Chapter 102: Is This Cooperation Legitimate? (Patreon)

"That may be true, but right now I'm..."

Saidela's hair was a tangled mess. Aside from a set of filthy, rumpled clothes and a few odds and ends of valuables tucked inside them, he had nothing left at all...

Pandora shook her head at that.

"Don't worry about it. Allow me to introduce myself." As she spoke, she held out her hand. "I'm Pandora. Currently, I'm more or less just someone on her way to the Holy Capital for some sightseeing."

Seeing Pandora say this with a smile, Saidela, who had still been holding back a little, blinked in surprise.

"Ah, hello..."

But when he looked at his own outstretched hand, which could hardly be called clean, he froze in midair.

Once upon a time, his hands should have been just as clean, just like his heart used to be...

While he stood there at a loss, a touch suddenly came from his hand.

"Very pleased to meet you, Mr. Saidela."

Looking at Pandora, who didn't seem to mind in the slightest, Saidela had to admit that in that moment he felt treated as an equal, rather than pitied by others as a failure.

"I'm confident I can clear your name." Pandora withdrew her hand and nodded. "Of course, nobody gets up early without something in it for them. You only earn someone's trust by letting them see what they stand to gain."

Her words left Saidela, still lost in his earlier thoughts, a little dazed.

"Wait, Miss... Pandora." He stared at her in disbelief. "What did you just say? You'll... clear my name?!"

As he spoke, he glanced at Luluo, only to find her looking just as stunned.

Come to think of it, Luluo hadn't said a single word from start to finish. It was entirely this platinum-haired girl in front of him who had been steering the conversation...

Pandora nodded. "Yes, I'm confident. If anything, I think it'll be a piece of cake."

"That's..."

A girl who looked utterly powerless and had shown no ability whatsoever was, understandably, hard to believe.

Seeing Saidela's awkward expression, Pandora felt a mischievous urge well up inside her.

"You know about witches, don't you, sir?"

At those words, Saidela, Luluo, and the... big sister? sitting nearby all knit their brows slightly.

"I-I know of them, but..."

After all, "witch" was a deeply sensitive word. Just hearing it made one's heart clench instinctively.

Pandora's only reply was a silent smile.

Saidela seemed not to have processed it. After a very long silence, he finally spoke.

"...You're joking, right?! They've all already..."

Though he was shocked, he kept his voice under control this time and didn't shout.

Pandora still didn't answer, so he widened his eyes and turned his bewildered gaze to Luluo.

"..."

Luluo looked slightly shaken, but she did react, and that left him unsure what to think.

"Well, that's all I can say." Though the two of them were shaken, neither actually believed her, and Pandora was used to that by now. "What I want is this: once everything's over, Mr. Saidela does one thing for me that I want to do. Nothing harmful, of course. How about it?"

Hearing that, Saidela could tell there was some hidden catch, but there was nothing he could do about it. After all, the arrangement benefited them both.

Seeing that, Pandora nodded in satisfaction and raised the cup she'd been holding all along.

"Then here's to a pleasant partnership..."

Just as she said it, Pandora noticed the big sister at the next table stand up and walk toward them. The movement naturally caught the attention of the other patrons, though none of them dared make a move.

(Does she really have that much presence...?)

Pandora couldn't help frowning at the cold-faced woman.

Before long, the woman reached their side. Louliana immediately stepped in front of Pandora, as if to keep history from repeating itself.

"I'd like to ask something..." She ignored Louliana's wariness completely. "Can I join you?"

It was phrased as a question, but there was no questioning in her tone. And her reason for coming over was... well, also suspicious.

"I overheard by accident, so I came to ask."

"By accident"? What kind of excuse is that...

"More hands do make lighter work, but what's your purpose and reason for suddenly joining in?"

Either way, those two points had to be spelled out.

The big sister didn't hesitate for even a moment.

"For the Gusteko Holy Kingdom."

It was such a suspicious answer that Pandora was left completely baffled for a moment.

Is she a patriot? She doesn't look like one. She doesn't look like the hot-blooded youth or noble crusader type at all...

Seeing the dead-serious look on her face (which seemed to be her permanent expression), Pandora sighed helplessly.

"What should we call you?"

Instead of answering, she merely raised an eyebrow.

"If you're joining us, we need to be able to address each other..."

Looking at her "I don't understand" expression, Pandora grew more puzzled.

(...Don't tell me she's a "Four Nos"? On top of the usual trio of no words, no expression, no emotion, there's also no name.)

Pandora could hardly be blamed for the thought. The person in front of her simply gave off that impression.

"Odegulas."

After a long while, the big sister offered up this... answer?

She looked like she'd spent ages thinking it over, which only made her harder to read.

Odegulas... what a name. Pandora had to admit that her "information bank" seemed to be growing less and less useful.

"...Pleased to meet you."

As she spoke, Pandora extended her hand and smiled at her.

In response, Odegulas glanced at the hand Saidela had offered earlier, then lowered her head, apparently deep in thought. After a moment she nodded to herself and turned to Pandora.

"..."

Pandora felt the force of the grip on her hand and grew even more confused.

Does a handshake really need this much strength?! It wouldn't cause any real injury, but she could now pretty much confirm that this self-proclaimed "Odegulas" had no concept of social niceties, nor any common...

In the end, Pandora was the one who pulled her hand back first. Otherwise, she wasn't sure how long Odegulas would keep holding on...

[Author's Note: Thanks to Gu Hengtiaoye for the 688 VIP points tip!]