"I thought we were going to die! Did you guys notice just now? Bajed of the Lightning, he 'touched' the hilt of his sword, he must have been asking for permission to kill us!" Hellank said with lingering fear.
After receiving the remaining commission from the Imperial Palace, Iri and the Four Strategists Squad once again returned to the small tavern and hid in a corner, setting up a screen to begin their "division of spoils."
"Wait a moment," Iri instructed, then took out an anti-eavesdropping scroll from her small satchel and used it before signaling for everyone to continue.
"But why didn't the Emperor kill us to silence us in the end? Logically, if I were the Emperor, I would definitely silence them," Imina questioned.
"It must be because of what Iri-meimei said. Honestly, Iri-meimei, were you really not doing it on purpose?" Hellank once again scrutinized the seemingly harmless but incredibly shrewd little sister in front of him.
"Huh? What do you mean 'on purpose'? I don't understand. I just wanted to get back the remaining commission and save everyone's lives," Iri blinked her eyes cutely, playing dumb.
"But why didn't the Emperor silence us? Hellank! You explain it!" The bewildered Imina said, pulling on Hellank.
Uncle Roba was still counting gold coins and did not participate in the conversation.
"Because we still have use! Didn't Iri-meimei say before that she looks a lot like the Princess, and Iri kept 'revealing' to the Emperor that the Princess is someone who can be negotiated with, so the Emperor naturally wants to use Iri as a bargaining chip," Hellank explained.
Iri, on the other hand, pretended to be confused, looking at the two of them as if asking what they were talking about. Basically, what Hellank said was correct.
Iri merely wanted to convey a message to the Blood Emperor: there is someone within Nazarick who can be negotiated with, and that person is the Princess!
After all, having read the script… knowing the initial response plan the Blood Emperor formulated after visiting Nazarick, which was originally to sow discord with Xiao Di, Iri merely wanted to guide the Blood Emperor's plan of discord to target herself, making it much easier to get involved.
"Only Iri-meimei has use, right?" Imina still didn't understand.
"Imina, if someone killed all of us and then threatened you to work for him, would you be willing?" Uncle Roba said, still counting money.
"Of course not!" Imina answered without thinking.
"Then what if that person simply pointed a sword at our throats and asked you to work for him?" Uncle Roba pushed the several small piles of sorted gold coins in front of the others, probably wanting them to count them again.
"Uh… that… I probably would!" Imina said, somewhat confused, looking at the small pile of gold coins pushed in front of her. Imina only glanced at it and didn't bother to count.
"Just as Uncle Roba said, the Emperor kept us because he wants to hold a sword to our throats to 'force' Iri-meimei to work for them." Hellank also simply glanced at the pile of gold coins and didn't bother to count.
"Sigh…" Imina understood, and she also understood why Iri-meimei had fabricated such a lie: she wanted the Emperor to know that they still had use and could not be easily killed.
"I have to say, Iri is too shrewd…" Arshe, the young lady, saw the pile of gold coins pushed in front of her and 'revealed' a look of delight. She didn't count them but instead grabbed them and stuffed them into her pocket.
"Huh? What are you talking about? I just wanted the Emperor to believe how safely we escaped, so I told a lie! Did the Emperor want to kill us to silence us?" Iri played dumb.
"Uh… Iri-meimei, that… didn't you say at the beginning that confronting the Imperial Royal Family would be dangerous? How come…" Hellank 'revealed' a very confused expression, then pushed the small pile of gold coins in front of Arshe.
"Hmm hmm? Yes… I did say that, but I didn't know it was directly the Emperor behind it… I thought since it was the Emperor, he shouldn't do something so despicable as murder to silence people. Besides, killing us wouldn't do him any good, right?" Iri continued to play dumb, then also pushed the small pile of gold coins in front of her to Arshe.
"So, is this a happy accident??" Imina also pushed hers over.
"Let's just say it is," Uncle Roba said with an awkward expression, also pushing the gold coins over.
"Ah… everyone… this… I can't accept this. This is what you all risked your lives for, I can't…" Arshe looked deeply moved.
"Take it, Arshe. This money is very important to you. You need a lot of money to raise two younger sisters on your own, right?" Hellank said with a smile, and Imina and Uncle Roba also smiled.
"If it's not enough, just say so! After all, I am a Princess, I still have pocket money!" Iri added playfully, making everyone burst into laughter.
"Thank you… thank you everyone." Arshe's eyes were a little misty.
"So, Arshe, what are your plans next? You mentioned before wanting to bring your two sisters out, what are your plans after that?" Hellank asked.
If Arshe was going to take care of her sisters, she probably wouldn't participate in commissions anymore, right? At least… she wouldn't participate in commissions that involve life-threatening danger, but in the current situation… even that would be difficult, Hellank thought, glancing at Iri.
"I plan to find a house nearby and then send my sisters to school," Arshe said with a beaming, happy smile.
"Absolutely not!" Hellank, Uncle Roba, and Imina shouted in unison. This reaction not only startled Arshe but also Iri.
Why not? Isn't that a good idea?
Finding a small house in the Empire Capital and being able to go to school, the prosperity of the Empire Capital is surely better than the countryside, and besides, later the Empire will become an affiliated nation of Nazarick, so there's no need to worry about being troubled by war, Iri wondered.
"Arshe! You need to think carefully… we are now in a situation where the Emperor could hold a sword to our throats at any moment. If you let your sisters live in a place like this, it's hard to say whether the Emperor would put a sword to your sisters' throats," Hellank said worriedly.
"Ah!" Arshe immediately realized the seriousness of the problem. If it were the Blood Emperor, he could really do something like that!
"…" Iri also understood. It seemed she had still overlooked something, actually forgetting Arshe's two sisters.
No… it should be said that from the beginning, Iri hadn't considered Arshe's sisters. This really wouldn't do… not to mention that the Four Strategists were protected by her, so nothing should happen.
But the young lady Arshe's sisters were different. Even if the young lady left the squad to take care of and protect her sisters… with the young lady's combat power… being captured would be a matter of minutes. But it wouldn't be good to have the young lady take two little lolis with her everywhere, would it?
Uh… what to do?
Ah… I got it!
Iri immediately thought of a solution.
"How about this, Sister Arshe, you first go and bring out your two sisters… then I'll take you all to a good place," Iri said with a smile.
Yes! The second safest place in this world—Karn Village.
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