The demon hunters returned to provide support very quickly.
When they crouched near the Clavenna residence, all of them raised their guard.
Because at this moment, the residence was heavily defended.
Nearby was a group of guards wearing bone armor and holding sharp blades.
Without exception, they were all women.
On their heads, each of them had fluffy animal ears.
Anyone who didn't know better might think the owner of this estate had some kind of special fetish.
But the demon hunters recognized it at a glance.
These people were the Clavenna family's demi-human unit, the 'Beastkin'.
They had earned overwhelmingly positive reviews in the southern Adventurers' Capital.
Under the constant praise from the southern Adventurers' Capital, basically the entire empire's nobility had come to know of this guard unit belonging to the Clavenna family.
Their performance had even driven up the prices of demi-human slaves.
After all, everyone wanted to raise an obedient demi-human guard like the Clavenna family did.
Compared to humans, they were stronger, cheaper, and more obedient.
But now was not the time to discuss that.
Around the residence, the demon hunters looked at one another.
They didn't sense the presence of any other demon hunters here.
That made no sense…
In the report from the first team, they had clearly stated that they had already arrived at the Clavenna residence.
But now, judging by the tightly guarded perimeter, it was clear,
Unless one had agility on the level of a commander, infiltrating would be extremely difficult.
At this moment, troubled expressions appeared on everyone's faces.
Because whether it was to investigate the demon, or to search for their teammates, they all...
"Have to find a way to get inside."
Just as they were about to start formulating a plan, they suddenly felt part of the moonlight being blocked.
A dark shadow abruptly appeared beside them, accompanied by a cold, detached female voice that rang out around them.
"You…"
"Do you want to go in?"
The moment they heard the voice, a shock like electricity shot up their spines, and cold sweat instantly broke out.
Someone was behind them.
When had that person appeared behind them?
They hadn't even sensed that person's presence at all.
Such incredible concealment, so good that even demon hunters skilled in stealth hadn't noticed anything.
'Danger!'
But before they could even stand up, the cold voice behind them sounded again, "Then… can you take me in with you?"
'Huh?'
The demon hunters froze slightly, then turned their heads to look at the mysterious person behind them.
Under the moonlight, all they could see was that the mysterious figure was completely hidden beneath a cloak.
Only those crystal-clear, shining green eyes stood out, dangerous and dazzling, like a snake's pupils.
———
In the living room of the Clavenna residence, Gwen was wearing the set of armor Viktor had given her.
Streams of light flowed between the gaps of the armor, making Gwen's figure look even more imposing.
Gwen looked at the person before her with a grave expression and asked, "Liya, what exactly happened?"
Liya sat calmly on the sofa, not showing the slightest hint of panic.
She picked up a ceramic teapot and even poured Gwen a cup of hot tea.
"Don't get worked up. Sit down first, and we'll talk slowly."
Hearing Liya's words, Gwen also slowly sat down.
Liya handed the poured tea to Gwen.
"Wake yourself up a bit first, then we'll talk in detail."
Gwen held the teacup and looked down. The red liquid reflected her own face.
She raised the cup and drank it all in one go.
Feeling the bitterness in her mouth, she still didn't change her expression. She gently set the cup down and looked straight at Liya.
"Can you tell me now?"
Liya blinked, looking at Gwen with some surprise.
"You really drink tea boldly."
If she didn't know Gwen didn't have anything down there, she would definitely have mistaken her for a man.
Liya picked up her own teacup, smiled lightly, and took an elegant sip.
Then she called out behind her, "Henny, come out."
From behind the wall, Henny walked out timidly.
Gwen also turned to look.
Henny lowered her head, looking at Gwen shyly. Her gaze kept drifting around, as if she didn't dare meet Gwen's eyes.
"Miss Gwen, you… hello."
Gwen felt a little strange.
Because the girl in front of her seemed to be afraid of her.
Liya introduced her from the side, "This is Henny. You can consider her one of our household retainers."
"She used to be Viktor's assistant lecturer and helped Viktor quite a lot."
Hearing this, Gwen looked at the girl in the loose robe in front of her, and her impression immediately improved.
She stood up, walked over to Henny, and extended her hand.
"Hello, Miss Henny."
"Viktor has been under your care."
Henny panicked, raising both hands in front of her chest and waving them repeatedly.
"No, no, no, Professor is the one who's always taken care of me."
"Other than writing speeches for Professor, substituting for classes, helping clean the classroom and office every day, and preparing lessons for Professor, I really haven't done much else!"
Liya spread her hands toward Gwen and shrugged.
"See? What did I tell you."
The more Gwen listened, the heavier her heart became.
In the end, she directly reached out with both hands and firmly grasped Henny's hands.
