A Trail of bloody corpses lay sprawled across the corrupted soil—wounded lizards called out with weak, desperate groans as if calling for their master.
"Your master isn't coming, vermin." A woman scoffed as she wiped her bloody claws with a black napkin.
A set of sleek black scales wrapped around her figure, forged to match her delicate curves.
Zafira's golden eyes billowed beneath her helt, hiding the subtle changes in her expressions and her slightly furrowed brows. Behind her, a group of goblins stood at ease, holding their weapons in silence.
"Gobomir, did you feel that wave of power?"
The tall red goblin with bulging muscles carrying a tower shield and longsword nodded before lifting his chin with a prideful smirk.
"Master has taken control of another dungeon!"
The goblin warrior, once weak and barely able to kill low-level bandits, now led the goblins into battle behind the succubus berserker Zafira.
"Do you think he might return soon?" Her question faded without an answer as she tossed the napkin, and with the snap of her fingertips, it burned into ash.
Behind her, the goblins started to grow uneasy.
They understood the volatile mood swings that their superior and the dungeon master's favourite could show. Sotis gentle like the sumr sunlight, and other tis vicious like a midwinter frost.
Zafira turned to the cave where the dungeon lord continued to hide, a sense of pleasure growing within her abdon at seeing her handy work.
"How many tis have we wiped out this insect's forces now?"
The vicious, most noble demon fluttered her wings, aggressively blowing away the stench of charred flesh.
The victory was never a surprise to her. She knew that it would co, eventually.
"Should we prepare a feast?" She asked cheerfully.
Gobbolas, who had been watching from a distance, staring nervously at Zafira, looked at his brother and smiled.
"A feast, that sounds good."
Zafira found the goblin's thod of speaking irritating in the past, so from the mont Leonhardt left the dungeon.
She held several goals, from education to discipline, and set out to teach them how to communicate under the official demonic empires' etiquette.
"We should wait for Master's return, Lady Zafira."
Zafira snapped her gaze towards Gobomir after his interjection, causing an overwhelming pressure to weigh on his shoulders. His teeth rattled under the force, yet he didn't falter. "…Surely, the lady would be happier this way."
"Do you think?!"
"What a good idea… Gobomir, how wonderful, ah~ I am sure Leonhardt will enjoy it!"
The goblins shuddered, silent as Zafira spoke.
A low veil of fear swept over the red-skinned monsters.
"Thank you, Gobomir. I'm delighted that I can be of service to our master thanks to your suggestion."
Zafira curled her lips into a distorted smile, swaying her hips unnaturally as she released strange noises while stepping on the lizard corpses.
"Everything will be perfect." She whispered.
—
anwhile, back at the small inn in Munat village.
After Leonhardt lost consciousness, Asuka rushed to his side, escaping the bear's interference, and held him in her arms.
Thanks to the leader, who was actually called Enzo rather than Joker. Erina attempted to form a deal with the so-called assassins.
Presently, in the largest room, everyone faced off once again.
"Now then…" Erina muttered.
She looked back at the sleeping Leonhardt, her lips curling into a faint smile. The revelations of what he might be caused a test of faith for the young priestess.
"Erina, I thought you wished to beco a saintess, to help the people and protect them from monsters… you do know what this man is, right?"
Enzo's concern for his daughter, however misplaced it might seem, was genuine, his hands trembling as he clenched his teeth.
"Sir Enzo, please do not try to force my decision."
Erina remained resolute, switching her tone to beco stiff and elegant, like a noble scolding one of their servants or guards. "Do not forget what you have done."
A harsh tone that made the handso male recoil with a bitter expression.
As she pretended to consider his words, Erina turned to face Sylvie and Asuka, who were both sitting on the bed, treating Leonhardt's wounds.
"Although, soone in my position might be expected to do so, father…" Erina's eyes glistened like gemstones before turning away from the sight of her selfish and moody friends, both caring for the sa man.
"…But I cannot turn this man over to you, or allow him to suffer harm."
At first, she wondered if Enzo might beco enraged or displeased.
Yet, her lips parted, almost staring agape when noticing the sudden change in the atmosphere of her father's co-workers.
