Chapter 819 No Other Choice
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While the rest of her team was still upset over all the negative news spreading about them, Emilia's mood had already settled down after figuring out a 'counterattack' strategy with Cynthia.
'So long as I can figure out someone's actual location by marking them within the game, it shouldn't be hard to know where the real root of all this trouble is.' Emilia thought as she twirled a strand of her crimson hair around leisurely.
The only problem then would be how she would get there without alarming all her 'watchers'. After all, not to mention her teammates, but the government officials 'scouting' for them also wouldn't appreciate her actions very much if exposed.
Once her cover of stupidity and innocence was lost, it wouldn't take long for some of the more cautious amongst them to realize just how terrifyingly dangerous Emilia could become. And no matter how things progressed from there, the crimson-haired girl knew that it definitely wouldn't be in her favor.
Just as she thought so, a certain uninvited guest decided to pay them a visit, though even Danielle didn't have the courage to turn him down at this time.
After all, looking at the dozens of armed men behind him, Norman didn't seem to be in the mood to hear any noes. Following him was another middle-aged man, and going by the frown on his face, he wasn't very pleased about being where he was either.
"Uncle Norman!" Emilia greeted cheerfully upon 'finally noticing' him, her previously confused expression instantly evaporating as she stood up to hug him.
Of course, as she expected, the middle-aged man stopped her to 'avoid suspicion', though his fond smile as he ruffled her hair made it clear that her behavior had pleased him.
"Have a seat, everyone, we're only here to talk."
Walking into their meeting hall as if they owned the place, the leaders of the group took the sofa that Danielle had vacated, while the 'Crimson Witches' had no choice but to do the same on the other side.
The fact that Norman took advantage of Emilia's 'trust' to place her next to him obviously didn't sit right with them, but the 'adults' in the room all seemed oblivious to their dissatisfied glares.
The man sitting on the other side of the general cleared his throat to get their attention. "As Norman should have already told you, we're here on behalf of the government. It has been decided that you girls will now be a part of the national 'Arcadian Defense Force', so pack up only your most important personal belongings immediately."
Patting Emilia's shoulder, Norman sighed. "To be honest, I was hoping to give you all a lot more time to think things through and figure it all out on your own. But… things have changed, and become far too dangerous for us to leave you alone."
Danielle and the others obviously hadn't expected such an obvious turn of events, but before they could protest, the middle-aged general stopped them.
"I know you must have a lot of questions and grievances, but the situation is far worse than you know right now. There isn't much choice on my part either, so do as you're told first."
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Although Emilia knew that her team had gotten a lot stronger after conquering the dungeon, she still sent Danielle a pleading gaze to signal her to just follow Norman's words.
The blonde girl was far from happy about it, but she also knew better than to openly fight against so many soldiers. Not to mention how dangerous it would be, even if they somehow pulled a flawless victory, the forces behind these men would never let them go so easily.
The four girls followed uneasily behind Norman, who held Emilia's hand 'affectionately' all the way to his armored truck, while the girl herself remained completely oblivious to the fact that she might be a hostage.
After they were led to a separate vehicle, Danielle couldn't help but curse silently. 'Even though I told her to not trust him, how can she be so stupid?!'
Of course, the reason why Norman separated Emilia from her group wasn't just to 'catch up' with her. After pretending to care about her for a while, he immediately started probing her about their adventure in the dungeon.
"That's right! Danielle and Sylvia are so awesome, we totally blew those baddies away, and the rewards were also super cool!"
Emilia pretended to be delighted to finally have the chance to brag about it all, and Norman couldn't help but smile dotingly. 'She really is just like my little niece.'
He'd known that this 'stupid little girl' would be the perfect breakthrough point for them to figure out everything that they needed to, and there was no need to needlessly 'bully' these children. But some of his more stubborn colleagues simply refused to believe him.
If they'd had their way, the six members of the team would all be captured, separated, and then 'interrogated' thoroughly. Only then could they be 'sure' that nothing would go wrong.
Fortunately, his name still held enough weight to make them listen no matter how unwilling they were, or things might just have become needlessly complicated. Of course, the fact that they couldn't even find the sixth teammate also helped.
"—and we also got a lot of gold and experience, of course. Ohh, I almost forgot! There were some super cool weapons too, uhm, cursed broadsword or something, I think…?"
"Hoh? That's really amazing." Norman praised her with a smile.
"Ehehe…" Emilia giggled. 'Idiot. Did you really think I would tell you so easily?'
Although it was impossible to hide everything, the crimson-haired girl knew just how much she could safely expose. So long as her teammates didn't spill the beans, there was no way anyone could figure out how much she was hiding.
'So they were right, after all…' Norman sighed. 'At this point, we can't leave these little girls alone. They're in way over their heads.'
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