Chapter 117: Meeting (2)

Words : 1339 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

Chapter 117: Meeting (2) (Inside a Large Party-Sized Room) "Do these masks actually block all forms of life force?" a man with a black eye mask asked, seemingly speaking for the twenty or so men present. Rachel nodded with a smile. "Yes, my Lords. To begin with, no one can use any energy inside this city, so it will be impossible for anyone to track you." The man grinned. "If that’s the case, then I guess my worries were for nothing." Rachel scanned the guests she had invited until her gaze landed on a woman who wore a full facial mask instead of an eye mask. Keeping her smile in place, she asked, "I thought Mister Gold Digger would grace us with his presence. I never would have guessed he would send his assistant." The woman in the white mask didn’t respond immediately. "He is busy." Rachel’s lips twitched. ’So he doesn’t trust us yet.’ Her smile widened unconsciously. "But he will be here for the coronation, right?" The masked woman shrugged. "Who knows. I can’t exactly set my boss’s schedule, now can I?" Rachel, feeling her irritation rising by the minute, turned away without showing any change in her expression. She clapped once and announced, "As you all may know, the coronation will be happening in two days. That was why, at the request of Mister Gold Digger, we decided to have this meeting between VVIP members, but it’s such a shame he didn’t show up." Many of the masked men nodded in agreement. "It is truly a shame that I didn’t get to meet Gold Digger." "He is truly an outstanding example of what a real merchant should be." "Yes, a true man indeed." Rachel continued with her clearly scripted address. "With that out of the way, why don’t we start with our entertainment." With a snap of her fingers, the doors opened, and twenty-two stunning girls walked into the room, one of them being... Cassie. The men grinned as one girl sat beside each of them, but before Rachel could call Cassie over, the masked woman spoke: "Miss Rachel, where is my partner?" Rachel’s eyes widened. "Pardon?" The woman’s voice turned cold. "Should I take this as blatant disrespect to the Gold Digger?" Rachel forced her composure. "No, Ma’am, I just presumed that you would be into men, not women." The masked woman tilted her head. "So you think I’m beneath the other guests just because I’m a woman?" Rachel waved her hand. "No, no, it’s nothing like—" Almost immediately, the other guests began chiming in: "Yeah, it was indeed disrespectful." "Even if she presumed she was into men, isn’t it her job to find someone for her to sit with?" "If this is their character, then I will withdraw my funds." The masked woman stood from her chair and stormed out of the room. Rachel held back her expression with every ounce of restraint she had. ’This is why I hate women.’ She smiled and said, "Don’t worry, everyone. I will try to calm the miss down so you can enjoy the night." ’I can’t mess this up,’ she thought, turning her back to them and leaving through the door. ’But once I get some dirt on Gold Digger, you too will become my prey.’ The men watched as she left and continued with their evening while the girls sat stiffly beside them. "So what’s your name, beautiful?" one man asked Cassie, who was sitting at the edge of the L-shaped seat. Cassie shifted slightly without replying, which only made the man irritated. He yanked her hair. "Didn’t you hear me? I asked what’s your name?" Cassie suppressed any sound of pain, just as Rachel had taught her. "It’s..." Before she could finish, she felt something strange swell in her chest. Beastly men, masquerading as noble gentlemen, forcing themselves on girls. If that wasn’t disgusting, then nothing else was. Not just girls, but ones young enough to be their daughters, if not their granddaughters. Yes, this world was a fantasy, and even if age wasn’t a number here, feelings still mattered. Those were the thoughts running through Arthur’s mind as he passed Rachel in the hallway and slipped into the private room dressed in a bartender’s outfit. The moment he entered, like a sudden spotlight, all eyes turned to him—not just the girls’, but the nobles’ too. "Did someone order a death ticket?" The man holding Cassie’s hair stared at him with disgust. "What the hell is this peasant doing—" Crash— Before the man could finish, Arthur smashed a bottle of alcohol over his head, and without any protection of force or mana, the glass shattered his skull, blood mixed with alcohol spilling like a burst tank. He rolled up his sleeves. "That’s Prince Arthur to you." The men flinched and were about to scream but stopped when Arthur placed a finger under his chin. "Shh... Do you want to die too?" Their eyes darted to the man lying lifeless on the floor. After a beat, one of the masked men asked with a shaky voice, "Do you think you’ll go unpunished for this? Do you even know who the man you killed is?" Arthur tilted his head slightly. "I have no idea." He smirked. "But isn’t that the entire reason for wearing a mask? So what changes if I know who he is? It’s not like you can tell the world I killed him because he was harassing a girl in some shady bar in a shady city." The men swallowed hard. No matter how much they wanted to deny it or intimidate the man in front of them, it was indeed true, they wore masks to hide their true identities so no one would know what they did in secret places. One of the men forced a smile. "Aren’t you that demonic dragon hatchling? Arthur Val Arcain, was it? Since I know who you are, why don’t we—" Arthur smiled so faintly that his eyes narrowed. "What was that?" The man staggered back, falling from the chair. "No, I mistook you for someone else." Cassie, meanwhile, sat frozen, eyes wide. ’What is he doing here? How is he even alive?’ she thought, trying to invent some vague explanation she could force herself to believe. But none came true. "Why?" she finally asked. "Why are you helping me?" Ding! 『 Scenario 52: Revive Cassie’s Memories 』 Arthur smiled, not just at the new scenario but at her reaction. "Can you really not remember anything, Cassie?" he asked, his back still to her. Her face remained confused. "What? What do you mean by remember?" Arthur didn’t take his eyes off the men as he asked, "If you don’t remember, then it’s okay, but answer me this..." He paused briefly before asking, "Do you want me to save you, or do you want to keep living such a pathetic life?" Her eyes filled at his question. Was she supposed to say yes? Was she even allowed to say yes? It was because of her that her and Rachel’s father had died, right? If she followed all of Rachel’s orders, their father could be revived, right? But why did everything feel so wrong? Why did she want to take this man’s outstretched hand so badly? Arthur took another slow breath, but the small smile never left his face. "If you don’t want to be saved, then tell me now, so I’ll know the Cassie I used to love has vanished too." After a long moment, her lips parted hesitantly. "I..." What was she supposed to say? "I..." Who exactly was Arthur Val Arcain? "I don’t..." Why did she feel like saying ’Husband’ shyly every time she saw him? "Please..." Why did she want him to comfort her, tease her, and pat her head so badly? Tears streamed down her face until only the sound of her sobbing filled the room. Ding! 『 You have.... 』 ─── ✦ End of Chapter ✦ ───

Chapter 117: Meeting (2)

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