{Chapter 39} Wait a minute

“You're telling me that all of you, so many people, were just played by a single girl? Not only failed to interfere, but actually bought things and handed them over to her?!"

Looking at the timid group of underlings standing before him, Cassie was furious.

His voice practically hissed through clenched teeth, his gaze growing increasingly hostile towards them.

“Worthless! A bunch of worthless fools!”

Cassie exploded into a furious tirade, like an enraged bull.

To him, the money lost was insignificant, less than what he earned in a single day.

The real issue was the loss of face!

Counting this incident, it was already the second time he'd been humiliated by her!

As the undisputed local boss, how could he fail to deal with just a little girl like this...? How could he show his face around here ever again?!

No!

This couldn't end like this!

“Where is she?! I'll go meet her myself!”

Cassie gritted his teeth, sharpened his eyes.

Although personally handling such a minor matter already broke his usual rules, he no longer cared. To save face and preserve his authority, he absolutely couldn't let this go unanswered!

But,

“I'm right here~”

A soft voice from a girl in white slowly echoed from behind everyone.

The gentle tone caused all their faces to instantly freeze.

Cassie reacted first, whirling around immediately to glare at her.

But then, his expression stiffened.

Beside the familiar Kaelis, several men in white robes were silently following.

They said nothing, heads lowered, quietly clenching their fists.

Something was gathering, ready to burst forth!

Unexpected... So it wasn't that petty thug after all, but Cassie himself...

Faced with Cassie's anger, Kaelis honestly didn't quite understand.

She had no grudge against him, hadn't they just conducted a transaction?

And truthfully speaking, Kaelis was the one who'd been at a disadvantage in that deal... Could it be because she'd slightly threatened him during the transaction? Was that why he held such a grudge?

How petty~

Looking at Cassie's stiff expression, Kaelis didn't rush.

Cassie snorted coldly, casting a sharp glance at the unnatural beings beside Kaelis.

Then, from beside him, several muscular men stepped forward, intentionally blocking every possible exit route from Kaelis's side.

Although not an Ascender himself, he was experienced and well-informed. Plus, he'd witnessed Kaelis use her ability last time, so after a quick assessment, he immediately recognized these weren't ordinary people, but manifestations of Kaelis's power.

But...

After suffering defeat last time, did Cassie really think he wouldn't have changed his approach?

This time, he'd also hired several Ascenders as bodyguards.

Seeing the other side's overwhelming force and complete lack of willingness to negotiate, Kaelis merely pursed her lips.

So we're fighting?

Kaelis waved her hand. The several Hawk-hooded assassins no longer hesitated, palms suddenly opened, wrist blades snapped out! Their eager momentum clashed directly with the three burly men!

The atmosphere between both sides grew increasingly tense.

Next to them, the henchman Hafa, having clearly seen Kaelis's appearance, stiffly approached Cassie's side.

“Boss Cassie...”

“Hm?”

“...That face... it's hers.”

“What?!”

Cassie's movements froze suddenly, while across from him, Kaelis quietly narrowed her eyes.

...

Almost under a strange atmosphere, both groups silently moved to the side restaurant.

Cassie and his henchmen stood on one side, while Kaelis sat alone on the other.

Yet despite facing just a little girl, everyone present felt uneasy.

Because they'd seen Kaelis's abilities. They knew clearly that Kaelis was always capable of fighting back against them.

Just one Kaelis... equaled their entire group!

The atmosphere between both sides was tense. Even the nearby waitstaff hesitated whether they should approach.

But at this moment, Kaelis tilted her head slightly.

She didn't say anything, merely silently pulling out that pocket watch from the side of her clothes.

The chain of the watch had always hung on her person, but the loss of the watch face... that was something Kaelis hadn't actually noticed.

“...”

Seeing Kaelis pull out the watch, Cassie's facial muscles twitched again.

The underling beside him cautiously stepped forward, speaking softly.

“Boss Cassie...”

“...Shut up.”

Cassie angrily snapped at him in a low voice, then took a deep breath, turned his head, and looked at Kaelis.

Then...

A sudden smile spread across his face.

“What a coincidence, we met again, huh?”

Cassie's tone shifted almost instantly, as if everything earlier had been just a misunderstanding. His rapid change of expression startled even Kaelis.

It had to be said, the man's ability to rise to his current position wasn't just about business.

His psychological resilience was terrifyingly strong.

“Just look at my underlings, they really messed up. I clearly told them to buy things for you and pay, but they misunderstood my orders and ended up competing with you... I'm truly sorry. This is entirely my mistake.”

Cassie's audacity exceeded Kaelis's expectations. He gambled that Kaelis had only heard his last sentence, unaware of his original intention, so he immediately fabricated this excuse.

This caused Kaelis to slightly widen her eyes.

Then, a faint, calm smile suddenly appeared on her face.

“So it was just a misunderstanding~”

The girl was smart. Since the other party had already created an excuse for themselves, she didn't plan on further embarrassing them.

“In that case... I'll accept these things, then?”

As Kaelis spoke, she changed at the pile of art supplies laid on the ground.

Cassie quickly nodded.

Upon realizing Kaelis might be close to the royal household, his attitude towards her had completely changed.

Although this world already showed signs of change, clearly, in this world where supernatural abilities truly exist, Kaelis's understanding isn't necessarily sufficient.

The royal family's control over the capital under the feudal system was no empty claim.

With Kaelis's current words, it seemed she didn't intend to pursue the matter further.

This allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.

Kaelis, meanwhile, continued observing the other's expression.

Kaelis accepted the paint supplies partly because she truly needed them, and partly because she understood that, given the other's current attitude toward her, admitting they would only make him overthink more.

Accepting them was, in a way, a statement, telling the other party that Kaelis accepted this incident... Although Kaelis herself had only just realized she'd been stolen from after hearing Hafa mentioned it.

But this sparked another curiosity in Kaelis.

“Just a watch face scared him this much? Could there be something special about that watch face?”

Kaelis recalled its appearance, somewhat puzzled.

After all, discounting simulated time, Kaelis had only been in this world for a little over five weeks.

That wasn't enough time to fully understand every aspect of this world.

She could vaguely speculate that these people might be treating her with such respect because of the woman's portrait on the pocket watch, but she didn't understand what the portrait of that woman actually meant.

After pondering briefly, Kaelis tilted her head slightly.

Seeing Cassie nervously pull out the watch face, she didn't plan to continue dwelling on it. She slowly stood up, picked up the art supplies, and prepared to leave...

But just as everyone thought the matter had ended, a henchman hurriedly approached Cassie's side.

After whispering a few words in his ear, Cassie's expression suddenly changed.

He stared at Kaelis's retreating back, his face darkened as he spoke in a low, heavy voice.

“Wait a minute…”