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Chapter 364: Is She the Boss's Sister?
🕑 Added 2024-11-01 11:01:01 +0000 UTC"Is this really the time for apologies? Instead of blaming each other, wouldn't it be better to think about how to escape this predicament?"
Crusch was quick to speak up, following closely behind. Compared to the more agile beastmen of Iron Fang on the grasslands, her knights had suffered greater losses.
Seeing Natsuki Subaru and the others pause for a moment, Crusch made it clear that this was not the time for infighting.
"Escape from this predicament? That's easy for you to say, noble lady. This is the Fog Beast we're talking about—I've never heard of anyone escaping from its clutches."
Venomous Thorn was furious. What was supposed to be a simple task had suddenly turned into an encounter with the Fog Beast. Their luck couldn't have been worse.
"You all seem to have some skills. Judging by your aura, you're clearly not an ordinary mercenary group. You mentioned the Fog Beast—we had it cornered at one point. If not for the interference of that Sin Archbishop from the Witch's Cult, we might have already defeated the White Whale. Even within its fog, the Witch's Cult members are also affected, and the White Whale still bears the injuries from our earlier fight. So, we're not entirely without a chance."
Crusch could tell that Subaru's caravan members, aside from Subaru himself, were far from ordinary. Each of them had significant power, not inferior to her Karsten family knights.
Furthermore, Elsa had arranged for over a hundred assassins, including Venomous Thorn, as bodyguards, ensuring a formidable defense.
"You're telling me that apart from the Fog Beast, even the despicable Witch's Cult is here..."
Hearing Crusch's words, Venomous Thorn's expression darkened further. If their assassin group was like rats in a ditch, then the Witch's Cult were despicable pests even to them.
A group of genuine lunatics, even the underground world avoided them. Nothing good ever came from an encounter with the Witch's Cult.
"I think killing you lot for dragging us into this mess is a more realistic goal than trying to escape from both the Fog Beast and the Witch's Cult!"
Facing only the Fog Beast was already more than troublesome. Now, on top of that, they were dealing with the insane Witch's Cult—and a Sin Archbishop, no less.
This had nothing to do with them originally. Now they were in this predicament because of these people in front of them.
As assassins from the underworld, Venomous Thorn and his men were defiant by nature. And now, having been dragged into this unwanted mess, they had no reason to be courteous to Crusch's group.
If escape was impossible, they might as well take revenge while they still could!
Subaru barely understood what the Fog Beast or the Sin Archbishop represented, but he thought Crusch's suggestion was correct. With such a powerful enemy present, cooperation was their best bet, not wasting energy fighting among themselves.
However, Venomous Thorn and his men were not listening to Subaru. Previously, they followed Subaru's orders only out of fear of Wood's power. But now, faced with certain death, no one wanted to listen to the weakling.
"Actually, we may not all die here. Before coming to subjugate the White Whale, I secretly sought out Brother Wood. He wasn't in the rented villa at the time, but the attendant said he was out dealing with some magic beasts and would likely return by evening. So, I left a letter."
The one who spoke was Mimi Pearlbaton, the eldest of the triplet beastmen siblings, whose carefree and confident demeanor showed that she had snuck off earlier to find Wood.
To Mimi, no matter what faction Wood belonged to, he was still "Brother Wood" and their family.
If he found out they were heading out to face the dangerous White Whale, Wood would definitely not sit idly by.
"Brother Wood, my foot! It's because of people like you that we got targeted by the Fog Beast and the Witch's Cult! Normally, I wouldn't kill kids, but today, I'll make an exception!"
An assassin from Subaru's group, infuriated by Mimi's words, pulled out his sword, aiming to cut the cat-eared girl down.
Seeing the assassin rush toward Mimi, both Julius and Wilkin reacted immediately, intending to protect her.
However, before they could reach her, someone acted even faster. With a grunt of pain, the assassin spiraled backward, knocked away in an instant.
The one who made the move was none other than Venomous Thorn, whose face had been filled with resentment until just moments ago.
"Boss, what are you doing...?" The assassin, reeling from the punch and spitting out teeth, stared at Venomous Thorn in confusion.
"Who the hell is your boss? Have you forgotten our new rule? Anyone who attacks children or pregnant women is to be stabbed to death! And I think this young lady made a good point. If you dare mess with her again, I'll end you myself."
Venomous Thorn first shot a fierce glare at the downed assassin before turning to Mimi. Then, forcing a smile that looked utterly out of place, he asked, "Are you alright, little one? My subordinate was rude, and I've taught him a lesson for you."
Everyone around them was stunned at Venomous Thorn's abrupt change of attitude toward Crusch and Mimi. The difference was just too blatant.
The most surprised was Subaru. He had come to know Venomous Thorn's personality well during their time together—cunning, ruthless, and rebellious. His attitude toward Crusch was his usual demeanor.
