Chapter 88

As Rio pointed his blade, Muzé smiled in a troubled manner.

"It's quite a dangerous situation. Well, considering the circumstances, it can't be helped."

When Muzé clapped her hands, a group of white-masked figures appeared on the rooftops and at the entrances of the alleys. Their movements were fluid and their positioning to cover each other's weaknesses clearly showed they were seasoned professionals. It was obvious they were acting on Muzé's orders.

"Sure enough, you're connected to the White Masks."

Shiraha muttered and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to cast magic at any moment. Muzé raised both hands to show she had no hostile intentions.

"I want you to wait. I just want to talk."

"Honestly, there's nothing to talk about."

"I have something to say. Let me be straightforward. I want you to hand over the magic orbs."

"Magic orbs?"

"Yes, don't ask what they are. I know you have two magic orbs on you, which you always carry, thanks to the lost item search spell."

Upon hearing about the lost item search spell, Rio clicked his tongue. He was angry with himself for not realizing that they had been ambushed so perfectly because their positions had been tracked by the spell. While it was a difficult spell to master and few could use it, there were still those like Shiraha and his master Oggan who could.

"I can't just hand them over for free."

"I understand your anger. You were targeted, and it's natural to not trust us. That's why I'm here in person. This is a genuine gesture of goodwill."

Muzé spoke in a tone that seemed to come from the bottom of her heart, trying to show that she had no hostile intentions. She didn't touch her weapon and didn't try to close the distance.

"The attack was a mistake. There was a communication error. It was an unfortunate misunderstanding. We never intended to harm you, Rio and your companions."

"--- Lie."

Shiraha pointed out coldly. Rio also knew Muzé was lying. The White Masks waiting in the underground passage clearly had murderous intent. Moreover, an organization that would try to kill people, even by mistake, couldn't be considered normal. Muzé furrowed her brows and slumped her shoulders.

"It really was a communication error. Initially, we only needed to recover the magic orbs. However, after learning the facts and your testimonies, I realized we made a grave mistake. I am truly sorry. That's why I'm sincerely asking you to hand over the two magic orbs and Shiraha."

"--- What?"

Rio's combat readiness surged as he noticed the increased demands.

"What do you plan to do with my adoptive sister?"

In response to Rio's hostile aura, which could easily escalate into a fight, Muzé hastily held out her hands to stop him.

"It's a misunderstanding! I have no intention of harming her. On the contrary, I want to protect her. Please trust me. While we will be separated for the sake of confidentiality, I will arrange for regular correspondence. ---"

"--- What?"

This time, Shiraha glared at Muzé with a menacing look.

"Do you plan to separate her from Rio?"

"… Ah, you guys are really troublesome, aren't you?"

Muzé, who had inadvertently spoken her true feelings, pressed her forehead and looked up to the sky.

"If we clear up the misunderstanding, you'll see that we are on the side of justice. However, we don't have time. I want to have a frank discussion in a different location, but it's difficult to lower your guard. This is really troublesome. I'm often told I'm suspicious. I'm not suited for this kind of negotiation. No, I shouldn't be complaining. The current issue is the lack of time. I have the confidence to persuade you, but I need time. So, what should we do? Ah, what should we do… --- Kidnap them."

After muttering to herself for a while, Muzé suddenly broke into a bright smile and declared it. Immediately, the White Masks prepared to attack Rio and his companions but stopped in their tracks. An arrow had flown into the alley.

It was just an ordinary arrow.

This meant they needed to be wary of whoever had fired it.

Rio, Shiraha, Muzé, and the White Masks all felt a chill as they tried to look away from the arrow. They couldn't take their eyes off it.

The arrow, embedded in the alley wall, seemed to have them pinned in place, unable to move their gaze.

Realizing he could move, Rio focused his senses and grabbed Shiraha's clothes, moving them both to the side of the wall. Given that their gaze was fixed, he judged it necessary to move away from the arrow to expand their field of vision and physically cover any blind spots.

At the edge of his expanded vision, Muzé, with a bitter expression, dodged the arrow while keeping her gaze fixed on it. The sheath was drawn silently, slicing through the air, and an evil person, Conrart, appeared from the wall of a house.

"You dodged. That's why dealing with the Unorthodox Enro is so troublesome."

Conrart glanced at Rio and his companions.

"Live bait is the best for fishing."

It seemed Conrart had also been tracking Rio and his companions using the lost item search spell or something similar. Conrart, standing between Rio and his companions and Muzé, readied the divine sword Obofs at his hip.

"I've heard the whole story. You seem quite fond of this girl, don't you?"

Conrart, with a sly grin, made Muzé frown and spit out her words.

"Filth that seeks to corrupt the world."

Though Muzé spoke with disgust, she seemed to recognize the disadvantageous situation and took a characteristic step back to create distance.

"I will secure the seed and the sapling of the savior. Please be careful, Shiraha."

With a final, genuinely concerned voice, Muzé disappeared from the alley. The White Masks also took a step back and scattered in different directions.

"--- Should we chase them?"

A stern female voice called out from the second floor of a house. Conrart shrugged at the voice.

"Let it go. The Night Stalker is our priority now."

"Understood."

As she agreed, the voice's owner descended from the second floor and stood behind Conrart. She was a tall woman with long black hair tied into two braids hanging down her back. Her posture was firm, and her slender, well-toned figure indicated she was skilled in martial arts.

In her hand, she held a special bow. It appeared to be a composite bow made from the bones of evil beasts, coated with a blue special metal, with a string as long as from one finger to the shoulder. If she was the one who had fired the arrow that still held their gaze, it was likely a divine bow.

Conrart shouldered the divine sword Obofs and called out to Rio and his companions, who were on high alert.

"Boy, let's make a deal."