Chapter Sixty-Seven: Punishment, True Punishment

Leaving the blocked underground black market, the troops dispatched to eliminate the Ghost Thieves’ hideout returned to the surface via a wider passageway.

The participants in the operation were actually not many; aside from Mona, the temporarily joined Vilyric and the Little Dragon Daughter, and nearly a hundred members of the Shadow People, there was also Lester leading over a hundred members of the Black Knight Mercenary Corps.

Originally, the Black Knights were not included in the plan, after all, this operation was crucial, and it was essential to ensure that members were absolutely reliable. Their average strength was also considerably inferior to that of the Shadow People, who were part of the royal shadow guard.

However, considering that Vilyric seemed to have a lot of trust in their leader, and that a certain character with bangs had strongly requested to join this operation, coupled with the actual lack of personnel here, Mona eventually agreed.

Reportedly, after Mona and others learned the current leader of the Ghost Thieves was Aileen, they initially intended to capture her first before the operation began. But by the time they arrived at that small house in the slums, Aileen was already gone.

It sounded like Vilyric’s interference allowed Aileen to escape by chance, but in reality, based on the Priestess’s observations and judgments, even if they and the character with bangs did not appear, Mona would still likely not catch Aileen unless she used Inspiration to make precise predictions about the future.

Aileen was indeed a very cautious person, and it was likely she spent most of her time hidden in a discreet underground chamber in her house. Being able to rise from a regular peripheral member to the leader of the Ghost Thieves within just over a year would definitely not be easy; she surely had some secrets hidden.

The ability to directly prompt Aileen out in the past probably had a significant role played by the character with bangs.

Hmph, these two definitely have something sneaky going on!

At this point, the exit of the underground passage was no longer the slums. As everyone stepped out into the courtyard, they were immediately greeted by one of the official roads in Demon Town.

It was already deep into the night, and the situation in Demon Town had recently become quite unstable. Even though a curfew had not been implemented, the repeated large-scale searches had made the common folk very uneasy. After nightfall, unless necessary, very few would casually venture out.

The adventurers heading to various city outposts to eradicate poaching gangs had set out earlier than Mona’s group. From the tranquil streets, the occasional sounds of explosions and booms indicated that they were likely already engaged in battle.

The Tuls Family held substantial influence in the northern part of the kingdom, especially within this Demon Town, but ultimately, this was a city of the United Kingdom, and the royal family held the most power. Just like how the Commander of the Northern Army was never Tyler Tuls, but rather another highly respected old general.

The system of military and political separation in the United Kingdom was established to prevent such situations.

Before the operation began, Mona had already visited the opposing side quietly with a letter from the queen. This ensured that at least the military would not interfere with the operation anymore.

As for the auxiliary armed forces directly controlled by the Tuls Family—the Internal Guard Bureau, Mona had already dispatched another group of adventurers to suppress them. With the first and second elite teams deployed, even if they were not victorious, it could ensure that they could no longer interfere and hinder the operation like before.

One could almost say the cards were on the table.

Unless the Tuls Family dared to be treasonous and directly raised a rebellion against the royal family, Tyler Tuls could only obediently remain in the city lord’s residence, waiting for the events of the night to unfold.

Of course, even if Tyler really did rebel, it would only spell ruin for him. It was said that Mona was already prepared with countermeasures; however, in her judgment, such a situation should not occur.

Upon learning the details from Mona, Vilyric suddenly realized that the reason Lan had not returned home for so long must be related to this matter. After all, she was a member of the Tuls Family, the daughter of Tyler, and the captain of the third squad of the Internal Guard Bureau—there was no way she could remain leisurely detached during such times.

One could only wonder what she was busy with at this moment; this series of changes had come far too rapidly.

Time was of the essence, and under full speed, the extermination troop took less than ten minutes to reach a somewhat secluded private estate in the southern part of Demon Town, which appeared deep and quiet under the night sky.

The estate was not large and seemed rather unremarkable; there also seemed to be no suspicious individuals frequently coming in and out, of course, this was most likely just surface-level.

“We’ve arrived. According to the records, this is the current core stronghold of the Ghost Thieves.”

After double-checking the confiscated notebook in her hands, Mona swiftly instructed the four-member adventurer team behind her.

“The raid in the black market has already been underway for a while. Combined with the intelligence provided earlier by Miss Vilyric, the enemy must have made preparations. This time, try to avoid dispersing; the Shadow People will handle the assault, and the Black Knight Mercenary Corps… just stay outside to secure the entrance.”

“Mr. Soul, please notify the troops and remind everyone to stay alert. The Ghost Thieves cannot be compared to those miscellaneous poachers; there will definitely be traps inside.”

“Alright, Lady Mona. Just in case, should our team lead the charge?”

The little princess paused for a moment, shifting her gaze away from the captain of the Grim Reaper’s Scythe who made the suggestion. After taking a furtive glance at the black-haired girl next to her and seeing her slightly nod, she finally acquiesced.

“Then I’ll trouble you.”

“Not at all! We’re duty-bound to punish evil and uphold justice!”

Mr. Soul laughed heartily, clasping his hands, and the four dispersed to relay Mona’s orders. Meanwhile, Vilyric, who had been surveying the exterior of the estate, turned her head back, somewhat surprised as she glanced at the back of the man known as Mr. Soul.

“Isn’t his desire for performance a bit too strong? Even leading the charge is a bit overboard, right? Even without saying it, this matter will most likely fall on them, right?”

The blue-haired girl, who also noticed this, shook her head.

“I’m not so sure, but the Grim Reaper’s Scythe should be trustworthy. Mr. Soul is actually a decent guy. The fact that things have reached this point today is also thanks to their assistance… but he does seem a bit strange tonight, especially since meeting Miss Vilyric and you.”

“Mm…”

Speaking of which, the way Mr. Soul occasionally looked at Mona was a bit odd—not the kind that carried malice or conspiracy; rather, it resembled affection or admiration.

Wait a minute, they say that males tend to become particularly performative around someone they fancy. Could it be that this guy… likes Mona?!

Hey hey hey hey hey! Hold on a minute, even though Mona is indeed very cute—a soft, squishy little thing, and her skin appears delicate and pale due to royal pampering, making her look like a life-sized doll that one can’t help but want to hug and care for a bit, but…

That child is still under 14 years old!!!

Her height is even slightly less than that of a certain Priestess, and that’s only due to her recent growth spurts over the past few months. When they first met, she was just a little loli who could only sit on her sister’s lap and act cute!

Punishment, true punishment, how cruel!

What’s up with this Demon Town? Is there some strange trend and culture flowing around in secret?

That guy named Alvins they encountered before could be overlooked; at least the Priestess had already given him a good beating. Now, who knows where he ran off to? But this Mr. Soul, the captain of a legendary adventurer team—surely such a figure couldn’t also be a loli-con, right?!

…I hope it’s just a misunderstanding.