Chương 124: Lili's Infiltration

While Orario reacted to the coming War Game, Cael acted according to his own plan. Apollo Familia was still cleaning up after the banquet. Under cover of the confusion, Cael and Lili slipped into Apollo Familia's estate. Infiltrating an estate like this was simple. Even Hyakinthos, their captain, was only Lv. 3. Under Transparent World, unless an opponent was far stronger than Cael, noticing him was almost impossible. As for defensive Magic, this world did not have barrier systems in the way some other worlds did.

Magic here was not inherited knowledge. It was the external expression of spirit. Even elves, who were natural mages, had Magic because of bloodline and talent.

"Lili, the rest is yours," Cael whispered.

"Leave it to Lili, Lord Cael." This was Lili's battlefield. She was one of the key pieces that would tilt the War Game toward victory.

"Your mark is mine. My mark is mine." Lili softly chanted the spell for Cinder Ella. In the faint light, she transformed into Luan from Apollo Familia, then walked inside openly.

"Luan, why are you still here?" a Familia member snapped.

"Did we not tell you to wash the dishes? Are you slacking off again? Careful, or the captain will get angry."

"Ah, sorry, sorry. I drank too much wine and needed the bathroom." Lili answered in Luan's tone. So he was supposed to wash dishes.

"I will go wash them right away." Meanwhile, the real Luan had been tied up like a mummy and stuffed into an empty wine barrel by Cael.

"Help... help..."

"You were very bold with that mouth yesterday, were you not?" Cael smiled and crouched in front of the barrel.

"Now you look like you are ready to beg." A small knife appeared in his hand. He tapped the flat of the blade lightly against the barrel and whistled. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"A proper villain would start cutting off souvenirs here." Luan's eyes rolled back. Foam appeared at his mouth, and he fainted on the spot.

"Tch. Too easy to scare." Cael kicked the wine barrel into a shadowed corner of the alley, then turned away with a cheerful whistle. A hyottoko mask appeared in his hand.

"Ah, I already promised Lady Goddess that I would not visit the Pleasure Quarter carelessly anymore. But when I think of a pitiful girl suffering in that place, I cannot harden my heart." Cael covered his chest with exaggerated sorrow, wiped away tears that were not there, and walked toward his next battlefield. Half an hour later, the night air of the Pleasure Quarter was still thick with desire. Inside one of the rooms, the gentle Renard girl poured tea for the young adventurer who had bought her time again.

"Will we spend tonight chatting again, Lord Cael?" Haruhime asked. After their conversation yesterday, she felt she had begun to understand him. He was gentle and considerate, like the hero of a tale.

"Of course. I still have many stories I have not told you properly. It is rare to meet someone who enjoys listening to them." Cael smiled.

"From now on, I will come every day." Haruhime paused.

"Every day?"

"Yes."

"But Lord Cael, will you spend so much money every day only to tell stories to Haruhime?"

"Because... well, you will understand later. If I explain now, the story will not be as beautiful." Cael smiled at her puzzled expression and tapped the small table lightly.

"So, what should we talk about today?"

"I will understand later?" Haruhime blinked her emerald-like eyes, then lowered her head with a small smile.

"Lord Cael, you are very kind. Many girls must admire you." She held the warm teacup with both hands and turned it gently.

"Why did Lord Cael become an adventurer?" The first person to ask him that had been Hestia.

"Because I am chasing my own stories and emotions," Cael said.

"I want to experience the stories and feelings I once longed for but could only find in books."

"So Lord Cael became an adventurer to become a hero like those in the legends of King Arthur. That is wonderful." Haruhime clasped her hands, her eyes reflecting the boy before her as if she were watching a hero in the making. Meeting someone like that, even for a short conversation, was already enough for her.

"Not exactly. I am only chasing my own desires. Compared with selfless heroes, I am very different." Cael felt a little embarrassed. He did not want to become a knight from Arthur's legends. Aside from Galahad, few of them had peaceful endings. His gaze moved to Haruhime. She longed for a knight from a story to rescue her and take her to the world she admired. Yet because she believed her past made her unworthy of any hero, she had buried that wish in her heart.

From yesterday's conversation and tonight's, Cael liked this gentle Renard more and more. There was still a little time left. Haruhime, when your hardest moment arrives, I will be there.

"Is something wrong, Lord Cael?" Haruhime noticed him smiling at her. His eyes had grown warmer, and her cheeks flushed as her clasped hands tightened shyly. Had Lord Cael been affected by the atmosphere of the room? This was a pleasure house, after all. He was a young man. It would not be strange for desire to rise. Cael looked at Haruhime's soft fox ears and felt a sudden urge to touch them. He had touched Lili when she transformed into a fox-eared girl, but a transformation and the real thing were not the same.

"How should I say this... may I touch your ears, Haruhime? If that is too sudden, then forget I asked."