Chapter Sixty-Nine: Excuse Me, Can We Change Positions?

After thinking for a long time, Miss Vilyric still did not tell Mona about this absurd speculation.

She couldn’t let the child learn bad habits, especially since if it was a lolicon, Miss Vilyric was also a woman, and her figure was still in a stage of promising development. There was no reason it should provoke someone else’s rivalry in that regard.

Soon, the four members of the Adventurer team “Grim Reaper’s Scythe,” who were delivering orders, returned without any additional mobilization. With more than ten members of the Shadow People leaping over the manor walls in the night, the ambush began.

Without any fancy moves, the Soul unsheathed one of the seven swords from his waist. The sword gleamed fiercely, and the manor’s front gate opened with a thud; he didn’t even intend to knock.

Like an arranged plan, the four from Grim Reaper’s Scythe charged in first, with the Soul leading the way, followed by the twin sisters Dark Lotus and Dark Spirit on either side, while the Ferryman supported from the back, clearing the path ahead. Clearly, they had worked together countless times before.

Trailing behind, Mona was protected by Vilyric and a crowd of Shadow People as she entered the manor.

As for the Little Dragon Daughter, she didn’t act along with her master but, upon Vilyric’s signal, stayed outside just in case, or rather, to give Uncle Lester and the others a sense of security.

Thanks to the Priestess’s recent guidance and adjustment, Xiao Guang’s excessive dependency on Vilyric had improved slightly. At least, there was no trend of further deterioration. Thus, although she seemed a bit unwilling, she ultimately obeyed the orders and stayed put.

By the way, Bangs also followed in. Though his strength wasn’t quite up to snuff in such a situation—he couldn’t even measure up to an ordinary Shadow Person—Vilyric figured he was going to step in to protect Mona anyway, so allowing this guy to tag along didn’t matter much.

The area of this manor wasn’t that large; compared to the blood family winery back in the City of Courage, it was only about a third of the size, making it hard to imagine this was a place hiding numerous criminals and preying “merchandise.”

The path was eerily quiet, without any expected traps or ambushes, yet Mona’s face appeared quite somber.

Vilyric knew what she was thinking—this situation meant either the intel was wrong, and the Ghost Thieves had abandoned this hideout and moved elsewhere, or they were lying in wait, scheming a more insidious plan.

A direct attack is easier to dodge than a hidden strike; both are more troublesome than facing fierce resistance directly.

But it wasn’t a big deal.

Just some human bugs hiding in the shadows, playing meaningless tricks. Since they were here, might as well play with them.

Once the main force crossed the courtyard and arrived at the main building of the manor, the young princess raised her hand, and some Shadow People began searching up the spiral staircase along the outer side of the building. Meanwhile, the main force, including Vilyric and Mona, broke down the main entrance on the first floor and entered the hallway.

“How strange…”

At the forefront, the Soul cautiously placed a hand on the crossed sword handles, surveying the area. It seemed that every time he used one of the swords, he quickly returned it to the sheath instead of holding it directly, almost as if he enjoyed the act of drawing the sword.

As for this hallway…

It was empty—unusually empty. Not only did it lack a staircase connecting to the upper floor, but even the furnishings were sparse, making it seem like someone had cleared it out in advance.

“Is there no one here… wait, no!!”

Standing in the crowd, Mona, who hadn’t suspected anything at first, suddenly paled and spun around!

“Everyone! Immediately retreat…”

“Creak!”

Before the young princess could finish speaking, the floor of the manor’s hall, covering thousands of square meters, split open right in the center, collapsing downward!

It turned out that the hall was hollow; its floor itself was two massive trap doors!

At the same time, a thick, complexly carved metal door came crashing down at the main entrance, which had just been cleaved open by the Soul’s sword, sealing off the escape route.

As the ground dipped lower, countless long, pointed spikes reflecting a green glow emerged ominously; one didn’t need to think hard to understand that these were coated with deadly poison.

“Mona-sama!!!”

“Hold my hand, Your Highness!!”

As the ground they stood on suddenly vanished, the Soul and several formidable Shadow People leaped into action, trying to rescue the most important princess at the same time. However, someone else was even faster and more decisive.

With long, resplendent white wings unfurled, Vilyric grabbed the young princess by her collar and lifted the blue-haired girl into the air. Seeing this, the other members of the assault squad quickly utilized their skills to either use ropes or mechanisms fixed to the walls or ceiling or directly leverage special tools to remain floating temporarily.

In moments like this, the importance of average skill and capability became evident.

The Shadow People were not just any troops; they were elite members directly under the Queen of the United Kingdom. Even among those Mona deemed newcomers, not a single one from this hundred-man team had met their end in this surprise ambush, showcasing remarkable adaptability and a wide range of responses.

As for the four from Grim Reaper’s Scythe, there was no need to mention them. The one who appeared to be the oldest Ferryman had somehow produced a floating ferry from somewhere, allowing the other three to drift alongside him in the air, looking quite the part of a ferry operator.

“Are you okay, Little Mona?”

Vilyric initially thought the young princess would finally be scared out of her wits, but when she looked down, she saw the blue-haired girl calmly and seriously observing the hall surrounding them without a hint of panic.

Noticing the disappointed glance from the Black-haired Girl, Mona turned and smiled lightly.

“It’s fine. This level of trap is nothing for a crafty poaching gang; I anticipated it. But thank you for saving me, Miss Vilyric. Also… can we change positions? This feels a bit weird.”

“So your focus was that…”

Reluctantly, Vilyric switched from holding the blue-haired girl by the collar to a princess carry. She internally complained, feeling like the little girl always appeared unfazed, no matter the situation.

If she didn’t know better, Vilyric might think this little kid was some ancient being who had lived for hundreds or thousands of years under the guise of innocence.

Truly, she was a Seer.

Mona, naturally unaware of what the Priestess cradling her was thinking, let out a quiet sigh of relief as she glanced at the trap below.

“Fortunately, it seems the Ghost Thieves, while prepared, didn’t manage to complete their retreat and relocation in time; otherwise, they wouldn’t resort to such tactics to stall and weaken our forces.”

“Yeah, thank goodness we didn’t let those Black Knights in; otherwise, this single move would probably cost us quite a lot.”

Adventure seekers and experts like the Shadow People were simply different. On one hand, there was a gap in raw power; on the other hand, the adventurers were better at direct combat and had a poor hand when it came to dealing with sudden human tricks.

“Miss Vilyric, please be careful. I suspect the enemy’s assault won’t end here. The Shadow People who went upstairs have yet to respond, which likely means they’re already in combat with the Ghost Thieves. We need to resolve this side quickly.”

“It’s fine. As long as they haven’t run away…”

“Creak, creak, creak, creak, creak!”

Before the Priestess could finish, vast sections of hidden traps in the ceiling opened up, unleashing countless crossbow bolts, coated with the same deadly poison, into the air with no mercy, showering down like a violent storm upon those with no solid ground beneath them!

   

---