"I see...... Thank you, Sword Emperor Levy. Thanks to you, the last doubt in my heart has been completely dispelled. ”

"Huh?" Lévi was stunned, he had just told Estelle all the stories that Joshua had experienced—it must have been a dark world completely different from what she had been exposed to and known in her daily life. Even if Estelle's long-established values and outlook on life were directly impacted and collapsed, it would not be a surprising result. However, after hearing Joshua's full story, the last trace of fear in the girl's eyes disappeared.

"The real reason for Joshua's disappearance, I think I already know." Estelle's expression was as calm as water, and her eyes were sparkling, "I can now clearly decline the professor's invitation!" I'm never going to join the Snake of Body-Eater. It has nothing to do with liking or disliking the association itself...... As long as I'm the same person Joshua once was, I won't join. It's just that I'm a little sorry for inviting me warmly......"

"Strange little girl." Levi laughed, "Knowing about our past has dispelled the confusion. It seems that only thinking of you as the daughter of the Sword Master seems to underestimate you. ”

"Really? Speaking of which, you and Joshua are not just friends, do you? To him, you can be considered an older brother, right? ”

"My brotherhood with that guy ended ten years ago. For me now, he's just a dangerous guy to get rid of. A hint of tenderness flashed in Levi's eyes, imperceptible, and quickly vanished, "The professor seems to have taken pleasure in letting Joshua go...... But I think differently than the professor. In the near future, I will solve Joshua with my own hands. ”

With that, Levi got up and left without looking back. As he reached the door, he paused, turned his back to Astelle, and said, "Don't think about running away." The height above the ground here is 8000 sub-moments. You simply don't have any chance of escaping. With that, Levi left and closed the hatch.

"Whew...... If that's the case, then I'm going to have to give it a try. Astelle thought to herself, "It's better to keep it as it is, and let them think I'm giving up for the time being and letting my guard down." ”

——————————————————————————————

The roar of engines resounded through the dome, and as the hangar in the belly of the Red Ark opened, the five red assault boats left the mothership in turn and headed in different directions.

"Finally left...... Professors and other practitioners...... Call. A lone Red Lotus hunter was secretly observing all this, and after confirming that the five airships were far away from the Red Ark, a sly glint flashed in his eyes, and he bypassed groups of patrolling soldiers and came to a closed gate.

There is a square indicator above the gate to indicate that the gate is currently locked. The shockingly complex electronic lock on the side of the door shows how important this room is, and how impossible it is to sneak in.

"It's too risky to steal the password card...... The hunters' gathering area is very close to where Levi is, and there is a possibility that they will be discovered. Once discovered, all plans fell short...... It seems that it is better to look up the numeric password in the archives? He thought quickly, weighing the pros and cons and couldn't make up his mind, as he watched the movement around him.

"Over there!" Suddenly, a group of patrolling hunters approached from around the corner, "Who is it?" Why act alone? ”

“…… Oops...... Getting too close to the target only lets your guard down...... How do you make up the reasons this time...... If there are people in this group who have met before, wouldn't it be exposed? His brain raced, trying to come up with a reason he hadn't used before.

"Oh, sorry sir, the two of us are in this together." At this moment, a voice that felt somewhat familiar to him sounded from the other side, "I was in a hurry to solve the physiological problem just now, so let him wait here for me for a while." ”

"I see...... You idiots, won't your physical problems be solved before you come out on patrol? Useless stuff. The captain-like man cursed angrily, "Forget it, get back to your patrol route." ”

"Yes, sir." The man hurriedly saluted, and pulled the other hunter who had been standing in front of the cipher door before leaving.

“…… What kind of medicine is sold in a gourd? Although the hunter in front of him, who was also acting alone, helped him out of the siege, but his heart did not have the slightest sense of gratitude, only full of doubts and vigilance - he was jumping from the Lynx, acting alone, he had no companions.

What's more, the hunters in this spaceship are at least in teams of two. The other party also looks like a person, and how does this voice feel a little familiar-

"Alas...... Joshua, aren't you one of the best assassins in the Society? Why did you make the stupid mistake of being in a daze in front of the door just now? Before he knew it, the man had led himself into the hallway around the corner, and to Joshua's surprise, the man had just spoken his name.

"You...... Who are you? Joshua subconsciously clenched his weapon—for some reason, he didn't go on a killing spree, but if there was a risk of exposure—

"Didn't you hear that? Although I drank something to make my voice a little rougher......" The teenager on the other side completely ignored his hostility, and instead took off his helmet, and the dazzling silver hair was clearly visible, "Long time no see." ”

"Heliga...... It's you......" Joshua breathed a sigh of relief, the tension in his heart vanished, but the doubt remained, "What the hell is going on?" ”

"It's a long story, let's talk as we go." Heliga put his helmet back on, "That idiot should have left with his waste...... You take this. ”

"This is ......," Joshua said, taking what Heliga had handed him—a small, delicate card, "......?"

"Hmm...... That room was a control room, right? This is the magnetic card that opens the electronic lock in front of its door. Heliga nodded.

"Isn't this thing kept with the captain of the Red Lotus Chasseurs? It seemed heavily guarded, and I didn't even venture it. ”

"yes...... It was locked in a safe and it was hard to open, so I just smashed it open. Heiliga shrugged indifferently, "Unfortunately, the captain found out...... So I slaughtered him. ”

"This ......," Joshua couldn't help but laugh, how could this guy in front of him be more ruthless than himself, "okay, okay...... By the way, let me check first...... How did you know about the existence of the Red Ark? ”

"Of course I don't know...... In fact, we found the old stronghold of the association on Lake Valyria. But when attacking there, Estelle seemed to have been caught by them...... The rest of them were trapped by the poison gas, Faye and Kevin went back to rescue them, and I was the only one who had a chance to quietly follow their fleeing airship away...... I didn't expect to be sent to such a place. Heliga looked around helplessly, "Does the Society still have such a weapon that transcends the convention?" ”

"What...... Istelle? Joshua was stunned, "She's on this ship too?" ”

"yes. I just saw that she seemed to have been taken to some great sanctum by that little girl named Ling...... But as honest as it seems now, I don't think your Estil is the kind of person who will sit idle......"

As soon as the words fell, there was a panicked sound at the door of the room where the two were before.

"Report to the captain! That guerrilla fled! Master Reinhardt wants us to track it down! ”

"What?!"