Chapter 203 - MERIT CEREMONY (6) (1/2)
“Were you hurt?”
“I’m okay, see? Should you be saying that when you were in a coma though?”
When Scarlet asked back as soon as she sat besides Cordelia on the sofa, Cordelia shook her head and answered.
“No, it isn’t to the point of a coma since I only slept for two days.”
“Hey, sleeping for two days is definitely not normal, okay?”
Scarlet sharply spoke and squinted her eyes, looking at Cordelia all over.
She seemed to be looking for any injuries.
And at Scarlet’s appearance, Cordelia began to laugh.
“Why?”
“No, it’s just… you seemed to be seriously worried of me.”
Cordelia giggled again and lightly slapped Scarlet’s shoulder as she smiled with her eyes, and Scarlet frowned.
“No, I’m not. I wasn’t that worried of you, okay? I really didn’t care about you, okay?”
“Wow, your classic reaction is so good, so good. You’re so cute.”
“What ‘so cute’?”
Whether Scarlet hated it or not, Cordelia hugged her arm and laughed, and Scarlet eventually frowned and looked back at Jude.
“Hey, Black Cloak. Why is Pink Bomb acting like this? Did she injure her head or something?”
[She’s not hurt. She’s just pretty, cute, and adorable like usual.]
Scarlet shuddered when he replied via <Message> magic instead of his voice, and she eventually gave up.
Because the more she spoke, the more she would only be embarrassed.
“Anyway, I’m fine.”
“Yes, yes. If Scarlet is okay, then I’m okay too.”
As Cordelia rubbed her cheeks against Scarlet’s shoulder, Scarlet flinched for a moment but soon smiled.
Because she found the expression of Jude looking at them to be very funny.
‘Should I tease him a bit?’
But before Scarlet could even try something, Jude moved first. He took a seat across Scarlet and immediately brought up a topic she couldn’t ignore.
“The match.”
“Eh?”
“The match for the Rogue Master position. Isn’t it time to discuss it?”
As Jude grinned and spoke, Scarlet slightly frowned.
She welcomed the fact that they were finally talking about the match for the Rogue Master position, but she didn’t like it a bit on how Jude led the flow of their discussion into that.
But she couldn’t help it.
She was the one who had lost in their fight, so she eventually gave up.
“Okay, let’s talk about it.”
“I’ll cut to the chase and get straight to the point… don’t you agree that it’s impossible to do it now?”
“I agree. Because the royal capital is in an absolute mess.”
Jude smiled again when her response was what he expected.
‘As expected of Scarlet.’
In the game, Scarlet was the ideal companion who was friendly and rational, even before she was deceived by the magic sword.
He thought that if the royal capital had suffered serious damage, she would postpone the match, and now, she responded as he had expected.
‘Because it concerns the Rogue Master’s pride.’
More than a hundred years had passed since the first Rogue Master had appeared on earth.
Numerous thieves had appeared between the past and present, and some had even done bigger thefts than the Rogue Master.
But none of them were as legendary as the Rogue Master.
What was the reason for that?
Why was the Rogue Master the only one who became a legend?
‘Because it had romance.’
The Rogue Master would send a notice herself in order to increase the difficulty of her theft.
The Rogue Master only targeted the wicked rich.
The Rogue Master only stole and did not kill people.
The money earned from the rich was used to help those who were in need.
The so-called Robin Hood figure.
A righteous thief.
That was all a fantasy though.
After all, a thief was still a thief in the end, and most of what the Rogue Master stole from the rich went into the pockets of the Rogue Master and not the poor.
But the most important thing was the image.
‘A romantic thief.’
It was impossible for such a Rogue Master to use the royal capital, where a lot of people had been killed or injured, as the stage for their theft.
“But that doesn’t mean we’re not going to hold the match, right? So let’s change the place.”
“You mean we’ll be having the match in a place other than the royal capital?”
“Yes, let’s have it in the south and not the center.”
At Jude’s words, Cordelia’s eyes widened, and she looked at him in admiration.
Because she realized what Jude was planning.
‘Are you trying to take Scarlet with us to the south?’
‘Because the more powerful allies we have, the better.’
Black Dragon Malekith was a powerful enemy in a different sense than the Lord Protector. In order to deal with a literally gigantic monster, they need to have at least one more useable trump card.
“Where in the south? The 7 southern families?”
“Wouldn’t they be worth stealing from?”
Scarlet narrowed her eyes as Jude smirked and answered.
Because she became wary when she saw Jude’s sly smile.
‘He’s up to something, right?’
Although the royal capital suffered serious damage, the entire central region was not harmed.
But he was saying that they should leave the center and hold the match in the south.
His words felt suspicious even if he didn’t have a sly smile.
‘Rather, should we hold the match in the empire?’
Scarlet’s own home ground.
But Scarlet soon stopped her thoughts.
Because she was the one who had lost in their fight in the first meeting.
‘This was a match originally proposed by Pink Bomb out of her consideration of me in the first place.’
So she wasn’t in a position to say this and that.
‘Of course, if it’s Cordelia, she wouldn’t think much about it, and…’
Maybe she’ll even accept having the match in the empire.
But that Black Cloak – that Jude who is a sly person incarnate, will not agree to it.
Perhaps whatever I say, he’ll insist to have the match be held in the south.
‘There’s no point fighting about it.’
It’s not like we won’t be seeing each other anymore after this match.
“Okay, let’s have the match in the south then. When will it be?”
“Please give us a bit of time.”
“How long?”
“At least two months, I think? The two of us will not be able to go to the south until the mess in the royal capital has been organized.”
“Hmmm.”
Scarlet looked troubled as she crossed her arms, but she soon nodded again.
As Jude had said, it would take quite some time before they could leave the royal capital.
‘Though two months is a bit long.’
But it wasn’t like she couldn’t wait at all.
Moreover, Scarlet herself needed some time to investigate the southern region.
“Okay, let’s do that. It doesn’t matter if we discuss the details of the match later.”
“As expected of Scarlet. You’re nice and generous.”
“I’m not exactly nice though?”
“If you insist.”
“Ufufu.”
The one who laughed last was Cordelia.
She seemed to be really excited that she kept on laughing.
“Hey, what’s wrong with you? You’re creeping me out.”
“Nothing. It’s just that I like Scarlet?”
When Cordelia giggled again, Scarlet couldn’t help but smile in the end.
Because Cordelia was just too cute for her to reject.
“Okay, let’s have the match in the south two months after, but…”
“But?”
“Pink Bomb, let’s go out and talk for a minute.”
“Eh?”
“I was just thinking of talking to you while getting some fresh air. I’d also like to hear about what happened that night in the royal palace. Is that fine with you?”
“Well… I don’t mind.”
Having said that, Cordelia turned to Jude, and instead of seeing Cordelia, Jude saw Scarlet grinning at him.
‘I can see your thoughts very clearly.’
Scarlet’s intention.