“Leave it to the two of you?” At those words, Zevin hesitated, but quickly shook his head and said, “No, this is too dangerous. You’ve already helped me a lot—there’s no need for you to take such a risk.”
“Does General Zevin not trust the strength of us sisters? Since we suggested it, that means we’re confident we can get it done.”
For Selim, if she could resolve this matter while lying down, that would be perfect.
However, the mission prompt made it clear they had to eliminate the Source of Disaster, so she had no way to avoid it.
This matter was indeed dangerous, but not without hope.
Even if Selim, who was only Firefly Tier, had entered a Glazed Light Tier Trial World, it was, after all, only as hard as a Glazed Light Tier trial.
From their five-figure scores on the Leaderboard, it was clear that encountering a Moonlight Level monster was extremely rare in this world.
There was a high chance that no Moonlight Level monsters would appear again in this action.
Non–Moonlight Level monsters would basically be a free meal for the two of them.
Thus, the greatest challenge in destroying the Altar would be sneaking past the Monster Horde without being discovered.
Difficult, but not impossible.
If someone was willing to draw most of the monsters’ attention, it would be much simpler.
Hearing Selim’s words, Zevin spoke up, “It’s not that I don’t trust your strength. On the contrary, I believe with your abilities, if you stay here, you’ll be safe no matter what happens.”
“That’s why I’d rather risk my broken body. After all, as the Lord here, it’s my duty to protect this territory.”
“It’s good to have a sense of responsibility, but…” Selim’s tone changed as she continued, “That doesn’t mean you have to bear all the risk alone.”
“We’re all in the same boat. Sitting back and letting others do the work just isn’t my style.”
“I never thought a mercenary could have such character.” Zevin’s eyes were complicated, but at last he relented, “All right, what do you propose?”
“I need you, General, to take the initiative.”
“You mean… I lead the troops outside to draw attention, and you two sneak in from another direction?”
“That’s right.” Selim liked dealing with smart people—she didn’t have to explain much for the other party to understand.
Zevin frowned, pacing back and forth, his heavy steps echoing in the hall. At last, he stopped abruptly.
“Kaya, come here.”
He called Kaya to his side and said, “Bring out what I gave you yesterday.”
At his words, Kaya carefully took out from his chest a neatly folded cloak, shimmering with a faint, dark light.
Taking the cloak from him, Zevin walked over to Selim with it in his hands.
“Take this. It once saved my life—I hope it can help you, too.”
Without waiting for Zevin’s introduction, Selim immediately used Appraisal on it.
『Sanctum Knight of Darkness’s Shadow Cloak (Gold): When standing still, grants optical invisibility and can block the perception abilities of most Moonlight Level and lower.』
“Sanctum Knight of Darkness?”
“Miss Selim, you’re truly well-versed.” Zevin was a little surprised to hear Selim say the name out loud, and continued, “That’s right. Our family once had a Sanctum Knight of Darkness among our ancestors—he left this Family Heirloom behind.”
Gently taking the cloak, Selim said, “So, General, you’re not completely selfless after all.”
“Ah, this is my only wish as a father.”
“Since this was your son’s lifeline, aren’t you afraid I’ll run off with your Treasure now that you’ve given it to me?”
“I might have had some concerns a moment ago, but not anymore.” Zevin shook his head and said firmly, “After all, this matter has nothing to do with you mercenaries.”
“I am greedy, but since you’re all willing to risk your lives for this, I can wager everything too—for the sake of this Family Heirloom land, even my son’s life.”
“Now, let my son take you to the treasury to pick out anything else that might be useful. Most of the valuable items have already been taken, but perhaps you’ll find something handy.”
“Is my sincerity enough now?”
“It is.” Selim stood up, took the Shadow Cloak, and equipped it.
“I’m going to rally my troops again.” With that, Zevin turned and left, leaving only her, Kaya, and Cecilia Ross in the hall.
She was quite satisfied with this outcome.
