Yuri then turned her gaze to Stanley, a cold looks on his face as he observed the scene unfold.
"Are you perhaps feeling sympathetic, dear Stan?" Yuri teased, her voice laced with mockery as she took a sip of her coffee, watching Stanley's reaction closely.
Stanley's gaze remained fixed coldly on Akin, who lay struggling on the ground.
"That's because I took a liking to him," he replied, his tone distant.
"But then again, he's an Inn after all," he added, though his voice betrayed none of his true emotions inside him.
"Oh?" Yuri's eyebrows lifted with interest. "My dear Stan, showing sympathy?" she questioned, leaning in as she observed the subtle shift in his demeanor.
"Is it because he has a human form? maybe?" Her gaze flickered coldly toward Akin, watching him attempt to push himself up despite the pain. "I thought you hated these creatures."
Stanley's expression remained impassive, though a faint sigh escaped him. Yuri uncrossed her legs, her gaze piercing.
"Anyway, you know he isn't dead," she said, almost dismissively. "After all, he's an Inn, and I didn't use my Inn-killing sword."
Stanley felt his heart tighten at her heartlessness. He sighed, speaking with controlled indifference.
"For your information, I don't hate all Inns," he said coolly. "So don't go making assumptions—you're only making yourself look like a fool."
Yuri's face tightened, anger flashing in her eyes.
"Really?!"
Her gaze sharpened as she leaned forward, clearly intending to provoke him.
"Or maybe you've forgotten that incident," she began, her voice taunting.
"Or perhaps it wasn't all that important to you!" She smirked, knowing she'd struck a nerve.
"I take it you don't care about preventing your progeny from entering the world?"
Stanley's eyes darkened, a rare fury lighting up his golden gaze.
He shot her a look so menacing it rooted her in place, her confidence draining as she realized her mistake.
For a brief, terrifying moment, Yuri could barely breathe, engrossed by the gleam of his eyes that pierced through her, demanding her complete attention.
A tense silence fell between them as Stanley composed himself, the anger receding. Yuri let out a shaky breath, as she could see a hint of something beyond that golden pupils while a bead of sweat trickling down her forehead as she regained her composure.
"Even through those damn glasses and contact lenses. Those damn eyes are still terrifying," she thought, terrified.
Meanwhile, Akin struggled to get back on his feet, the pain from his wound throbbing so intensely he could hardly form words.
"It hurts! Damn, it hurts!" he thought, gritting his teeth as the stabbing pain pulsed through his mind.
"Hell, it hurts!" he screamed inwardly, his thoughts beginning to spiral.
"Damn it! I hate everything!" "Damn it!" "Damn it, I—!"
Then, unexpectedly, a grin crept across his face, a twisted expression as the pain transformed into something strangely exhilarating. His suffering dulled, and he began to feel an odd satisfaction from it.
"What the hell are you doing?" he thought, mocking himself.
"In pain just from a stab?" His thoughts took a darker turn. "Get your damn self up!"
"How are you supposed to kill them all if you're like this?" A sinister grin spread over his face.
With a burst of adrenaline, Akin got up, brushing himself off as if the wound had never been there. Despite the blood dripping from his body, he felt stronger than before, as though the pain had given him a new strength.
"Where is that damn woman that stabbed me?!" he roared, his anger igniting as he scanned the area for Yuri.
He spotted her, sitting elegantly, gazing coldly back at him. Without hesitation, Akin swiftly dashed forward, fist swinging toward her.
"This is for the beating!" he yelled. But Yuri met his punch with ease, blocking it with her sword, her expression unbothered by his rage.
"And also is that a pass?!" Akin held his fist in front of Yuri, glaring at her with a menacing intensity.
"Your punch didn't even touch me, idiot!" Yuri replied coldly, blocking his fist effortlessly.
"Well, how about this?" Akin smirked, reaching out to touch Yuri's stomach lightly with his index finger. "As long as you are touched right?!"
Stanley, observing the scene, chuckled in mild amazement at Akin's audacious move.
"So, how's that, Yuri?" Stanley grinned, glancing at her, clearly amused by her shocked reaction.
For a moment, Yuri just stared, processing what Akin had done. Then, she began to chuckle softly, which quickly escalated into loud laughter at his audacity to touch her belly button like that.