She looked at Henny with an extremely solemn gaze.
"Miss Henny."
"You are a good person!"
'Uh… huh?'
Henny didn't quite understand, but feeling her hands tightly held by Gwen made her feel a bit dizzy.
Ah, ah… this righteous knight in front of her was Professor Viktor's fiancée, right?
She was so radiant, noble, and passionate.
The more she thought about it, the more Henny felt her own personality fell far short.
Sure enough, only someone this outstanding could be worthy of someone like Professor.
"I told you, you two would definitely get along."
Liya said from the side with a smile, teasingly, "After all, you share the same hobby."
The same hobby?
The straightforward Gwen didn't understand what Liya meant, but Henny beside her was already blushing deeply, head lowered, unable to say a word.
Liya didn't explain further and just waved her hand.
"Alright, let's talk business. Gwen, I called you here because of Henny."
"Henny?"
Gwen released Henny's hands and turned back, seeing Liya nod.
"Yes. You probably didn't know the Second Prince was beaten, did you?"
"…Something like that happened?"
Seeing Gwen's completely confused expression, Liya nodded and pointed at Henny beside her, saying calmly, "Five broken ribs, internal bleeding in the lungs, and he soaked in water for several minutes. He's still unconscious."
"That's right. She did it."
Gwen turned her head in disbelief to look at Henny, her eyes filled with shock.
Henny lowered her head even further.
"Do you believe it?"
Gwen hurriedly shook her head. Of course she couldn't believe such a thing.
When they shook hands earlier, Gwen had clearly felt that this girl didn't have much strength at all.
How could she possibly break several ribs of an adult man like the Second Prince with one punch?
As the emperor's son, how could a prince not have some ability of his own?
Liya stood up, put her hands on her hips, and sighed helplessly.
"In short, whether she did it or not, before Viktor comes back, I need you to stay at my place a bit longer."
"Your influence isn't any weaker than Viktor's. At the very least, with you here, even if the royal guards come, they won't be able to take Henny away directly."
Liya walked over to Henny, put one arm around her shoulder, and slowly began to grope over Henny's body with the other hand.
Henny's body heated up from the touching, her face flushing nonstop, her small hands pawing at Liya's fingers.
Liya ignored the interference, continuing to touch as she spoke, "I don't want my delicate little assistant to be taken to prison and kept there for a few days."
In the end, Liya's hand reached Henny's chest and gave it a light squeeze.
Henny very disgracefully let out a sound.
"Mm…"
But suddenly, Gwen became alert.
She shifted into a bow stance, her eyes scanning the surroundings.
Her hand went to the blade at her waist, as if she had sensed danger approaching.
She swiftly drew her longsword and turned toward the doorway.
"Liya, Henny."
"You two, step back."
Seeing Gwen suddenly become so serious, both Liya and Henny were surprised, but obediently retreated a few steps.
Gwen gripped the sword tightly with both hands, the muscles in her arms beginning to tremble slightly.
Runes gradually climbed up the blade, and red light began to flicker across it, growing brighter and brighter.
Flames violently wrapped around the sword, surging and flaring.
She could feel the footsteps drawing closer.
That sense of danger was approaching as well.
Finally, at the instant it reached the doorway, Gwen let out a loud shout, as if releasing all the suppressed energy in her body at once, her eyes fixed firmly ahead.
Rage.
The muscles in her arms erupted with terrifying strength as she swung her blade.
A long red arc sliced toward the door in front of her.
BOOM!
An intense wave of heat erupted outward, blasting in all directions.
The terrifying flames smashed into the ground, and a massive explosion instantly followed.
The wooden door was completely shattered into splinters, blasted away by the violent airflow and embedded into the walls.
The surrounding walls couldn't withstand such a horrifying strike and completely collapsed, crashing down toward the ground.
Blazing firelight lit the three faces bright red as dust instantly billowed up, engulfing them.
Yet Gwen could still feel that the danger remained.
She became even more guarded, lowering her stance as the blade in her hands gathered strength once again.
As the dust slowly settled, a pair of black-and-white wings appeared before Gwen's eyes, as if shielding something, folded together.
The feathers on those wings were still burning with fierce flames, crackling loudly.
Then the wings suddenly spread apart, and the flames on them were instantly extinguished.
Under the moonlight, those green eyes shone exceptionally bright.
She stared intently at Gwen, like a predator locking onto its prey.
[Blacklist detected: Unnamed]
[Whitelist detected: Henny]
[Whitelist target suspected to be under threat. Immediate protection required]
In an instant, a long blade materialized in the woman's hand, held horizontally before her.
The blade pointed at Gwen, her legs slowly spreading apart.
Her gaze turned incomparably cold.
"Prepare. Target elimination."
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