"Sister Sharon~"
Sharon, though struck by the pink-haired princess's ethereal beauty, was more startled by her unexpected presence here.
Suppressing her tension, Sharon offered a composed smile:
"I never imagined the Supreme Chairwoman of the Special Defence Section would grace us with her presence."
"It appears I've stumbled into a trap."
"Please, don't be alarmed."
Lacus Clyne regarded the blonde nun with gentle warmth.
At her feet, spherical robots in pink, blue, and black chirped cheerfully: "Haro~ Lacus!"
"I have no intention of apprehending you, Sister Sharon. In fact, I deeply admire the bravery of Demon Hunters in combating the demonic threat."
Although Sharon remained wary, the sincerity in those words eased some of the tension.
Yet a trace of lingering hostility coloured her response:
"The Enchantress of America, admiring us mad Demon Hunters? Now that's amusing."
'Enchantress of America'—a title laced with equal parts scorn and reverence, bestowed upon this woman by covert organisations across Europe, America, and the Middle East.
After all, without sufficient strength and means, one couldn't possibly earn the title of 'Enchantress' from those covert organisation members who relied on power to bully the weak, practically equivalent to terrorists.
Hearing the term 'Enchantress', a trace of helplessness flashed across Lacus's face, yet this very expression made her features appear even more vivid.
"If possible, could you refrain from calling me 'Enchantress'?"
"Oh~" Sharon raised an eyebrow slightly, about to retort when she noticed the armed tactical team on deck casting dangerous glances her way.
Though these operatives posed no real threat to her, their reverential attitude towards their leader made Sharon frown slightly.
She suspected that if she chose to resort to force, these members surrounding Lacus would undoubtedly attack her with the most ruthless methods.
Even though the woman they were encircling happened to be the most powerful person present.
If the 'Enchantress of America' were truly a defenceless woman, she wouldn't have been able to establish the SDS department, single-handedly propelling it onto the world stage with branches monitoring local Abyss activity across nations.
This was a woman whose methods and power could only be described as monstrous. What made her even more extraordinary was that such a woman had publicly declared her hope for the world to progress in peace.
That such a powerful monster would become a paragon of orderly pacifism - the present era truly was fascinating.
Sharon wasn't sure whether Lacus's peace advocacy was a mere persona or a necessity for her ambitions. Still, at least for now, she didn't consider herself threatening enough to warrant the other woman dropping her facade:
"So then, intercepting me at sea like this - is it to prevent me from approaching the demon's sealing site, or simply to arrest me here and now?"
Yet Lacus shook her head: "No, I'm here to propose cooperation."
"Cooperation?"
Sharon couldn't help but look startled at these words:
"By cooperation, do you mean intercepting me with an armed vessel at sea and surrounding me with gun-wielding soldiers?"
Faced with Sharon's sarcasm, Lacus didn't refute it. Instead, she smiled beatifically like a goddess:
"Might is the prerequisite ensuring we can have this peaceful exchange, isn't it?"
Hearing this, Sharon fell silent. Through the Familia privileges Luo Shu had granted her, she was confident of escaping Lacus unscathed.
But if she used her Familia authority to return to the Astronomy Club's base, she would fail to complete Luo Shu's orders to stand by near the seal site.
Caught between these conflicting priorities, she finally considered proper communication with Lacus:
"What exactly is this cooperation you speak of?"
Seeing Sharon finally willing to engage, Lacus's expression softened immediately as she said gently:
"I need access to the Demon Hunter organisation's various research materials on demons. Ideally, we could share research findings."
"And in return, I offer a Sacred Relic."
Lacus smiled at Sharon, while at that moment, Kirika Tachibana emerged from the cabin with a sullen expression, carrying a square box which she opened before Sharon.
Inside the box, a steel-coloured dagger with an inverted S-shaped hilt caught Sharon's eye.
