Chapter 226 (1/2)

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Chapter 226 – The Fedor Gang

The Fedor gang was a group of bandits led by a man named Fedor, and were known for being elusive. Robbery was their main business, but they would not hesitate to resort to kidnapping, smuggling, or even jailbreaking, if it meant money. But except under extreme circ.u.mstances, they didn't commit murder, as that would result in the authorities searching for them relentlessly, compromising their elusiveness.

They committed robberies in urban places. Normally, they'd hide in the city and gather around using secret codes. The gang had roots mostly in the major cities of Jarazack.

「Is everyone here?」Fedor asked. He was a well-dressed man about 170 centimeters tall.

「Yes, Sir!」a man dressed in a craftsman attire answered.

The other ten or so men wore normal commoner clothes, while some had hunter attires on. Their specialty was disguising and makeup. Mikhail's men who were after the gang were skilled as well, but the bandits planned to completely transform themselves before making their next move.

「We've discussed the plan before, and nothing's changed. After capturing the target, we'll throw them into our hideout until delivery to Ludancia. They say we can kill her, but we want to avoid doing the dirty work as much as possible. Best if all the hate is directed to Ludancia.」

The fire from the hearth was the only source of light in the room. All the men nodded and were about to move when a news came.

「Boss, our scout just returned.」

「The one we sent to Scholarzard?」

「Yeah. Apparently, the target left Scholarzard and is heading here in Raidzard.」

「What?」

The gang was staying in a suburban city called Raidzard, the closest city to Scholarzard. Anyone going to Jarazack from Scholarzard would pa.s.s through here.

The plan was to enter Scholarzard by the end of the day.

「Hmm. They're heading back to Jarazack, huh? That's perfect, then.」Fedor considered this a golden opportunity.「All right. We move at midnight.」

They paid for a large room and a single room. Needless to say, Hikaru would take the single room with Drake, and the girls—Lavia, Paula, Catherine, and Luka—would stay in the large room.

After having dinner, the girls returned to their room and were getting ready to sleep. There were four beds in the room, each one of them sitting on theirs.

「Luka… What are you planning to do once you see Claude?」Lavia asked, embracing a pillow.

Sitting at the edge of her bed, Luka cast her eyes down.

「I don't know. I was really happy about the marriage, but now I'm starting to have doubts. Strange, isn't it? I dragged everyone into trouble.」

「It's not your fault.」Catherine said, sitting beside Luka, not hiding her anger towards Claude. The matter at hand seemed to have deepened their friends.h.i.+p.「This is all Claude's fault for getting too c.o.c.ky.」

「Was he really acting that strange?」Lavia asked.

「Yeah. I'm sure you'll get p.i.s.sed too if you saw that guy. When I arrived at the mansion, I spotted him with three women.」

「Oh…」

Claude's reputation was taking a nosedive.

「By the way, what is up with you?」Catherine asked Lavia this time.

「Me?」

「Isn't Hikaru your boyfriend? So why—」

Catherine's eyes darted at Paula. She was taken aback, not expecting it.

「How could he add another girl to your party?」

「H-Hikaru-sama and I don't have that kind of relations.h.i.+p.」

「There!」

「What?!」

「The way you call him! Did he tell you to so he could stroke his own ego?!」

「Th-That's not true! I just look up to him…」

「Hikaru's just as bad! How dare he make eyes at other girls when he already has Lavia!」

Catherine was really heating up.

「Calm down.」

「Ah, I'm sorry, Lavia. I know you're the one suffering the most.」

「No, you're wrong. I'm happy to have Paula by my side.」

「Lavia…」There was pity in Catherine's voice.

「Lavia…」Paula felt glad.

「All right. I got it.」Catherine stood up.

「Where are you going?」

「Isn't it obvious? I'll go get Hikaru and interrogate him.」

「P-Please don't!」Paula protested.

Lavia stayed calm.「Hikaru's not in his room.」

「What? Why? It's already late.」

「He said he had something to do and won't be back until morning.」

Lavia knew that when Hikaru said he had something to do in the middle of the night, it meant taking care of any trouble that might befall them.

「Something he has to do… and he won't be back until morning…」

Imagining nasty things, Catherine's face turned beet reed. Needless to say, she was hugely mistaken.

The room was dark, the fire in the hearth the only source of light. As the flames were dying, Fedor tossed some more wood. Then he heard footsteps.

「That was fast. Did you finish the job?」

He glanced at the entrance, but he couldn't see well in the dark. However, Fedor was sure of one thing. No one among his men wore a silver mask.