Clovis led the team from the front, which allowed them to advance extremely fast. However, that was also because they skipped areas where there were too many beasts.
They couldnât afford to get occupied by those beasts for an hour or two. Instead, the military would do the job for them.
Of course, thanks to the Libation Fiesta, the rest of the people from Absalom had an easier time.
True, there were some beasts that werenât accounted for, but that was only because of the limited scope of what a single group could do.
Even then, it was already wide enough that they could advance without any problem.
In the meantime, they were waiting for their allies to arrive.
"Our captain seems to be fired up today. Whatâs going on?" Erwin asked.
"I donât know. But since weâre going to have an enemy coming for us this time, I guess that should be concerning enough for him. Maybe weâre rushing because of that?" Ragna shook his head.
"No. I havenât heard much from him or the others, but Melody told me about one thing. He wants to get a new beast," said Luci.
"Is that so? Thatâs great news for us. Now that I think about it, you are not in front, Luci?"
"Due to the current situation, I am conserving my strength. I think I will have to focus on supporting everyone and treat your injuries whenever itâs possible. Just like Melody completely focusing on her task as an operator this time."
"Now that you mention it..." Erwin glanced at Melody. It wasnât rare for Melody to focus on her task as an operator. That just showed how powerful the Libation Fiesta was. They could allow their mobile operator to focus completely instead of helping.
But this was the first time he had seen Melody this focused. Even Reolf was tasked to carry her so as to avoid her making any mistakes.
"Are you sure that itâs not because they are sleeping together?" Erwin asked in a low voice.
"Really?" Luci widened her eyes. "I didnât notice that."
"Heh. I could read her face clearly. Thatâs the face of a woman now." Erwin grinned. "Everyone may not have noticed it, but I haâ!"
Before he could finish his words, countless pop-up screens appeared in his vision. It overwhelmed him so much that it made him think the Skyglasses had malfunctioned.
"What the fâ" He suddenly fell silent when he saw what was going on. The pop-out screens were telling the same thing.
"Shut the fuck up."
"Shut the fuck up."
"Shut the fuck up."
It was not a malfunction. It was definitely Melody.
Erwin grinned mischievously. "Do you think I will be defeated just by this? Even if you cover my vision, I canâ"
He was interrupted once again, but this time it was a threat.
"If you continue running your mouth, Iâm going to tell Clovis not to bring anything for Aileen. And you will have to explain yourself to Aileen."
"..." Once he saw the threat, Erwin shut his mouth. Unlike the others, Melody didnât plan to make this just an empty threat.
She would probably send a notification to Aileen if another word came out of his mouth.
"Erwin?" Luci tilted her head in confusion.
"Never mind. I think that we should also focus on hunting these beasts. There might be another meaning behind it. After all, we all know Clovis is not someone who does meaningless things."
"Right?"
Although he said it to avoid Melodyâs wrath, Erwin had actually figured out Clovisâ plan.
The core of this plan was none other than Melody.
Melody had a very specific task from Clovis, which was also why he hadnât told them about Melody yet.
...
A few hours ago.
"Melody. I have a very important mission for you." Clovisâ expression was solemn. He was as serious as when he was thinking about the two keys to the success of this plan.
Melody took a sip of her coffee before sitting down next to him. "Okay? Tell me about it."
"I have been thinking about how the Prophet was able to launch a surprise attack on my grandparents in the past.
"I donât have a lot of details regarding that fight, but knowing my great-grandmaâs expertise, she should have seen this attack coming.
"But the fact that it took everyone by surprise..."
"Do you mean there was a traitor?"
"Whether itâs a traitor or not, there is only one conclusion. The Prophet had an eye that watched the groupâs movement."
"An eye..." Melody looked down, contemplating. It was weird for Clovis to use a sentence this vague. "A spy... No. Surveillance in any form?"
"Yes." Clovis nodded. "I donât know the method, but this type of surveillance allowed him to take us by surprise. If he is really coming for me, Iâm afraid that he will also use it on me."
"So, you want me to take out all the possible eyes?"
"Correct."
"Speaking of surveillance, shouldnât we also worry about the drones? Theyâre transmitted to this country, so..." Melody didnât finish her words, but her meaning was clear.
Clovis nodded, confirming her suspicion. He also thought that the drone was one of the possible eyes.
"I see." Melody thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it, what is the Prophetâs unique ability again? Is it really as described on Skynet? Or is it a fake?"
"We donât know for sure. But based on the description of his appearance, he blindfolded his eyes."
"..." Melody nodded in understanding. If his unique ability was also related to eyes, they had to be extra careful. There might not be any spies. Rather, it was the Prophet borrowing their own eyes.
Melody finally figured out what Clovis truly wanted. "Is this the reason you want me to focus on my job as an operator?"
"Yes. Do you mind? This is going to be a hard task, even for you. After all, you also need to handle the original task."
Melody looked down, contemplating. "I think itâs possible. Itâs going to be exhausting, of course, but I want you to be with me for the night lookout. Let me sleep even during that time."
"Thank you. Sorry for making you do such hard work."
"No problem." Melody smiled. "So, are you planning to come clean to others?"
"Letâs do it after this hunt."