"This is the dagger once used by the French saint, Joan of Arc. I hope to use this to secure cooperation with the Demon Hunters. If that's not possible, a separate agreement with Sister alone would also suffice."
'A Sacred Relic used by Saint Joan of Arc...' Hearing this reward, Sharon's eyelid twitched involuntarily.
For the Demon Hunters, this might just be a convenient tool against demons, but for a nun like her, its value was immense.
Whether studying the residual power of the saint within it or offering it to the Lord she served, both were viable.
As for Lacus's mention of sharing information with the Demon Hunters, Sharon knew that was impossible. The real cooperation was the latter option.
Sharon would use her authority as a Seven-Star Demon Hunter to exchange for the Demon Hunter's internal research on demons, while Lacus would provide a Sacred Relic in return.
A quick calculation made it clear that Lacus was getting the short end of the stick.
Thinking this, Sharon couldn't help but say with some admiration, "I never expected you'd be so generous just to seal a High-Rank Demon?"
Faced with Sharon's teasing, Lacus remained gentle and serene, merely replying softly:
"A single Sacred Relic can only protect one region, but complete research can protect every SDS Member who encounters a demon."
"Perhaps Sister thinks I'm at a disadvantage, but I don't see it that way."
Sharon fell silent for a moment before suddenly realising, "I think I understand a little why these people care so much about you."
As she spoke, Sharon glanced at the numerous operatives present, then, under Kirika Tachibana's reluctant gaze, accepted her reward before gripping the railing.
"You want the research? I'll deliver it within three days. By the way, if you capture a High-Rank Demon, it's best to kill it after studying it."
"Then, until next time, Miss Enchantress—far too naive for your own good."
With that, Sharon vaulted over the railing, landing on the speedboat docked below, and piloted it into the ocean, escorted by foaming white waves.
Watching Sharon depart, Kirika Tachibana clutched her head in exasperation, glaring at the sweetly smiling Lacus.
"You just handed over a Sacred Relic to someone we could've captured anytime? Seriously, do you have so many treasures to spare?"
"And worst of all, you gave it to Sharon—someone who's had conflicts with us before!"
Lacus giggled in response. "But I don't think Miss Sharon harbours any hostility towards us."
Kirika nearly lost her mind in frustration, exclaiming, "No hostility, my foot! She's just scared you'll chop her up with the Kusanagi Sword!"
"Can't you properly weigh the pros and cons?!"
"You worked so hard to gather all these high-level items, even bringing them all the way from America just to prepare for High-Rank Demon outbreaks—and now you just give one away to a potential enemy? What were you thinking?!"
Kirika Tachibana gripped Lacus's cheeks with visible frustration, stretching them left and right, though not with much force.
"I have been thinking... Hmm, the most important thing right now... is the rendezvous..." Lacus's words came out slurred due to her distorted cheeks.
"Chisato and the others... seem to have already sent... the mission completion signal."
"Mission complete~ Mission complete~" The spherical robot, rolling on the ground, repeated the phrase incessantly.
Hearing this, Kirika released Lacus's cheeks and shook her hand dismissively:
"It looks like they didn't encounter any mishaps. That's a relief."
After saying this, Kirika turned her head and glared at Lacus, who was rubbing her sore cheeks, then sighed:
"And then? Don't tell me you came all the way here just to act as a nuclear deterrent in case of emergencies. With that brain of yours, you're definitely planning something unnecessarily troublesome, aren't you?"
At these words, Lacus touched her cheeks and then flashed a sweet smile:
"Ah, now that you mention it, there is something I need to take care of."
Kirika's eyes filled with disdain. "Another one of your 'important' matters?"
Lacus smiled. "Yes, I'd like to meet Mr Luo Shu and hear his thoughts."
Kirika's expression froze momentarily as she stared at Lacus, then sighed again:
"You're hopeless~"
"Don't you dare actually let him slip away!"
However, Kirika received no response—only Lacus's ever-sweet smile remained.
'This girl...' Kirika sighed helplessly.