“Teri Lynn Xiuman!”
“Now that you know all this, what choice will you make?”
“Will you spurn me, or will you follow me?”
“A title of Count is by no means my final destination. I, Fantes Schurma, will climb to the absolute peak of this country, no matter the cost!”
Fantes looked at Number Zero and extended his hand.
Looking at Fantes, Number Zero felt feelings of disgust and anger for the very first time.
Confronted with these strange, unprecedented emotions, Number Zero was at a loss for what to do.
Had something gone wrong with itself?
Why would these emotions suddenly appear?
Was it because she was too far from her master, or because her systems hadn't been adjusted in too long? Had her frame malfunctioned?
What should she do now?
Kill him directly?
No, she still had her master's mission to complete.
Without Number Zero even realizing it herself, a massive change had taken place within her.
For the first time, she had formed her own thoughts, gained the ability to associate concepts, and developed the desire to make her own choices.
With the birth of these various emotions, her intelligence had experienced a qualitative leap.
But her master's orders were absolute above all else.
For now, she had to follow her master's command, prioritizing the acquisition of their target, Fantes's, trust.
“Yes.”
Seeing that Teri had hesitated for a moment but ultimately agreed, Fantes was absolutely ecstatic.
With Teri's assistance, how could he fail to obtain the title of Count?
When it came to climbing to even higher heights in the future, Teri would undoubtedly be his greatest asset.
He believed that Teri must have been completely won over by his sheer charisma and dominance, which was why she agreed to follow him.
Fantes did not necessarily care about winning Teri's heart.
He just needed to find an opportunity in the future to force an intimate relationship with her, binding her to his side forever.
His future was incredibly bright!
“Teri, you won't regret today's decision.”
...
“What is that?!”
“Help!”
“Someone save me! Why is there a monster like that in the city?!”
Panic threw White Bear City into absolute chaos.
Count Wit was also alarmed by the commotion and swiftly dispatched his teams of Mages and Warriors.
Li Xiuman, who had been wandering the streets, was also drawn to the noise.
At the same time, he rapidly received intelligence from Number Zero.
“To think that bastard Fantes was brewing a conspiracy like this!”
“I ruined his last setup, yet he still refuses to give up on his wicked designs!”
Li Xiuman did not charge forward to clash head-on with the monster.
Its terrifying destructive power was simply not something he could handle at his current level.
It was better to leave it to Count Wit to deal with.
First, he needed to head back and don all his equipment.
Li Xiuman rushed toward his home, where he happened to run into the basement full of vampires.
“Listen up, everyone! A monster has appeared in White Bear City. Don't let your guards down!”
“I have some matters to attend to, so I'm heading out first. Make sure you stay away from danger!”
Leaving them with these words, Li Xiuman donned his equipment and departed, leaving the staring vampires to turn in unison toward Jetis.
The corners of Jetis's mouth curled upward as she confidently delivered her translation.
The process of translation was omitted.
“...Therefore, our master's meaning is for us to disguise ourselves and perform rescue operations under the name of the White Feather Merchant Association, building up momentum for the association's future.”
“At the same time, the Blood Bone Organization currently has far too little renown.”
“Lord Rorona, when you were serving our master previously, you mentioned hearing him say the phrase, ‘Any publicity is good publicity. Don't fear a bad reputation; only fear having no reputation at all.’”
“I couldn't agree more with those words. Once again, I praise our master's sublime, boundless wisdom.”
“Let the Blood Bone Organization swoop in and claim this massive scapegoat as well as the notoriety that comes with it.”
“Between an organization that once nearly destroyed a city and some nameless faction that popped out of nowhere...”
“...the former is far superior.”
“So, split up into two groups right now! One group will conduct rescues under the name of the White Feather Merchant Association!”
“The other group will act in the name of the Blood Bone Organization, spreading the word that this city-destroying monster is linked to the Blood Bone Merchant Association!”
“This will divide people's attention, making it much harder for anyone to connect the Blood Bone Organization with the White Feather Merchant Association. It also aligns perfectly with our master's intent to keep the Blood Bone Organization hidden in the shadows!”
Jetis had completely deconstructed the meaning behind Li Xiuman's brief words.
All the vampires showed expressions of sudden realization.
So that's how it is. As expected of our master, and as expected of Lady Jetis.
If Lady Jetis hadn't analyzed their master's wisdom for them, they probably would have just gone into hiding to avoid the trouble.
How could they have ever thought of a way to claim a piece of the pie amidst this chaos?
“All for the glory of the White Grim Reaper!”
“All for the glory of the White Grim Reaper!”
...
On the other side of things, Li Xiuman headed straight for Fantes's location.
Since he already knew who the mastermind was, why would Li Xiuman bother fighting that monster?
It was obviously much better to deal with Fantes directly.
Though, killing Fantes in a straightforward, legitimate manner would still be somewhat difficult.
After all, Fantes had plenty of guards around him.
At a critical juncture like this, the security around him was bound to be even tighter.
But that didn't matter.
He had left Number Zero, his backstabbing Golem, right by Fantes's side.
She was ready to turn around and give Fantes a vicious stab at any moment.
Ultimately, guided by Number Zero, Li Xiuman located Fantes, who was hiding away while waiting for the perfect moment to step out and save White Bear City.
Right now, Fantes was hiding inside an abandoned church, with Number Zero guarding him not far away.
“Tier 2 Magic: Rock Spear!”
A massive rock spear pierced through the ceiling of the church, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“Enemy attack!”
Hearing the shout, Fantes instantly grew tense.
Li Xiuman calmly walked into the church.
“Who are you?! How did you find me?!”
Fantes roared.
“Me? Just a concerned, ordinary citizen who happened to be passing by.”
Li Xiuman waved his hand and spoke nonchalantly.
“I don't care who you are, but walking into this church is the worst mistake you have ever made!”
With a hideous, contorted look on his face, Fantes wanted nothing more than to tear this audacious fool to pieces.
But in the very next second, all his arrogance evaporated.
Because Number Zero had already rested her blade against his throat.
He looked at Number Zero in absolute disbelief.
“Y-You... You're together!”
“Teri, you're working with him!”
Number Zero did not answer, remaining as cold and elegant as ever.
Fantes was driven nearly mad with rage.
This same Teri, whom he had just granted his trust, deciding to make her his confidant and future lover, was actually an undercover agent planted by someone else!
The sheer realization that this cold, beautiful Teri was taking orders from another man made his blood boil with immense envy and resentment.
Li Xiuman had absolutely no intention of soothing Fantes's bruised ego.
He merely raised his wand high and shouted.
“Nobody move!”
Holding Fantes hostage, Number Zero slowly walked toward Li Xiuman.
“Teri! I will give you countless wealth!”
“And power! I'll give you whatever you want!”
“Even the title of Count! The future of White Bear City! I can give it all to you!”
“Teri, think about this! Do you really have to take orders from that man?!”
“I am the better choice! Choose me now! This is your chance to break free from that man!”
Fantes was still desperately trying to win her over.
But it was like speaking to a stone wall; no matter what he said, Number Zero didn't give him a single response.
Only when Number Zero reached Li Xiuman's side did Fantes fall silent, his face turning the color of ash.
“Kid... do we have some kind of grudge between us?”
“Why did you have to screw me over like this?”
Li Xiuman remained silent, simply taking his Rib Sword from Number Zero's hand.
Fantes clearly saw that this man's hand had brushed against Teri's!
Something that even he had never got to do!
Damn it! Damn it all!
The sheer jealousy!
Rate on N.U.
