Pay up

"The nun is right; we can only set them free," Alex sighed.

He didn't know what the Night group was up to, but if he could stop their plans by freeing the captives, he would. Even though he initially wanted to save Anita alone, now that he can free others without risking himself or his wives, there's no reason to let them suffer here, waiting to be turned into monsters.

"I get that, but what I meant was, how do we go about freeing them? Don't you have any intentions of gaining something in return?" Amelia inquired.

Alex shook his head. "I have already thought of that, and it's better to just set them free without asking something in return' Alex whispered to his sister so that the nun couldn't hear them. 'Since we don't want the Night group to retaliate and attack our branch, we can't risk exposing the fact that we are the ones who saved those people."

"But we're not obligated to reveal that we're the ones who saved them," Amelia whispered back, casting a discreet glance at Mina, who narrowed her eyes suspiciously at them.

Alex nodded in agreement, "I have thought about that, and that is the reason why I decided that we would tell those people that the ones who saved them are from the Arcane Nexus Society."

"Then wouldn't our organization be targeted instead?" Amelia scratched her head in confusion.

"Probably, but then again, the Night group seems to be more than what is publicly known, and they probably want it to stay that way. So, they would most definitely try not to make too much trouble by attempting to destroy us. But even if they do, compared to the gain we would make by freeing those nobles, it won't be that much trouble."

"And what would we gain by freeing those nobles?" Amelia whispered, her eyebrows raised.

"The gratitude of the noble house," Alex grinned at his sister and explained, "having the nobles indebted to us for saving their child will be a boon for our organization."

"Ah, I understand."

"That's also the reason why we can't ask for compensation for saving the nobles here."

"Hm?"

"Think about it. Publicly, the Night group kidnaps nobles and releases them after a ransom is paid. If our organization shows up, says we saved a noble's child, and then asks for money, it would raise suspicions. Some nobles might even think we're part of the Night group, which would be a big problem for us."

"Your reasoning is good, but then what about the Drazen family?" Amelia whispered.

"Hey, what are you whispering about!?" Mina, who was watching Alex and Amelia whisper among themselves, spoke in irritation.

Alex looked at the nun, his eyes studying her, then spoke in a teasing voice, "You really want to know~"

Feeling his gaze on her, Mina blushed in embarrassment, covered her body, and turned to the conversation between Anita and her two acolytes, not before shooting Alex with an irritated look.

Seeing her reaction, Alex chuckled and turned toward his sister only to see her staring at him with a funny expression on her face.

"You really like teasing that nun, huh?" Amelia giggled.

"You look cute when you laugh," Alex complimented his sister, causing her to blush.

Sending a quick glance at Mina, he chuckled again and said, "It's true that I enjoy teasing her," then refocused on the matter at hands, "What about the Drazen family?"

"Well, we did say that we can't ask for compensation after freeing the captives, but what about the Drazen heiress? Asking them to include our products in their annual auction because we saved their heiress is kind of seeking compensation," Amelia said, rubbing her chin in thought.

"True, but the situation of the heiress might be a bit different from other nobles," Alex whispered.

"How so?" Amelia inquired with a puzzled expression.

"Based on what you and Anna observed, one of the two men who brought her here had fiery hair, correct?"

Amelia nodded.

"You may already know, but one of the traits of the Drazen is their fiery hair. Based on that and the conversation Anna overheard, there's a good chance the person with orange hair is from the Drazen family."

"Do you think the Drazen family has ties with the Night group?" Amelia wondered, a small frown gracing her delicate features.

"Maybe, but I doubt it. It seems like only this family member is involved with the Night group. Also, it wouldn't make sense for the Drazen to forsake their sole heiress. I think it's a personal matter, not tied to the Night group. The proof for that is they didn't even intend to ask for a ransom as usual; instead, they wanted to transform her into a creature."

Amelia nodded, grasping the main point, but still puzzled, "How does knowing all this change our situation?"