But now... Subaru, a self-proclaimed nerd from modern society, had a thought: was Venomous Thorn actually a "loli-con"?
No, calling him a "loli-con" might be jumping to conclusions. Maybe it was just a thing for cat ears?
However, Subaru's wild thoughts were soon dispelled by Venomous Thorn's next words.
After awkwardly squeezing out a smile, Venomous Thorn softened his voice and asked Mimi, "Little one, what is your relationship with Brother Wood? And when do you think Brother Wood might arrive here?"
Mimi proudly placed her hands on her hips and replied, "I'm Brother Wood's family! Brother Wood is incredibly strong. Whether it's the White Whale or a Sin Archbishop, they wouldn't stand a chance if Brother Wood came here. Big Sister Anna is Brother Wood's sister. If he knows Big Sister Anna is in danger, Brother Wood will definitely come running!"
Hearing Mimi's words, Venomous Thorn's eyes lit up with excitement.
The other assassins might not understand who "Brother Wood" was, but Venomous Thorn did. As one of the former leaders of the assassin organization, he knew that "Brother Wood" was none other than their true boss!
Venomous Thorn had no doubts about Wood's ability to defeat the White Whale or the Sin Archbishop. Wood had already proven his power during the assassin organization gathering. Moreover, Venomous Thorn and the other leaders knew through backchannels that their boss had fought to a standstill with none other than the Sword Saint—a fight with no clear winner!
Reinhard, the current strongest on the surface, was no secret, and Wood, who had fought him to a draw, was undoubtedly a monster among monsters.
To Wood, the White Whale and Sloth were likely just slightly stronger nuisances, nothing more.
"Which one of you is Anna?" Venomous Thorn quickly found Anastasia among the group, guided by Mimi's gaze.
With an overly obsequious smile, Venomous Thorn approached Anastasia and said, "So, you must be Big Sister Anna. You truly are beautiful beyond compare. I apologize for our earlier rudeness. From now on, we will protect you and follow your orders."
Venomous Thorn's drastic shift in attitude made it clear to everyone present what had caused the change. It wasn't an affection for cat-eared girls but rather the mention of Anastasia's brother—Wood Hoxsin.
"Who are you people to my brother?"
Anastasia was no fool. Venomous Thorn and his men clearly had murderous auras—they were no ordinary folks. And as far as she knew, her brother wanted to become a knight, which made it unlikely that he had any connection to these people.
"Big Sister Anna, you're joking. People like us could never truly be connected to Brother Wood. We were saved by him. We used to be rats licking blood off the blade. But after Brother Wood unified us..."
Through Venomous Thorn's eloquent story, Wood's virtuous, heroic image was clearly painted for everyone. Out of fear of backlash, Venomous Thorn naturally embellished the story as much as possible.
Before long, everyone understood: Wood, with a "heart of justice," had single-handedly destroyed the underground assassin world. But unable to bear killing them all, he spared them and even gave them a chance to reform, going as far as to arrange jobs for them.
Venomous Thorn might have looked sinister, but his flattery was first-class. In his emotional retelling, Wood became a powerful and kind knight, almost saintly.
Mimi and her two siblings were moved to tears, feeling even more admiration for their brother Wood.
Even Royal Guard members Julius and Phenix looked impressed. After all, for assassins to sincerely praise (fear) someone, it must be no easy feat.
"In that case, stay with us. When Wood arrives, I'll have him thank you all."
With Anastasia's words, Venomous Thorn and the hundred assassins immediately moved to stand behind her, pledging their loyalty.
On the other hand, Subaru was left standing alone, utterly bewildered. He hadn't yet proven his worth, nor did he have any real fighting skills. Crusch and Anastasia had little reason to care whether he lived or died.
However, soon after, Sloth caught up with them and launched an attack on Anastasia's group. It was then that Subaru demonstrated his value and became someone they had to protect.
Surprisingly, Subaru could see the bizarre attacks from the Sin Archbishop of Sloth. Behind Sloth appeared several pitch-black hands that could extend and split to attack.
The crucial part was that no one else could see these "Unseen Hands"—only Subaru.
Sloth quickly noticed the unusual aura around Subaru as well. Despite being the Sin Archbishop of the Witch's Cult, Subaru's scent of the Witch was even stronger than his own!
The Archbishop viewed the Witch's scent as a sign of her favor. The diligent Sloth could not accept that a random person could receive more favor than himself, and so he attacked Subaru.
At the same time, Sloth also realized that Subaru was the special existence mentioned in the Gospel.
Sloth was dangerous primarily because of his "Unseen Hands" ability. But now, with Subaru able to see them, their power was greatly diminished.
With Subaru's guidance, strong fighters like Julius, Wilkin, Crusch, and the newly joined Venomous Thorn were no longer struggling as before, managing to push Sloth back consistently.
“Hooooonk!”
But just as they prepared to deal with Sloth, a whale cry from within the thick mist made their expressions darken once more.
