"Sister Sharon~"
Standing before her was a pink-haired princess, as though she had stepped straight out of a painting. While Sharon was indeed stunned by the girl's beauty, what shocked her even more was the fact that this girl had appeared here at all. Narrowing her eyes, Sharon suppressed her tension for now and forced a polite smile as she said, "I never expected that the Supreme Chairperson of the Mysterious Archives would personally show up." She let out a wry chuckle. "Looks like I've walked straight into a trap."
"There's no need to be nervous," Lacus Clyne replied softly, her expression gentle as she looked at the blonde nun standing before her. At her feet, pink, blue, and black spherical robots bounced around happily, calling out, "Hello~ Lacus."
"I have no intention of arresting you, Sister Sharon. In fact, when it comes to resolving the threat posed by demons, I sincerely admire the courage of demon hunters."
Though Sharon's heart remained cautious as she listened to those earnest words, she couldn't help but lower her guard slightly. However, toward Lacus, she still harbored a subtle hostility. "I never thought the 'Witch of the Americas' would admire us mad demon hunters. That's certainly amusing."
The 'Witch of the Americas'—it was both a slur and a title of respect used by secret organizations across Europe, the Americas, and even the Middle East to describe the woman before her. After all, without great power and ruthless methods, one couldn't be called a witch by those hidden organizations that, in many cases, operated like terrorists, oppressing the weak under the guise of strength.
Hearing herself called a witch, Lacus looked somewhat helpless, though that trace of helplessness only made her expression seem all the more vivid. "If possible, could you not address me as 'witch'?"
"Oh~" Sharon raised her brow, about to say something more when she noticed the heavily armed tactical team standing on the deck casting dangerous glances her way. Though these soldiers couldn't threaten her, their fanatical reverence for their leader made Sharon frown slightly. She suspected that if she chose to fight, these people encircling Lacus would attack her without hesitation using the most brutal methods available. And ironically, the one they were guarding—the woman at the center of this formation—was by far the strongest person present.
If the so-called Witch of the Americas were nothing more than a delicate woman without strength, she wouldn't have been able to establish the SDS division and push its branches across the globe, monitoring the abyss in every nation. This was a woman whose cunning and power were both monstrous. And what was even more terrifying was that such a woman had publicly declared her wish for the world to continue forward in peace.
A powerful monster claiming to stand on the side of order and peace—what a fascinating world this was.
Sharon couldn't tell whether Lacus's desire for peace was genuine or merely a cover for her ambitions. But at least for now, she didn't believe she was dangerous enough for Lacus to abandon her "peaceful persona" and execute her outright. "So, then… stopping me at sea like this… is it because you don't want me approaching the demon's sealing site? Or is this simply an attempt to arrest me here?"
However, Lacus shook her head gently. "No. I'm here to seek cooperation."
"Cooperation?" Sharon was visibly stunned. "This so-called cooperation of yours… does it involve chasing me down with an armed ship and surrounding me with soldiers carrying live ammunition?"
Lacus didn't argue with the sarcasm. Instead, she smiled serenely, like a goddess. "Isn't military strength the premise that allows us to converse peacefully like this?"
Hearing that, Sharon fell silent. Thanks to the 'follower privileges' granted to her by Luo Shu, she was confident she could escape Lacus if necessary. But if she used that authority to return to the Astronomy Club's base, she'd violate Luo Shu's earlier instructions—to remain near the sealing site and wait for further orders.
Caught between conflicting options, she finally decided to hear Lacus out.
"What kind of cooperation are you proposing?"
Seeing Sharon finally willing to talk, Lacus's expression softened visibly. In a gentle voice, she said, "I need internal demon-hunter research data regarding demons. Ideally, a full sharing of your research content would be best."
"And as payment, I'm offering a holy relic." Lacus smiled as she spoke. At that moment, a visibly sullen Tachibana Kirika emerged from the cabin holding a rectangular box. She walked up to Sharon and opened the box in front of her.
Inside, resting neatly, was a short sword with an inverted-S shaped guard, its entire body gleaming with a steel-blue luster.
