Damn it, the local gangs are so impolite!
Bronya, you should be aiming a gun at me with a nervous expression, your finger on the trigger but hesitating to pull it, watching me do as I please with a look of utter indignation, and then humiliatingly agreeing to my terms under duress!
Caelus stared at Bronya with some displeasure. Then, right in front of her, he reached up and pulled the ice spear clean out of his head.
To Bronya's astonishment, after Caelus removed the ice spear, not a single wound remained on his head. Not even a drop of blood fell!
Is he really human?!
And just a moment ago, did he actually catch the bullet she fired?
Caelus stared at Bronya for a good while. Seeing that she had no intention of speaking, he decided to break the silence himself.
"Miss Bronya, I'm glad you can stand there obediently, but you shooting me just now made me very unhappy. So, as payment, I'll just have to help promote your mother. I imagine that once I release the photo I just took, your mother will become even more famous in Belobog, right?"
Bronya's expression changed instantly. She knew exactly what state her mother was in right now. If that photo got out, her mother's reputation would be utterly destroyed!
"No! You can't release it!"
Bronya took a hasty step forward, only to be stopped by Caelus's sharp glare.
"Can't release it, you say? And you're still using that tone with me?"
"You're… you're right. I'm sorry…"
Bronya bit her lower lip and offered a reluctant apology. Then, to show her sincerity, she deliberately tossed her gun to the side.
The Silvermane Guards behind her heard the conversation between her and Caelus, but with Bronya blocking their view, they had no idea what was happening inside.
What photo?
Seeing that she finally understood who held the upper hand, Caelus nodded in satisfaction. He nonchalantly walked over to Bronya, phone in hand.
Bronya bit her lip tightly and met Caelus's gaze. Although she was submitting for now, Caelus could still see the suppressed fury in her eyes.
The Silvermane Guards behind Bronya saw Caelus appear and immediately raised their weapons, shouting a stern warning.
"Halt! Do not approach Lady Bronya!"
Caelus said nothing, merely giving Bronya a look. Understanding his meaning, Bronya took a deep breath, turned to the Silvermane Guards, and said, "Fall back three meters!"
"But, Lady Bronya…"
"That's an order!"
"Yes…"
---o---
The Silvermane Guards retreated a few steps unwillingly, and only then did Bronya breathe a sigh of relief.
Based on Caelus's performance just now, and the fact that the guards outside had been subdued and were still unconscious, she knew that all of them together probably couldn't even handle one of his hands. For now, cooperating and preserving their strength was the best choice.
Caelus was very pleased with Bronya's decision. He held up the photo he had just taken for her to see.
Bronya looked at the picture of her mother in that wretched state. Her eyes filled with humiliation, an unnatural blush crept up her cheeks, and she bit her lip even harder.
"Bronya, you don't want your mother's reputation ruined, do you?"
"What do you want!" Bronya asked in a low voice, forcing her anger down.
"I'll give you a few days. Investigate the history of your Belobog, find all the information related to the Stellaron, and then come to the Underworld and tell us what we want to know. When the time comes, I will naturally return your mother to you."
"Return her to me?"
Bronya was stunned for a moment, then she immediately understood.
"You!"
Before she could finish, Caelus shot backward, scooping up the unconscious Cocolia from the floor and tucking her under his arm. In his other hand, a pickaxe appeared.
"You should be glad that I am a Nameless right now, and not a plunderer. My methods may be a bit forceful, but I assure you, our objective has always been the same."
With that, Caelus raised the pickaxe and slammed it into the floor. A hole leading straight to the world below was instantly carved out. He then took the unconscious Cocolia and dropped straight down.
Bronya rushed forward, but it was too late. Caelus had already sealed the hole, though his voice still echoed from beneath the ground.
"Remember what I said. And, the Stellaron is very dangerous."
Bronya fell to her knees in frustration, slamming her fist onto the ground.
The Silvermane Guards from outside the office swarmed in. They looked around but saw no sign of Caelus or Cocolia. All they saw was Bronya kneeling on the floor and a puddle of white liquid nearby.
Without a second thought, they knew their Supreme Guardian had been abducted by the intruder!
One of the Silvermane Guards, seeking clues, knelt beside the puddle of white liquid to identify the substance. But as he got closer, he caught a faint, rank smell and blurted out instinctively.
"Why does this smell… a bit rank?"
Hearing this, Bronya's face turned pale. She looked up in despair and pleaded, "Don't say another word!"
She still clung to a sliver of hope. Maybe her mother was fine?
But if the Silvermane Guard confirmed that fact, she would completely break down!
However, she was too late. The guard, wearing gloves, dipped a finger into the white liquid and brought it to his nose. Unexpectedly, he detected a sweet aroma.
"Milk? Why is there milk in the Supreme Guardian's office? Was the Supreme Guardian attacked while she was drinking milk?"
Bronya, who had been on the verge of collapse, was suddenly stunned.
"Huh? Milk? Are you sure you smelled it correctly?"
"Of course, it's milk! What else would you think it is? Lady Bronya, you have to trust my nose!"
A blush of embarrassment crept onto Bronya's face. She had thought it was that kind of stuff… Still, she knew perfectly well that her mother never had a habit of drinking milk before bed…
Could it be that Caelus invaded Qlipoth Fort late at night, fought past the guards, all just to force-feed her mother a glass of milk before kidnapping her?
No, if he was going to kidnap her, why not just kidnap her? Why did he have to force her to drink milk first?
Is this guy sick in the head?!
She couldn't figure it out. She just couldn't figure it out.
The other Silvermane Guards investigated the surroundings but found no other useful clues. They could only look to the now-standing Bronya.
"Lady Bronya, what are your orders? Should we issue a city-wide wanted notice for those three Nameless?"
Bronya thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"No. The Supreme Guardian is being held hostage by them. Issuing a wanted notice will only antagonize the criminals. Send some people in disguise to secretly investigate their whereabouts. But even if you find them, do not engage. Report to me first. Understood?"
"Yes!"
On another note, Bronya decided she would investigate the Stellaron herself to find out what it was that made Caelus and his group so fixated on it.
---o---