"Looks like we've talked about all the important bits."
Scylla smiled as she continued all she had to say for the meeting.
So far, they had discussed a lot of extensive topics such as the management of their newly acquired territory, and the plan that they had decided on to fully take over the United Human Alliance.
It was a grand scheme worth uniting for.
"So… any questions?" Scylla asked with an innocent face.
Her violet eyes scanned the room for defiance, and she certainly found one very quickly.
It came from none other than Fenrir.
"What's your gain in all of this?" He asked with a suspicious expression written clearly on his face.
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb. The way you allocated the resources between all of us is clearly detrimental to you!" Fenrir raised his voice.
His anger was palpable at this point.
"You must clearly have some scheme. There's no way you'd place yourself at such a disadvantage."
He wasn't wrong, especially when considering how valuable these resources being given out were.
More than Enchanted Items to outfit every single member of the Mercenary Guild…
More than enough money and territories for each House…
More than enough power and influence to be wielded by both parties…
"Where does your Slave Union come in?" Fenrir's question echoed within the vast room.
For a moment, there was silence.
No one said a word, and all eyes were on Scylla.
"Oh? So that's what you were talking about?"
Suddenly, her innocent smile warped into something twisted, and her eyes slanted in the most ominous way possible.
The grin on her face was the very definition of evil.
"Isn't it obvious? You all… are mine."
As she said this, the room seemed to tremble with an invisible kind of pressure that could be felt by everyone in the room.
"You can have all the riches and power you want. As long as you're mine, it will never be a loss on my part." Her moist lips echoed the words she had kept in her heart since she founded the New Order.
"You may obtain whatever you desire; grow to the very ends of the world. It changes nothing."
As a Slave Trader who was a veteran in the field, she understood this principle too well.
So long as she was the one in power, there was nothing to fear.
"In the end, I'll be the winner."
That was all she had to say on the matter.
"Pfft! Bravo! Bravo!" Fenrir, for the first time since the meeting started, genuinely laughed while clapping his hands.
The echoes radiated throughout the room, and the shockwaves from his claps caused everything to tremble.
"So you're finally revealing your true intentions. Took you long enough!"
The other three who sat on their tables said nothing.
They probably knew that this was their fate already. The revelation made no difference to them.
"You've grown even bolder, Scylla. I can't say I dislike that, so I guess I'll just go with all this… for now?"
"Well, that's nice to hear." Her sweet and kind response to Fenrir had just as many undertones as his had.
Despite being allies, there was a certain friction between the two that just couldn't be missed.
"I also have a question. But it's directed at Mr. Fenrir over here."
Lord Noir was seated right beside Fenrir, so all he had to do was look beside him to gaze upon the beast of a man.
"I still don't understand why you're on board with all this. The Mercenary Gang usually stays neutral in political issues like this. Plus, it seems you do not particularly like working with Lady Scylla."
His tone was calm and comported, and despite being but a fragile broomstick when compared to the absolutely ripped Fenrir, he still spoke his mind.
"So… why exactly are you here, as an Ally?"
Scylla heard this question and smiled. Her violet eyes twinkled as she looked at the man who now had the stage.
It was time for Fenrir to answer.
"I guess I just chose the most logical option—the winning team in this war."
Noir raised his brow slightly, still not completely convinced by the answer he was getting.
Fenrir noticed this and groaned a little before proceeding to speak some more.
"I guess you could say Scylla—or rather, her bodyguard over there—was pretty convincing."
"Bodyguard?" All darted to the young man who had black hair and blue eyes; standing right behind the head of the table.
His stoic demeanor revealed from his calm gaze did not change even though so much focus was on him.
His white mask remained as well.
He appeared to be nothing more than a statue.
"I'm very confident in my strength and I am well aware of my limits. That guy over there is stronger than I am."
Gasps filled the air as everyone in the room—with the exception of the smiling Scylla, the frowning Fenrir, and the expressionless figure—kept interchanging glances between the two involved parties.
"Surely you jest…" At this point, even Noir seemed a bit on edge.
"I wouldn't joke about such a thing." He grunted. "Even if I and these two… no, every one of my Executives… face him, I doubt we would come out unscathed, even if we managed to win."
It was surprising to the majority of the people within the room; especially since they all knew how powerful the Mercenary Gang's Chief was.
But just like he said… he wouldn't joke about such a thing.
"You could call it fear mixed with personal interests, but for now our interests are aligned." Fenrir shrugged, as if everything he just said was no big deal.
He cast a glance at Scylla and frowned a little more.
Seeing her smile so gleefully as he spilled the beans gave him a bad feeling, but he swallowed it in.
Now wasn't the time…
"Since you've all satisfied your curiosity, and we're done with our discussions for today, I suppose our meeting will be adjourned."
As Scylla said this, everyone nodded in agreement and rose to their feet.
"Until next time."