"Something terrible has happened! Hurry up and open the door!"
When Meiling came charging over in a fluster to find Curze, the Lady of the Night did not take it seriously at all. In her eyes, Meiling was simply that sort of person. One got used to it.
Sigh. Though transforming from Shen into Meiling had undeniably made her much more pleasant to keep around, she still wasn't steady enough.
Of course, to Curze, Meiling's role was that of the most loyal hound. Appearance, personality, whatever—so long as her loyalty remained intact, she was still the retainer Curze trusted most.
"Ah! Father! This is bad! Really bad!" Meiling kicked the door open, rushed up to Curze, and began gesticulating wildly.
"Relax, Meiling. This is the Scarlet Devil Mansion. No matter how big the problem is, I'm still here, aren't I?" Curze took a sip of tea, then arched a brow.
Something was off...
The taste and concentration of this tea were far inferior to what the recruit brewed.
It felt too fragrant somehow. Besides the aroma of tea itself, there was another strange sweetness mixed in.
"But this time it's different! Really different! Waaah!" Meiling tried to organize her thoughts, but for the moment, she didn't know how to describe it.
Because this was really a huge disaster.
Their agent had invited the Dark Angels' primarch into his room!
Wow. They were definitely plotting something in there. This was absolutely not a simple martial arts sparring session!
"Sevatar, this tea tastes strange. Replace it." Looking utterly unconcerned, Curze set the teacup down and sighed. "Dispose of it. I don't want to see it again."
Then she turned back to Meiling. "All right, continue. Slowly. Don't forget my brother is still in the Scarlet Devil Mansion. If she sees you like this, how embarrassing."
"Hmph!"
"R-right! It's just... huh?" Meiling suddenly calmed down, because she had just noticed her most respected First Captain, Sevatar, picking up the cup Curze had been drinking from.
Sevatar lifted the cup, inhaled deeply, then revealed a truly eerie smile before placing her lips exactly on the spot Curze's mouth had touched.
Gulp.
She downed the still-scalding tea in one go.
"Haah."
Afterward, she licked her lips with lingering satisfaction, set the cup down, and returned to her usual stern, unsmiling demeanor.
"?" Then Sevatar seemed to realize something and looked at the utterly dumbfounded Meiling.
Eh? Why was Meiling here?
Looks like she'd been so busy appreciating the primarch that she'd forgotten to activate Time Stop.
"..."
"..."
"?" Curze looked at Meiling, who had suddenly frozen like an idiot, utterly puzzled. Poor thing. What had happened to her? Why did she look like she'd become a different person all of a sudden?
How pitiful.
"Sevatar, what's wrong with her? Do you know?" Curze turned her head.
"I have no idea~" Sevatar replied with a smile.
"That's strange. Meiling's never like this..." Curze frowned and turned back toward Meiling.
At that moment, Sevatar's smile remained in place, but a chilling black aura began to seep from her entire body. Even the way she looked at Meiling became deeply, unmistakably hostile.
"!!!" Meiling dropped to the floor with a thud.
Wow! Captain Sevatar is going to kill me! I'm doomed!
"Meiling, how many times have I told you? Don't panic when things happen. Take it slowly." Curze's voice was calm.
"Even if you aren't involved in managing the Legion's internal affairs, the security of the Scarlet Devil Mansion is something I entrusted to you. That is my trust in you."
"If you keep startling at everything like this, I may have to consider handing your post over to Sevatar."
No! Please! I still have value!
"I wouldn't mind taking it over, Father. I would do it properly. As for Meiling..." Sevatar's tone suddenly sharpened. "She can be assigned to the recruit's expeditionary fleet, together with those who've been getting rather close to Camilla."
"Ah, what a glorious expedition that would be~"
"!!!!"
When someone is trapped in extreme terror, their thoughts and emotions undergo strange chemical changes. At this moment, Meiling's mind had gone completely blank, and acting purely on survival instinct, she began blurting nonsense.
"F-Father! It was... it was Agent Bruce... he dragged Lady Lion into his room!"
"?" Curze froze for a split second, then smashed the table apart with a single punch.
A terrifying aura erupted from her as she rose, staring at Meiling so fiercely that she seemed ready to become a Midnight Haunter and pass judgment on the guilty.
"What did you say? What did the recruit do to my brother?"
"I-it was just... Agent Bruce took Lady Lion by the hand and led her into the room! I saw it with my own eyes! They must be secretly sparring in martial arts!"
"Just sparring in martial arts?" Curze calmed down a little upon hearing that.
Then the corners of her mouth curled upward. The thought of her recruit being so motivated that he even dared challenge a primarch—excellent, excellent indeed!
Next time, she'd have to inspect his results. How many of her moves could he take now? Truly something to look forward to.
"I... I can't say for sure." Meiling shook her head frantically.
"?" Curze turned back toward Sevatar again. "Sevatar, what do you think?"
"Of course I think whatever you think, Father." Sevatar instantly switched back to her smiling expression.
"..." Curze fell into thought.
She wasn't worried that Bruce would betray her and run off to spend his days with Lion. But... it was entirely possible that Lion might steal Bruce away.
"So late at night, a man and a woman, alone together... they... they..." Meiling panicked harder as she thought about it, then shouted, "Agent Bruce must be planning to use his martial arts to beat Lady Lion to her knees and turn her into a captive!"
Thunk.
A heavy impact sounded.
Curze's fist had landed squarely on Meiling's head.
She roared, "What nonsense are you imagining, Meiling? Do you really think my brother is that weak?"
"The recruit drags his feet even on the battlefield, and you expect him to defeat my brother? Have you eaten too much pickled mustard greens stir-fried with potato shreds?"
Curze was furious. She could tolerate Meiling rambling. What she couldn't tolerate was outright nonsense—especially nonsense involving her brother and her recruit.
"But... the recipes Agent Bruce gave us are delicious..." Meiling clutched her swollen head and whimpered.
"At worst... maybe Lady Lion is the one who wants to defeat Agent Bruce and take him back aboard the Invincible Reason as a slave."
"Shut up! Stop bothering me!"
"S-sorry..."
"..." Curze suddenly reconsidered, replaying Meiling's words in her head. Then her expression turned grave.
Oh no.
My recruit!
Bruce would never do anything to her brother, sure—but that didn't mean Lion wouldn't do something to him!
Lion El'Jonson, you are truly despicable!
"Father, there's no need to panic. Perhaps they're really just discussing tactics," Sevatar reminded her.
"Is... is that so?" Curze thought about it and found that it did make some sense.
Right. Her recruit was loyal to a fault, and her brother had changed too—becoming a better person. There was no way Lion would make a move on Bruce.
Sigh. She was scaring herself.
"Father has precognition, doesn't she? Just look and you'll know..." Meiling muttered weakly.
"That's true!" Curze was immediately enlightened. She closed her eyes and attempted to use her foresight on the two of them.
A few seconds later, Curze clenched her fists, face flushed bright red.
Recruit! You bastard—what did you do to my brother?!
In the fragmentary vision she saw, Bruce's face was twisted, veins bulging at his temples, and he was clutching his... thing tightly. Lion's face was red too, her eyes closed—and the two of them were both on the bed!
They were piled on top of each other!
What else could that possibly mean?!
"Move! We're going to find them! Meiling, lead the way!!!" Curze shouted.
"Yes, Father!" Meiling sprang to her feet and saluted.
The next instant, she shot off like a hound that had caught the scent of blood, racing straight toward Bruce's room.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter108)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 99
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 95
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 99
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 92
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 47
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 44
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 43
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 26
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