800 Effective
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The tense atmosphere between Sylvia and her ex-friend was broken by Danielle's cough. "Actually, we didn't come here to fight or argue. It's just… Emilia really wanted to apologize for being absentminded earlier."
Dolly obviously remembered that the crimson-haired elf hadn't really spoken a word or tried to join others in 'mocking' her after leading them to the inn before, but that didn't mean her impression of Emilia was any good.
After all, not to mention that the girl had grabbed 'her' spot in Sylvia's team, but she had also at least 'listened' to others mocking her without saying a word. In Dolly's mind, that was already more than enough to write Emilia off as 'undeserving' of her kindness.
Moreover, there was no telling if this was just another ploy of Danielle's to mock and ridicule her, and maybe she was merely being more 'roundabout' with her words because of the public setting.
Just as Dolly was about to sneer and retort, however…
"Hi~!"
The smile of the crimson-haired girl who had been 'hiding' behind Sylvia all this time was so stunning that, for a moment, even Dolly forgot to breathe.
It was as if the whole world had fallen silent, and her thoughts had come grinding to a halt in this girl's presence. For just a moment, Dolly even had a ridiculously impulsive thought of taking the initiative to 'befriend' the crimson-haired beauty.
After all, compared to her, someone like Sylvia probably wasn't even worth being called a forgotten shadow of the past.
Of course, she soon woke up from her daze, and connected the stunning beauty in front of her to 'Emilia', and all her good feelings instantly turned to dust.
Recalling how she'd 'just' been cheerfully greeted by the 'beauty' in front of her, Dolly couldn't help but sneer. "Just how hypocritical can you be, trying to mock me in front of everyone in the name of 'making amends'? Please, don't think everyone is so stupid." She chuckled. "The fact that you tried so hard to make yourself look good to make me look bad in comparison, and yet this was all you could come up with… it's a little pathetic, isn't it?"
Her surroundings still remained dead silent, making Dolly quite proud of her 'flawless' argument, but she didn't realize that most people hadn't even heard what she said.
They were too busy staring at Emilia, after all.
As for the crimson-haired elf herself, she was quite satisfied with the results.
Dolly might have reacted with disgust later, but the astonishment and attraction in the brief moment before she realized who Emilia was couldn't have been more obvious. And to the crimson-haired girl, that was enough.
Since even her 'enemy' couldn't resist being momentarily tempted, there was no way that the boss of the 'Pillar of Greed' would stand a chance. After all, even if he was 'intelligent', his core characteristics of greed and lust naturally made him quite irrational.
But although her objective had been achieved, Emilia didn't forget that they were in public. Before leaving, she at least had to clarify the situation a little, or the reputation of their team might end up being irreversibly damaged.
"I-I'm sorry for not paying attention earlier, Dolly." She sniffed. "I just… w-wanted to be friends with Sylvia's friend, too. W-We'll leave now!"
The crimson-haired beauty tugged pitifully at Sylvia's sleeve, as if begging her, but everyone around felt as if she was pulling directly at their heartstrings.
Due to her 'poor' decisions while entering this world, Emilia's height was a little shorter than her real one, and standing next to the tall and imposing Sylvia, she looked even more petite, invoking everyone's innate desire to protect the 'pitiful' creature.
'How could someone bear to bully such a beautiful little thing?' was the thought that echoed through most of their minds.
Dolly just sneered, not realizing how everyone's dissatisfaction with her was growing, but before the situation could deteriorate further, someone decided to 'tactlessly' barge in.
"Excuse me, Miss Danielle…" The middle-aged man coughed. "There was actually an urgent matter I needed to talk to you about. I wonder if you have a moment?"
The imposing and authoritative aura around the man made it impossible for people to just 'disobey' his instructions casually, and even Danielle couldn't help but hesitate.
"We don't have long, but fine."
The middle-aged man was quite satisfied. "Great, my name is Norman." He signaled his subordinates to clear the area, then continued with a smile. "Actually, I don't think you're unaware of the fact that the world is changing. And while this change might seem like it will bring you a lot of opportunities… it comes with a lot of danger, as well."
Norman knew that his argument was a bit blunt, but when dealing with younger and impulsive folk, he'd learned that it was better to be direct and to the point. If he didn't drive the reality through their head in time, it was possible that Danielle wouldn't realize the 'need' to join them.
He couldn't just watch the opportunity to recruit them go out of his hands again, so even though he knew this wasn't the best time, he decided to take his chances. Fortunately, he managed to stop them before they could leave, and it looked like Danielle wasn't quite as hopeless mentally as a certain crimson-haired elf. At least, Norman thought so.
Of course, he would never admit the fact that Emilia's appearance had left him completely stunned for a while, making him unable to respond. Now that he'd come back to his senses, Norman completely ignored the crimson-haired elf's existence, though he wasn't unaware of her curiously shining eyes being focused on himself.
'Just a thoughtless and stupid girl who looks a little better than the others... the real decision maker in their group is Danielle, I just have to convince her and we'll be done.' Norman thought, and continued his 'pitch' with a smile. "We believe your team has a lot of potential. But the more potential you have, the more danger you'll attract."
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This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