"Heh, who would've thought—Vill-V is still a virgin, despite having such a body that practically invites crime."
"As for why it's that person... in terms of talent, in my view, no one in this world can compare to Mr. Mad Hatter, who built a salvation organization out of nothing all by himself."
At this point in the discussion about Mr. Mad Hatter, Inori could no longer ignore it. "Then Sister Liora, why would you drag Mr. Mad Hatter off to retire in some quiet town? A place like that isn't suitable for directing Mad Hatter operations."
Vill-V and Liora fooling around openly in broad daylight... Inori didn't care—that was their freedom.
Liora wanting to become Mr. Mad Hatter's partner... Inori didn't care either. Mr. Mad Hatter was that exceptional—wanting to join his harem was only natural.
But if anyone intended to interfere with Mr. Mad Hatter's path to saving the world and ascending to godhood, then Inori had to speak up.
"Directing Mad Hatter? Heh. My desire for control is very strong, you know. Only by binding someone that talented tightly to my side can I be satisfied."
...
Before joining Mad Hatter, Liora had been regarded by those around her as a refined and elegant young lady.
Anyone who saw her couldn't help but be drawn to her graceful and gentle temperament.
That was because she once possessed an extraordinary ability.
She could see a person's talent.
Whether it was something obvious like singing or dancing, or trivial things like string tricks or pen spinning—
in Liora's eyes, all of it was talent, reflected in the person.
The way it appeared wasn't some dazzling or radiant glow.
It was simply... beauty.
Something like a beauty filter.
That was why Liora called herself someone obsessed with appearances.
If someone looked good on the outside but had no talent, then in Liora's eyes, they were utterly ordinary.
Back then, when she caught a fleeting glimpse of Mr. Mad Hatter in the crowd, it gave her an indescribable shock.
That peerless beauty seized all of her attention, leaving her unable to look away.
With just a single glance, her body and soul felt elevated, as if purified.
That suffocating beauty was like a goddess descending to the mortal world.
And then, what arose within Liora was an endless desire—
The desire to possess him.
From that very day onward, the filter of talent gradually disappeared.
Mr. Mad Hatter...
Had taken her talent away.
When she realized she had truly lost that ability, Liora felt sorrow.
Sorrow that she had discovered so late—that simply looking at someone could free her from that detestable ability.
For someone obsessed with appearances, that ability had never been a good thing.
No one likes seeing others through a filter.
Especially not Liora, who valued appearances above all else.
Who knew whether beneath that filter... there might be something ugly?
Not to mention, truly talented people were rare—most people had none.
This made it so that, in Liora's eyes, no one she saw could truly stand out.
Every single one of them looked like the same generic face smoothed out by a filter.
And it only got worse over time.
At one point, Liora even became face-blind, relying only on scent and voice to distinguish people.
That was also why she had remained chaste for twenty-five years.
She simply couldn't develop any affection for things that were utterly unremarkable.
Only after losing that filter did she finally see true colors.
So Liora was extremely grateful to Mr. Mad Hatter for taking her talent away.
As repayment—her desire to possess Mr. Mad Hatter only grew stronger and stronger.
She wanted Mr. Mad Hatter...
To be dyed in her colors, to carry her scent.
Liora even felt a bit nostalgic for her old ability.
Back when she was young and could still see talent, she hadn't been able to find Mr. Mad Hatter's true identity.
Now, she could only slowly climb the ranks, searching for clues to his real self.
...
After hearing Liora's words, Inori gritted her teeth and forcibly separated the two women clinging together. "Miss Liora, please refrain from inappropriate physical contact with subordinates. This constitutes serious workplace sexual harassment!"
You're only reacting now?! Vill-V, her beautiful face flushed red, screamed inwardly.
Reluctantly, Liora released her grip on Vill-V's thigh, then, with a playful smile tugging at her lips, reached up and gave the sensitive peak of Vill-V's breast a teasing pinch before lightly licking the same fingers that had just touched her, casting Inori a meaningful look.
Inori met her gaze without fear, determined to protect Mr. Mad Hatter's chastity.
Both of them spoke politely and courteously, but beneath that... their equally proud and aloof natures clashed.
As their gazes met, the air seemed to fill with the smell of gunpowder—neither willing to yield.
Wasn't this supposed to be team bonding?
At this rate, if they didn't stab each other in the back during the mission, it would already be giving Mr. Mad Hatter face.
Could this be considered a live battlefield of rivals?
"Vill-V, are you alright?" Hua finally pulled Vill-V out of the confrontation.
Pouting, Vill-V complained, "Hua, why didn't you help me?"
"Uh... I thought you liked it," Hua said, a hint of grievance in her eyes. "After all, you did the same thing to us at Homu Family Park."
"Ugh... that did happen. I got carried away after being egged on by Magician." Remembering that dark history, Vill-V's expression collapsed.
Only then did Vill-V realize that what she had done back then to Hua and the others might have indeed been a bit excessive.
But for Hua to remember this grudge until now... honest people are terrifying!
I'll never underestimate Hua again.
...
Originally, they thought Liora, as a veteran of Mad Hatter, would have the upper hand.
Yet the first to waver was the Queen of Hearts herself.
Because she saw Vill-V casually fumble around her body for a moment—and then pull off the tiny listening device that Liora had secretly attached to her.
"Mm, you can have these back."
Vill-V casually slipped the devices back into Liora's sleeve.
"Oh? You noticed that quickly?" A hint of surprise flashed through Liora's beautiful eyes.
The purpose of planting those tiny devices wasn't because she was some kind of voyeur.
They were part of her method for tracking down clues about Mr. Mad Hatter.
These disposable nano-listening devices were custom-made for her by Mad Hatter.
Developed by Mad Hatter's scientists, they couldn't be detected even by metal detectors.
When attached to the skin, they felt no different from a speck of dust.
Despite their small size, they were fully equipped—with recording, tracking, and surveillance functions.
If needed, they could even connect over long distances.
Among the organization's Constellation cadres, or even the warriors of MOTH, no one had ever been able to detect the devices she planted.
So how did she pinpoint them so precisely?