Hiddell looked at the people in the dance floor and felt an inexplicable sense of annoyance.
In The Capital, there were many families nobler than Hiddell’s, but as the offspring of an influential Earl, Hiddell never had to be subservient to anyone, except for the four Dukes or the respected His Majesty the King.
Therefore, when his peers sent their dance partners into the dance floor or the chatting area beside it, Hiddell instinctively felt that they were not discussing "The Old Man and the Sea."
No sooner had he made contact with that Malin Gast than he started to feel that these guys were treating the Renard family’s child like a clown.
However, among them was his old friend; Hiddell didn’t want to burn bridges, although Malin was his cousin’s boyfriend and seemed to have gained the approval of his aunt by marriage—no easy feat, for she was a Legendary battle Mage.
So Hiddell genuinely didn’t want to get involved, although he had already boarded the "thief ship," but after all, there was still the God of Justice in this world. He was confident that he could extricate himself from this damned affair, but... having boarded the "thief ship," he could only feign ignorance now, hoping these guys had enough sense not to force him to turn hostile.
With this in mind, Hiddell glanced at Shelton Brice dancing with his partner in the ballroom—thinking it over, this big guy was living the life, everyone knew that as a giant, he would definitely support Malin, who also had giant blood, so there was never any intention to recruit him from the start.
Of course, it wasn’t that they didn’t want to, but both Hiddell and the others felt that if they tried to recruit him, they would be in trouble even before Malin was, without any need for him to do anything.
How would they be in trouble? Naturally, by having Shelton punch their brains out.
Sitting in the small circle, the young man with grey hair glanced at Hiddell sitting alone in the distance, "Hiddell hasn’t joined us, what is that coward thinking? Did any of you persuade him?"
"I’ve tried, but my old friend doesn’t want to get involved in this matter," the redhead across him sighed, "Personally, I think we shouldn’t pressure him. Although everyone present is from a distinguished and noble family, Hiddell, as the son of an Earl, has a princess for a cousin. We come together to deal with an opponent we can’t overcome, and I believe no one wants to be backstabbed by him for offending him."
"Of course, after all, Malin is the rock we need to move. As long as he’s around, Faye won’t possibly belong to any of us here," the blonde young man narrowed his eyes, "We are all in the same unlucky boat. We must eliminate our opponent first, then the victor takes all."
"That’s also what I wanted to say. Now the question is, is that Malin really so formidable?" The black-haired youth looked at the report in his hand and then raised his head to look at Hiddell, "According to your old friend’s introduction, he is a Priest, skilled in exorcism."
"He’s also a giant, and considering his height, that’s why we devised the plan to lure him underground. Damn it, this guy came out of nowhere before... he’s like he just popped out of the ground..." The blonde paused slightly, then looked at the grey-haired youth, "Shelton is a friend of mine. He recommended Malin to me many times, saying he is a powerful Priest, capable of contending with beings from the Outer Domain. Now I’m afraid that those things underground might not be able to deal with him."
"I had already thought of that. I have arranged manpower, originally I wanted to find someone to gather his intelligence, but considering he’s arriving tomorrow, I think some things are better done sooner rather than later," the redhead sighed, "Hiddell, my old friend, seems determined not to meddle in this matter, saying his cousin Faye is very fond of Malin."
"This is why we’re sitting here today. Although we were opponents before, today we’ve come together to remove an uninvited guest from Faye’s side. Remember, all our scheming must continue only after Malin has disappeared, and those who violate our pact will be breaking our agreement," the previously silent silver-haired youth looked at everyone present, "He is the second Malin."
"That’s not your worry. The fact we are sitting here means we must unite and collaborate!" the grey-haired youth turned to his friends, "Cohen, as the employer, please go to the train station tomorrow morning to receive him. Make sure to confirm Malin’s appearance and let your people capture his likeness with a Demon Crystal!"
The redhead nodded, "Don’t worry about that, as soon as the train arrives, in no more than thirty minutes, you will have his portrait."
"Liu Jin, have you found the person you arranged?" the grey-haired youth asked.
The blonde youth nodded, "You can count on me to handle things. I cannot reveal the source, but they are definitely skilled. Recall the Karlot case from the Eastern Kingdom two years ago, and you’ll understand."
"Wow, with you mentioning that, I feel like we’ve already got this in the bag," the black-haired youth said with a laugh.
"Liu Jin’s contact is the final arrangement. We need to make sure Malin’s death looks natural, an accident in the maw of the different kind. If he dies by a stab in the back, however, it might signal the beginning of a bloody slaughter. For our own sakes, Zhao, your role is also crucial," the grey-haired youth said, looking at his peer who smiled and nodded, then pulling a small Spatial Bag from his pocket and taking out a map: "This is a rough distribution of the lethal different kind and Spirits over the past month. Make sure not to lure him into the territory of the Undead different kind and Spirits – careful not to throw a meat bun to a dog."
"With this, we’re set. Cohen, I’ll find an appropriate ambush spot in a moment. Remember to act naturally, my actor Mr."
"Leave it to me," the red-haired lad said with a nod and a smile.
Finally, the grey-haired youth turned to the silver-haired boy: "And you, Engma, you’re in charge of getting close to Malin to ascertain his strengths and weaknesses."
"No problem, I love making friends," the silver-haired youth replied with a smile.
With the arrangements in place, the grey-haired youth took one last look at the dance floor: "Shelton has stopped dancing. Remember to act naturally; I don’t want a giant to know we are dealing with another giant."
After finishing a dance, Shelton left the dance floor and noticed Hiddell looking rather downcast. He didn’t know why the Half-blood Elf was unhappy, but as a giant, he felt no need to bother with the mood of a Half-blood.
So, Shelton, with his girlfriend in tow, approached the hostess, Cassie Marim: "Thank you very much for your hospitality today, Cassie."
"What are you saying, Shelton? My brother is wholly reliant upon your care in the North. He’s brought up stories about you several times since his return. If he weren’t occupied with matters in the Eastern Province right now, I bet he would have had a great time chatting with you."
The young man’s words were gratifying to Shelton, who laughed and then patted the back of the sofa: "It’s getting late, and I should get some rest. I’m rather at ease knowing you and my good friend Malin are heading underground tomorrow. He will surely take good care of you all."
"If Big Brother Shelton recommends him, he’s got to be top-notch. We are all set to complete the mission while lying down."
Shelton had to admit that his old friend Romny’s brother was indeed a little bundle of joy: "By the way, remember to pass a message to Malin for me tomorrow. Tell him I’ll be treating him to a private dinner tomorrow night."
"No problem, Big Brother, I’ll see you out," Cassie said, standing up and following Shelton out of the hall.
Left behind, the red-haired Cohen heaved a sigh towards Cassie in the distance: "Sometimes I wonder who the real actor is."
"Of course, it’s you, Cohen. After all, you are the one with the title of actor from Sequence eight, the Disguiser."