Lycaon drove at breakneck speed, reaching Victoria Headquarters in mere minutes.
As if she had heard footsteps outside, little Corin flung open the front door before Phaga and the others even had time to pull out their keys. When she saw the familiar group—and especially the Mr. Phaga she had been anxiously waiting for—had returned safe and sound, she couldn't help but smile sweetly.
With her eyes squinting in joy, she dove straight into Phaga's arms like a kitten, rubbing her face against his chest. Only after a long while did she lift her small head, tears glimmering at the corners of her eyes as she spoke in a trembling voice:
"Mr. Phaga, welcome home!"
"There, there, Corin. I'm fine…"
Phaga gently rubbed her head and said softly, "Let's go inside first."
"Okay!"
Corin nodded vigorously, wiping her tears away with her wrist in an uncoordinated rush, her mood brightening instantly. The youngest member of Victoria beamed like a little sun, then scurried back into the kitchen. From afar, her voice floated out:
"You all go ahead… Corin is going to cook now…"
Phaga let out a small, knowing smile and stepped inside.
Ellen followed shortly after, but something felt off. When she turned around, she saw Rina and Lycaon still standing by the SUV, not making any move to approach.
"You two…"
Ellen hesitated, biting her lip before falling silent.
As the second-to-last person to join Victoria Housekeeping, she was still new. So many things within Victoria were like oxygen to her—essential, yet unseen, intangible, impossible to grasp…
Meanwhile, Rina and Lycaon were clinging tightly to plastic bags filled with air, hiding them behind their backs, determined not to let Ellen, Phaga, or Corin see.
Lycaon lowered his head, keeping one hand tucked behind his back as he said sternly without looking at her:
"Ellen, go back inside. Rina and I still have important business to take care of."
Ellen couldn't help but ask, "What busi—"
But before she could finish, the two Bangboo, Drusilla and Anastella, suddenly floated in front of her, covering her mouth and pushing her backward.
"Hehe, little Ellen doesn't need to know! This is a secret just for adults!"
"It's a secret, a secret!"
Step back, step back… Step back my ass!
Forced through the door, Ellen finally snapped. Frost clung to her arms as she wildly swatted the Bangboo aside and shouted:
"Quit messing around! What could I possibly—"
But by the time she regained her composure, a cold, unyielding door stood before her.
The Bangboo had predicted her tantrum the moment she raised her hand at them—they had already slipped outside and shut the door.
Ellen rushed forward and grabbed the handle.
Zzzzt—
"Ah!"
She recoiled as if electrocuted, her fingers tingling.
The Bangboo were still outside—they had electrified the door.
Ellen let her hands fall helplessly at her sides.
Inside, Phaga had gone to the basement to work on a solution, while Corin cooked enthusiastically—signs of a peaceful home.
Outside, however, the roar of an engine pierced through the noisy city. With a plume of black smoke, Lycaon sped off with Rina, vanishing into the chaos.
What safe home?
The world was as dangerous as ever—only someone still loved you deeply.
Ellen turned back, her gaze drifting toward Corin for reasons she didn't fully understand.
Corin hummed softly as she worked, eyes narrowed with contentment. One dish after another was prepared and set aside as she moved seamlessly to the next task.
"Hmm~ Lord Lycaon loves meat, Miss Rina and Corin like sweets, Miss Ellen… Miss Ellen doesn't seem picky at all, and Mr. Phaga likes blood pudding."
"Mm, let's make one of each!"
Patience stirred into the pan—Corin's love made manifest.
She truly cherished this home.
Ellen slowly withdrew her gaze, sighed, then placed her hand against the wall as she made her way to the basement.
The door was open, and she could clearly hear voices inside.
"So you're saying this firewall isn't that hard? Anyone with enough technical skill could break it?"
It was Phaga's voice.
Another female voice followed:
"Exactly. This kind of firewall only fools amateurs. To a pro hacker, it's nothing."
Ellen recognized Rain's voice.
Why was she here?
Her eyes widened slightly before she quickly pieced it together—Phaga had invited Rain over to break into Sacrifice No. 2's firewall.
Ellen slipped inside quietly, doing everything she could not to disturb anyone.
Sure enough, everyone was engrossed in their tasks and didn't notice her.
Rain was holding both a screwdriver and a wrench. Pointing to the nearby monitor, she said:
"Before you got back, I tried taking it apart and stimulating Sacrifice No. 2 through the terminal."
"I found that it shows signs of fusing with metal objects. If I hadn't reacted quickly, you probably would've needed a new wrench."
Phaga crouched down, running his hand carefully across Sacrifice No. 2's corpse, nodding slightly.
This was within his expectations.
He suddenly turned his head. "Anything else?"
"Yes."
Rain leaned her elbow on the chair, sitting sideways with one leg crossed over the other. Tossing the wrench into the air with her free hand, she kept her eyes fixed on the data streaming across the monitor.
"After breaking through the firewall, I found that Sacrifice No. 2 has extremely advanced artificial intelligence. But its base code is saturated with kill commands, normally suppressed by the Supreme Command."
"In other words, without that directive, Sacrifice No. 2 becomes a weapon that only knows slaughter."
Clang!
The wrench fell into Rain's palm—she pointed it straight at Phaga.
Their eyes met. Rain narrowed her gaze, expression turning deadly serious.
"I'm curious… What exactly are you planning to do with this thing?"
"First of all, as a matter of principle, I don't do anything that harms the innocent."
Phaga met her gaze just as seriously and replied:
"First—if I wanted to do something unforgivable, you wouldn't have any principles left to speak of."
"Second, I need a weapon I can rely on. But I don't want a weapon with a will of its own."