Arthur and Saeko walked along the fence line deep in the forest, keeping close to the boundary. So far, no one had followed them. It seemed the creatures guarding the area hadn't realized anything was wrong yet.
Without warning, Arthur came to a stop.
"I can't believe Mom was working with those monsters… It's disgusting."
Saeko placed a gentle hand on his back. "At least now we know what we're dealing with."
"But what good does that do us?" His frustration slipped through despite himself. "What are those things? We barely managed to take one down with a surprise attack. If there are more like that, there's no way we survive this."
Saeko exhaled softly. Even for someone composed, the image of that creature was hard to shake. Facing them head-on wasn't just dangerous—it felt impossible.
They fell into a heavy silence.
Then Arthur's eyes sharpened. "Wait. Don't you think today went a little too smoothly?"
Saeko frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I couldn't think straight before, I was too focused on chasing after them. But think about it." He began piecing it together aloud. "When Mom left, Nina had her doll. So why was the doll suddenly back in the hall after we returned from putting the kids to bed?"
He didn't wait for an answer. "And Mom is meticulous. She would never forget her keys."
Saeko's gaze shifted. "You're saying Liza is involved?"
"Not involved, responsible." His voice hardened. "Looking back, she steered everything. From the start, she nudged us into chasing after Mom and Nina."
He clenched his jaw. "But she never once put herself in danger. She set the stage and let us act."
Saeko's expression grew serious. "You think we were being used?"
"Exactly." His eyes narrowed. "She's like us. Another reincarnator."
The word hung in the air.
"Maybe she learned about the orphanage through some other means and didn't want to take the risk herself. So she pushed us forward instead. If we succeeded, she'd gain the information. If we died… she'd lose nothing."
His breathing slowed as his thoughts sharpened. "No. That's not all."
He scanned the dark woods around them. "We weren't just scouts. We were bait."
He spoke more quietly now, connecting the final pieces. "If she already knew about the monsters, she wouldn't expect us to come back alive. Which means she never intended to wait for us."
Saeko's hand tightened around her weapon.
Arthur's voice dropped. "She must have taken action herself."
A faint rustle echoed between the trees.
"I was wondering how you knew what Yako and I were discussing," Arthur continued coldly. "But now it's obvious. You overheard us."
He stepped forward, gaze fixed on the darkness. "Careless of me not to consider other reincarnators."
His tone turned razor-sharp. "Right, Liza?"
For a moment, the forest answered with silence.
Then came a soft, almost amused voice. "I was starting to wonder how long it would take you."
A small figure stepped out from behind a tree. Liza.
She looked exactly the same as before—calm, composed, almost delicate under the moonlight.
"You're a reincarnator," Arthur said. It wasn't a question.
Liza didn't deny it. She simply met his eyes. "You already know the answer."
Saeko shifted slightly, positioning herself beside Arthur. "What are you planning?"
Liza began walking toward them at an unhurried pace.
"It's simple," she replied.
"I want to survive."
"Don't you both want the same thing?"
Liza's voice was steady. She wasn't lying. Everything she had done up to this point had been for one purpose, to survive this dungeon. Her caution toward other reincarnators wasn't paranoia; it was experience. She had already gathered the information she needed and had no intention of digging any deeper than necessary.
Still, she couldn't deny the shock she felt when she saw that monster lying in a pool of blood. If she hadn't prepared herself mentally, she might have screamed and drawn even more of them. The creature had clearly been taken down by a sneak attack—one precise, fatal strike.
Even so, killing something that large in a dungeon where physical abilities were suppressed to a fraction of their normal strength was no small feat. That meant Eren was far more capable than she had initially assumed. Did he possess a rare skill? Or some powerful item he couldn't afford to use recklessly? Whatever it was, it wasn't ordinary.
She had also been curious about what they would do next. Would they flee? Hide? After what they'd witnessed, returning to the orphanage would be foolish.
Then she noticed something else, the pocket watch that had fallen from the unconscious caretaker's hand. It reminded her of something Eren had mentioned earlier. A tracker. If she took it, regardless of whether a replacement existed, she could at least monitor the movements of the other reincarnators.
Following the cursor displayed on the watch, she tracked Eren and Yako to the forest. But after overhearing Eren's sharp analysis just now, she realized there was no point in continuing to hide.
So she stepped out.
"I… I just want to live."
She opened her hands slowly, showing she carried no weapon. "That's why I want an alliance. We can share information."
Arthur's expression remained cold. "Why should we trust you?"
"Because our goal is the same," Liza replied calmly. "In this dungeon, our abilities are severely limited. Even you can't handle multiple monsters at once, can you?"
She held his gaze. "If you were truly powerful enough right now, you wouldn't still be at the orphanage. You would've left already."
"For people like us, cooperation is the only way to increase our chances. Wasn't that why you approached Yako in the first place?"
Arthur fell silent.
He couldn't ignore the fact that her earlier manipulation had nearly gotten them killed. If they had miscalculated even slightly, they would already be dead—forced out of the dungeon.
And now the one who orchestrated it stood before them, calmly proposing an alliance.
No matter how he looked at it, something about this felt wrong.
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I just opened Patreon to upload the new chapter and was honestly surprised by the number of subscribers. I'd like to thank the following members:
- Anime fan123456- Arman Razavi- This Dude- kleber silva- Iolani Martin- Karoka- Corrupt Zain- Dragonman97- Commander Miggs
Thank you all so much for your support, really.
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