Chapter 39 The Tsundere Little Hedgehog with Tears and Bared Teeth
Tap, tap, tap!
In the narrow, deep alley, Lili clutched the large money bag, her steps heavy and frantic, only focused on desperately fleeing into the deeper darkness.
She couldn't explain why she was running, only that she instinctively didn't want to stay by Arthur's side anymore.
Lili, who usually lived by swindling and deceiving, had long since decided she was a dirty, useless, and despicable person.
In the past, as long as she just cheated those naive adventurers as usual, and then put on a sweet, fake smile, everything would fall into place naturally.
But that man…
He knew nothing, understood nothing, so why did he look like he saw right through her?
And why did he want to help her, someone already beyond saving?
Bang!
A dull thud echoed in the alley; Lili, who had been charging forward with her head down, was knocked to the ground by a recoil force.
Her eyes red, she looked up in anger and terror, and in that instant, her pupils contracted sharply.
Three tall adventurers in irregular armor completely blocked the narrow alley entrance.
The sunlight was entirely obscured by them, and heavy shadows mercilessly enveloped the small Lili.
The scar-faced man in the lead bent down, picked up the money bag, weighed it, and a brutal, sinister grin appeared on his face.
"Aren't you quite capable, Lili-chan?"
Saying this, the scar-faced man slowly squatted down, his gaze like a hyena eyeing its pitiful prey, radiating greed and ferocity.
"Come on, tell us, where were you planning to run off to?"
At this moment, the scar-faced man's tone was unusually gentle, but it formed a stark contrast with the forced, sinister grin on his face, making Lili instinctively curl up, trembling uncontrollably.
The scar-faced man, without a word, reached out and grabbed Lili's hood, pulling her up from the ground, laughing in extreme anger.
"You useless trash! You finally found a rich fool, so why are you running?!"
"Hurry up and get back! Use your cute little face to beg him to take you in, and squeeze every last drop out of that fool!"
Lili endured the sharp pain of her scalp being violently pulled, her delicate body trembling violently, and a faint whimper squeezed from her throat.
"I… don't want to…"
"Huh?"
The scar-faced man's face instantly twisted, the hideous scar on his face becoming even more terrifying with his anger, completely revealing his ferocious nature!
Just as he raised his foot, preparing to severely punish the disobedient Lili, a clear, cold male voice drifted from behind the three men.
"Excuse me, is the 'fool' you're talking about me?"
"Wh—"
Before he could finish, a gust of wind whistled through the narrow alley.
Arthur, as swift as a startled swan, spun and kicked like a ghost, powerfully striking the chests of two henchmen, who instantly slammed against the wall like broken sacks.
Before the scar-faced leader could react, a hand suddenly slapped his face, then slammed him hard into the wall, a crisp cracking sound echoing.
Lili only felt the pulling force on her head instantly vanish, and she suddenly lost her balance.
The next moment, she had fallen into a warm embrace.
Arthur looked down at the bewildered Lili, gently bent down to set her on her feet, and raised a hand to lightly ruffle her short hair.
"I observed for a bit just now, but I felt it would be faster to just ask you directly."
"Are they threatening you? Or do you have other difficulties?"
Lili's gaze swept over the three men sprawled on the ground like dead dogs, and she shook her head bitterly, her tone full of self-loathing and mockery.
"What? If I tell you, you'll help me? Even if you already know that they and I are together?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow slightly: "I originally thought you were just being coerced. Now, do you still categorize yourself with them?"
Lili haphazardly wiped her face, then looked up, not hiding the stubbornness and despondency in her eyes, and spoke coldly.
"That's right, I'm with them. My job is to lure you into a trap and steal all your savings!"
Arthur pointed a finger at the three small fry lying on the ground, and couldn't help but chuckle wryly.
"Just them?"
"...This time we miscalculated. Do with me as you please."
Lili closed her eyes with a calm expression, showing no intention of defending herself, entirely looking unrepentant.
