"Lord Akat, why… warn him?"
Maria seemed puzzled as they walked through the quiet corridor.
Whether she warned him or not made no real difference.
It was just hearsay; no one would believe it. Those pressed for time certainly wouldn’t stop their journey over this.
Besides…
"Isn’t it fun?" Yuri’s footsteps never slowed as she smiled faintly. "That man doesn’t fully trust us, after all."
Exactly. Even with their contract, Zuo Yuan remained deeply wary of her.
But that made sense—he was human. How could humans ever fully trust a demon?
"He must be torn now," she mused. "Worried I’m tricking him, yet fearing what I said might come true."
So, to believe or not? Or perhaps it didn’t matter either way.
What truly intrigued Yuri was how that young man would choose to act.
A faint smile curled at the corner of her lips. "Maria," she asked suddenly, "what do you think he’ll do?"
Maria blinked, startled, then frowned slightly.
"...Warn the others?"
"Sorry, wrong guess."
Yuri shook her head firmly at Maria’s hesitant reply.
"I already gave him a hint. That guy might seem dumb, but he’s actually quite sharp."
A hint?
Maria blinked in confusion, then her eyes widened as realization struck.
Yes—the hint was clear: how did Yuri know all this?
As the girl had just said, she’d gotten the info from a "kind soul."
And since Yuri had been gathering Airship data, she must have spoken to core staff familiar with its operations.
So why would he know these things…?
It was obvious now, wasn’t it? This Airship likely held enemies among its passengers.
It might even be a trap!
Though not meant for Yuri’s group, the intel she’d received stated the attackers planned to leave no survivors—not even bystanders.
"So warning others would do nothing," Yuri continued. "It might even cause chaos he can’t control."
That was the real reason for Zuo Yuan’s deep contemplation.
"Lord Akat, then what should we—"
"We?" Yuri yawned, her eyes narrowing lazily. "We rest well, then devour every invader. Leave no scraps."
"Eh?"
Maria froze, thrown by the answer. She’d expected Yuri to ignore such trivial matters.
"If you’d rather walk to Central Capital, Maria, we could just watch the show."
Maria: "..."
Fine. Yuri had a point.
To avoid the hassle of a crashed Airship, keeping it operational was the bare minimum.
But if that was true, then earlier with Zuo Yuan…
"Lord Akat… were you just toying with that man all along?"
Exactly. Since Yuri planned to act anyway, leading Zuo Yuan into a dead end was pure mischief.
In his mind, getting Yuri to save others was impossible.
As a being who toyed with human souls, why would she help ordinary humans?
And the intel’s truth wasn’t even guaranteed.
So, excluding Yuri, what then?
This was just a regular Airship—no strong guards.
If sky pirates attacked, it’d end in total destruction.
Zuo Yuan could save himself easily, but others? He couldn’t guarantee their safety.
The dilemma was clear.
Warn people? With possible traitors onboard, no one might believe him—and alerting the enemy could backfire.
But waiting until pirates struck would be far too late.
"Toy with him? I never said I’d protect anyone else." Yuri’s face stayed blank at Maria’s accusation.
Right. As long as the Airship reached its destination, others’ fates didn’t matter.
"Though… it might not involve us at all."
Yuri’s steps halted abruptly as she muttered this.
Her voice was too soft; Maria, distracted, didn’t catch it.
Soon, the lodging area appeared ahead, bustling with people.
The Airship had four decks: the bottom for crew, the top for luxury suites. The middle two held standard zones.
Deck Two housed rooms and dining; Deck Three offered entertainment.
Yuri chose an ordinary room, not a luxury suite.
As she reached for her door…
"Hm?"
A furtive figure lurked around a distant corner.
Sensing he’d been spotted, it vanished instantly.
"What is it, Lord Akat?" Maria followed Yuri’s gaze but saw nothing.
Yuri shook her head vaguely. "Nothing. Just a peeping tom."
"...A peeping tom?"
"Mhm. If Zuo Yuan asks to see me later, say I’m resting."
Ignoring Maria’s bewildered look, the girl slipped inside.
Outside, Maria stared at the corner a moment longer before shaking her head and entering her own room.
After both doors closed, the figure cautiously reappeared.
His eyes locked onto the room beside Yuri’s.
Unseen by him, his every move was tracked by another’s senses.
"Tch. That noble brat from earlier—what’s he doing here?"
Yuri withdrew her perception, eyebrows lifting.
Though disguised, she recognized him instantly: the young noble from the bridge.
His disdain for commoners couldn’t hide his purpose here. Something in the room beside hers drew him.
No—perhaps something he feared?
Recalling the terror in his eyes earlier, Yuri felt a flicker of interest.
"This trip just got infinitely more entertaining."
Stretching lazily, a dazzling smile spread across the girl’s cute face.
A pure, unfiltered smile of anticipation.
But what did she anticipate? Would it be as radiant as this smile… yet utterly deadly?
