Chapter 204: Bizarre Excuses

In their eyes, defeating Phield would be easy—the real challenge was escaping Maple Leaf City.

Against the full military force of an entire city, they stood no chance. The only possible outcome would be the exhaustion of their divine power, followed by defeat and death. Or worse—reduced to mindless breeders.

More importantly, the intelligence network their allies had painstakingly built would be wiped out instantly.

Just as Miriam was hesitating over whether to make a move—

"Why the long faces? I’m bringing you business, and you’re not even happy? Or is it that there are too many of us for you to handle?"

Phield frowned, suspicion immediately rising. He glanced at the minimap, and a flicker of shock passed through his eyes.

Four red hostile markers—yet there were clearly six people in front of him.

He observed carefully. The two strikingly beautiful women kept their heads lowered, their hands concealed at their sides. Their makeup was deliberately poor, as if they were trying to make themselves look ugly to hide their identities. Combined with the fact that they didn’t appear on the minimap, it could only mean one thing—they were contracted Divine Chosen.

"Damn... two hidden Divine Chosen... What kind of luck is this? And I actually told them to do something weird. I’ve got some nerve."

Cold sweat streamed down his back. Phield felt a chill crawl up his spine. The people before him harbored deep hostility toward him.

Forcing himself to stay calm, he quickly masked his expression and asked casually, "These are your tenants?"

"Yes, just some unsavory types. It wouldn’t be appropriate to let them stay here," the innkeeper replied with a smile as wide as a blooming chrysanthemum. "I’ll have these filthy things removed from your sight immediately."

"Mm. Make it quick."

Phield turned to the soldiers around him. "If you want to have fun, go somewhere else. It’s too noisy here. I’ve been traveling for days—I need proper rest."

"Yes, sir!"

The soldiers responded loudly without complaint.

"So he didn’t notice us. Just a coincidence."

Miriam and the others quietly let out a breath of relief.

"Get out, you lowlifes! Didn’t you see the lord is staying here?" the innkeeper shouted. "Filthy women, you’re an eyesore."

"Yeah, yeah, like we even want to be here."

Brinda rolled her eyes, tugged down her hood, and pushed the door open with a pout.

"Phew..."

Phield also let out a breath of relief. Good thing he had been cautious—if he had insisted on keeping them, it might have turned into a fight on the spot.

Better to avoid trouble whenever possible.

Miriam and the others had just stepped outside and hadn’t even relaxed when they looked up—only for their expressions to stiffen.

"No way..."

A formation of heavy cavalry knights stood lined up on both sides.

The plump Baron Simon was stepping down from his carriage. Over a hundred fully armed soldiers in heavy armor marched with uneven steps, driving away onlookers. At the same time, they constantly compared the portraits in their hands with the faces in the crowd.

The brutality in their eyes—without having killed hundreds, such an aura would be impossible.

Mages continuously cast anti-stealth and detection spells, ensuring the area was secure.

At the same time, a woman oozing seduction down to her very bones approached gracefully. Without a doubt, she was Simon’s Divine Chosen—Florine.

"Have we been exposed?"

Brinda clenched her fists, ready to strike.

"Don’t panic. Lower your head—don’t let them see your face."

Miriam grabbed her hand and whispered sharply, "They haven’t found you. Otherwise, Simon wouldn’t be here."

"We need to leave. Those soldiers have wanted posters—they’ll notice something."

They immediately began moving back.

Simon waddled forward with a grin, his round belly jiggling with every step.

Before even seeing anyone, he shouted toward the building, "Baron Phield, my dear friend! You’ve finally come out of the Nightfall Domain. I’ve been so worried I couldn’t sleep! Why are you staying in such a shabby place? Come move into my estate instead."

During Phield’s time in the Nightfall Domain, Vigor Elixir had been selling rapidly on the market. A single vial could fetch over thirty gold coins.

Faced with such massive profit, how could Simon possibly sit still?

"What are you people doing? Where are you going?"

A voice like a soft gasp rang out—irresistibly seductive.

Florine had noticed Miriam and the others. She immediately stopped them, and soldiers holding wanted posters quickly approached.

"Don’t move. We need to check you."

The soldiers strode forward, their armor plates clinking sharply.

"What do we do?!"

Miriam and Brinda were both shaken. At this point, whether they explained or tried to run, a search was inevitable.

And once exposed—it would be a fight to the death.

"Is this it? Do we fight? Take down Simon and Phield with our lives—make one last contribution to the organization?"

"My lord, we provide software hardening services for computers."

A sudden idea struck Miriam. She slapped her forehead and forced an awkward smile. "We were summoned by Baron Phield—to give him foot massages. Very healthy services. After all, my lord works tirelessly day and night—he needs to relax his muscles."

"Yes, yes."

The intelligence agents quickly stepped forward, pulling back their cloaks to reveal their faces, even throwing flirtatious glances at the soldiers. "Very healthy. Don’t get the wrong idea."

Some soldiers recognized them and smiled knowingly. "Ah, I know them. Old acquaintances."

Hearing they worked for the baron, the surrounding soldiers burst into laughter and didn’t dare make things difficult. If they happened to be women the baron liked, offending them would only bring trouble upon themselves.

Miriam felt a wave of relief and secretly rejoiced. I’m a genius. I actually pulled that off.

"So Phield couldn’t hold back after all, huh? I thought he was an honest man. Guess he’s no exception—still a proper knight. Though... he even called men?"

The scar-faced man coughed awkwardly. "I’m just escorting them."

Simon laughed heartily and waved his hand, signaling the soldiers to stand down. "Since you’re here to work, why aren’t you going in? Phield just arrived—don’t tell me you’re done in one second."

"Pfft—"

The soldiers struggled to hold back their laughter. Nobles could joke with each other, but the soldiers wouldn’t dare laugh openly.

"Uh, my lord, your matters are more important. How would we dare disturb you?"

Miriam spoke as she tried to lead the others away.

"Don’t go. Phield rarely gets to experience our local culture—how can we let him be disappointed? You two look decent. Come in with me. You do your work, we’ll do our talking."

"Huh?"

This was getting out of hand.

Brinda froze, her eyes wide beneath her hood. Getting away was proving far more difficult than expected.

The intelligence agents and the scar-faced man shot them helpless looks before quickly slipping away.

Miriam tried to struggle one last time. She hadn’t expected these nobles to take things this far—bringing them along even for serious discussions. "Th-this... my lord, wouldn’t that be inappropriate?"

"That’s how it is at the estate too. What’s so strange about it? He’s long since used to it."