Chapter 275
Even without his newly acquired position as Family Head, Prezen Meredith was certainly an extraordinary person.
How many people in the world could confidently say, “If I do something strange, you can just shoot me,” with a gun pointed at their head?
That logic was enough to persuade Team Leader Hank.
In my opinion, Team Leader Hank, who prioritized Alexandra’s safety above all else, would never have killed Prezen Meredith, who held the means of escape, in the first place.
He probably had no intention of actually shooting. The incident just now was merely a warning not to act rashly.
He had pressured Prezen Meredith by aiming a gun at him, just as he had slapped me.
In the end, Prezen and the Schneider Family were back in a precarious cooperative relationship.
According to Prezen Meredith, the distance to the escape pod wasn’t far. That was a good thing.
Team Leader Hank had his foot cut off, I was exhausted, and Ms. Kali was nowhere to be seen, doing who knows what. With our companions' combat power cut in half, escaping Mirror Castle is truly desperate right now.
“There are things weighing on my mind, but…”
I looked at Prezen Meredith, who was taking the lead and guiding the way. What on earth was the goal of that unfathomable raver?
Did he really orchestrate all this just to escape safely? What was his relationship with the prototype artificial intelligence, and was there no other purpose beyond what was visible on the surface for forcibly inheriting the Family Head position?
My mind was a mess. I felt like interrogating Prezen next, right after Team Leader Hank, but I didn’t have the time or luxury to do so.
Above all, it was because the hardships we faced were not over.
“We have almost arrived at the escape pod. However… there are prior guests, five of them.”
Prezen Meredith said, his blue eyes shining. He was using the authority of the Family Head to grasp the situation inside the castle.
Team Leader Hank frowned.
“Prior Guests? Don’t tell me they’re already inside the shuttle?”
“That is not the case. As I said, it cannot be operated without the authority of the Family Head. They are standing still in the square in front of the passageway leading to the pod. They are visitors.”
It was an unexpected situation. I thought anyone waiting in front of the escape pod would naturally be a Meredith Family member, but they were visitors?
“Visitors? Which family is it?”
“It is the Sedouforne Family.”
A sigh slipped out at Prezen Meredith’s answer.
Of all the many noble visitors, it just had to be the Sedouforne Family! How could there be such a persistent ill-fated relationship?
“Do you have a history with the Sedouforne Family?”
“We have a history. We’re not on good terms.”
Team Leader Hank answered through gritted teeth at Prezen’s question.
We definitely weren’t on good terms. I didn’t know about our side, but their Matilda Sedouforne was absolutely bloodshot with the desire to pay back the slap she received twofold.
“That is not good news. They do not seem to have any intention of leaving their spot.”
If the Sedouforne Family Members were firmly holding their ground, there could only be one reason.
The escape pod. I didn’t know how they found out, but they knew the location too.
The fortunate thing was that they couldn’t use the pod, but we could. There was no need to worry about them beating us to it.
Team Leader Hank narrowed his brow and fell into thought.
“What is the shuttle’s appropriate boarding capacity? Up to how many people?”
“In the case of a multi-person shuttle, up to 20 people can board.”
I thought I knew the intent behind his question.
If the shuttle’s capacity wasn’t enough, we would have no choice but to somehow break through the Sedouforne Family, even if it meant mobilizing drastic measures.
However, that wouldn’t be an easy method. Their number was five. It would be Matilda Sedouforne, Iron Dog Invincible Maximus, and the remaining three escorts.
Iron Dog Invincible Maximus might have had one arm cut off, but he was still an opponent who couldn’t be ignored.
Furthermore, although the numbers were the same at five, our side was lagging in combat power due to the absence of Kali Haywood.
Prezen Meredith, who possessed the authority of the Family Head, could control the dolls to attack, but the problem was that we couldn’t trust him.
Couldn’t the protection from another family that he wanted be sufficiently provided by Sedouforne as well?
From Prezen Meredith’s perspective, if Sedouforne’s power was stronger, it would be superior for him to opportunistically switch sides.
Fortunately, the shuttle’s capacity was sufficient.
“Peacefully escaping together with them would be for the best.”
It would be difficult to shake off the Sedouforne Family anyway. If so, coaxing them to ride the escape shuttle and escape together would be the right move.
That was Team Leader Hank’s plan.
However, the best was literally just the best.