"Young Inn, you sure are bold!" she sneered, her eyes flashing with brewing anger.
As Yuri raised her hand, about to snap her fingers, they were interrupted by a calm voice from the doorway.
"That's enough, Yuri," came the soft, authoritative tone of the Six-Star Chief, Loyalist.
"Uhh—?" Akin looked over, noticing Yuri's hand freezing in the air before slowly lowering.
"Oh, dear Stan, I didn't realize you were here with him," Loyalist said warmly as she entered. "My apologies, I was just examining someone else."
Akin watched, stunned, as the woman approached. She stood about 5'7", with pale skin, striking white hair and lashes, and deep purple eyes. She wore a white long-sleeved undershirt beneath a fitted suit and skirt.
"Is she the head of the chiefs?" Akin thought, eyes widening as he took in her calm presence, noticing how she and Stanley seemed to converse casually.
Chief Loyalist made eye contact with Akin, her warm smile beaming at him.
"Hello, I'm Chief Loyalist, the head of all chiefs," she introduced herself gracefully.
"Nice to meet you too!" Akin replied, though he could feel Yuri's sharp glare fixed on him.
"This woman really has it out for me," he thought, struggling to ignore her intense stare.
"Anyway, congratulations on passing your exam," Loyalist said, smiling.
"I heard you've vowed to kill all the Inns and save your friend. Is that right?" she asked.
"Yes, I did," Akin responded, nodding with conviction.
As he looked at her, he felt an unusual warmth in her demeanor—a kindness and respectfulness he hadn't sensed as strongly from Stanley or Yuri.
"Well, that's good to hear. We need someone as motivated as you," Loyalist replied, a hint of something unreadable in her expression.
"Even if it's only for a short period of time."
A strange feeling washed over Akin.
"Is she the one who ordered my execution?" he wondered, glancing briefly at Stanley.
"Dear Stan, please see to it that his wound is taken care of. We wouldn't want him dead… yet." Loyalist's tone remained gentle, but the underlying message struck Akin as ominous.
"And I trust you know what to do after that?" Loyalist added, smiling at Stanley.
"Of course!" Stanley replied cheerfully, his usual upbeat demeanor hiding any hint of tension.
Stanley glanced at Akin, noticing his head was down, a sign he was about to say something serious.
"I promise you, I'll find a way to help Hickson regain full control permanently," Akin said, his gaze icy as he glared at Chief Loyalist.
"I hope so," Loyalist replied, meeting his gaze steadily. "All we could do was buy him temporary control, but I don't know how long it will hold or if it's strong enough to contain that Inn."
She paused, her tone growing darker. "And from want my team reported to me, He's certainly no ordinary Inn."
The tension in the room thickened as her words hung in the air, and she fixed Akin with a cold stare. Yet Akin, resolute, didn't flinch under her intense gaze.
"Anyway, dear Stan, I leave these three in your hands," Loyalist said, signaling that the conversation was over.
Stanley a slight smile on his face, and he and Akin left the room. As they exited, Stanley gave Yuri a pointed, cold stare before faintly smiling, a gesture that held layers of unspoken meaning.
As they left, Chief Loyalist noticed Yuri glaring at the door.
"Ma'am, are you sure you want him to join us? He's an Inn and could cause more trouble than good—or even betray us," Yuri said, her voice laced with anger. "Better yet, the three of them: one's currently possessed, and the other two are Inns. How can we trust them? Or even believe their claims about the orphanage massacre?"
"Oh, dear Yuri," Loyalist replied, placing a gentle hand on Yuri's shoulder. "Yes, having them on our team is a double-edged sword. Those three certainly bring risk to our organization. But I believe it's for the best and so is the commander, general wade."
She reassured Yuri with a calm smile. "After all, the boy's hatred for the Inns is evident."
"Trust me," Loyalist added warmly. "Besides, we're merely giving that boy an opportunity to eradicate the inns as he claimed.. and I'm Stanley understands this well."
"Beside, to prevent that from happening. that why me and the commander, have them under Stan Supervision."
Loyalist said with a faint smile.
"And I'm sure you know who exactly Stan is, right?!"