The sudden turn of events left Lili momentarily blank. The restaurant was the same one Soma Familia had always used for gatherings.
Even the menu had been selected by her, following their usual ordering style.
Naturally, the cost was charged to the Soma Familia account. Using her status as a familia member to pick up the food, she disguised herself as a restaurant employee to deliver it.
She couldn't immediately pinpoint which step had gone wrong.
"I'm not exactly sure. The manager just told me to deliver this." With her [Ash-colored Maiden] magic concealing her identity, she avoided prying eyes.
Gritting her teeth, Lili tried to dodge responsibility, her gaze shifting toward the adventurers below.
Some impatient familia members had already begun devouring the food laced with Blue Butterfly Scale Powder. The drug's effect kicked in quickly.
If she didn't leave now, her identity would be exposed in no time.
Raising her head, she hurriedly tried to excuse herself, "The restaurant's busy tonight. If there's nothing else, I'll be heading back—?"
"In such a rush to leave?"
As the leader of Soma Familia and someone who used divine wine to control so many members, Zanis was no fool.
By nature suspicious—and now seeing something abnormal, paired with Lili's evasive and nervous demeanor—he didn't believe this was some innocent delivery mix-up. His cold eyes swept over the many members sitting below.
Full of contempt, he issued an order to his lieutenant, Gano: "Go fetch the owner of the Deer Antler restaurant."
"Let's see what the hell's going on here!"
"And the rest of you trash—did none of you notice the food tasted off?" Realizing they had been duped by other adventurers, Zanis' grip on the railing tightened, veins bulging as his voice dripped with disdain.
If not for the money they brought in, he wouldn't even bother showing these drunken fools any courtesy.
Then his gaze turned to Lili. By now, he'd already formed a solid guess.
Observing the affected members, it was clear something was off—even those who hadn't drunk divine wine appeared drowsy.
Not far away stood the restaurant employee who seemed oddly familiar. A gentle smile surfaced on Zanis' otherwise mature face.
"So, got anything to say for yourself?"
At this point, things had spun completely out of control. Lili stood frozen. She had no strength to stop what was coming.
If they really brought the Deer Antler's owner here, everything would be exposed.
She had used her status as a Soma Familia member to place the order, disguised herself as a restaurant employee, and delivered the drug-laced food to the gathering.
What kind of consequences that might bring—Lili couldn't even begin to imagine. But she knew they weren't consequences she could bear.
As Zanis' gaze bore into her, she instinctively took a step back and smashed the ceramic dish hidden in her clothes—hoping to draw Liang Yue's attention.
Maybe… just maybe… she could buy herself a chance to escape?
But—
That fleeting thought was immediately dismissed.
The other members below had already stopped eating. Some were collapsing unconscious. That alone was enough to set off alarm bells in the hearts of the sober ones.
The plan had now completely fallen apart. The emotional shock was so intense that Lili could no longer maintain her [Ash-colored Maiden] spell.
Her disguise dissolved, revealing her true face…
And as Zanis watched the transformation—from an unfamiliar waitress to a familiar familia member—his gaze wavered for just a moment.
There was no longer any doubt: this girl had orchestrated it all.
Instead of anger, his smile only deepened, as though he'd just discovered a new continent—a business opportunity even more promising than his current familia!
Born and raised within the Soma Familia, Liliruca Arde had used magic to almost fool even him?
Unsurprisingly, Zanis was deeply intrigued by Lili's [Ash-colored Maiden] magic. Slowing his steps, he started toward her.
Her motives were easy to guess. After all, Lili had tried to escape the familia before, unable to bear its toxic environment.
She had been taken in by a kind couple who ran a flower shop…
Of course, Zanis had dragged her back, and it hadn't cost him much effort either.
Tonight's actions were probably her attempt to drug all the adventurers and then go negotiate her withdrawal from the familia with Soma himself?
Zanis couldn't tolerate anyone slipping from his control—especially not someone like Lili, who had the potential to bring him even more profit.
"Liliruca Arde…"
"I remember that's your name, right?" He seemed to recall the girl's identity, his smile still gentle—but now exuding overwhelming pressure.
The other adventurers hadn't realized who Lili really was yet.
Zanis figured a softer approach might work better. With leverage over her, he could make her more obedient to his plans.
"You wouldn't want…"
"…word of your attempt to poison familia members to get out, now would you?"
Breaking the tense silence was the loud crash from a hulking adventurer who had been drugged with Blue Butterfly Powder—along with the glass cup in front of him.
It all shattered to the floor with a crisp—
Crash!
"What a bunch of useless trash!" Zanis scoffed at the interruption. He had been planning to maintain order within the familia, cover up Lili's involvement, and avoid public outrage.
But things didn't go as planned.
The next thing they heard was a soft knock at the door.
Probably just another late-arriving member, Zanis thought, and paid it no mind. He had more urgent matters to deal with.
Before he could act—
The knocking stopped. In its place came a powerful burst of sword energy that shattered the wooden door in an explosion of splinters.
Bang!
…
Every gaze in the room—Zanis', Lili's, and every other Soma Familia member's—instinctively turned toward the door.
There stood a young boy in a dusty gray-brown cloak, holding a short sword in his hand.
He instantly became the center of attention among the gathered adventurers, casting an eerie atmosphere over the once-quiet room.
——
The sound of porcelain and glass breaking was hard to distinguish from behind the door. But since it was the signal, Liang Yue hadn't hesitated.
No response to his knocking—and concerned that his employer might be in danger inside—he chose a swordsman's method of entry.
Though the splinters didn't kick up dust, upon seeing the scene inside the Soma Familia base—
Only a few adventurers had passed out, while the majority were still awake.
Liang Yue could barely keep his composure.
Wait a second… This doesn't look anything like what I expected?
"…Huh?"
"…Uh."
Cornered against a wall by Zanis, Lili hadn't considered dragging Liang Yue into this—not even in her darkest moment.
And now, in this desperate situation, he had come here on his own to save her?
A whirlwind of emotions surged in the girl's heart.
Knowing she had to make her stance clear, she bolted up the wooden stairs while Zanis stood stunned, and ran toward the boy.
When she reached the figure who felt so reliable to her—
The suffocating fear in her heart began to fade. But worried Liang Yue might misunderstand her or think she deliberately involved him in danger—
Lili quickly pulled out a worn-out ceramic dish from her pocket and explained seriously:
"I swear, that dish just now? That wasn't me who broke it. You believe me, right?"
"…"
Even if this was all a giant misunderstanding, Liang Yue had no time to process it. His gaze swept over the sea of adventurers before him.
Something about this felt… off.
He instinctively tightened his grip on the hilt of his blade.
"Can I even win this?"
Even the wise old Teacher 2.5 wouldn't be able to give him an answer now!
Still, Liang Yue didn't blame Lili for any of this. Shaking his head lightly, he said:
"There's no point talking about that now."
Having mentally prepared herself to be pushed away or rejected, Lili hadn't expected this attitude.
When she looked up again—
Those brown eyes of hers sparkled with open admiration.
Recalling their previous negotiation, and unfazed by the danger around them, she gave a bright and serious smile:
"I can pay more."
"…Huh?"
"If that's not enough—then I'll give you all the money I earn in the future!!"
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