What do you mean I've traveled to worlds geared towards children?

"...Is it because this is my last mission that I'm feeling a bit anxious about losing it?"

The maid quickly came up with an excuse for herself.

This wasn't the first time the maid had done something like 'child trafficking.' She had been doing this job ever since she joined the organization, in order to supply fresh blood to the organization.

Despite her rising status within the organization over the years, her actual work has remained largely unchanged.

Find qualified children, then take them away and send them to the organization...

This process is repeated continuously.

The maid actually wanted to do more meaningful things, such as better promoting the organization's doctrines, or brainwashing the children in the organization... oh no, praising the organization's greatness or something.

So this time, after her persistent requests, the organization leader finally agreed that after completing this mission, she would be transferred to a different position as a maid so that she could do what she wanted to do.

Perhaps that's why she felt so uneasy?

"Phew, don't scare yourself unnecessarily."

Exhaling, the maid forced herself to calm down and continued forward with Denise and Harwick.

Leaving the manor wasn't the end; she also had to take the two to the organization's contact point and then lead them away from Monk City.

After all, the upcoming city of Monk is not safe.

The maid thought about the next steps in her mind, making sure she hadn't overlooked anything.

But suddenly €€€€

"Hey, where do you think you're taking these two kids in the middle of the night?"

"!?"

The maid suddenly stopped in her tracks. She expertly pulled a dagger from under her skirt and turned to look behind her.

Under the moonlight, a young warrior in blue armor crouched on a stone pillar at the entrance of the manor.

The moon was behind him, its light casting a wolf-shaped shadow on the ground.

The shadow cast by the moonlight perfectly enveloped the maid and the two children!

When did this person arrive?!

The maid's pupils dilated.

With her superior thief-like perception, she failed to detect his arrival immediately!

This means that the opponent is either stronger than her, or their skill in the 'stealth' skill is higher than hers, even though she is a high-level thief!

Is the other person also a thief?

Even if he's not a thief, he's at least a high-level professional!

When did such a master emerge from within Monkford territory?

Chapter 45: Assessing One's Own Strength

Under the moonlight, a gentle breeze caressed the air.

After asking the question, the blue warrior did not ask it again.

He stood before the maid, as if scrutinizing something, or perhaps wary of something.

The maid and the blue warrior faced off for a short while before the maid stared at the suddenly appearing blue warrior and asked:

"who are you?"

The young man did not answer immediately; instead, he let out a soft chuckle.

“You people are really interesting. Even though you did something wrong, when you were stopped, the first question you asked was ‘Who are you?’”

"Who else could I be? Just a Kamen Rider I couldn't stand."

After the young man finished speaking, he suddenly raised his hand and aimed at the maid. Several ice blades appeared behind her and, in the next instant, as the young man's palm fell, they smashed down on the maid with a series of crackling sounds!

Ultimate move – Ice-Breaking Flying Blade!

"A magician?!"

Upon seeing the ice blade flying towards her, the maid first cried out in surprise, then immediately jumped back to dodge.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the young man's ice blade looks similar to the low-level magic Ice Blade Spell; in reality, its power is comparable to that of a regular high-level magic!

The maid was a thief who was not good at defense, so she didn't dare to confront these ice blades head-on.

Avoiding the situation has become her only option at the moment.

But this dodge played right into the hands of the blue warrior.

As soon as she dodged, the mysterious young man instantly appeared beside the two children, grabbed them in his arms, one in each hand, and ran away, showing no intention of fighting the maid.

"?!"

He's not going to fight me? He looks really strong... Wait! He wants to send these two back to Monkford Manor!

The maid was taken aback at first, but then she understood what the mysterious young man was thinking.

Damn it, this mission is crucial to my transfer to another position, how can I let this guy take away my mission objective!

The maid gritted her teeth and stopped dodging. She lowered her body and forcefully used her dagger to block the flying ice blades, and immediately released her combat skill!

Magic condensed on both daggers, and with a powerful burst of force, the thief maid traversed dozens of meters in an instant, raising her daggers to stab the young man in the back of the neck!

Advanced combat skill: Instant Shadow Slash!

One of the thief's signature combat skills allows them to traverse an extremely long distance in a mere instant and launch a fatal slash at the target from behind.

Generally, targets of the same level are easily caught off guard by this move, especially unprotected mages, who are even more likely to be killed on the spot!

If the blue warrior really is a magician, the thief maid's move, even if it doesn't kill him on the spot, will at least seriously injure him!

But unfortunately... the Blue Warriors are not just mages.

clang!!

As if he had grown eyes in the back of his head, the mysterious youth didn't even turn his head, but raised his hand to block behind him.

He held two children in one arm, and with the other hand, he produced a dagger from somewhere, which he used to block the thief maid's dagger!

Is your weapon, like mine, a dagger?

The thief maid was also taken aback when she saw the dagger that emitted a faint blue light.

She thought he was a magician when she saw him casting a spell, but now he's using a dagger for defense. So is he a magician or a thief?

The maid didn't have time to think, and the mysterious young man didn't give her much of a chance to think either.

After blocking the maid's attack, the mysterious young man seemed to suddenly understand something.

He quickly distanced himself from the thief maid, and only when he was sure she couldn't catch up immediately did he gently put the two children down and look up to ask the maid a question that left her completely bewildered:

"Excuse me for asking, are you... a beginner... or intermediate professional?"

"What?" The thief maid was taken aback, her face immediately darkening. "What kind of question is that? Are you mocking me?"

Despite both being high-level professionals, after their fight, he mistook her for a mid-level professional…

What do you mean? Do you think she's too weak? So weak that she's not even a high-level professional?

That's going too far! She's a legitimate high-ranking thief!

"Oh, so you're saying you're a superior? A superior thief?"

The young man stroked his exposed chin, looking thoughtful.

The maid, unable to bear the young man's repeated mockery any longer, gripped her dagger tightly and gritted her teeth, angrily saying:

"You... are too arrogant!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she vanished from her spot and reappeared a moment later, already flashing to the young man's side!

High-level universal combat skill: Swift Step!

As a thief, the maid's combat skills are undoubtedly excellent.

Both Shadow Slash and Swift Step are combat techniques that allow her to quickly approach her target and deliver a fatal blow!

Approach, attack, and kill in one blow! This has always been the Thief Maid's fighting style!

However, that's only when facing someone weaker than her that she can deliver a fatal blow.

The young warrior was clearly not as weak as the maid had imagined.

clang!

Unsurprisingly, the young man blocked the maid's dagger with his weapon. The dagger, which looked slightly shorter than a short sword, accurately blocked the thief maid's attack.

During the blocking, the maid also heard the young man muttering to himself:

“…A superior…Hmm, so it’s your superior…That makes things easier…”

"?"

Easy to handle? What's easy to handle?

Before the thief maid could understand the meaning of the young man's words, she suddenly felt an immense force on her hand.