"This is the dagger once used by Jeanne d'Arc, the French Saint. I hope to use this to obtain the cooperation of the demon hunters. If that's not possible, then working directly with Sister Sharon alone would be acceptable."
A holy relic once wielded by Saint Jeanne… Upon hearing that, Sharon couldn't help but twitch slightly. For the demon hunters, this item might simply be a tool useful for subjugating demons. But for her—a nun—its value was immeasurable.
Whether for researching the lingering power of the saint within it, or as an offering to the God she served, it was invaluable.
As for Lacus's so-called "data sharing with the demon hunters"… Sharon knew that wasn't going to happen. The real transaction was the second option.
Using her authority as a Seven-Star Demon Hunter, she could access internal research data on demons and trade it to Lacus in exchange for the relic. A simple calculation made it clear: Lacus was the one taking the heavy loss here.
Thinking this, Sharon couldn't help but remark with some admiration, "I didn't expect you to be so generous… all just to seal a high-level demon."
Lacus's expression remained gentle and calm in the face of Sharon's teasing. She spoke softly, "A single relic can only protect a single region. But comprehensive data can protect every SDS member who encounters a demon."
"Perhaps you think I'm taking a loss, Sister Sharon, but I don't see it that way."
Sharon fell silent for a moment, then seemed to realize something. "I think I'm starting to understand… why these people care about you so much."
As she spoke, Sharon glanced at the many armed operatives present. Finally, under Tachibana Kirika's reluctant gaze, she accepted the offered relic and grasped the railing beside her.
"You'll have your data within three days. And by the way… if you manage to capture that high-level demon, my advice is to finish your research quickly and then kill it."
"Until next time, overly naive Miss Witch."
With that, Sharon vaulted over the railing and landed on the speedboat waiting below. As snow-white waves splashed in farewell, she steered the boat out into the sea.
Watching Sharon speed away, Tachibana Kirika clutched her head in frustration, glaring at the sweetly smiling Lacus. "You actually handed over a holy relic to someone we could've captured anytime. Good grief… are you trying to get rid of your family heirlooms or something?"
"And more importantly, you gave it to Sharon of all people—someone we've fought against before."
Lacus smiled brightly. "But I don't think Miss Sharon bears us any hostility."
Kirika was instantly driven mad. She yelled, "No hostility my ass! She's just scared you'll cut her down with the Kusanagi Sword, that's all!"
"Can you please, for once, think carefully about costs and benefits?!"
"You went to all that trouble gathering high-grade artifacts, even bringing them all the way from the Americas just in case a high-level demon appeared. And now you're giving one away to a potential enemy. What the hell are you thinking?!"
She grabbed Lacus's cheeks and pulled them side to side in frustration, though she didn't actually use much force.
"I'm thinking, I am… mmph… right now… the most important thing… is to regroup…" With her cheeks distorted, Lacus's speech became slightly muffled. "Chisato and the others seem to have signaled that their mission is complete."
"Mission complete~ Mission complete~" the spherical robots rolling around on the deck repeated cheerfully.
Hearing that, Tachibana Kirika let go of Lacus's cheeks, shaking her hands as she muttered, "Looks like nothing unexpected happened. That's a relief."
After saying that, Kirika turned around and glared at Lacus, who was rubbing her sore cheeks, then sighed heavily. "And now what? Don't tell me you came all the way here just to serve as a nuclear deterrent in case something went wrong. With your brain, you've definitely got some extra troublesome plan in mind, right?"
Lacus touched her cheek, then showed her trademark sweet smile. "Ah, now that you mention it, there is indeed one more matter I need to address."
Kirika's eyes immediately filled with suspicion. "Let me guess—it's something you consider 'very important' again?"
"Yes," Lacus said cheerfully. "I'd like to meet Mister Luo Shu. I want to hear what he thinks."
At those words, Kirika froze for a moment. She stared at Lacus for a long time, then sighed heavily.
"I give up."
"Just… don't let him slip away, okay?"
But Kirika didn't receive any answer. All she saw was Lacus's still sweet, ever-gentle smile.
This woman… Kirika sighed helplessly.