Getting a temporary gold-tier item was an unexpected bonus. With this equipment, she was much more confident about completing the mission.
It was just a pity this was a Trial World and she couldn’t take it with her—otherwise, she’d definitely think of a way to swipe it.
“Ladies, this way, please.” Only after his Father left did Kaya relax. Remembering Zevin’s instructions, he prepared to lead Selim and Cecilia to the treasury to choose appropriate items.
“Mm.” Selim nodded and reached out to pull Cecilia along.
“Unmarried Fiance~ Unmarried Fiance~” Cecilia’s eyes were still vacant, clearly unable to accept reality.
It wasn’t until Selim’s hand grasped Cecilia’s that she snapped out of it slightly, though her eyes remained dull.
“Sis Selim, do you really have an Unmarried Fiance?”
“You’re lying to them, aren’t you?” Her voice trembled, with a hint of pleading.
Seeing Cecilia looking so unsettled by her little scheme, Selim couldn’t help but feel a slight pang in her heart, but she quickly adjusted her mood and switched to acting mode.
Without answering directly, Selim gripped Cecilia’s hand tightly and led her out.
Seeing Selim neither answer nor explain, Cecilia’s heart plummeted to the bottom, but she could only let Selim pull her along.
In silence, the three arrived at the Lycaon Family’s treasury doors.
“Please.”
“Thank you.” Selim led Cecilia into the treasury.
Seeing the awkward atmosphere between the two girls, Kaya wisely chose to wait outside the door.
Now, in the vast treasury, only Selim and Cecilia were left.
Selim knew the other wasn’t one to bottle things up—she patiently waited for Cecilia to speak first.
Pretending not to care, she began using Appraisal from the Player Template to scan the dozen or so remaining Treasures in the room, picking up any that were above green quality.
The two of them maintained this strange silence.
“Selim, do you love your Unmarried Fiance? Do you?” At last, Cecilia broke the silence, addressing Selim as she examined the various items.
Hearing this, Selim, still with her back to Cecilia, allowed a slight smirk, then instantly slipped into character.
As if startled by Cecilia’s words, Selim’s whole body trembled and her hand froze.
After a while, she spoke, “You won’t… call me Sis Selim anymore?”
“I’m not…” Cecilia’s voice now carried a hint of sobs. “If you two are truly happy, then I wish—”
“I hate him!” Selim suddenly interrupted.
“Even if he is supposedly a Prince, I still hate him.”
Turning around, Selim’s face was twisted with hatred and humiliation as she looked at Cecilia. “But what can I do? I have no strength. I can’t resist.”
“If I can’t resist, then I can only resign myself to fate.”
“Then let me help you, okay? I’ll help you take him down!” Seeing Selim like this, all of Cecilia’s sadness turned to fury, her teeth clenched. She had never hated someone she hadn’t met so much in her life.
Seeing the bait had been swallowed just as expected, Selim decided to turn up the act.
“No, don’t…” She rushed over, grabbing Cecilia’s hand. “He’s a Prince, I’m worried for you, little Cecilia…”
“Sis Selim, trust me!” Cecilia’s eyes were determined, her tone deadly serious.
“I’m sorry! I can’t bear it—I won’t let you take risks for me.” Selim took a green-grade, calming flower-shaped Hairpin from the treasury and pinned it to Cecilia’s hair.
“But…”
Patting Cecilia on the head, Selim said, “If we can clear this Trial, then I’ll agree to let you come find me, all right?”
“Then it’s a promise. No take-backs.”
“Okay, I promise you.”
Seeing Cecilia finally return to her energetic self, Selim nodded in satisfaction.
Holding Cecilia’s hand, they left the treasury. Other than the pretty Hairpin she’d given Cecilia and a Bead that could slightly mask scent, she returned everything else.
Just as Zevin had said, there was nothing but junk left in the treasury. Selim wasn’t interested. Better to restrain her greed and leave a good impression.
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