There were too many variables to expect things to go as hoped.
The awkward relationship with the Sedouforne Family was one thing, and the person named Prezen Meredith was another. Wasn’t his very existence a risk factor that could bounce anywhere!
What if the Sedouforne People recognized the value of Prezen Meredith, who held Meredith’s assets and technique in his head as the Family Head, and decided they needed to snatch him away from Schneider?
Things would become truly difficult.
It was a situation where a bloody conflict could break out at any moment. My head ached.
“Shouldn’t we call Ms. Kali?”
At my worried question, Team Leader Hank shook his head.
“I already called, but there’s no answer. The comms are dead again. Even so, we can’t just wait endlessly.”
The movements within Mirror Castle were far too unusual for that.
“It can’t be helped. We have no choice but to face them for now. In the worst situation, we must be ready for battle.”
Team Leader Hank concluded as such.
* * *
What Team Leader Hank paid the most attention to was the control of Prezen Meredith.
Because there was a risk that a head-on fight could break out in an instant if he said even a single word wrong, they coordinated their story in advance, and Hank threatened to shoot him dead immediately if he spoke even slightly differently.
Prezen Meredith obediently accepted without resistance.
For my part, I was worried that Team Leader Hank acting so coercively might instead provoke Prezen Meredith into harboring ulterior motives, but I also fully understood why Team Leader Hank was acting that way.
There was no more time to delay, and it was time to settle things with Sedouforne.
And so, when we cautiously entered the Crystal Plaza, which reflected in all directions in front of the pod, and faced the Sedouforne Family Members.
“…What is this?”
The atmosphere was suspicious. They definitely shouldn’t have known we were approaching.
Even if they noticed our approach, they shouldn’t have had any certainty that it would be the Schneider Family.
However, none of the Sedouforne Family Members showed any signs of surprise. Even the tomboy Matilda Sedouforne smiled unpleasantly, as if she had expected this.
Something was wrong.
Just as I was thinking that, Matilda Sedouforne shouted.
“You really showed up on your own two feet, Alexandra Schneider.”
“…Matilda Sedouforne.”
Having come this far, we couldn’t back down. Alexandra stepped forward.
“Did you know we were coming here?”
“Of course I knew. I have a capable helper.”
“A helper?”
At Alexandra’s question, Matilda Sedouforne spat out coldly.
“Yes. Phantom Thief Zodiac! I decided to give that criminal a chance to contribute to a true noble family. He’s a shameless human being, but his skills are certainly undeniable.”
At those words, everyone exchanged glances.
Phantom Thief Zodiac and the Sedouforne Family had joined forces! Did the Sedouforne Family have no face to save as nobles?
If Phantom Thief Zodiac, who had stolen the command authority of the prototype artificial intelligence, was helping the Sedouforne Family, it was somewhat natural that they had noticed our companions' approach early on.
The strange thing was that Phantom Thief Zodiac wasn’t mixed in with their group.
He could be using a disguise as one of the escorts, or perhaps he was hiding somewhere out of sight, waiting for an opportunity for a Surprise Attack.
“You made a deal with Phantom Thief Zodiac? The Sedouforne Family has really hit rock bottom…”
Alexandra, who was about to sneer, shut her mouth at Team Leader Hank’s signal with his eyes. Provoking them here and now was not a wise move.
The problem was that even without provocation, the Sedouforne side was fully prepared to antagonize us first.
“We Sedouforne will employ anyone as long as they have the ability. ronin, phantom thief… what does it matter? It’s fine as long as there’s no one left who knows anyway.”
Her underlying intention was obvious. She meant that it would be fine if they just killed us here and silenced us.
Matilda Sedouforne was acting recklessly. Alexandra spoke with her fists clenched tight.
“What does that mean? Are you saying you really want a fight to the death with Schneider? Do you even dare to have the confidence for that?”
Matilda Sedouforne was extremely confident.
“Of course. You don’t have to worry. You’ll just become a victim of a tragic terrorist incident. I get to settle a personal grudge, and handle what needed to be done while I’m at it. It couldn’t be better, hohoho.”
“what needed to be done?”
A kindly continued explanation, typical of a talkative villain.
“Yes. The Phantom Thief said so. He said he needs that Meredith Family member you have with you.”
Matilda Sedouforne’s finger was pointing squarely at Prezen Meredith.