In the second-floor room across from the dessert shop, the curtains were carefully drawn open, leaving only a narrow gap.
Several pairs of eyes stared coldly through the slit, watching the red-haired girl sitting by the window in the shop opposite.
“Target confirmed.” A deep voice broke the silence in the room. “She’s here, right on time.”
The speaker was a middle-aged man with a stern face. His companions all called him Old K.
He was the leader of this operation, and at this moment, he was squinting, carefully observing the situation across the street.
A few days ago, they received a commission—someone wanted them to assassinate the eldest daughter of the von Klein family.
At first, he refused. After all, once you cross such a powerful figure, it could mean a lifetime of being hunted.
But the reward was simply too much.
So much that, once split among the team, each of them could escape the Kingdom and live peacefully on their own.
No matter how influential the von Klein family was, in the end, they were just Local Aristocrats. As long as they escaped his territory, there was nothing he could do to them.
So, faced with such a huge temptation, he accepted the request.
“Finally, she shows up.” The next to speak was a small, thin young man who nimbly squeezed to the window. His nickname was Skinny.
“I’ve been tailing her for days for this job. My legs are numb… Hm? Boss, who’s that hooded person sitting across from her?”
Old K’s brows furrowed immediately.
He shifted his gaze to the Hooded Figure sitting in front of Alice.
Judging by the figure, it seemed to be a woman; the lower half of the Hooded Figure’s face could just barely be seen beneath the brim.
“There was nothing in the intel about her meeting someone else,” Skinny muttered.
Their original plan was to strike on the relatively secluded road when Alice was heading alone to Aphrodite’s residence.
But this suddenly appearing Hooded Figure had complicated things.
“Not sure. Could be a friend, or maybe…” Old K felt a vague sense of unease.
If this person was an Enforcer or some hidden expert, their plan would need to be adjusted.
However, as they eavesdropped on the conversation inside the shop, that worry soon faded.
“Hah, turns out it’s just a friend she ran into?” Skinny snorted, sounding much more relaxed.
Old K nodded. “The target remains unchanged. Proceed as planned, but take both of them together. Handle them at that location.”
At this moment, a burly man leaning against the wall smacked his lips impatiently.
A prominent scar ran across his face, so everyone called him Scarface.
“Hey, Boss, Skinny, what are you two worrying about?” Scarface grumbled in his rough voice. “So what if there’s an extra chick? That’s a bonus! Buy one, get one free!”
As he spoke, he ran his coarse fingers over the knife in his hand, a lecherous grin spreading across his face.
“That little thing in the hood, can’t see her face clearly, but look at that figure, look at the line of her jaw…”
Scarface licked his lips, eyes glued to the Hooded Figure opposite Alice, his barely-contained desire plain for all to see.
“Tsk tsk, she’s probably a real beauty. Once we finish the job, maybe… let the brothers have some fun? We’re going to silence them anyway, might as well not waste it.”
Skinny rolled his eyes. “Scarface, can you quit thinking with your lower half? What if she’s some hidden expert? See how you die then.”
“Expert? With those skinny arms and legs?” Scarface sneered, “I could knock her out with a single punch. Right, Boss?”
Old K shot him a cold glance but didn’t immediately object.
Truth be told, he disliked such unnecessary trouble.
But in this line of work, sometimes you had to give the men a little “bonus” to keep them motivated.
And after this job, they’d all be on the run anyway.
What, should he restrain them just for his own pitiful sense of justice?
What a joke. If he really cared about that, he’d never have gotten into this business in the first place.
After a brief silence, Old K said in a low voice, “Fine. But only after the main target is dealt with. Don’t let greed mess up the job.”
“Relax, Boss! Won’t mess things up!” Scarface grinned, pressing his palms against the air in front of him and moving his waist with anticipation, as if he couldn’t wait any longer.
“I promise to behave, business first! Heheheh…” Though that’s what he said, Scarface had his own plans.
He knew this was their last mission together, and the only reason he still listened to Old K was that only Old K could contact the client.
Scarface had already decided: once the action started, he’d go straight for that chick.
After all, their target was just some pampered young lady—not worth sending everyone.
If he slipped away and went after her on his own, Old K would forgive him for old times’ sake, maybe just dock his pay a little.
The fact that Old K had agreed so quickly to his lewd suggestion spoke volumes.
Normally, Old K hated this stuff the most—it usually took ages to convince him.
Plus, if the von Klein family came after them, he could always say he never laid a hand on the target himself.
Scarface plotted silently.
Just then, a young team member who had been quietly fiddling with a magic device in the corner finally looked up, speaking timidly.
“Boss, positioning shows they’re both in the dining area. The magic array is ready, we can activate it at any time.”
Old K nodded, turning his gaze outside again.
Through the glass, he could see Alice chatting happily with the person opposite, even feeding her a bite of cake.
Such an innocent young lady—she had no idea what kind of situation she was in.
A strange hint of pity welled up in Old K’s heart, but he quickly forced it down.
In this world, everyone did what they must to survive. If she had to blame someone, it was for being born into the von Klein family.
“Good.” Old K made up his mind. “Proceed as planned, but separate the two during transport. The young lady to the designated spot. As for the extra one…”
He paused, remembering Scarface’s request, then gave the order.
“Throw her into the Broodmother’s Nest. Let her play with those things for a while. We’ll finish the main job, then Scarface can have his turn.”
Aphrodite suddenly saw a burst of light beneath her feet, and an overwhelming force of spatial distortion seized her in an instant!
“Not good!” She reacted at once, instinctively trying to do something—to push away Alice, who was just within arm’s reach.
But this “candidate Saintess” body was nowhere near as strong, fast, or responsive as the one she once had.
As the light flashed, the next second, Aphrodite’s vision was swallowed entirely by a chilling darkness.
Then came a powerful sense of falling. In her ears was a strange, buzzing whine of twisted space—or maybe it was the sound of blood rushing to her head.
Yet,
The expected pain of slamming into the ground never came.
Instead, she felt something strange and disturbing beneath her, enough to send goosebumps over her whole body.
It was as if she had fallen into a heap of soft, unnervingly elastic things that even radiated a faint warmth.
Her body sank a little, then some force gently held her up, as if she’d landed inside a living, gigantic jelly.
“What the hell did I fall into now?” Aphrodite rubbed her dizzy head, forcing herself to sit up atop the squishy “jelly.”
Why does everything keep getting so absurd…
All she wanted was to buy a nightgown—how did she end up in this mess?