"You finally know how to come back? I thought you would be playing around for a few more days." Kanaria crossed her arms while squinting her eyes. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novel-fire.net
"Ahahaha." Clovis chuckled while looking away.
"You say it. This guy didn’t even tell us where he was." Christina shook her head helplessly.
"Isn’t that fine? Look. Even our opponents are confused." Clovis pointed to the side.
But Kanaria and Christina were probably the only ones caring about it. The rest of the group were actually enjoying the skewers Clovis brought.
Clovis stopped for a moment before glancing to the side.
He saw Stefany, Eid, and Nart approaching. It looked like they had had some discussion beforehand, as their faces turned grim.
Stefany’s voice was powerful but full of doubt. "So... why did you decide to stop this competition? And you claimed you had the information to finish the mission already..."
"Of course. I’m not lying. If you want, we can go to the receptionist together to complete the mission."
Stefany’s eyebrows twitched. "There is no such thing as a free meal in this world."
"There is. Look, those two just ate the skewers I offered for free." Clovis jokingly pointed at the two guys.
"You have a knack for annoying people..."
"I will take that as a compliment."
Stefany felt like slapping Clovis, but it would just cause more problems. She had secretly sent some agents to find their targets in case Clovis was lying.
However, there was still no news about it, so she had no choice but to wait patiently.
After some thoughts, Stefany asked, "So... what do you want?"
Clovis looked up as if he were thinking about something. Because they had reached the heart of the discussion, Vina couldn’t help but stop eating and start listening to their conversation. She, too, was confused about Clovis’ aim.
Clovis smiled. "May I ask you one question first?"
Stefany didn’t open her mouth, but eventually she nodded.
"Why are you fighting each other?"
Stefany didn’t understand why he asked this question, but the answer was obvious. "Of course, to win. You should know what it means to win."
Eid didn’t pay much attention, but Nart was carefully considering Clovis’ question. It sounded simple, but there might be another meaning behind it. After all, Clovis had asked a similar question earlier.
Although he didn’t answer it, the question kept lingering in his mind.
Why are they fighting them? The answer was obvious. They had a good relationship with Stefany. For the Three Swords to expand to the west, having a connection with the Dark Moon Mercenary will be one of the best ways to do it.
Hence, for them to get that connection, they needed to put Stefany on top.
Clovis shook his head helplessly before turning to Nart and Eid. "I guess I should direct this question to you both."
"Do you think I will answer your question?" Eid snorted. Nart remained silent, observing Clovis’ reaction.
"You will answer it because I promise to give you the rules of this competition if you answer that question." Clovis smiled.
"!!!" Eid widened his eyes in surprise. If this were true, then giving a simple answer would be enough. Still, there was a chance Clovis was lying. "How do we know you’re telling the truth?"
"I can give you the letter from the association president, which was written directly by the Dark Supreme. It even has his signature. I’m sure that Miss Stefany can confirm its authenticity."
Eid didn’t expect Clovis to be this generous. He shifted his gaze to Stefany. The latter nodded, confirming that she had a way to confirm its authenticity.
Eid thought for a moment before opening his mouth, preparing to answer that question.
However, Clovis swiftly cut him off by saying, "All right. That’s enough. It looks like, for you, it doesn’t matter who is on top. I can pretty much guess what you’re fighting for.
"Expansion to the west through the Dark Moon Mercenary, right?"
"..." Eid and Nart’s expressions darkened. Nart couldn’t help but say, "What are you trying to say?"
"I’m saying you don’t care who is at the top. It doesn’t necessarily mean she has to be at the top, no? Whether it’s Miss Vina or Miss Stefany at the top, you can do it, no?"
"There’s no way you can do that! We are enemies! Are you a fool?"
"Enemies, huh? Then you just need to stop being an enemy, right?"
"!!!" Eid was tongue-tied. It was true to a certain extent. Nart stepped forward. "Are you trying to make us join you?"
"!!!" Stefany widened her eyes. "You—!"
Clovis raised one finger. "Think about this. If we continue fighting , the Libation Fiesta and the Three Swords might turn into enemies, right? The Libation Fiesta might not be powerful enough to contend with the Three Swords, but it will be different if we look at the bigger picture.
"By making us enemies, what do you think will happen? You will fail in your expansion to the west, because we will be doing whatever we can to stop you."
Nart couldn’t help but agree with this statement.
"If I have to give you an analogy, we are like two gladiators who have to fight to the death for our ’masters.’ But unlike the gladiators, we don’t have the necessity to obey our masters, right?"
Nart and Eid started to get shaken. Clovis’ reason was acceptable.
"You... What are you talking about? Are you trying to sow discord in my group?" Stefany raised her voice.
"I’m also sowing discord in my group, not just yours." Clovis smiled. "Who do you think is the one benefiting the most from all this?"
"Clovis..." Vina started to get worried.
Clovis ignored Vina. "Whoever wins, we will have to fight. The Dark Moon Mercenary will help us to win the fight they personally sow. We will feel grateful for them once we win, while the defeated will end up with nothing. However, the only thing the Dark Moon Mercenary loses is nothing but one of the three successors. They are a bit important, but they are easily replaceable."
Nart and Eid were shaken by the picture that had been drawn. If that were the case, they would become nothing but a dog.
Clovis delivered the finishing blow. "However, the key to the next mission is in our hands. If you don’t want to fight and we end up allying together, don’t you think we have the right to demand an explanation from these two successors?"