Chapter 207: Late-night secret meeting! Get ready!
After dealing with the trivial matters, Arthur vanished into the night, silently returning to Twilight Manor.
The high-altitude corridor was bathed in moonlight, reflecting two figures, one large and one small, outside his room.
Haruhime clutched a magic outfit tightly, her face flustered, her head bowed so low it almost disappeared into her chest.
Liya, with her hands on her hips, was lecturing the fox-girl like a little adult.
"So, I told you not to just barge into Lord arthur's room. Do you want to repeat the misunderstanding from this morning?"
Haruhime cowered, shaking her head repeatedly, though the fluffy tail behind her swayed restlessly from side to side.
"I, I have no improper intentions! I was merely performing my duties as a servant!"
Liya narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the fidgeting Haruhime and the magic outfit in her arms, then shook her head helplessly.
"Liya knows Lord arthur redeemed you, but that doesn't mean you're a servant. If you keep acting like this, it'll only make everyone misunderstand even more."
Haruhime's ears twitched, and she secretly glanced at the serious-faced Liya, asking in a small voice:
"Am I… not a servant?"
Liya sighed weakly, about to continue explaining, when a clear, cold voice came from behind them.
"It was my oversight. So, in your heart, you consider yourself a servant?"
The moment the words fell, Liya and Haruhime's bodies stiffened abruptly, and they both turned their heads.
"Lord arthur!?"
"Lower your voices, it's late."
Arthur waved his hand, unbuttoning his elaborate suit as he naturally took his magic outfit from Haruhime's arms.
"I protected you, initially, because of my agreement with the [Beautiful Sage] and my curiosity about the truth."
Haruhime hastily withdrew her hands, her fingers intertwined behind her back, her eyes flickering.
Liya stepped forward, gently patting the back of the complex-minded fox-girl, signaling her to look up.
The moonlight was hazy, revealing a genuine smile on Arthur's face.
"But later, your plight truly moved me. So, I decided to take you from the hands of the gods."
"Haruhime, you and I are companions in the same Familia. If you truly feel uneasy, then learn from Liya and become a Supporter."
The fox-girl standing in the corridor silently lowered her head, her body, golden hair, and tail trembling slightly.
A thick mist silently veiled her eyes.
Seeing no response from Haruhime, Arthur could only turn his gaze to Liya, who was observing the scene.
And just then, a second voice interrupted the night.
"Ahem, the executive meeting is about to begin."
Riveria stood at the corner of the corridor with her arms crossed, a fleeting trace of undetectable complexity in her clear eyes.
Arthur quickly raised his hand: "My apologies, I've delayed things. I'll be right there."
The Elven Royal Family member turned her head: "Loki grew impatient and sent me to check."
"That one, she only returned a little before me."
Arthur said, tossing his suit casually into the room, then winked at Liya.
The meticulous little person pouted, pulled the still bewildered fox-girl, and quickly left.
...
The emerald figure led the way, silent and swift-footed.
Pushing open the Captain's office door, the Loki Familia executive team was already all present.
Raul and Anqi from the Second Division also sat at the farthest sofa near the door, and seeing him, they quickly rose to greet him.
Arthur nodded slightly: "My apologies for keeping you all waiting."
Finn, who had been contemplating the clue board, turned his head and spoke first.
"It's fine, I just finished briefing Ais and the others. The main part starts now."
Loki, also back in her casual clothes, reclined on the desk, her usual playfulness gone, her face showing an uncontrollable irritation.
"First, let me state that we only managed to get one day of free activity permission from the Guild."
"This mission is much more troublesome than your Dungeon explorations."
Bete scratched his head: "What kind of joke is this? One day? How can we possibly scout a completely unknown artificial labyrinth in one day?"
Everyone, still processing the information about the [City Destroyer], was stumped by this tight deadline.
Gareth grunted, pulling his thoughts back to reality.
"Lack of intelligence and time are severe, making this even more critical than pioneering the Dungeon."
Riveria nodded in agreement: "Even if you've just gone through the promotion ceremony, you cannot be careless in the slightest."
Conversely, Loki and Finn subtly glanced at Arthur, who sat calmly on the sofa, and began to reassure everyone.
"Arthur will be responsible for terrain reconnaissance; we only need to do our best to provide support."
Everyone present exchanged glances, nodding in succession, and Tiona immediately raised her hand.
"Can't we notify other Familias? If the Guild mobilizes, many people could come, right?"
Tione looked at her silly younger sister, raising a hand to her forehead, and the outspoken Bete scoffed.
"Then you might as well just have Arthur drop a meteor over Daedalus Street; that way, the Dark Faction will find out even faster."
Tiona, realizing her mistake, pouted, lowered her arm, and leaned towards Ais for comfort.
Loki suddenly sat up from the desk, clapped her hands, trying to boost the low morale.
"Everyone, cheer up! It's just an artificial labyrinth, what's there to be afraid of?!"
"Even if you say that…"
Raul, accustomed to managing logistics, counted on his fingers, his voice trembling as he spoke.
"Armor, magic swords, recovery potions, and tools for drawing maps… How can we bring so many supplies without attracting attention?"
"Regarding that—"
Arthur showed no extra expression, merely unfastening the storage pouch from his waist and placing it on the coffee table.
"A magic item I acquired by chance; it can expand its volume in response to energy, enough to hold all the supplies."
As soon as his words fell, the executives immediately sobered, the tense atmosphere suddenly replaced by a subtle aura.
No one who becomes a high-level adventurer is truly foolish.
Arthur often took Guild requests, delving alone into the middle floors, and each time he returned, it was accompanied by a surge in strength and updated skills.
Everyone in the Familia knew there was a secret involved, but out of trust for their companion, no one exposed it.
And now, the Chief God, the Captain, and even the person involved himself, seemed too lazy to hide it anymore.
Finn saw the surprise on everyone's faces, but before resolving the crisis, it wasn't time to reveal the truth.
In a solemn tone, he assigned the deployment for tomorrow's strategy one by one, concluding the internal meeting.
Arthur watched the disbanded group and prepared to leave, but as he pushed the door open, he heard a familiar call.
"After we deal with the Dark Faction's conspiracy, I have something to tell you."
The silver-gauze moonlight cast a hazy layer over Riveria's emerald hue, and Arthur couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"That sounds like you're setting an ominous flag. Is that alright?"
"What!?"
Riveria seemed to be under a paralysis spell, her eyelashes fluttering down in an attempt to hide her emotions, but her flushed earlobes betrayed her.
Arthur shook his head and chuckled softly, his voice carried by the night wind into the elf's ears.
"Don't worry, I'll listen then. Good night."