he could react, the goblins swarmed him, striking with the weapons they carried when they were still guards. Although their attacks were all blocked by his barrier, the barrier dimmed noticeably, clearly weakening and unlikely to hold for long.

Seeing this, “Furnacehook’s” face grew paler, but he was powerless. He had already used his last means of attack. At his level, he was no match for the goblins. All he could do now was helplessly watch as the goblins battered his barrier. He could already imagine the scene of them tearing him apart once the barrier broke.

Gavasa stopped opposite Lyami, keeping a small but safe distance. He paid no mind to “Furnacehook”—to him, “Furnacehook’s” death was only a matter of time. Compared to that, this lady before him was far more worthy of attention.

“If I remember correctly, you were the first lady in that room. You clearly escaped, so why return to interfere with me?”

Gavasa smiled as he spoke, though his tone was icy despite the smile.

Seeing Lyami say nothing, only watching him silently, Gavasa’s smile grew wider, and his tone took on a dangerous edge.

“Ah! I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Gavasa, a noble demon. If you’re interested in being my servant, I might consider it. But for now, you’d better answer my question—otherwise…”

Gavasa’s remaining hand began drawing some patterns in the air. Seeing this, Lyami had no choice but to speak.

“Servant? No thanks. The reason I’m not leaving is simply that the target isn’t dead yet.”

With that, Lyami pointed her shadow blade at “Furnacehook.” Gavasa instantly understood her meaning.

“In that case, why don’t I help you finish the job? In return, can you do something for me?”

“No. I’m a professional assassin. I finish my own missions.”

Hearing this, Gavasa frowned. “Refusing a toast only to drink the punishment—are you humans all so foolish?”

“Think whatever you want. Enough talk. Let’s fight!”

Lyami took her stance, ready to rush forward at any moment.

Gavasa raised his right palm toward Lyami, and a small magic circle appeared.

……

……

After a while, neither Lyami nor Gavasa made a move. They maintained their positions without the slightest sign of action.

Seeing this, Lyami couldn’t help but ask in confusion, “Not going to fight?”

Gavasa remained motionless. After a few seconds, he turned his head toward the orc slaves who were about to be wiped out completely.

“Do you know why I’m killing them?”

“?”

Lyami was thrown off by Gavasa’s words. Weren’t they just about to start fighting? How did the conversation suddenly shift to the orcs?

But Gavasa paid no mind to Lyami’s confusion and kept talking to himself.

“I kill them because they’re useless! They didn’t help during the Human-Demon War, and now they’ve become slaves to humans. Pathetic!”

The more Gavasa spoke, the more agitated he became, which only confused Lyami further. She couldn’t understand why he wasn’t attacking but instead insulting the orc slaves.

However, regardless of the reason, this situation clearly worked to her advantage. All she needed was to buy enough time until Colin arrived.

Her reason for holding back was the same: once Colin arrived, everything would be resolved.

Gavasa’s reluctance to fight had the same purpose—to buy time.

The symbols he had drawn earlier weren’t for the small magic circle on his palm, but a simple teleportation spell. Now he just needed to stall until the teleportation completed and his old friend was transported over to help.

Just as Gavasa prepared to continue stalling, a sword flash ignited nearby, accompanied by the dying wails of the goblins.