Chapter 50
As the crisp sound of the clap echoed,
the girls' attention was entirely focused on Eugene.
His body leaned slightly forward, his expression calm, but his attitude serious.
"Thank you all for gathering here and spending these memorable few days with me."
In the man's golden eyes, a profound, unfathomable will was flickering.
"However, the time is about right."
"My plan is basically complete, and Terry, or rather, Ted, has been patient to his limit."
"In the next couple of days, I will settle things with him."
"Although I invited the three of you to escort and protect me, that was just a verbal agreement."
"I have neither the reason to force you to fight nor the right to ask you to stay."
"Here, I leave the final choice to you."
"Are you with me, or will you depart now?"
The room fell silent for a moment.
Eugene had emphasized from the beginning that Teli would hire an Lv5 for his protection.
And even an Lv4 here would be in danger of death during the battle.
Because the battlefield is always changing, and the weaker party always bears a higher risk than the stronger one.
Chloe, Lunoire, and Ryuu had joined the Hostess of Fertility precisely because they were tired of conflict and killing.
To force them into a fight, money alone would not be enough justification.
"I'll join." The first to speak was, naturally, Ryuu.
Her eyes were calm, and there was determination in her sharp gaze: "Ted trampled on Astraea-sama's compassion. No matter what, I cannot let him go."
"Even if I can no longer claim to be righteous, I must protect the trace that Astraea-sama left behind."
"Therefore, even when facing a powerful enemy, I will never back down."
The Apostle of the Goddess of Justice would bravely advance, no matter what evil she faced.
Upright and uncompromising-though a bit stiff to describe a woman, Ryuu was precisely that stubborn, being the Goddess's sword to sweep away the darkness.
"Ah, Lili doesn't need to state her position, you know." Eugene noticed the girl's hesitation beside him and smiled.
"Your magic is part of my plan and absolutely essential."
His words immediately put Lili at ease. She would accept anything as long as she could help Eugene.
With that, only two remained.
Eugene's gaze fell upon Chloe and Lunoire.
Unlike Ryuu and Lili, they had no absolute reason to participate in the battle.
You couldn't expect a temporarily adopted stray cat and stray bird to clear a path for you when you needed it.
They were originally lone wanderers, and taking refuge in the Hostess of Fertility was an act of last resort (a warning from Mama Mia's iron fist).
However, after a few days of interaction, Eugene was confident.
Every step he took was calculated.
"Ah~~"
It was Chloe who sighed.
"If I could, I'd really like to refuse you, Boss, meow."
Her words changed the expressions of the others, including the undecided Lunoire.
As a professional assassin, Chloe was most skilled at infiltration and espionage.
This process required relatively rigorous logical thinking.
It could be said that among these few people, Chloe's mind was the quickest.
She looked at the smiling Eugene with a hint of dissatisfaction, her beautiful face conveying a sense of having seen through his facade.
"Although you're a pervert, you've always been good to us, meow."
"If it were a normal request, we wouldn't refuse."
"But to ask everyone to risk their lives for you after only a few days of acquaintance... that's just too much, no matter how you look at it."
Her statement represented her position, and there was nothing wrong with it.
They were friends, and doing what they could was fine, but risking their lives was indeed excessive.
And because her words were sound, no one could say anything to refute her.
But right then, Chloe spoke again, taking a sharp turn in her argument.
"But conversely, as long as you have enough confidence, and can think of us by not putting us in excessive danger, then we might be able to help."
She gave a small hmph, pointed straight at Eugene's nose, and said unceremoniously, "You scheming jerk, you already anticipated that I'd say this!"
"You're still hiding things now! How are we supposed to trust you, meow!"
Eugene always had an ability to gain trust. Every step he took seemed to have a purpose.
This was already their consensus.
But what they hadn't expected was that Eugene had already determined the outcome of this conversation.
"My mistake."
Eugene was still calm and collected.
He chuckled and said, "Thanks to Chloe for reminding me. I need to bring out my chips to reassure everyone."
"Forget the rest for now!" Lunoire couldn't help but interject. "Boss, if we participate, what are your chances of winning?"
Going straight to the point, good.
Eugene held up his fingers.
"Seven? Seventy percent?"
"Why only seventy percent!" Lunoire cried out in disappointment.
She had always admired Eugene's planning. His seemingly casual actions could lead his opponents by the nose.
But even now, Eugene hadn't managed to produce a foolproof plan.
"It can't be helped. Human power has its limits." Eugene didn't argue, spreading his hands in resignation.
"Then what if we, um, I don't participate?" Lunoire asked tentatively.
"One hundred percent." Eugene answered instantly. "Huh?"
"I'll take the money and run right now, becoming a carefree rich man at the ends of the continent."
"How could you do that!"
"Hah~~" Chloe sighed. "So, what's missing in that seventy percent?"
Eugene was silent for a moment, then intentionally glanced toward Ryuu.
"The Dark Faction, the Lv5 'Slayer Empress' Valetta."
!!
Ryuu's expression shook!
A member of the Erebus Familia, a madwoman who enjoyed killing, during the turbulent Dark Age!
"She's not dead!?" Ryuu stood up, overcome with emotion.
Innumerable questions flooded her mind. Remembering the innocent lives lost to these fiends, Ryuu's fists involuntarily clenched.
"She's not the only one who didn't die, Ryuu-san."
"How could the bugs in the darkness be completely wiped out?"
He gestured for Ryuu to calm down. After several deep breaths, she sat down, her expression gloomy.
"That's the situation. The Dark Faction is a puzzle piece I can't control."
"If they participate in the battle, we have to retreat immediately. For me, not achieving my goal means failure."
Lunoire let out a long sigh of relief. If failure meant death, she was honestly a little scared.
After all, she had only just managed to escape from the killing, and she really didn't want to relive the despair of nearly dying in a failure.
Seeming to sense everyone's wavering, Eugene quickly added:
"However, in my estimation, they will most likely not appear."
"The Dark Faction's power has been weakened. They can no longer act as recklessly as before."
"If it were a struggle between large Familias, they would likely seize the opportunity to sow chaos."
"But given the size of Terry's and Ikalos Familia, even if they disappeared, the impact on Orario would be minimal. Acting rashly for this would be a net loss."
Chloe looked at his feigned humility and scoffed, "You've been talking all this time, but you're still confident you'll win, aren't you?"
"..."
Eugene's smile slowly widened.
He held the strings of destiny in his hands; how could he possibly lose?
"Yes."
"This wave, I'm invincible."
That wild and arrogant aura seemed to blow into the girls' hearts.
This man, truly...
Using their feminine intuition, they seemed to see an extremely vast and promising future in Eugene.
"So, to victory?"
Eugene held out his hands.
The girls exchanged glances and smiled in relief.
Four delicate hands were placed upon his warm palms.
Their hearts were united, and their fighting spirit soared!
Eugene's expression turned serious, and his aura radiated outward!
Before they could react, he shook his head and executed the agility technique used by the senior Wai Siu Bo!
In an instant, he gave each of the four pale, tender hands a kiss!
Everyone was stunned by his actions.
Eugene smacked his lips, savoring the moment: "In this situation, I couldn't help myself."
"Eugene-sama, you big pervert!"
"Why are you flirting now!"
"You ruined the mood, meow!!"
"Pervert! Awful! Disgusting! Un-unforgivable!"
In the final moment before Ryuu's fist landed on his face, Eugene still wore an expression of rapture.
This is what you call a harem, right (not exactly)?
...