"This suggests the Drazen family might have internal conflicts, maybe between different branches. Since the kidnapped person is the heiress, it shows significant division in the family. Not just anyone can approach or kidnap her. There's a chance the family won't think it's the Night group, but rather suspect someone from within their own branches."

"And you intend to let them think that's the case," Amelia nodded, having understood her brother's plan.

Amelia lingered for a moment, thinking about what he explained, then raised another question, "What is the difference between the Drazen family thinking that the one who kidnapped their heiress is one of them rather than a criminal group?"

"It's very-"

Alex came to a halt when Mira and her two acolytes suddenly stood up.

"We are leaving," Mina announced.

"Oh, why so soon?" Alex wondered.

"It's none of your concern!" Mina exclaimed, surprising her two church friends who had never seen her raise her voice.

"I thought it was him who rescued us; you shouldn't be like that to him," one of Mina's friends, Umra, chastised.

"She is right; be more kind to him," her other friend, Mara, added.

Mina pouted cutely but still nodded her head.

Mara and Umra approached Alex and bowed respectfully to him, "Thanks for rescuing us; may the goddess of light repay you."

Alex smiled and nodded at the two of them, then turned his gaze at Mina, "See? That's what is called gratefulness. You should take an example from your two friends, who, by the way, appear to be two beautiful young women."

Alex's words stunned the two women who were bowing to him. Beautiful? Is that how you were supposed to speak of aspirant nuns of the Light Goddess Church?

'But, I can't deny that it is kinda nice to be called beautiful, especially by such a handsome man,' thought both of them, with a little blush on their faces.

Seeing the reactions of her two friends, Mina exclaimed, "don't believe in his words, he is a deceiver!"

"Is that so? Then you mean to say that your two friends here are ugly, is that right?" Alex wondered with a shocked expression.

Hearing his words, Umra and Mara turned to stare at Mina. They didn't say anything, but judging by their gazes, Mina was sure they were wondering if what Alex said was true.

Mina's green eyes quivered a little, and she waved her hands, "I-it's not what I meant to say. He is d-distorting the meaning of my words, yes, that's that!" Mina glanced at Alex and exclaimed, "Shame on you!"

Her words made Alex sputter into laughter, "I have never seen a nun as shameless as you, Sister Mina," he said through his laughter.

"Who are you calling shameless-"

"Mina!" Mara interrupted the shameless nun, "we need to go; the priest must be awaiting our mission report."

Hearing that, Mina calmed down and nodded her head.

Just as the three of them were about to walk away, Alex stopped them, "Wait, aren't you forgetting something?"

"What are we forgetting, sir?" Umra wondered.

"I'm not speaking to you two; I'm addressing her," Alex pointed at Mina.

"What do you want from me?!"

"Aren't you going to thank me for saving you?" Alex said in a confused tone, "Surely a nun of the Goddess of Light Church isn't so ungrateful, right?"

Mina was about to argue back when she felt Ulta and Mara's scrutinizing looks. Seeing such gazes, she was sure that the two wouldn't stop annoying her during their whole journey and might even rat on her to the priest if she didn't thank Alex.

Gritting her teeth, Mina walked to Alex and bowed her head, "Thank you for saving me."

"It's not a big deal," Alex replied. But just as Mina was about to respond, he added, "...that's what I would have said if you hadn't been so rude to me. Now, I want something more than just a 'thank you.'"

"W-What do you want?" Mina asked.

Alex extended his arm towards her and said, "pay up."

*****

Just a heads-up, starting next week, the bonus chapter system will resume with the following requirements:

- 100 Power Stones: One extra chapter the next week!

- 200 Power Stones: Two extra chapters the next week!

- 350 Power Stones: Three extra chapters the next week!

Thanks to everyone who continued to support by giving their Power Stones even during the pause in bonus chapter releases!

CONTINUE GIVING YOUR POWER STONES!