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Amidst the white smoke, Lilith trailed behind Kieran who was cautiously moving forward.

Despite walking for ages, they remained surrounded by the thick smoke that showed no signs of dissipating.

The entire area was most likely filled with smoke, but Lilith had no idea about the situation outside.

She surmised that little had changed outside. After all, a hotel boat emitting smoke while drifting along a river in the capital of the Holy Dragon Empire’s capital at this time of the year would have surely attracted the attention of security teams or other authorities within five minutes.

Since nothing had happened for so long, there was a good chance that the smoke was confined within the boat.

That made it very easy to conclude the location of their target.

The deck.

The deck of this boat that was specially built for sightseeing was not only spacious, but also featured a special pool with an artificial beach.

The excellent visibility and wide space made it an ideal spot to fight, seek for help, or make a quick escape.

At the very least, both of them could stop scurrying around aimlessly amidst the white smoke while constantly being on the lookout for any ambush or hidden traps that might spring out of nowhere.

The most terrifying moment in a horror movie was not when the ghosts finally reveal themselves, but rather the nerve-wracking build-up leading to their appearance, when their ominous presence seemed to be lurking around every corner.

For Lilith, who was incredibly brave, she was not scared. She just found the situation mentally draining and a pain in the a̲s̲s̲.

A quick and straightforward solution was her preferred course of action.

In any case, they needed to escape the smoke first. Otherwise, they would be stuck here forever, unable to do anything.

Lesiah would have likely thought of the same place and headed there, so there was no need for Lilith to worry about her.

With Cornelia around, even if the enemy hidden in the smoke was the same kind of character as the previous Nine, they would probably end up being kicked to death by her unconscious stomping motion when she kicked the covers.

Nevertheless, there was a small issue.

The deck was on the third floor, but Lilith had yet to come across any stairs.

She clearly remembered that the lounge had spiral staircases leading to the upper floors at both ends.

Did she go the wrong way? Or did the stairs somehow move? Or maybe… Kieran and her senses were distorted because of the smoke?

Lilith touched her nose. Yes, it was a possibility.

She was still feeling a little dizzy from the smoke, but Kieran seemed to be handling it much better, possibly because he had a less sensitive nose.

While the exact purpose of the white smoke was unclear, it was clear that the enemy had the intention to disrupt their senses.

Tsk.

Lilith clicked her tongue in annoyance.

She was getting really frustrated being trapped in this smoke.

Although it was not an impressive trick, it left her feeling powerless.

From the very beginning, she had a feeling that something was amiss.

The intensity of the feeling grew with each passing moment. Although there was no one else around, Lilith sensed danger akin to being surrounded by an army of a thousand strong.

“Hey, Kieran, do you sense anything unusual?”

As she reached out to tap Kieran’s shoulder to get his attention and opinion, she froze in shock.

Her hand passed right through Kieran’s shoulder, leaving her stunned.

It felt like she was touching the air, unable to feel anything solid from beneath her fingertips.

Not Kieran?

Then this person in front of her was…

The image of “Kieran” flickered before turning into a puff of green smoke and blending into the smoke around them.

There was no one in front of Lilith now, and Kieran was nowhere in sight.

Lilith stumbled backward in fear. For the first time, she was drenched in a cold sweat.

It was hard to believe that she had been tailing Kieran for god knows how long, yet remained completely unaware that he had been replaced right under her nose.

This must be a joke!

If her enemy was capable of doing so, why not just stab her right in the back while they were at it?

Did they think they could intimidate her with such a petty trick?

How ridiculous.

Of course it wouldn’t!

Lilith scanned her surroundings, feeling extremely tense for real this time.

At the same time, she held the magic scroll close to her chest. Feeling the icy magical energy emanating from it brought her some comfort.

Since Kieran had been replaced at one point, it was likely that she was already off course. She reckoned that it was no longer possible for her to reach the deck and regroup with Lesiah and the others.

What now?

Should she continue moving or stay put?

After a brief moment of contemplation, determination filled Lilith’s eyes.

She was never the type to sit back and wait for death.

Staying in this place would not solve anything, regardless of the enemy’s intentions.

Besides, Kieran, who had suddenly been replaced, could potentially be in danger now. He was the weakest in the group, so that could be the reason for the enemy to make him their first target.

As his… master, Lilith felt obliged to take him home in one piece.

After all…

That maid’s dress…

Was kinda expensive.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

White…

White…

Nothing but white…

Kieran closed his eyes and rubbed them. His eyes got really tired after staring at the same color for a long time. Compared to that, he was more mentally exhausted.

One would not experience fatigue when they were tense. However, as soon as they relax, they would feel a surge of energy that made them feel what they could not before.

Although Kieran was scared, he was not all tensed up.

After all, he had a T-Rex following behind him.

He had heard that the little devil was not only able to survive and escape from Golden Demon Htilil, but the greatest enemy of mankind also perished without a trace left. Her performance in that Ancient Ruin was certainly noteworthy.

Even the academy representative, Durance, sang praises of her abilities. Recently, she had also beaten the crap out of Princess Luna, who was one of the top five students at St. Caroline Academy.

Most importantly, Princess Luna did not try to get even with her after that.

Lilith had totally humiliated that notoriously overbearing, uncaring and petty Princess Luna in front of thousands of people…

That was the end of it.

The princess did not seek revenge and the news gradually died down.

A maid, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that Princess Luna decorated her bedroom with numerous portraits of Lilith. The princess was seen practicing peculiar movements by rubbing her face against the portraits, seemingly motivating herself to overcome her shame and seek revenge as soon as she could.

Even Princess Luna had to rely on her own strength to motivate herself, one could tell just how powerful Lilith was.

Besides, no ordinary person could casually take out a powerful maid’s dress and saint-level magic scroll like she did.

Kieran also had the maid’s dress appraised by an elder in his clan. The old man appeared humiliated during the appraisal, probably because he never expected to appraise a woman’s clothing in his life.

The appraisal left him…

In tears.

And in terror.

Like a madman, he dropped to his knees and muttered strange things like “Forgive me for accidentally soiling your dress, Your Majesty” in a certain direction.

Countless doctors checked on him but were unable to do anything to improve his condition. Kieran never knew what happened to him in the end.

After this incident, even a fool knew that this maid’s dress was anything but ordinary!

With that thought in his mind, Kieran grew more relaxed as he continued moving forward.

Without looking up, he asked, “Have you noticed anything unusual, Lilith? Let me know in advance if you do, don’t give me last minute surprises.”

There was a brief silence before a gentle, pleasant and motherly voice replied to him.

“I don’t think so.”