Setting an Ambush

The disdain in Kailina's eyes grew stronger, and she made no attempt to hide her displeasure in her words.

Duke Will II had sent her to the borderlands to protect Quint at the critical moment when she was about to break through, so naturally she was unhappy!

Traveling had made it impossible for her to settle down and train, so she had pressed on through the night, giving Quint and the others no time to rest.

Quint had also lost a good portion of the several wagonloads of valuables he had painstakingly accumulated within the family during the journey.

Kailina had only just settled down in this godforsaken place and spent a week training with complete focus. She was on the verge of breaking through to the fourth tier, only for Quint to interrupt her today. It would have been a wonder if she had treated him kindly!

She was a follower of Duke Will II, not Quint.

She also knew the situation in Duke Will's Family inside and out. For someone like Quint, who had been eliminated from the running so early, she really wasn't willing to stay here a moment longer.

"I happened to come across some important news, and I thought you might be interested, Kailina."

"Since that's how it is, I won't bother you again."

No matter how unhappy Quint was, his trademark polite smile remained on his face.

"Hmph!"

"Spit it out! Do you think I want to spend the rest of my life with you in this shitty place?"

Kailina's temper was as fiery as her figure, and she also had a smoker's rasp that was hard to ignore.

Since Duke Will II had sent her to this shitty place to protect Quint, she had naturally guessed there was another task.

Since Quint had come to her, it had to be related to that task.

The sooner she completed it, the sooner she could return to Weier Main City, instead of staying in this shitty place, which lacked even strong liquor and good meat.

Quint's right fist was already clenched tightly at his side. Only after taking a deep breath did he manage to calm down considerably.

"According to the news I've received, Lister discovered turquoise in Baron Lai's castle."

"Turquoise?"

Kailina's previously disdainful attitude grew much more serious.

As a professional, she naturally knew the economic and strategic value of turquoise. At last, she was patient enough to wait for Will to continue.

"There's more."

"According to Lister's secret letter to the Conner Family, he also found a 'turquoise-associated crystal'!"

"What!?"

"Are you sure?!"

Kailina stepped forward, her explosive bust nearly pressing against Quint's chest.

Standing nearly 1.9 meters tall herself, she stared Quint in the eye, her gaze sharp, putting him under immense pressure.

"I'm sure...!"

"But the crystal is in the hands of the Cyclops leader, and that leader is already fourth tier!"

"Heh! So what? It's just a brainless monster!"

"What do you want me to do?"

Kailina didn't take the Cyclops seriously. Although it was a fourth-tier monster, a Cyclops wasn't much of a threat one-on-one.

That was especially true for a heavily armored warrior like her, who combined offense and defense in melee combat and was even less afraid of a fight.

She thought of how the turquoise-associated crystal could gradually strengthen professionals, especially when she was at the critical stage of advancing to the fourth tier.

It would definitely be the key to giving her the final push to open the door to the fourth tier.

"To be honest, the task Father gave me was to have you kill Lister and wipe out the Cyclops as well."

"But I thought you were at a critical point in your breakthrough, Kailina, so I wasn't in a hurry to tell you about the task and have you carry it out."

"I thought I could let Lister wipe out the Cyclops first, then have you step in and kill him."

"I only told you ahead of time because I received this news..."

Quint spoke as though he were thinking of her, wanting her to have more time to train while completing the task with the least effort.

Unfortunately, even if Kailina agreed with his thinking, her attitude remained unchanged.

"Hmph! At least you had the sense to tell me about the turquoise!"

"But next time, tell me about a task like this in advance. Don't make decisions on your own!"

With that, Kailina immediately turned and left, her steps much quicker than when she had arrived.

"Where are you going?"

Kailina didn't look back, but her hoarse voice came again.

"I'm going to Rai Territory. If I run into Lister, I'll kill him on the spot."

"If I don't, that brat's lucky. I'll let him live a few more days and wipe out the Ghost-Eyed Giants first!"

Only after Kailina had left the room did Quint slam his fist into the oak table behind him.

Bang!

In fact, after arriving in the Viscounty of Renekton, he had entertained the hope of winning Kailina over to his side.

Now, after their first proper conversation, Quint had already abandoned that idea.

Being rebuffed by Lister and Kailina in succession had brought Quint to his senses.

For professionals, only their thirst for power and yearning for the strong were real.

If he wanted anyone to follow him, at the very least, his strength as a professional couldn't fall behind.

"Are you sure Kailina will come?"

A long way from the baron's castle in Rai Territory, Lister, Lawson, and another professional were keeping watch from a house.

This professional had been trained by the Conner Family. His name was Simmons, and his class was shield warrior.

That was the advantage of a professional trained specifically by the family: their skills and class could complement the family members perfectly.

Lister had investigated Simmons and found that he was already level 32, a fourth-tier professional, one tier higher than both Lawson and Lister.

His attack skills weren't outstanding, however. Although he was a shield warrior, he was effectively a pure meat shield for the Conner Family, used to absorb damage.

With Lawson's and Simmons's classes working together, hunting down this Cyclops on their own wouldn't be much of a problem.

Lister, however, planned to use their strength to deal with every threat at once today.

"She definitely will!"

"Quint has already sent me a message."

"And she's at the critical point of breaking through to the fourth tier. How could she be willing to miss out on the crystal?"

Lister looked at Lawson with envy.

As a mage, Lawson had some basic lookout spells that allowed him to see what was happening inside the castle from a great distance.

Lister, by contrast, was a saber wielder and had no such perception for the time being.

As for Kailina, he was certain she would come.

This crystal was attractive enough to any professional.

Lister had only managed to secure the right to the crystal by agreeing to reduce his share of the turquoise mine.

To Quint and the Conner Family, a turquoise mine that could nurture talent was worth far more than a single associated crystal.

As for Lister, although he now wanted to cultivate professionals for his own family as well, he still put himself first.

"She's here!"

Lawson stared in the direction of the castle, his expression turning solemn as he kept the other two informed of the situation ahead.

"Ante is already controlling his puppet to draw the giants outside the castle away."

He passed one hand over his eyes, bringing the scouting spell to an end.

"Come on! Let's go!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lawson leaped from the eaves and headed for the core area.