'What's going on?' She wondered.
"My daughter, I am no strict father… nay, can I be called a father after running out on your mother because of the pressure?"
"Then?"
Erina's face lit up, but she gripped her dress, knowing it couldn't be this easy.
"However, the job we received wasn't for that bastard, *ahem* that boy alone…" His words ended, giving a subtle hint to his daughter.
Knowing how bright she was from a young age, he couldn't help but hope she could read between the lines.
"I don't understand—what have we done to provoke such a thing?"
Enzo's eyes flickered, seeing the sheer confusion and sense of bewildernt from his daughter's reaction, as it resembled her mother's all too well.
"What do you an, Erina?"
Hearing the low tone of his voice, not just Erina but even the mbers of the Last Call seed invested, and their gazes beca sharp, looking at Enzo with confusion.
"Ace, who was the client?"
"Joker… it was soone related to the nobles."
"You didn't think to check, how sloppy, Ace." The beautiful red-headed woman complained.
"Queen shut up!"
Ace narrowed his dull grey eyes, irritated when the beautiful woman challenged him.
But foxes were crafty and smart.
"Leader, are you going to let him fail you without punishnt?" The queen teased in a sultry voice.
"…"
"Slut!"
"Hah! Impotent swine!"
The two started an argunt, knocking Erina off guard. She couldn't believe that this would be the normal atmosphere of renowned assassins.
"Enough! Ace, Queen, this isn't the ti to argue among ourselves. This situation is tricky and strange… how and who in the nobility would know about this small group?"
Enzo's brows furrowed deeper, causing wrinkles in his forehead. He seed increasingly concerned while thinking to himself. "It has to be about this kid."
"There's no way it's about a re dragonoid or a low-class witch." Jack, the black-haired male, entered the conversation with his monotone voice.
"True." Ace followed up.
"There isn't a need for those nobles to care much about a saintess candidate unless they have a hero lined up." Diamond, the blonde elf, muttered.
"Wait!"
Enzo turned his gaze to Diamond. "A hero, what if that hero wasn't doing his job and fooling around?"
The mont a hero was ntioned, Erina's shoulders trembled. A sight that didn't go unnoticed by the other mbers of the group.
How could assassins miss such an obvious visual cue?
"Erina… has a hero been summoned?"
He asked in a low voice because normally, a hero summoning would be a grand event, and all intelligence groups wouldn't be so quiet about it.
Rather, the strange situation of a saintess candidate travelling outside the monastery was even more bizarre.
Erina's head ducked, nodding slowly.
"Why didn't I consider it before?!" Enzo gazed at their group, then shook his head, looking at the unconscious Leonhardt.
"Who is it, Erina?"
A silence spread through the room, as mbers of the Last Call beca anxious.
Their eyes interlocked, nodding and shaking their heads while tapping the table using a mysterious rhythm that Erina didn't recognise.
"It's not Leon; he's the one who helped us in place of that fool."
"…" Enzo's eyes narrowed; listening to his daughter's words, it seed that she wasn't on good terms with the hero.
"What is he like?"
The mont her father asked, it seed as if a door was broken and released sothing that lingered in her chest.
"A vile and disgusting excuse for a human, he is obscene, lecherous, and ntally ill."
Sylvie's eyes flicked to Erina.
Upon hearing her speak so badly about soone was a little scary, even though she agreed and knew what kind of bastard, Kaito was.
"…I see. Is he not suited to be a hero?"
"That fool? He seems to think he's god's gift to the world.
Spends all his ti flirting and trying to trick won into bed, using his disgusting powers; why would the goddess grant such horrific powers to a foul human like him?
The first night we t, he tried to bewitch using his ntal magic and take to his bedchamber… if not for my immunity to ntal magic.
I would have beco that bastard's comforter!
Do you really want to call that pathetic loach with a tiny phallus a hero?"
After finishing, Erina struggled for air, heaving and clenching her fists as she visibly shook with rage.
Enzo remained frozen, the words of his daughter replaying in his mind.
"Erina is scary…"
Sylvie shuddered while hiding behind Asuka.
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