How Fast Le Creuset Is

"Exactly! I think so too!"

Moody raised his hand as he spoke.

"Of course, killing him would be best."

Moody added, his face twisting into a slightly vicious expression once more.

"Hmph."

Draco didn't answer. He simply took a small USB drive labeled "Study Materials" from the pocket of his uniform jacket.

"No need to look."

"The files are right here."

"Study materials, huh? You really know how to hide them."

Seeing the label on the drive, Moody—who was usually such a joker—couldn't help breaking out of his earlier solemn mood to tease him.

Xu De's face had been calm, but at this, it twitched slightly as he said,

"Since they're classified materials, it's understandable to disguise them."

"Idiot. If you don't want them, forget it," Draco said coldly, seeing that neither of them could take anything seriously.

"Of course we want them!"

"Yeah, study materials are important."

Xu De echoed Moody's words, feeling a little more confident.

There would be many battlefields ahead for Le Creuset. He might grow stronger and stronger, but Xu De could keep studying his combat style throughout that time.

There was still a chance to go to Heliopolis.

Leaving a little early might let them avoid Le Creuset, sure.

But who knew whether things might change under his watch?

What if the spies noticed something else because they arrived early?

Besides, Xu De had little influence. He still couldn't affect the experiment's overall progress.

"All right, make your own copies."

At their words, some of the chill finally faded from Draco's face.

"Xu, come with me."

After tossing the USB drive to Moody, Draco added,

"Sure?"

As Xu De looked on in confusion, Draco soon led him a little farther away, toward the bathrooms.

"You're very close to Phoenix."

As soon as they stopped, Draco spoke without missing a beat.

"Phoenix? You mean Bella?"

Hearing the name, Xu De quickly understood.

"Who else?"

Draco asked coldly.

"Right. We're pretty close, I guess."

Xu De replied.

"Don't get too close. She has the burden of restoring her family on her shoulders. She might find herself a powerful fiancé at any moment."

Xu De was taken aback by Draco's words, but his expression remained calm, and he wasn't especially surprised.

Revil had told him much the same thing when they spoke before.

But he hadn't gone into as much detail as Draco.

And from Draco's bearing, he might himself be part of a family or a company.

As for Bella's situation, though, it was better than he'd expected.

He'd thought it would be like in some novels, where she already had a powerful fiancé.

That would have made things difficult for him.

After all, given his relationship with Bella, he couldn't just push her away.

But he didn't want to play Romeo and Juliet, either.

"You already knew?"

Draco asked, seeing how calm Xu De looked.

"More or less, but not in as much detail as you gave me."

"So as long as this branch makes a name for itself, that's enough."

Xu De asked.

"..."

At that, even Draco, usually so composed, froze.

"You could put it that way."

Draco answered.

"But you can't help them with that."

"Maybe."

Xu De replied.

It might be difficult, but if he succeeded, he'd gain a power base.

Then he could take over from the top...

Xu De did have certain advantages in that regard.

After all, he knew how the world's future would unfold.

He hadn't had the opportunity before, but now he did. He could help Bella's family avoid danger and seize opportunities.

He had no desire to run a company himself.

After all, money without strength was useless.

Someone could still take him out with one shot, or Le Creuset could wipe them all out in a single strike.

Leaving it to someone else would not only save time, but also let him skip the years he'd otherwise waste starting from scratch.

Any way he looked at it, it was the best choice.

At the very least, he trusted his own judgment: he'd help Bella, and in the future, she'd help him.

Fair enough.

"Good, as long as you're confident."

Draco didn't try to dissuade him any further. He only lowered his eyes as he spoke.

As a comrade and a member of the same three-person squad, Xu De didn't seem like the sort to get carried away.

He always planned things carefully.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have come up with so many seemingly outlandish plans that had turned out to be surprisingly useful.

And if Xu De really succeeded, his prospects would become even brighter.

After slightly raising his estimation of Xu De, Draco fell silent.

"Let's go. Moody's probably almost done copying the files."

Unaware of what Draco was thinking, Xu De continued at his own pace and headed out.

"All right. Just don't lose hope."

"I won't. He's someone we have to surpass."

Xu De replied.

If he wanted to control his own fate, then crossing paths with Le Creuset was practically inevitable.

"I hope so."

Draco replied.

But deep down, he didn't have much hope.

From a rational perspective, they had no chance against a monster like that.

Everyone had limits to their talent.

They were still young, of course, and had room to develop and improve.

But once that time passed, all they could do was train their teamwork and muscle memory.

If anyone could surpass him just by working hard, then Le Creuset, a Coordinator superhuman, wouldn't be worth much at all.

And there wouldn't be so many people who wanted to become Coordinators.

Xu De was strong and diligent, and he even had that unique ambidextrous talent. But was it really possible?

"Xu, if you had the chance, would you want to become a Coordinator?"

Draco asked quietly as he considered it.

At those words, Xu De, who had already started walking, came to an abrupt stop.

It was a sensitive topic, especially for the Earth Alliance.

If they were being honest, most people in Blue Cosmos would probably want to become Coordinators.

Some might even have joined Blue Cosmos out of jealousy.

Did they really think Earth needed to be purified? Or were they simply jealous?

Who knew?

Xu De didn't turn around. He just continued speaking.

"Whether you're a Coordinator or a Natural, you only get one life. We can't choose where we come from, but we can choose our own path."

All he wanted was to control his own fate in this unfair, utterly different world.

"...That's so like you."

Draco gave a rare, bitter smile, but emotions unlike his usual calm were stirring in his eyes.

"I hope you won't change."

As he murmured to himself, watching Xu De's retreating figure, Draco shook his head and decided to stop thinking about a question that had no answer for now.