“So this Mr. Card… is the garbage station manager? That seems to sum it up quite nicely. Hehe…” Lilith chuckled softly, hatching a plan in her head.
Seeing that Lilith was silent for a long time, the man grew impatient and began urging, “What’s the matter? Don’t you want to join my Anti-Princess Alliance? This is an opportunity that ordinary people don’t even dare to dream of.”
“Ah, about that. Count me out,” Lilith replied.
Lilith’s refusal caused the man’s expression to falter, and he said angrily, “I’ve offered you such a good opportunity. This is something that no one else can even hope for.” The rightful source is Nov3lFɪre.ɴet
Heh, the so-called Anti-Princess Alliance is most likely open for anyone to join, except for Estelle and Luna themselves. After all, the alliance needs to gather as much strength as possible to defeat those two.
Looks like the rule about teaming up could result in disqualification is actually useless. After all, it’s incredibly difficult to determine what constitutes teaming up, especially with clandestine groups like the Anti-Princess Alliance, whose sole purpose is to undermine Estelle and Luna. Such groups operate in a gray area that supervisors struggle to control.
“Hmph, what an ignorant fool!”
Seeing Lilith’s indifference, the man’s frustration grew.
“Hmph, what intel could you possibly have that our Anti-Princess Alliance doesn’t already know? Let me tell you, our intelligence network is vast. So, your intel doesn’t really interest me,” the man said as he absentmindedly picked his nose.
“Is that so?” Lilith tried to suppress her anger.
She smiled and continued, “Then you must already have known that Princess Estelle has actually been eliminated, right?”
“Ha, of course we-… What? What did you say?”
The man turned to her in disbelief. “Did you just say Princess Estelle has been eliminated?”
“Nonsense!” The man scoffed. “Someone of her caliber can’t be eliminated so easily. Even if she were, it would be by our Anti-Princess Alliance. Who else could possibly be her match?”
As he spoke, uncertainty flickered in his eyes once more. “Could it be that… Princess Luna has already clashed with Princess Estelle?”
“No, I doubt they would engage in conflict this early, even if they crossed paths. It was more likely that the field would be cleared first, and only when there were no other contenders left would they confront each other,” the man continued musing to himself.
As soon as the man regained his clarity, his disdain toward Lilith grew stronger.
“Nonsense, little girl. I think you should consider dropping out of the match now and go visit a doctor. Waiting too long to cure a sick mind makes it harder to recover.”
“Oh, I’m not mentally unwell, and I’m not speaking nonsense, either.” Lilith’s eyes narrowed into amused slits.
“Then show me the evidence that Princess Estelle has been eliminated, and identify her eliminator. If there truly exists such a mysterious expert, I’d be quite eager to meet them.”
The man spoke with arrogance, clearly unconvinced by Lilith’s words.
“Well, I don’t have the proof at the moment, but I can arrange for you to meet that expert,” Lilith replied.
The man grew wary upon hearing her response.
“You’re not trying to set me up, are you? I’ll have you know, I may not excel in combat, but I’m a master at escaping! When I encountered Luna in the forest earlier, she couldn’t even catch a glimpse of me before I left her in my dust, ahahaha.”
Luna was in the forest? Which forest? Never mind, I’ll stick to the plan for now and worry about finding her later.
Lilith gave him an innocent smile that made her seem as harmless as a rabbit. “Of course not. Why would I, a weak little girl, dare to ambush someone like you?”
“Then why did you try to snatch my Holy Dragon’s Heart earlier?”
“Oh, that was because I was too blind to see your handsomeness and greatness! It was my mistake, and I apologize,” Lilith replied.
Ugh… Damn, I feel so disgusted by myself. I’m gonna puke…
“Haha, all right, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt this time. Quickly introduce me to that expert.” The man, buoyed by Lilith’s flattery, waved his hand casually as if commanding his subordinate.
“Right away,” Lilith said and then parted the bush behind her.
Erica, who had been crouching nearby, absently counting ants on a rock in boredom, lifted her head in confusion as her surroundings suddenly brightened.
“What’s going on? Is it time to eat?” she asked.
Lilith looked at her speechlessly for a moment before forcing a smile and pointing toward Erica.
“This is Lady Erica. She’s the one who single-handedly eliminated Princess Estelle,” she said.
“Huh?” Erica stared at Lilith blankly.
Just as she was trying to decipher Lilith’s intention, Lilith shot her a look that seemed to say—I’ll kill you if you speak carelessly.
Erica quickly buried her head between her legs in fear, resembling an ostrich.
The man looked incredulous. “That little girl? She seems so timid too! What could she possibly do? If you’re going to deceive me, can you at least put in more effort?”
“Hehe. As the saying goes, appearances can be deceiving. While I may not be able to prove that Lady Erica is the one who eliminated Princess Estelle, I can certainly attest to her strength,” Lilith said confidently.
The man became intrigued. “Oh? And how do you propose to prove it?”
Lilith glanced around warily as if ensuring there were no eavesdroppers nearby, before winking at the man.
“Don’t let anyone overhear us. Come closer, and I’ll tell you.”
“Oh? Why do you have to be so secretive?” the man asked, taking a few steps forward.
“Closer,” Lilith urged, prompting the man to take a few more steps.
At this, the man became instantly wary and frowned. “This isn’t some kind of trap, is it?”
“Do I look like someone who would do that?” Lilith stared at him with wide, innocent eyes, then showed him her slender arm.
“Guess I’m just being paranoid,” the man said as he lowered his guard, treating Lilith as if she were a naive country girl.
Even if it were a trap, he was confident he could escape.
After all, he had honed his speed over the years by evading various confrontations, particularly with irate married women.
Closing the distance between them to a mere five meters, the man said, “All right, prove it to me.”
“All right.” Lilith nodded obediently, then pointed to herself. “Who do you think I am?”
“How would I know?” the man replied.
“I’m Lady Erica’s lackey.”
“Oh. A follower, huh? And?”
“And who do you think is stronger, me or Lady Erica?”
“Well, since you’re just a lackey, she must be the stronger one.”
“Correct!” Lilith exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly, leaving the man feeling a bit perplexed.