"You mean, the beating we took last week was arranged by the association's seniors, with the goal of making us recognize our own strength?!" Leticia's words made the Leader's head steam. What kind of nonsense was this!
After all that, there was no way for them to escape that beating?
"Besides, at that time, I didn't know I was beating you, Leader. Ignorance is bliss," Leticia defended herself righteously. "If you must blame someone, blame the one surnamed York. She was the one who dragged me along to hit you."
"York Rose is that person in black? Where is York Rose now?" the Leader asked subconsciously.
Leticia spread her hands. She also wanted to know where Melanie had gone, but the fog wasn't that kind.
Powerful as she was, her perception was limited to what her eyes could see. She couldn't sense anything behind the dense fog.
"She got separated from us, just like you got separated from that blond person," Leticia said. "I'm not worried about her safety, but being trapped here indefinitely isn't ideal. The real solution is to get to the core and shut this monstrosity down as quickly as possible."
"Why should we believe you, a Demon?" At this moment, Momo, who had been idle on the side, spoke her first sentence.
The Demon Tribe is humanity's enemy, and a mortal one at that.
Through years of war and chaos, the hatred between the Human Tribe and the Demon Tribe was deeply rooted. It was already rare for them not to fight upon meeting.
But now, this Demon, who had beaten them up just last week, was inviting them to cooperate?
Was something wrong with her brain, or was something wrong with the brain of the person across from her?
"No, you don't need to believe me. In fact, I never expected you to believe me," Leticia said with a smile, gently stroking her sister's hand. "I'm just helping you out for the Leader's sake."
If they were two strangers, Leticia wouldn't bother explaining so much. Just dropping the line, "Follow me if you don't want to die," would already be an act of immense kindness.
"On a side note, your superiors actually know about today's transaction, after all, the one surnamed York holds quite a high position."
As soon as she finished speaking, Leticia felt her sister's grip on her hand tighten slightly. Turning her head, she saw her sister's face alight with a gentle smile.
"So that's what you were planning, Sister." Kira's face was full of smiles, but her voice was as icy as the cold wind from the Extreme North.
Leticia shivered. Why did she let that slip?
"Let me guess, were you planning to use these Heroes to disrupt our transaction after extracting what you wanted from me?" Kira's smile grew brighter, and her grip on Leticia's hand tightened further. "Big Sister, shouldn't you give your heartbroken little sister some compensation?"
"Ah..."
"Come back to the Demon Tribe with me."
"No! Never, even if I die!"
"If you don't come back, I'll cut your internet cable while you're gaming." Kira's smile was demonic.
"Waaah! Don't!"
The Leader and Momo, who had been serving as background decoration, exchanged a look. Suddenly, Leticia's previous words felt strangely more credible.
A girl who behaved so... shamefully—there was no way what she had just said could be false.
Moreover, the Leader still believed in her heart that Leticia wouldn't deceive her. This was the trust built up during her years of interacting with Ohara.
"Ohara, can I still call you Ohara?" the Leader asked.
"Of course! Quinn Sukina is me, and I am Quinn Sukina," Leticia replied, taking a moment to answer the Leader while soothing her sweat-drenched sister.
Quinn Sukina was her alias. Without a doubt, Leticia and Quinn Sukina were the same person.
Leticia wasn't like people in certain TV series or movies who seemed like entirely different individuals just by changing their name.
"Pfft, Ohara, you should wipe your sweat first." The Leader handed her handkerchief to Leticia.
Taking the handkerchief, which still carried the Leader's scent, Leticia smiled. This gesture clearly meant that the Leader still acknowledged their friendship.
Wiping the sweat beads from her forehead with the small gray handkerchief, Leticia coughed twice and adjusted her expression. "Later, I will control the Fire Giant to advance toward the Clock Tower. You must stay close to me, only then can I protect you."
"Mhm, mhm." The Leader nodded obediently.
"Do you really trust her?" But Momo was still resistant. Cooperating with a Demon and being protected by a Demon—it was simply too crazy!
The Leader didn't explain. She just looked at Leticia and said softly, "I trust my judgment of people. Ohara isn't a bad person."
"...Those two young Heroes have linked up with the girl in white and are now heading toward the Clock Tower?" Hearing the news from his subordinate, the Hunchbacked Elder's expression was quite something.
He was originally wondering how to lure them over, but now, the targets had gone over on their own. How worry-free.
"How is the progress at the other location? How long until we get the box?"
"Well..."
"How much longer?" Because the progress on one side was smooth, the old man was in a good mood.
"Our monsters can't even get close to that River of Stars. That woman is still wandering the streets," the old man's subordinate replied, trembling with fear.
"You mean to say, after all this time, with so many Fog Beasts, you can't even get close?" The old man looked at his subordinate in disbelief. "Didn't you guarantee that even the strongest S-rank Hero would be dragged down and killed here?"
"Or are you going to tell me that this white-haired person is stronger than the strongest S-rank Hero? Who is she then? The Sword Saint?"
"It's not impossible," the subordinate mumbled.
That beautiful yet terrifying long River of Stars, and that unparalleled sense of oppression—even through the dense fog, it made their limbs feel icy cold. For someone so powerful, suggesting she was the Sword Saint didn't seem far-fetched.
"The Sword Saint is a man, not a beautiful white-haired girl!" Elder Ying refuted. All information indicated that the Sword Saint was male. This young woman absolutely could not be the Sword Saint.
"Hoo, this side is the most crucial location..."
"Um, Elder Ying, we've already captured the male Hero among the three." The subordinate quickly reported the only gain from the past few dozen minutes. "Can we use him to exchange for something?"
Actually, there was no need to insist on getting the book. The old man just wanted his share of the money; who provided the money was irrelevant.
Kidnapping a Hero Association Hero and making the Hero Association pay the ransom—that was also a viable method, right?
"We're going to the entrance of the Clock Tower. Bring that man along."