There is no way the Liberian girl could lay eggs!

"I've completed all the training courses over the years. I can do many tasks, just like you and Saria... I can also..."

With his fingers placed awkwardly in front of him, Ifrit lowered his head, like a child who had made a mistake.

Saria, who was standing by, reached out and touched Ifrit's head and said softly: "Be obedient, Ifrit..."

Saria's advice was like a final judgment, causing Ifrit to lose his last bit of perseverance.

His nervous fingers were clenched together so tightly that they were even trembling.

"You still don't believe me..."

Compared to criticism and scolding, Ifrit dislikes the feeling of being protected even more.

She has grown up and can complete tasks independently.

She can protect Hemer, protect Saria, protect her friends, and more.

but why...

Why don't you believe her?

"No, Ifrit, I believe you."

Hemer noticed that something was wrong with Ifrit's current condition, and reached out to wipe away her tears.

"but..."

"With Saria here, there won't be any buts!"

Evely turned her face away in a very awkward manner, pouting and refusing to look at Hemer.

I'm in a bad mood...

Isn't this still a child?

Hemer shook his head and sighed helplessly.

"More than two years ago, in this very city, under the same sign."

"I almost lost you forever."

Firmly grabbing Ifrit's hand, Hemer looked up at the infinity symbol in the distance, his eyes filled with complexity.

It was once the place she longed for, but now... it has deteriorated.

"And in that moment, she was right there with you, no different than she is right now."

"But I'm alive and well! Saria protected me, and this time I can protect you with her!"

Ifrit swung her arms to try to shake off Hummer's hand, but Hummer held it tightly, and Ifrit failed after two attempts.

For fear of hurting Hemer, Ifrit acquiesced to Hemer's "control".

"Ifrit...Listen to Hemer. She's your doctor and the person you should trust the most."

Saria came forward and tried to persuade Ifrit.

But he never expected that it would arouse Ifrit's rebellious heart.

"But I trust you just the same! I trust Dr. Kal'tsit, the Doctor, Rosemary, and Talina!"

“There is no high or low in these trusts!”

Tears welled up in her fiery red eyes, and Ifrit bit her lip and looked at Saria.

She didn't understand why Hemer had a conflict with Saria.

It's obvious that the relationship between the two was so good before.

Is it because of myself...

Ifrit's words completely silenced Saria, and she felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness.

Things...seemed to be out of her control.

The same thing happened to Hemer standing by. All the rhetoric that had worked for him in the past was no longer effective at this moment. Not only did it fail to dissuade him, it might even arouse Ifrit's rebellious psychology.

So, she could only turn her attention to Saria.

"Saria, I saw you that day, with the Tin Man in the trench coat, and Talina, at the factory in District 13."

"That same day, something fell from the sky."

"So... you were there too..."

Saria was a little surprised when she heard what Hemer said.

Talina used the magic to remotely discover Hemer, but she didn't expect that they were also discovered by Hemer.

So...what I thought was a secret operation...wasn't it a joke?

"Another secret experiment involving the Rhine, right?"

Not being fooled by Saria's attempt to confuse the audience, Hemer asked bluntly.

Saria didn't answer, she just remained silent.

Just like before.

"Of course, you won't answer, because this is for the protection of me and Ifrit."

You think you are protecting yourself.

Hemer was not disappointed, as Saria's reaction was as she expected.

During the Fire Demon experiment, whenever Saria communicated with her, even just one sentence!

The situation that followed would not have occurred.

It was the same before and it is the same now.

“Things have to be put back on track.”

"I've heard Director Saria say this many times."

"When you were in Rhine, you were always controlling the situation, but those horrible experiments kept popping up."

"There are always people being hurt by the ambitions of others, and these injuries cannot be compensated by subsequent justice trials, not to mention... the trials that should have taken place have never begun."

"I can't help but wonder, when this fire is put out by you, how many people will be lying dying in the ruins like Ifrit did back then."

Looking up at Saria, Hemer's "questions" hit Saria's heart.

Although Hemer was much shorter than Saria, at this moment, Saria felt her body hunched over.

So, she chose to respond with silence.

It's not the first time anyway.

