While Sol was spending his days mingling with the Cunning Hares—
In a luxurious manor, all of the members of Victoria Housekeeping Co. had gathered.
"Boss Lycaon, why did you call us out so urgently? What's the matter?"
Ellen spoke lazily, chewing on a lollipop.
The few days of vacation had left her refreshed, but now that she was back at work, it looked as though her soul had fled her body—utterly devoid of motivation.
"Focus, Ellen." Von Lycaon said with a helpless tone. "Peaceful days in life are indeed something to cherish. But if you don't fight for them, that peace will eventually be lost."
"Got it, Boss Lycaon."
Ellen straightened her posture slightly, though it wasn't clear if she was really listening.
Von Lycaon gave a slight nod, then said seriously: "The reason I've gathered everyone here is about Sol Mercer. The Master has made a decision."
Ellen's expression shifted slightly, her casual attitude replaced with full seriousness.
During her vacation, she had interacted with Sol once. Just two nights ago, he'd even chatted with her. Not exactly a close friend, but at least an acquaintance. Overall, Sol was an interesting man, and being around him had been pleasant.
Now, hearing his name brought her attention sharply into focus.
She remembered suddenly—this humorous, gentleman was in truth the same ruthless figure who killed the Invincible Fist King with a single coin, and have a Bangboo capable of cleaving the Dead End butcher apart like paper.
Rina cast a faint glance at Ellen but said nothing about her reaction.
Von Lycaon continued: "Sol's background is far too mysterious. His strength is great enough to shake the foundations of New Eridu itself. We must gather as much intel as possible."
"For this reason, the Master has assigned us a high-risk mission concerning the 'Sacrifice'—a creature the Master should by rights handle personally."
Clutching her chainsaw, Corin trembled slightly. "A high-risk mission… sounds terrifying!"
"It is terrifying." Von Lycaon, for once, agreed with her. "According to the Master's information, that creature was originally planted in the Goethe Grand Theater years ago by a certain organization. Its purpose: to eliminate several high-ranking officials."
"In fact, they succeeded. A Hollow catastrophe broke out suddenly, and not a single important figure inside the theater survived. Strictly speaking, there were no survivors at all."
"For years, everyone believed it had been nothing more than a devastating Hollow outbreak. The site was listed as extreme-risk, and no one paid attention to what had actually slaughtered all those people."
"Only recently, when the Master casually chose that Hollow to stretch his limbs, did he stumble upon that strange creature."
"Even for the Master, it required effort to deal with. For us, it is unspeakably dangerous."
Von Lycaon's tone grew grave. This was a monster that had once forced them to flee in disarray.
Even sending the youngest Void Hunter, Hoshimi Miyabi, would hardly make the task an easy one.
"So, you mean… this is a suicide mission?"
Ellen raised a brow, her suspicion voiced aloud.
Meanwhile, Corin had already lowered her head, softly muttering what sounded like a will.
"Of course not." Rina shook her head, her tone gentle. "To the Master, Victoria Housekeeping is not something to be discarded lightly. We are not the main actors in this task."
"Our role is to find a way to invite Sol to join the mission, and in the process, gather more intel on him."
"If he belongs to them, then when facing the Sacrifice, he will inevitably slip up. If he truly is just a lone agent, then this is our chance to build a meaningful connection with him."
Ellen nodded, a knowing look crossing her face. This was not far from what she had already guessed.
But Corin, sweet and innocent as always, found the flaw: "But what if Sol really is a bad guy? What do we do then?"
If Sol truly belonged to that organization, he wouldn't let them snoop around so easily.
"That's why the Master has arranged for another party to be involved." Von Lycaon said steadily. "The Hollow Special Operations Bureau. The Master still has some sway there."
"Though I hate to admit it, their capabilities do surpass ours."
This so-called cooperation, of course, wasn't direct. They wouldn't simply tell the Bureau, ["Hey, there's a Sacrifice, go and investigate that."]
Instead, the idea was to wait for the right timing, and then let the Bureau step in under the guise of a Hollow-clearing mission.
After all, while the Master of Victoria Housekeeping held influence, he was by no means the Bureau's superior.
And as for Sol—he wouldn't be told outright about the Sacrifice either. Instead, the plan was to lure him in under the guise of a commission.