The troops that had raided the Ghost Thief Group’s stronghold departed from the sealed underground black market and returned to the surface through another, wider passage.
The number of people involved in the operation was actually quite small.
Apart from Menna, Violet, and Xiao Guang, who had joined temporarily, there were only the 【Reaper’s Scythe】 and nearly a hundred members of the Shadow Guards, as well as over a hundred soldiers from the Black Knight Mercenary Group led by Lester.
Originally, the Black Knights were not included in the plan. After all, this operation was crucial and required members who could be absolutely relied upon.
Moreover, their average strength was lower than that of the Shadow Guards, who served as the royal family’s shadow guards.
However, considering Violet’s apparent trust in their captain and the strong request from Mr. Side-Swept Bangs to join the operation, coupled with the shortage of manpower on their side, Menna ultimately agreed.
It was said that Menna and the others had originally planned to capture the leader of the Ghost Thief Group, Eileen, at her address before the operation began. However, when they arrived at the shack in the slums, Eileen was already gone.
It sounded like Violet’s intervention had allowed Eileen to coincidentally escape, but in reality, it was due to the observations and judgments of the priestess.
Even if Violet and Mr. Side-Swept Bangs hadn’t appeared, Menna probably wouldn’t have been able to catch Eileen unless she used her Revelation to precisely predict the future.
Eileen was actually a very cautious person. Most of her time was probably spent hiding in the concealed underground chamber in her home. Being able to rise from a regular peripheral member to the leader of the Ghost Thief Group in just over a year, she wouldn’t be easy to deal with, and she definitely harbored some secrets.
The fact that Eileen was able to be called out initially was probably due to the presence of Mr. Side-Swept Bangs.
Hmph, these two definitely have something up their sleeves!
The exit of this underground passage was no longer in the slums. As they walked out into the courtyard, they were met with one of the official roads within the Demon Suppression City.
It was already deep into the night. The recent unrest in the Demon Suppression City had made the situation quite tense.
Even though there was no curfew in place, the consecutive rounds of searches had made the common people very uneasy. After nightfall, unless necessary, few people would venture out for leisure anymore.
Those adventurers who went to various points in the city to eliminate the bandit groups probably set off earlier than Menna’s group. From the occasional explosions and rumblings that could be heard in the distance along the quiet streets, it could be inferred that they had probably already begun fighting.
The Tulls family’s influence in the north of the kingdom, especially within this Demon Suppression City, was profound.
However, this was ultimately a city of the Human United Kingdom, and the royal family was paramount. Just like the Marshal of the Northern Army was never Taylor Tulls but another venerable old general.
The separation of military and political systems in the Human United Kingdom was designed to prevent such situations.
Before the operation began, Menna had quietly visited the other party with the queen’s decree. This ensured that at least the military would not interfere in this operation again.
As for the Tulls family’s directly controlled subsidiary armed force—the Internal Security Bureau, Menna had already sent another group of adventurers to suppress them.
With the first and second elite squads going out, even if they couldn’t win, it would ensure that they couldn’t continue to interfere and drag them down as they did before.
This was almost a showdown.
Unless the Tulls family dared to rebel directly against the royal family, Taylor Tulls could only stay obediently in the Lord’s Mansion, waiting for the events of tonight to come to a close.
Of course, even if Taylor did rebel, it would only lead to his downfall. It was said that Menna had long prepared for such a situation. But according to her judgment, such a scenario shouldn’t occur.
After learning the truth from Menna, Violet also realized why Lan had not returned home yet.
No matter what, she was still a member of the Tulls family, Taylor’s daughter, the captain of the third squad of the Internal Security Bureau. She definitely couldn’t stay out of this kind of situation.
Violet wondered what she was busy with now. This series of changes had come too quickly.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.
Time was running out. Under full speed, the expeditionary force arrived at the southern part of the Demon Suppression City in less than ten minutes, in front of a seemingly quiet private estate in the night.
The estate wasn’t large, and it looked ordinary. There didn’t seem to be any suspicious individuals coming and going frequently. Of course, this was likely just a facade.
“We’ve arrived. According to the records here, this is the current core stronghold of the Ghost Thief Group.”
Double-checking the notebook they had seized, Menna quickly instructed the four adventurers behind her.
“The raid in the black market has been going on for some time now. Combined with the intelligence Miss Violet provided earlier, the enemy is definitely prepared. Let’s try to avoid splitting up this time. The Shadow Guards will handle the assault, while the Black Knights Mercenary Group... will stay outside to block the entrance.”
“Mr. Dead Soul, please inform the troops and remind everyone to stay alert. The Ghost Thief Group is not like those ragtag bandits. There are bound to be traps inside.”
“Understood, Lady Menna. In that case, should our team still take the lead as a precaution?”
The little princess was momentarily surprised, first glancing away from the captain of the Reapers, who had made the suggestion, then quietly looking at the black-haired girl beside her. After seeing her nod slightly, she nodded in agreement.
“Then I’ll trouble you.”
“Oh, no, you flatter me. It is our duty to punish the wicked and eliminate evil!”
Mr. Dead Soul bowed, and the four dispersed to relay Menna’s orders. Violet, who had been observing the surroundings of the estate, also turned back, glancing somewhat surprised at the figure of the man known as the Dead Soul.
“Is his eagerness a bit too much? He’s even vying for the vanguard position? Even if he didn’t say anything, this task would probably fall to them anyway, right?”
The blue-haired girl, who also noticed this, shook her head.
“I’m not sure, but the 【Reaper’s Scythe】. Mr. Dead Soul is actually quite nice, and we owe a lot to their help to get to this point... But he does seem a bit strange tonight, especially after meeting you, Miss Violet.”
“Hmm...”
Speaking of which, the way that Mr. Dead Soul occasionally looks at Menna is also a bit strange. It’s not the kind of malicious or conspiratorial gaze. On the contrary, it’s closer to feelings of admiration or adoration.
Wait a minute! They say that males tend to show off more in front of the objects of their affection. Could it be... he likes Menna?!
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hold on! Menna is indeed very cute, like a small, soft, and tender little creature. Her skin, delicately maintained by the royal family, looks as soft and fair as that of a doll, making you want to hold her in your arms and protect her. But...
She’s just under 14 years old!!!
Her height is even slightly shorter than that of a certain priestess, and that’s only because of a growth spurt in recent months. The first time we met, she was just a little loli who could only sit on her sister’s lap and act spoiled!
This is too much, really! It’s torturous!
What’s going on with this Demon Suppression City? Is there some strange trend or culture secretly circulating here?
That guy we ran into before, Alvin, was bad enough. At least the priestess gave him a good beating, and now he’s gone who knows where. But this Mr. Dead Soul, the captain of a legendary-level adventurer team... Surely someone like him wasn’t a lolicon?!
...Violet hope it’s just her imagination.