Breaking free from the two lumps of flab squeezing her, Letia lifted her head and swallowed.
As soon as she caught sight of the other person’s face, the script in her mind refreshed again with a new plot and character introduction.
At this moment, the expression on Letia’s face had also turned into that same dead-fish-eyed look.
Damn it.
Why is it yet another female lead from a script?
Monica.
One of the princesses of the Sunmoon Empire.
Also Liz’s cousin.
Her purpose in coming here was to win over Red.
Just as Otto predicted, someone had already discovered Red’s value and was beginning to stir.
But this slightly daft goose clearly had no idea what had happened with Dawnblade.
Monica’s arrival now was more about probing; these royals were always so sharp.
They either didn’t make a move, or when they did, it was a killing blow.
She’d have to be on guard.
…Why am I acting like I’m guarding against a thief when nothing’s happened?
What does it matter to me who Red ends up in bed with?
Hmm…
No, wait, it does matter.
Before I’ve had enough fun, how could he stop being the Grand Magician?
As Letia’s mind wandered, Monica scooped her up with sparkling eyes.
“Wow~ Whose child is this? So cute!”
“Hey—!”
Just as Monica tried to rub her cheek against Letia’s face, a chop landed heavily on her head from behind.
Everyone turned to look.
It was a blue-haired man.
Judging by their looks, these two should be siblings?
“She’s a member of Dawnblade.”
The blue-haired man spoke apologetically, “Sorry, my little royal sister has caused you trouble.”
“Eh?”
Monica was stunned by the chop.
Could it be Dawnblade actually employs child labor?
“Anyway, Monica, you should put her down first.”
“Alright…”
A little disappointed, Monica put Letia down and then asked Bethany, who was not far off,
“Where’s Liz?”
“In her room. I’ll go call her out.”
After a while, Liz came down from upstairs.
Maybe because she heard Monica had arrived, she looked a bit more spirited than before.
But even so, Monica could still tell at a glance that her mood wasn’t great.
“What’s wrong, Liz?”
She had to admit, her cousin was still as beautiful as ever, though her temper seemed as bad as always.
“Nothing.”
Liz sat on the sofa, her mood indeed not very good.
Seeing this, Monica also sat down beside her.
Since Liz didn’t seem very happy, Monica continued,
“How’s Dawnblade doing now? How many levels have you cleared?”
It had been a while since they last met, so exchanging pleasantries was necessary.
At this, Liz seemed to remember something and asked Monica,
“We’re looking for a suitable frontline. Do you have any recommendations?”
“Ah…”
The slightly slow-witted Monica clearly hadn’t caught on yet.
She nodded blankly, “Right, your party only has one frontline to guard three rears. That really is a bit too… abstract.”
“Is there a problem with what I said?”
“…No problem.”
Liz was already used to her goose-brained cousin.
On the other side, the blue-haired man also spoke up at this time.
“Having more frontliners gives more room for error. One more frontline means better protection.”
“No, our current team has zero frontliners.”
“Huh?”
Monica was stunned.
“You mean there isn’t a single frontline in your team?”
Liz nodded, then emphasized,
“He left on his own.”
Goose-brained Monica still didn’t understand what was going on.
“If he left, just replace him. In the dungeon, changing team members is as normal as it gets—no need to be this upset, right?”
The blue-haired man by her side couldn’t help but cover his face and sigh.
His sister had strength, a great figure, and a lovely face…
Her only problem was that she was just too dense.
She absolutely deserved her nickname: goose-brained Monica.
Although Liz hadn’t said it outright, he was sure that the one who’d left Dawnblade was Red.
His foolish royal sister still thought the one who left was someone dispensable.
But then again…
Normally, who would let a mage tank at the front line for no reason?
Though an Artificer’s body was sturdier, they were still a mage at heart.
Making them a frontliner…
That really is a bit too abstract.
Whether it was cancer or just bad luck on the road, Liz, who had been stewing in her mood, finally felt a little better hearing Monica’s attempt at consolation.
Meanwhile, Monica was still talking to herself.
“Trust in your own decisions! You’re the captain, you can’t get discouraged over something this small. That’s how you go farther. You know, Liz, you’re one of the most talented female knights in the imperial capital. If that person left, it’s his own misfortune, so there’s no need to feel down!”
Letia quietly listened at the side, saying nothing.
She had to admit, the goose-brain truly lived up to her name—when she said these things, you couldn’t sense a hint of malice.
If Liz had said the same words, her icy tone would have sent chills down anyone’s spine.
But… the matters here had nothing to do with her, anyway.
Seeing that the group might keep talking forever, Letia simply decided to slip away quietly.
However, just as she stepped out the door, a voice called out to her.
“Please wait, Miss Letia.”
Hearing this voice, Letia paused and turned slightly, only to see the blue-haired man who had always been by Monica’s side had followed her out at some point.
He now stood just a few steps away, wearing a very polite smile.
To be precise, it was the kind of smile you’d see on a “central air conditioner” male character in a school anime.
“Is there something you need?”
“The one who left your team was named Red, right?”
“Yes, why?”
“Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Mason. To be honest, my sister and I came here for Red, but it wasn’t convenient to say so inside.”
Hearing this, Letia narrowed her eyes.
“And telling me—aren’t you afraid I’ll inform Liz?”
“I am, but I feel like you’re not the kind of person who blends in, so you won’t reveal our intentions to her.”
As expected of a central air conditioner type—his ability to read people was quite good.
“I’m actually hoping you can help me with something…”
“Go ahead.”
“Red’s Bloodhunting Spider—you know about it, right?”
Mason spoke slowly, finally revealing his real purpose.
“I hope to obtain the core magic array for the Bloodhunting Spider, or else find Red himself. For you, this shouldn’t be difficult.”
Facing Mason’s words, Letia’s expression turned grim, her face serious.
“Even if Red has left the team, he’s still my former teammate. Do you think I’d sell out a friend for profit?”
“Miss Letia, you truly are loyal and righteous.”
“There needs to be more money.”
Oh you scoundrel.