Hearing the two surrender, Tsukasa didn't even glance at them, merely muttering in a disheartened tone, "My good mood was completely ruined by you."
The next moment, his figure vanished from where he stood.
The fat man and the thin man stared with horror, bracing themselves to lean against the wall as much as possible, then tremblingly adopted a futile defensive posture. But their vision only experienced a momentary, dizzying disorientation before plunging completely into darkness.
Bang! Bang!
Everyone looked over to see the two men embedded deeply into the brick wall of the alley in twisted postures, motionless.
Tsukasa clapped his hands, as if dusting off non-existent grime, a relaxed smile returning to his face as he turned to the orange-haired girl who had stood silently to the side the entire time.
"Done. Your trouble has been resolved. So..."
He unreservedly extended his hand, palm upwards, a clear jest in his smile. "I saved you, is there any thank-you gift?"
'As expected.' Rem couldn't help but palm her forehead.
She had long anticipated that Tsukasa wouldn't say anything genuinely gentlemanly.
She immediately stepped forward, placing herself between Tsukasa and the girl, bowing slightly to the latter with a polite, distant tone. "Miss, it's all right now. We apologize for disturbing you, we will leave immediately."
Having said that, she reached out and grabbed Tsukasa's arm, trying to forcefully drag him away.
However—
"Hmph. Even without you, I would have been fine."
The girl's clear voice, imbued with a unique haughty tone, made Rem's movements halt.
"However..."
The girl changed the subject, "As for compensation, how about this?"
Just as Tsukasa and Rem instinctively turned their heads, a fragrant breeze, mixed with high-grade spices, swept through, instantly dispersing the foul air in the alley.
Immediately after, a soft, petal-like touch gently pressed against Tsukasa's cheek.
It all happened too fast. By the time the two reacted, the girl in the blood-red dress had, at some unknown point, grabbed Tsukasa's other arm. And her light pink lips had just left his cheek.
Rem was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, instantly entering a state of high alert. She almost reflexively pulled, yanking the still-stunned Tsukasa back behind her, completely separating him from the orange-haired girl.
"You... what are you doing?!"
A rare, obvious anger appeared on Rem's face, her blue eyes fixed on the other party.
They were about to leave, what exactly did this woman want to do?
Tsukasa, who had been kissed, merely touched his cheek, where a subtle sensation still lingered, his eyebrow raised as he thought 'Oh? Is this some kind of grand gesture of gratitude unique to another world?'
Facing Rem's angry questioning, the orange-haired girl merely let out a soft hmph.
She raised her hand, tracing her bright red lips with her fingertip, her movements imbued with a natural arrogance.
"I merely gave a reward commensurate with the 'rescue' just now."
Her voice was clear, yet held an undeniable authority. "Furthermore, what I wish to do is not for anyone to criticize."
Saying this, she took a step forward, her high heels making a clear sound on the stone path. Her previous actions had allowed her entire figure to emerge completely from the shadows deep within the alley.
Although Tsukasa had long since seen her face through his Six Eyes, Rem only now got a full glimpse of the girl's true appearance. Just now in the shadows, not only was her vision obstructed, but even the faint detection magic she subconsciously released was like a stone sinking into the sea, completely ineffective against this girl.
When that exquisitely beautiful face, capable of eclipsing a bustling street, clearly came into Rem's view, her pupils slightly contracted, and an almost undisguised astonishment flashed across her face. She even unconsciously took half a step back.
"Although I don't quite understand your way of doing things..."
Tsukasa rubbed his chin, a smile of appreciation appearing on his face instead, as he commented, "Your approach is quite shocking."
"Tsukasa... stop talking."
Rem immediately stopped him in a low voice, her tone now devoid of lingering anger, replaced instead with a clear tension and disbelief.
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Tsukasa noticed the abnormality in Rem's tone and expression, and his smile faded.
Rem stared intently at the girl before them, who carried herself with such arrogance and wore such luxurious attire, unlike any ordinary noble.
She took a deep breath and, in a voice only they could hear, said word by word, "This woman is one of the five Dragon Priestesss, a Royal Selection Candidate."
Her gaze met the girl's fiery red pupils, and she spoke the name almost universally known among the capital's elite, "Priscilla Barielle."
The light from the alley entrance fell upon Priscilla, making her blood-red dress appear even more dazzling. She slightly raised her chin, a curve forming on her lips, as if savoring Rem's shock.
The moment Rem revealed her identity, Tsukasa did indeed raise an eyebrow slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. But this surprise lasted only an instant, then turned into an amused appraisal.
He shoved his hands back into his trench coat pockets, leaned against the wall, tilting his head, and said with undisguised mockery, "Oh? One of the Royal Selection Candidates, huh... But for a dignified Dragon Priestess to be cornered in such a small alley by a few street thugs, isn't this script a bit too cliché?"
He looked around and asked, "Where are your guards and attendants? Did your personality scare them all away?"
Facing this almost provocative question, Priscilla calmly 'swished' open her ornate folding fan, perfectly covering the lower half of her face, revealing only a pair of red eyes shimmering with fiery arrogance.
"How could you understand?"
Her voice sounded through the fan, carrying a unique rhythm. "The world exists for me, and all things naturally exist to please me. That farce just now was merely a clumsy play staged temporarily for my viewing."
Her fan lowered slightly, her gaze precisely locking onto Tsukasa, her red lips curving into a highly aggressive arc.
"What truly interests me is you. But speaking of which—"
Her gaze meaningfully swept over the unconscious thugs deep in the alley, her tone scornful. "Aside from this discerning maid by your side, the world is full of fools who don't recognize treasures. Even royalty is no exception. Perhaps it's this very foolishness that led to their demise."
These words made Rem's heart clench, and she instinctively clutched her skirt. To openly discuss the deceased royal family in the capital was shockingly audacious.
However, Tsukasa's reaction was beyond her expectation. Far from being offended, he grinned as if he had heard an interesting insight. "Although your arrogant attitude is infuriating, what you said actually has some merit, quite like my own style."
"Precisely."
Priscilla closed her fan, lightly pointing its tip at Tsukasa, as if confirming a rare treasure,
"You are different from those common folk. This difference is great enough to make me interested in you."
"Oh? Is this what they call 'birds of a feather flock together'?" Tsukasa rubbed his chin, his smile widening.
Seeing their conversation becoming increasingly 'compatible,' even starting to discuss dangerous topics, Rem's sense of crisis reached its peak.
She couldn't let Tsukasa and this troublesome Royal Selection Candidate stay together any longer.
She took a deep breath, decisively stepped forward, inserting herself between the two, and facing Tsukasa, said in a hurried and firm tone, "Tsukasa, we must leave immediately. Private contact with other Royal Selection factions will have a very bad impact. If Emilia-sama or others see us, it might cause unnecessary..."
Before she could finish her persuasion—
From the direction of the alley entrance, a slightly noisy sound of footsteps and discussion suddenly approached from afar, as if people were quickly drawing near.