I was at a loss for words.
Faced with Fu Qian's answer, Ess bit her lip slightly, but in the end she looked to the Sage Old Man, hoping he would make the call.
"Was everything normal with him at the time?"
The Sage kept his expression perfectly composed and merely gave Fu Qian a long look.
"Everything was normal."
"Then why were you paying attention to whether he was acting normally?"
Before the Sage could comment, Charlotte suddenly asked.
Good!
At least she was no longer being driven by hormones.
Fu Qian glanced at Charlotte. Her gaze was sharp. Though skeptical, she no longer seemed particularly emotional.
It was obvious she had asked because she, too, had realized how suspicious her own behavior looked.
As expected of a trainee Saint Seiya. Full of spirit.
"This operation can't afford the slightest mistake. I want to make sure everyone is in good condition."
Fu Qian blinked, entirely unfazed by her scrutiny.
You're the most suspicious one here...
For a moment, nearly everyone thought the same thing. Unfortunately, it was clear the Sage Old Man had the final say.
"We still have enough time, but we'd better hurry."
Despite Fu Qian's growing suspiciousness, the Sage showed considerable patience. He even gestured for them to go back and look, without asking Fu Qian to take the lead.
With greater initiative, the group reached the same fleeting glimpse in the darkness faster than last time.
"What happened? Its legs..."
Once again, they faced a living corpse clad in a Golden Holy Garment. Charlotte was so shaken that she didn't even discuss it with the others before charging ahead alone.
Of course, by the time the rest of the group caught up, she had stopped even sooner than before.
She had clearly failed to