Reincarnated Maid is About To Be Captured by All Players

"What I'm saying is that man is not trustworthy!"

Sigrdrífa firmly held to her position.

"He's a demon who ignores our elven customs and beliefs for the sake of profit! This might be a trap! We can't trust Enrique lightly!"

"Nora, what do you think?"

Chris tilted her head, seeking Nora's opinion. Follow current novels on NoveIＦire.net

"Lady Sister, in my humble opinion, we cannot rule out the possibility that Enrique intends to lure out Anastasia as a trap to capture Lily."

"Oh? Why do you think that?"

"Everyone in the duchy knows that Anastasia is protecting Lily, who has a bounty on her head from the Duke. The materials you assigned us to gather on Enrique show he's an adventurer who values profit. Though young, his business methods are no less than those cunning old merchants. I believe analyzing what would bring Enrique maximum profit can reveal his true intentions."

"Mm-hmm, excellent. That's my Nora. So what's the conclusion?"

"I lean toward this being Enrique's scheme. Setting up an inescapable net, using Anastasia's appearance to prove Lily is hiding in Ende. He could use completing the Duke's commission as a stepping stone to contact the Duke and gain privileges for the Watertown Merchant Association in Duke Obi's Territory."

Nora's analysis wasn't without merit.

I'd only met the Watertown Merchant Association's Grand Council Member once. Entrusting our fate to such a person carried unknown risks. It would be one thing if only I were in danger, but this involved Lily's safety, so we had to proceed cautiously.

"I'm also against it, meow! Let's just stay here and wait for the storm to pass."

Chris also received Carol Cat's opinion, and her gaze fell on me as I stood upright.

"Anna, if we're voting, that's already three votes against, you know?"

The core issue was that none of us could trust Enrique.

I couldn't produce arguments for trusting Enrique either. In fact, I was equally troubled by what Enrique's real purpose might be.

According to Nora's investigation results, Enrique was a genuine merchant who, like other players engaged in commercial trade, treated this game as a business management game. Enrique and Baron Trafalgar were completely different types of players. Baron Trafalgar would immerse himself and be emotionally affected by NPC interactions, while management game players often positioned themselves from a god's-eye view, caring about the overall gains and losses of the cities and shops they managed, not even needing to roleplay any character.

"I think I should go meet Lord Enrique."

"Anna?!"

"Well, I guessed it would be like this. Nora, when you brought Anna and the others back, who was pursuing Anna..."

"The Black Eagle Mercenary Group."

"You should have all witnessed the Black Eagle Mercenary Group's strength, right?"

Sigrdrífa was speechless. Carol Cat blinked in confusion. She had closed her eyes that night, and when she opened them, she was in Ende, having not seen the Black Eagle Mercenary Group.

"The Black Eagle Mercenary Group at that time wasn't even ten percent of their full strength, you know? Now about half of the Black Eagle Mercenary Group has come to Duke Obi's Territory, and that's not even mentioning other mercenary groups. This number will only keep accumulating unless the Barrier is lifted. In terms of numbers, we're completely outmatched. If Enrique sells the Astrology intelligence, we'd have no chance of winning. Angering Enrique wouldn't be wise."

Chris's viewpoint aligned with mine. Without doubt, hiding in Ende became more disadvantageous to us the longer we delayed.

The player who now possessed [Astrology] was under the Watertown Merchant Association's protection, making assassination extremely difficult.

"He'll definitely continue using astrology for divination. Today I managed to silence Enrique with the excuse that their astrology wasn't max level, but do you know how low-level astrology convinces people?"

"Meow... I know. Someone with a [Treasure Map] went to find a player who could use astrology. Since treasure map locations don't change, practice makes perfect—they can just keep divining, meow."

"Exactly. I could still argue away two times as coincidence, but if three times yield the same location, I wouldn't have the confidence to call it coincidence anymore. The world is vast, you know? If three divinations give similar coordinates, that's definitely the correct answer."

How long had it been since Duke Borgia activated the [Barrier]? Astrology had already divined once—undoubtedly, continuing to stay in Ende was extremely dangerous.

"So I support Anna. Whether staying in Ende or hiding elsewhere, neither is safe. Our only way out is to take a gamble."

"Lady Sister! But what if that guy has set up an ambush..."

"Head Maid Nora, I have a way to handle that."

Nora's worry was reasonable. When no one understood Enrique's character or purpose, such assumptions weren't unfounded paranoia.

"We can deploy numerous lookouts. Even if the Watertown Merchant Association is wealthy and powerful, they couldn't possibly possess large quantities of spatial transfer scrolls. I'll only negotiate with Lord Enrique under the premise that Ende remains safe."

"Let me say upfront, to ensure a safe perimeter, our manpower isn't sufficient."

I could understand Nora's feelings. If things really developed according to Nora's scenario, Chris would bear responsibility.

"I understand, which is why I've decided... to ask Anna's Support Group for help."

"Anna, have you lost your mind?"

"I reject your proposal. Lady Sister's territory will become unbearably foul-smelling."

Sigrdrífa and Nora expressed opposition in unison.

"Uh... they're a bit strange, but they're not really bad people. Carol Cat, I'm counting on you."

"Meow?"

A big question mark actually appeared above Carol Cat's head.

"Aren't you a member of Anna's Support Group?"