Volume 9: Chapter 61: Turning Point

"Sareya, you are amazing. You, the General, and Muirses founded Rhine Life. Your abilities surpass those of most people in this world."

"So you know more and see more..."

"You will know more and more than I think."

"But you still selectively help them 'control'. You hope the damage is as minimal as possible, ideally so minimal that people can't even notice it, rather than solving all the immoral issues at the source."

Hemer reached out and tucked the hair behind his ears, revealing his eyes.

"Sareya, over the years...I have always wanted to ask you a question."

"You can't truly stand against the Rhine Life. Is it because, deep down, you're just like them... and the Commander-in-Chief?"

"I..."

It was not until this moment that Saria realized how hurtful her silence was.

Hemer simply returned it in its original form, but it left her devastated.

Hemer was right. This game of the messenger of justice was nothing but a self-deceiving idea.

She has always wanted to use external forces to reverse the distorted status quo of Rhine Life and bring her friends and colleagues back on track, so that everyone can work towards their goals as before.

Instead of being consumed by desire like now.

She couldn't do it alone, so she chose to stay in Rhodes Island temporarily. She couldn't do it alone, so she chose to go to Lungmen to find Talina who was living in seclusion.

Ask yourself, when you set out to look for Talina, were you really just telling her about Muirseth's recent situation out of kindness?

No...it's not.

She knew she couldn't do it alone, so she went looking for "helpers", but she didn't think so in her heart.

This is awkward...

But she "enjoys it".

Kristen knew her well enough to play this role-playing game with her.

Now, the appearance of Hemer was undoubtedly a heavy blow, severely shattering her illusion.

A feeling of powerlessness came over her, and Saria lowered her head, clenching and unclenching her fists.

"I can't deny this, but...keeping it a secret is really for your own good."

Looking up at Hemer, Saria decided to tell him everything.

"...Just ten minutes ago, Ifrit prevented an assassination attempt on the Vice President."

"what?"

"It's not that I'm intentionally concealing this, Hummer. The information I have is very limited. There are too many forces involved in this matter. All I can do is try my best to prevent the situation from getting worse."

After she told the story, Saria felt better, and the feeling of being out of breath gradually subsided.

"Kristen is my friend, my classmate. We've been friends for decades... I can't bear to watch her go astray, so... I'm sorry."

"Your opinion is yours, but... I really wanted to protect Ifrit at the time, but I failed. That's the truth. Blame me."

"I...I'm sorry, Ifrit..."

"I'll leave it to you."

Gently pushing Ifrit's shoulder, Saria pushed her towards Hemer.

"Follow Hemer back to the ship for a checkup. We can talk about other things after we have checked the concentration of Originium in your body. Be obedient."

Saria's tone was so gentle that Ifrit couldn't find any reason to refute. She could only slowly move her feet and come behind Hemer.

Saria and Hemer reached an agreement, which meant that she had no room to resist. Continuing to make trouble would only make Hemer and Saria uncomfortable and would be of no use to the other party.

She just hated the feeling, but that didn't mean she would do it.

She would not disobey these two family members, ever.

"I'll leave Ifrit to you. I..."

Saria forced a smile and was about to say goodbye to Hemer, but was interrupted by the hot zero in her pocket.

That was the spell stone given to her by Talina, which could monitor Ifrit's life situation.

According to Talina, the greater the danger Ifrit faces, the hotter the stone will be.

When Ifrit was buried underneath, the stone was only slightly warm, so Saria did not use her teleportation ability to go to Ifrit's side.

But now, the stone is so hot that it seems to be burning!

Even the clothes smelled of burning, which meant Ifrit's life was in danger...

But...Ifrit is right beside me now, how could there be any danger?

After looking towards Ifrit's position, Saria looked up into the distance as if possessed by a ghost.

The weather in Tremon was good today, with a clear sky. A barely perceptible beam of light caught Saria's eyes.

"Sniper! Get down!"

Without any hesitation, Saria rushed to Hemer and Ifrit, and pressed them behind her with one hand each.

White calcium crystals appeared in front of Saria, but...

late.

The calcium crystals that had just condensed on Saria's forehead shattered in an instant, and a huge force hit her, causing her to fall backwards.

Then... consciousness fell into darkness.