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The armored man’s subordinates continued with their search. It was obvious that they had been specially trained, as they cooperated with each other well and worked in an orderly manner. Not only that, they also used special search magic. Within a few minutes, about one-third of the wood debris floating on the river’s surface were cleared.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before half of the exploded boat would be completely cleaned up. Lilith began to grow uneasy as she watched the search.

The armored man scrutinized Lilith’s face with his sharp falcon-like gaze and said, “You look rather terrible.”

“I-Is that so?” Lilith’s eyes struggled to focus.

“I must be overwhelmed by what has just happened. Look, half of the boat was blown up. Isn’t it normal for a lady to feel frightened in such a distressing situation?”

“But you appear to be unaffected earlier.”

“T-That’s… because I have a slow reaction… Yes, my reaction time has always been slow since childhood. Unlike everyone else, I have delayed responses ranging from a few seconds to even a few minutes. In fact, I only realized now that I was a bit frightened, so that could be why I look terrible right now.”

“Is that so? But I still find you highly suspicious.”

The armor man’s aggressiveness began to irritate Lilith. She stomped on Kieran’s foot and hissed at him through voice transmission, “Damn it, why didn’t you tell me that earlier?”

“Do you think I have the time to tell you that earlier?”

“Tch, you’re really useless.”

“Well I humbly apologize for my lack of competence! Perhaps if someone had been a little more low-key instead of flaunting their wealth, maybe we wouldn’t be in such a passive situation now,” Kieran retorted sarcastically.

Ultimately, it was Lilith’s attempt at bribery without any verbal communication that raised the armored man’s suspicion. Under normal circumstances, they would have investigated the situation before initiating a search.

“Tch.” Lilith clicked her tongue in annoyance. If she was not obligated to play the role of a law-abiding citizen right now, she would have punched Kieran in the face for his insolence.

How dare a mere slave talk back to his master!

“Then what do we do now?”

“What other option do we have? We’ll have to destroy the evidence before the Security Enforcement Team discovers it.”

“Got it.” Lilith’s eyes immediately lit up. “I’m going to get rid of these tin men right now and make sure no evidence is left behind.”

“Wait!” Kieran frantically stopped Lilith. “I told you to destroy the evidence, not to silence people!”

“I heard you. But how am I supposed to clean up the mess of flesh that was scattered all over the place thanks to Lacey’s self-destruction? Mop the floor with your sponge-like brain?” Lilith growled.

“……”

After a while, Lilith finally calmed down a little and let out a sigh. “It seems like we can only pray that the body was completely obliterated during the explosion just now.”

“The chances of that happening are very slim.”

“No s̲h̲i̲t̲. If a creature with a brain structure less complex than that of a ragworm like you managed to survive, it’s no surprise that that body is still intact.”

“Do you have a death wish for insulting me so directly?!”

Lilith ignored Kieran’s protest and reflected for a moment. She then glanced back at the armored man who had been staring at them, and flashed him a sweet and innocent smile.

“Umm… Your boss’ son is actually still on that remaining half of the boat. Why don’t we pause the search first and go meet him together?”
“No need. I believe this is a more important task. I can always pay my respect to him any time.”
“But aren’t you worried about him?”
“No. My men have just checked and confirmed that while many of the arrays in that half of the boat are damaged, the remaining ones are still operational. The people inside should be safe. Besides, the young lord is only very close to becoming a saint-level expert, so the explosion should not pose a threat to him,” the armored man said in a deadpanned voice, without the slightest intention of taking his eyes off Lilith’s face.

F̲u̲c̲k̲! That damn one brain cell!

“Aren’t you concerned about any potential mishaps? What if Durance were to accidentally choke on a peanut and die inside there?” Lilith strained to maintain her smile and narrowed her eyes.

“That’s definitely a possibility.” The armored man thought for a moment before nodding with a serious expression. “It’ll be trouble if the young lord did in fact choke on a peanut and die.”

Lilith rejoiced silently and thought to herself that maybe having one brain cell wasn’t such a terrible thing after all.

“Well then…”

“But…” The armored man’s expression turned serious as he spoke, “I was taught from a young age that… we must never spare a criminal, even if it means sacrificing a teammate!”

Lilith was rendered speechless.

Damn it, this man’s sense of justice is too strong!

Why is it that she, Lilith, consistently finds herself at odds with righteous individuals whenever she crosses paths with them, even though she is such a kind and gentle person? Does the adage “opposites attract and likes repel” hold true? Are good people bound to misunderstand each other?

“Captain, look at this!”

The moment that Lilith had been dreading finally came to pass.

“What is this?”

The armored man frowned and asked as he inspected the mass held up by his men, which was censored with mosaic blur in an effort to adhere to the principles of socialism.

“It’s human flesh, without a doubt.”

“What?” The armored man’s tone suddenly became aggressive as he waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to halt their search. They quickly surrounded Lilith and her companions, preventing any chance of escape.

“Do you have anything else to say?” The armored man asked through his clenched teeth.

“I’m innocent, I have nothing to do with this!” Lilith looked like she had been wronged. After all, the body was destroyed by Lacey’s self-destruction. How could she be held responsible for it?

However, she could not sell Lacey out right now because Lacey still had some information that she needed.

“Hmph. How do you explain the smell of blood on your body then?”

“That’s because… because…” Lilith’s brain worked quickly. Her eyes suddenly lit up and she turned to look at Kieran.

“Fine, I’ll tell the truth. The real murderer… is this person!” Lilith pointed to Kieran. “This person is the one who murdered the owner of this floating establishment!”

Kieran was bewildered.

Lilith wiped the non-existent tears at the corners of her eyes and said miserably, “I smell like this because I witnessed the murder happening right in front of me. The victim’s blood splattered all over me!”

“Wait, what nonsense are you spouting now?” Kieran grabbed Lilith’s shoulders and shook her frantically. “How come I don’t know any of this?”

“Look, this is how this vicious person intimidated me into staying silent about the whole ordeal earlier.”

“Huh?!”

Lilith “struggled” to free herself from Kieran’s grasp, then fell to the ground, hugging herself with tears in her eyes. “How can a weak, vulnerable little loli like myself possibly bear his torment? I was too scared, that is why I acted strangely earlier,” she choked.

Kieran had question marks all over his head.

Lilith? Weak, vulnerable? Are those words even related?

The armored man looked sharply at Kieran and asked in a deep voice, “Is it true?”

“Hell no! This is entirely fabricated by her. Please trust me, she’s truly a little devil with a horrible personality!”

“Lies!”

Lilith pulled Cornelia, who was engrossed in playing with Lacey who was feigning dead, to her side. Looking up with an adorable expression, Lilith spoke in a pitiful tone, “How can a cute girl like me be a bad person?”

“Nonsense! She’s spouting nonsense!” Kieran roared. He finally knew what this little devil was up to, she wanted to make him a scapegoat!

He was Kieran! He was born into nobility and was considered a prodigy among the students at St. Caroline Academy. Given his impressive background, how could he be willing to accept such a blemish on his reputation?

“Don’t listen to her nonsense, it’s all a lie!”
“What nonsense? I have proof!”
“What? Proof?”

From where?

It was at this moment, Kieran suddenly had a bad feeling.