"Please, come in~"
A gentle voice came from inside. The Second Prince and Marquis Raeven exchanged a glance before pushing the door open and slowly stepping inside.
At a glance, they saw Princess Renner seated beside the tea table, along with five other guests.
One of them had emerald-green eyes and radiated a lively, energetic aura. Her golden hair shimmered with a unique charm.
Standing beside her were two petite figures dressed in identical, tight-fitting black outfits.
There was also a woman of extraordinary height, her armor pushing her chest forward as if to emphasize the fact that she was indeed female.
And finally, a small girl completely covered by a red and black robe without the slightest gap, her face hidden behind a strange mask inlaid with crimson gems.
"Long time no see, Lakyus-dono, and the four ladies."
After a brief moment of surprise, the Second Prince revealed a faint smile and nodded in greeting.
The Adamantite adventurer team Blue Roses.
Each member was a famous Adamantite adventurer with extremely high popularity among adventurers, and they were considered one of the strongest adventurer teams.
They were also one of the Second Prince's main objectives for this visit.
As the team leader, Lakyus herself was a noble of the Kingdom, so there was little need to worry about her position.
However, the attitudes of the other members were another matter.
Strictly speaking, the adventurer team Blue Roses did not belong to the Kingdom.
"You honor us, Your Highness."
Lakyus and the others quickly returned the greeting.
The other party was the Kingdom's Second Prince. Even they had to show a certain level of respect.
Only Evileye showed no reaction. Beneath the mask, her crimson eyes flickered with a dark glow.
The moment those eyes fell on him, the Second Prince felt an eerie chill run through his body, causing him to unconsciously shrink his neck.
"What's going on… this cold feeling…"
Although he had not met Evileye many times, the Second Prince still knew something about the strongest member of Blue Roses.
She was somewhat quiet, but generally easy to talk to.
But the feeling she gave him now was completely different.
It felt as if the one sitting before him was not a person at all, but a bloodthirsty monster.
(For details about Evileye's change, see Chapter 152.)
(Basically, Evileye had always resisted accepting her identity as a vampire, but Shalltear forcibly shattered that resistance and awakened the vampire instincts within her bloodline.)
The Second Prince felt his heart sink slightly, but his expression remained calm.
"Alright, alright. Since everyone is here, there's no need to delay. Let's get straight to the point."
"Lakyus, have you all thought about the proposal I mentioned earlier?"
Noticing that the atmosphere had become somewhat awkward, Renner clapped her hands lightly to ease the tension.
She poured a cup of tea for everyone present, then looked toward her close friend and asked softly.
The Second Prince also looked over, his expression carrying a hint of tension.
Whether it was the succession to the throne, the coming war with the Empire, or the seemingly calm yet dangerous Sorcerer Kingdom…
If they could gain the full support of Blue Roses, things would undoubtedly become much easier for the Kingdom.
An Adamantite adventurer team openly supporting the Kingdom would carry considerable deterrence.
Princess Renner and the Second Prince could each obtain what they wanted from this arrangement.
Originally, this matter should have been almost guaranteed.
After all, Renner and Lakyus were very close friends.
On top of that, through deliberate efforts over time, Renner also had a good relationship with Gagaran and the others. Logically, they should not have refused Renner's request.
However, things did not turn out as expected.
"Gagaran, Tia, Tina, and I have no objections, but…"
Faced with their questioning looks, Lakyus showed a troubled expression.
Gagaran and the twin thieves beside her looked the same. Their gazes all turned toward the same person.
"Evileye, have you really made up your mind?"
The small girl wrapped in a robe sat quietly. Beneath the mask, her eyes flickered slightly. Facing her companions' question, Evileye calmly nodded.
"Yes. I'll be leaving for a while."
"The struggle for the throne, the war with the Empire, none of that has anything to do with me."
Ever since her battle with that monster, Shalltear, Evileye had already come to terms with things.
She had long since abandoned her identity as a human. She had simply been pretending otherwise all this time.
A certain figure flashed through Evileye's mind, and she unconsciously placed a hand over her heart.
She no longer wanted to get dragged into confusing events that had nothing to do with her.
Now she only wanted to pursue her own life.
That was all.
Of course, if Lakyus or the others ever faced mortal danger, Evileye would not hesitate to help them.
As a friend.
"But…"
"Let her go. This is Evileye's own choice. We don't have the right to force her."
Lakyus cut off Gagaran before she could continue.
She could clearly feel Evileye's firm determination and knew there was no way she would change her mind.
As a friend, the only thing she could do now was respect her decision.
"Sorry, dumb captain. See you again someday."
"One last piece of advice for all of you. If you run into one of those so called Demon Gods and they don't show any hostility, just pretend you didn't see anything."
"After all… luck won't come to save you every time."
Evileye shook her head slightly, her words carrying a hidden meaning.
Then she cast a teleportation spell, and her figure vanished instantly.
Evileye had already planned to leave. Coming here to meet Renner was simply her final farewell.
Inside the room, Lakyus and the others let out heavy sighs.
Renner remained expressionless, her thoughts impossible to read.
The Second Prince and Marquis Raeven exchanged a glance, both feeling complicated emotions.
"Your Highness?"
"Ah, sorry. I got lost in thought for a moment."
Zanac's eyes gradually refocused as he pulled himself out of his thoughts.
The situation had developed in an unexpected direction. No one had anticipated Evileye leaving, and it had caught him off guard.
Fortunately, the rest of Blue Roses had agreed to stay. Considering the circumstances, that was already a small blessing.
"Well then, let's leave it here for today. Next time, we should find an opportunity to gather again."
Renner stepped forward and spoke gently.
Given the current atmosphere, continuing the discussion would clearly be inappropriate.
Hearing this, the members of Blue Roses did not linger and quickly nodded before leaving.
Zanac's lips twitched slightly, but there was nothing he could do. With a quiet sigh, he stood up as well.
After exchanging a brief glance with Renner, he silently signaled that they should talk alone later.
After all, the matter with Blue Roses had been settled.
But there was still no news from [Ainz Ooal Gown].
For the sake of the Kingdom, he had to find a way to win their support.