Arthur gazed at the slightly trembling girl in front of him, bent down to pick up the money bag that had rolled to the side, and gently tossed it into her arms.
"Take your share of the money, find a hotel and get a good night's sleep. Wait for me in front of Tower of Babel tomorrow morning."
Lili: Σ(っﾟДﾟ)っ
"Wait… you wait a minute!"
Lili looked up at Arthur's retreating back, stomping her foot in anger and complaining loudly.
"Did you even understand the situation?!"
"I told you I'm with them! But you're not even angry, and you still want to team up with me! It's completely baffling!"
Arthur waved his hand without looking back, his calm voice drifting into the alley with the breeze, making Lili freeze instantly.
"Doesn't it get tiring to bare your teeth like a little hedgehog all day? Be careful, you might miss your chance and never see hope again."
...
Twilight Manor.
After dinner, Arthur simply greeted everyone, then single-handedly picked up Loki, who was trying to get drunk and act foolish, and went straight back to the living room.
He tossed the unreliable perverted god onto the soft sofa and asked directly, "Tell me in detail about the Soma Familia."
"Huh?"
Instantly sober, Loki casually sat cross-legged on the sofa, her expression very confused.
"Did the Soma Familia provoke you?"
Arthur sat sideways on a nearby chair, shrugging indifferently. "If pressing three people into a wall counts as provoking me."
Upon hearing this, Loki chuckled, pinching her chin, and advised, "Be swift and clean, don't give them anything to hold against you."
Arthur scoffed: "Do I look like such a careless person? They tried to rob my teammate; I intervened in time to stop them, nothing could be more reasonable."
Loki said she wouldn't believe a single punctuation mark of Arthur's explanation!
The resourceful evil god's eyes darted around, and she immediately pressed, "So, this has something to do with your new teammate? Were they entangled with someone from the Soma Familia?"
Arthur shook his head: "It's worse. My teammate is also from the Soma Familia."
At this, Loki's interest was piqued; she immediately sat up straight and began to explain enthusiastically.
"When it comes to the Soma Familia, we might not know as much as you do. But as for Soma himself…"
A trace of helplessness flashed in Arthur's eyes, and he thought to himself.
'Sure enough, the gods of this world are very different from the information I know. I wonder what kind of tricks Soma will pull this time?'
Loki lightly tapped the empty wine bottle with her finger, continuing to recount the divine secrets she knew.
"Soma is particularly reclusive; he never attends divine councils. All his focus is on his hobby, and he never even cares about the Familia's affairs."
"Hobby?" Arthur frowned slightly, looking at the wine bottle in Loki's hand, his tone puzzled, "Winemaking?"
Loki casually tossed away the empty wine bottle, her voice a few pitches higher than before.
"Exactly, winemaking!"
"Soma's only hobby is winemaking. Even though we can't use divine power in the lower world, he can still brew that kind of divine wine that makes people fall into depravity!"
As she spoke, Loki seemed to recall the wonderful taste of the divine wine, and she involuntarily licked her lips, then added.
"It could even be said that he established the Familia just so the children could help him earn money for winemaking."
Arthur's eyes instantly turned stern: "Is Soma intentionally allowing Familia members to accumulate wealth?"
Loki quickly waved her hand: "No, no, no, how could that be? Didn't I say, that simpleton never asks about Familia affairs."
"He just let the children taste the divine wine. Kid, think about it, after mortals taste the divine wine, what will they do to experience that drunken bliss again?"
After hearing Loki's explanation, Arthur finally fully understood why the Soma Familia was so distorted.
A group of despicable adventurers who would stop at nothing to taste the divine wine again.
A god immersed in his own world, completely neglecting his children.
Squeak—!
Arthur suddenly stood up, the chair legs scraping against the floor with a harsh sound, and he strode out of the living room.
Loki smacked her lips, a hint of regret on her face, and raised a hand to advise, "Be swift and clean, come back early, okay."
"Okay."