[Short Flashback: Lola’s]
"So, what?!" the boss yelled, clearly distressed by the plan they were about to execute. "Are we just going to march straight at the enemy and tell them, ’We’re here, motherfuckers! Kill us!’"
"We can do that." Lola nodded, earning looks from everyone else. "Easier that way."
Her answer shut the boss up instantly, while the lackey quietly wept.
"We can’t do that," one of the Bellemonte captives shook his head. "That’d be too dangerous, especially for the townsfolk."
"Especially for ! !" the boss shouted, as if everyone had conveniently forgotten that he, too, did not want to die—and that he was being forced into this situation.
"If we can, we should take them down one by one, quietly..." the other Bellemonte captive said after so thought. "At least thin out their numbers before they realize what’s happening."
Lola darted her eyes toward the two Bellemonte n, finally understanding how they’d survived for so long. Even though they were eventually captured—to be publicly executed—they’d lasted far longer than most would.
She leaned back, rocking her head slightly as her thoughts drifted to Gigante.
But why?
Her eyes narrowed as she replayed the situation in her head.
How did the enemies find out about the old granny?
Only two possibilities ca to mind. If soone knew about the injured n hiding in the granny’s house, then that information could’ve spread. But that didn’t make sense—if that were the case, the governor’s n would’ve raided the brothel long ago.
Or...
Could it be that because Lola had drawn attention to herself in the bar, soone paid a fixer to find out what she needed?
Lola shook her head. That was possible, and honestly, I prefer that.
But the other possibility ant that the people she never wanted to know she was here... already knew.
And in this situation, her instincts leaned toward the second.
But why the granny...
Her thoughts cut off as her gaze sharpened. She clicked her tongue, running it along the inside of her cheek.
"Damn that Haji," she muttered. "What the hell did you do?"
There was only one reason the governor would order his n to drag the old madam out of Gigante and take her to the main city.
Because the governor knew that, one way or another, the granny was Haji’s leash.
And Lola wasn’t the type to abandon that idiot.
Even so, she didn’t believe Haji and his entire team were caught so easily. If anything, she assud the man had confronted soone and exposed himself in the process.
She massaged the bridge of her nose, clicking her tongue repeatedly, until she realized the others were staring at her.
She cracked one eye open and raised a brow. "What?"
"Is sothing wrong?" One of the captives asked. "You look a little distressed, Goddess."
"Did you just call Goddess?"
The man pressed his lips into a thin line. They’d been together long enough to know she was part of the Order, but nothing else. She hadn’t shared her na, and they hadn’t asked.
Since the boss and lackey used all sorts of reverent titles to address her, the captives had eventually settled on Goddess. Chosen One and Greatest of All were too long.
Lola waved it off. "You’re right. We can’t just barge into town and bait them."
"You weren’t joking earlier?!" the boss and lackey gasped in unison. They’d genuinely believed she was being sarcastic.
She shrugged and turned back to the Bellemonte n. "Anyway, what were you two saying?"
"We need to launch a surprise attack," one explained. "If the townsfolk really are in danger, we have to act fast but quietly. Take the enemy down one by one."
"We’ve seen a town get massacred before," the other muttered, his face twisting at the mory.
That town wasn’t in this region, but it reminded them of Gigante. And that town was wiped out, and its only cri was having a chief who refused to submit.
They didn’t know Gigante’s fate yet, but it was safer to assu the worst.
Lola nodded. "Fine. You two handle that."
"What about you?"
"While you shave off the enemy from the shadows, these two and I will focus on the townsfolk," she said, making sure everyone was listening. "I know an entry point into Gigante where we can slip in. First, we borrow so clothes."
"These two geniuses with will disguise themselves as locals," she continued. "It’ll make approaching the townsfolk easier. We’ll distract the enemy as much as possible while you finish the job."
She paused. "By the ti we arrive, I’m certain the main squad will have already left for the main city. If we do this right, we can end this quickly. The townsfolk will know where to go once we evacuate them."
"But what if things don’t go as planned?" the lackey blurted out. "What if these two are discovered, and Gigante’s situation is worse than expected? What’s Plan B?"
"Plan B is..." Lola humd. "We face them head-on."
The lackey’s and the boss’s breaths hitched. When they turned to the Bellemonte n, they saw them nodding calmly.
"Are you all insane?!" the boss yelled. "How can you just agree with her other crazy plan?!"
"Because there’s nothing else to do once we’re discovered," one of the captives replied evenly. "Either we survive—or we don’t. And I’m not dying after we were just saved."
"You do realize that contradicts itself, right?" the lackey muttered, but no one cared.
Even if they voted, the boss and lackey would lose.
And so, the plan comnced.
Just as planned, when they reached the edge of town, Lola, the boss, and the lackey slipped inside and broke into a nearby house. Like thieves, they rummaged through the closets and changed clothes. Once disguised, they deliberately let so of the n ransacking the town discover them, and they were captured.
anwhile...
The two Bellemonte n entered from the sa direction. Unlike the others, they moved in the dark, struck the enemies from behind, and silently knocked guards unconscious one by one.
"Hey," one of them whispered, leaning against a house wall and peeking toward the square.
There, Lola and the other two were already surrounded—one of the n gripping her chin and jaw.
"She’ll be fine," the other said after checking the situation. "She saved us, and I get the feeling she’d save them too. Let’s move."
They nodded to each other and slipped back into the shadows, executing their task exactly as planned—launching silent, precise strikes against those stationed away from the square.
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