Only when destruction is upon them does all of this become especially useful, huh…
Hugh quietly mused in his heart, letting out a soft sigh.
Then, raising his head, he switched back to that gentle smile and spoke to Giovanna:
"Of course… if we had to deal with a dead Rossati family, it would incur quite a considerable loss on our end as well."
"So, there's no need to worry. Both emotionally and rationally, we'll attempt to save your family."
"We just need your… cooperation afterward."
"What must we do?"
Giovanna asked quietly, her palms tightening slightly.
Hugh glanced at Da'at and Kali behind him, then continued:
"First… evacuate as many Rossati family members as you possibly can. Afterward, T Corp personnel will immediately enter and begin transferring the Rossati family. Rest assured, we'll preserve the vast majority of your family's assets and resources. However, some of you may need to relocate. That's all."
"From then on, T Corp will protect the Rossati family. As for payment, it concludes the very moment our protection ends."
"…Is all this really necessary?"
Giovanna opened her mouth, and though clearly concerned, ultimately asked this instead.
"If not, the Wolf Hunter will simply return again eventually."
Hugh spoke gently, smiling. Giovanna had no choice but to close her mouth, but her heart still felt a lingering unease.
Were Hugh's terms excessive? Actually, not at all…
It even felt cheap enough to seem entirely free.
But precisely these kinds of free things were the most expensive of all.
So much so, that Giovanna still couldn't discern Hugh's true goal.
But there was no other way left now… only acceptance.
"Then… we agree."
Finally, Giovanna slowly lowered her head, closed her eyes, and quietly said these words.
Thus, at this point, Hugh's smile widened slightly. He turned, guiding Da'at and Kali outside, a faint, ambiguous smile still lingering at the corners of his mouth, and quietly said:
"Well then, let's go, you two. It's about time we handled the initial problem of the Wolf Hunter…"
After leaving the guest hall, Hugh, Kali, and Da'at moved rapidly within the Rossati family manor. Blood permeated the air, thick enough that even the rain couldn't wash it away… Kali lowered her head slightly and whispered to Da'at:
"Da'at… what's our objective this time? Are we to completely eliminate Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary and contain her?"
To Kali's question, Da'at simply shook her head and softly replied:
"No, there's no need. Temporarily driving her away is enough. Our ally likely has more than one place where they need to utilize this Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary… Besides, we still need her to lure out the Wolf."
"Right now, that Wolf remains hidden. To find it, our best option is still through Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary."
Da'at spoke with grave seriousness. Understanding, Kali nodded in response, turning toward the corridor exit.
"Well then… leave the rest to me."
Leaving these words behind, Kali parted from Da'at. She swiftly took her Mimicry E.G.O from her dimensional bag, tossing the bag aside and vanishing from the spot in an instant.
After rapidly traversing through the manor several times, Kali followed the thick scent of blood, quickly locating the current position of Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary… Her eyes narrowed slightly at the scene before her.
At the entrance of the Rossati family manor, countless family gangsters had been stationed here. Yet now, this supposedly heavily guarded location flowed freely with streams of blood. Standing at its very center was a hunter cloaked in vivid scarlet—a rifle in one hand and a scythe in the other. With a swift spin, several gunshots rang out, and several more gangsters fell lifelessly to the ground.
That was Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary.
Observing the fierce crimson flames rising from Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary's form, Kali furrowed her brow, realizing the crux of the matter.
It seemed that the Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary had now begun treating even these Siracusan "wolves" as targets for her hunt.
And now, she had clearly entered her "berserk" state.
Little Red Riding Hood in this condition wouldn't spare anyone's life… Rather, she was already on the verge of slaughtering indiscriminately.
"…Ha, looks like I'd better deal with this quickly—"
Kali murmured to herself, lunging forward at incredible speed. Her greatsword swung downward, instantly clashing with Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary. When the Mercenary noticed someone new entering the battle, the flames around her flared even brighter, her berserk state intensifying further.
But for Kali… none of this really mattered.
After just a few exchanges, Kali's body became cloaked in a blood-red coat, its surface flowing as though blood coursed over her form… At this very moment, the Red Mist's E.G.O had fully manifested.
And from this instant onward, whatever state the Abnormality was in no longer mattered.
"Come on, let's have ourselves a good fight!"
The Mimicry E.G.O blade pressed downward. At that moment, Blood Mist erupted forth, slashing directly into Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary.
Meanwhile, as Kali's encounter with Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary swiftly devolved into a one-sided beating, Hugh was likewise rapidly carrying out his own tasks.
T Corp personnel, long stationed in Siracusa, immediately sprang into action, rapidly installing various devices throughout the Rossati family manor. Simultaneously, a substantial portion of Rossati family members were transferred out. Most were unimportant lower-ranking members; as Hugh had informed Giovanna, they were moved somewhere safer.
Hugh had even offered Giovanna that if she wished to relocate to that safer location, he himself wouldn't mind protecting a few more individuals.
Yet, due to some instinctual sense of crisis, Giovanna declined Hugh's kindness…
Her instincts told her that if she accepted, she definitely wouldn't meet a good end…
Thus, under these circumstances, all remaining valuable personnel within the Rossati family began their rapid evacuation.
About five minutes later, seeing the stored Time on the books already beginning to tick upward, Hugh finally let out a long, relieved breath.