Rise of the Eromancer

Chapter 113 Surrounded

"All of that… happened?"

"Yup, the Recruit was pretty much dead then. But god damn, let me tell you this — that was probably the moment I first started having thoughts of fucking him."

"That is too much information."

"Well, that is what you are here for, right?"

True to her words, Maria did stay until dinner. But since no one really wanted to cook, the group just ordered some oriental takeout…and beer. And instead of the table, they were eating on the sofa; with Rhys on the floor with Lina, who had her legs over his lap.

"Stop giving her more to write in our files," Katarina let out a long and deep sigh as she took a sip of beer, "She will only use that against us."

"What's with you two anyway, Kat?" Lina pointed her chopsticks at Katarina, "You guys old buddies or something?"

"Colleagues," Katarina quickly answered. Maria, on the other hand, shook her head.

"She was my boss," Maria answered, "We were part of a select team."

"Maria," Katarina clicked her tongue.

"They are giving me information, K. It is only right that I reciprocate," Maria also chugged her beer before turning to look at Ayesha again, "You don't drink?"

"No use, I can't get drunk anymore," Ayesha breathed out, "It's just bitter and no fun."

"Much like K," Maria forced out a tiny chuckle. And with her almost robotic demeanor, she just looked incredibly weird, "Let me save that information on my phone before I forget about it."

"Ah, I get it now!" Lina pointed her bottle at Katarina, "The two of you were special ops! I've been thinking about what Ayesha said before she was cut off — but you guys are assassins!"

"Oh?" Maria blinked, "That is very perceptive of you."

"Your shadow abilities, Kat's abnormally good knife skills and all those unnecessary scalpels," Lina's mouth grew wider and wider, "I mean… it just makes sense!"

"Ugh…" Katarina could really only lower her head and cover her face as Lina kept pointing at her and laughing. But after a few seconds, she glanced at Rhys to see what he was thinking… but he was just staring at the walls while holding his spoon.

"Tell us more about it, quick!" Lina grabbed a beer and started chugging on it as she waited for Maria to say more.

"No." But alas, Maria just shook her head in response, "I will have to kill you if I tell you."

"...Right," Lina's cheery tone quickly turned into disappointment as she removed her legs from Rhys's lap, careful not to push his bowl, "You've been quiet since earlier, Sir. What's up?"

"Hm…?" Rhys snapped out of his stupor, only to see everyone staring at him, "Oh, I'm… not really thinking of anything. I'm just… happy, you know?"

"Happy that you're surrounded by several hot women who are all older than you?" Ayesha scooched over the sofa and leaned closer to Rhys; a cheeky grin, slowly crawling her face.

"Yes," Rhys, however, did not hesitate to answer Ayesha's slightly joking question, "Just a year ago, the only one I had was myself. Dr. Katarina was there, of course, but I mostly kept to myself and did not let her get near."

"Rhys…" A hint of a smile crawled on Katarina's face.

"But now, I'm surrounded by all of you wonderful people," Rhys breathed out, "And I don't think I really deserve it."

"Of course, you do…" Katarina almost leaped to the floor as she quickly placed her hand on Rhys's leg, "...Why would you even think that?"

"Because of what I am," Rhys looked Katarina in the eyes, "Of the horrible things I have done and about to do."

"Are you about to do something we won't like, Mr. Wilder?" Maria placed her beer on the table, "Have you killed someone? Outside the Underworld and Underworld Corps?"

"Maria," Katarina quickly glared at Maria; any gentleness she had when she was talking to Rhys, completely gone.

"It's fine, Doctor," Rhys held Katarina's hand as he looked Maria in the eyes. His mind, replaying the scenes, the screams and carnage of what he had done back in Old York High — the breaths of relief they gave when they opened the door, thinking they were about to be saved. But when they saw Rhys, their breaths of relief quickly became breaths of confusion…

…and then they were just scared. Scared as he sliced the neck of the very person who opened the door. They could have actually killed Rhys due to their numbers, but their panic got the best of them, allowing Rhys to just wreak havoc and kill them brutally one by one like grass.

"No," Rhys then smiled and answered, "At least no one who did not deserve it."

"You probably should not say the second part next time someone asks you that question, Mr. Wilder," Maria let out a small but very deep sigh, "Especially to strangers."

"You're not a stranger, Ma'am. Not anymore."

"Hm…?" Maria slightly raised an eyebrow as she saw Rhys still smiling at her.

"You're Dr. Katarina's friend, that automatically makes you my friend as well," Rhys breathed out, "And since Dr. Kat's practically bought everything in this house, I feel like you're also very welcome here…

…in our home."

"I'll…" Maria blinked a couple of times; her hands, not knowing whether to just stay in place or grab her beer. But after a few seconds, she just let out a sigh and took a sip of her beer,

"...hold you on that offer, Mr. Wilder."

"And you've also sort of arrested me twice now, that counts for something."

"That's true as well."

"I'll cheers to that," Lina quickly raised her bottle, "To new friends."

"...To old friends," Katarina could really only let out a sigh as she also raised her bottle, "Who keep revealing things she shouldn't."

Ayesha also grabbed one of the empty bottles on the floor and raised it.

As for Rhys, he just raised his bowl; his eyes… staring at the Hearts floating above Maria's head, 2 of them, now filled.

"Now that we've all shared and revealed some personal information about ourselves," Maria placed her bottle back on the table and once again turned to look at Rhys, "I need an official statement from you, Mr. Wilder. Orders from the top."

"...What's this about now?" Katarina could really only roll her eyes and groan, "I feel like you've mixed up the order here."

"Interrogation tactics 101; make them feel comfortable to disarm them," Maria leaned back before getting her tablet from her bag, "Your rose to popularity, the influence that comes with it. What are you planning to do with that, Mr. Wilder?"

"...What kind of question is that?" Katarina raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, that's weird," Lina also could not help but squint her eyes before turning to look at Ayesha, whose lax demeanor was all but gone as she just stared at Maria.

"That's not something someone from the HIU would ask," Katarina also glared at Maria.

"I told you, orders from the top," Maria raised a finger in the air, "The top, top. Above my pay-grade top. They are very curious with Mr. Wilder."

"...The White House?" Lina blinked a couple of times, "Why would they be interested in Rhys?"

"Of course, they would be," Ayesha let out a very long and deep breath as she leaned her back on the sofa, "I guess the old man would be trying to contact me soon too. Fuck… my balls are hurting just thinking about it."

"Can… you elaborate on your question, Ma'am?" Rhys let out a small hum as he stood up from the floor and sat on the sofa.

"You are obviously trying to do something, Mr. Wilder — and the people from the top have already noticed that," Maria nodded, "You were afraid of cameras, terrified of it. And yet you overcame that phobia eerily quickly and even started streaming… and speaking to the people. And you even announced the creation of your guild, obviously aimed at the other Lowborns like yourself."

"I do not see why they would be wary of me with just that, Ma'am," Rhys sighed, "A lot of Explorers are doing the same."

"But you are not just an Explorer, Mr. Wilder," Maria shook her head, "You are a Sergeant of the Underworld Corps, lover of the Commander of the Underworld Corps, in a relationship with someone considered to be nobility in her home country."

"...What?" Not only Rhys, but Ayesha and Katarina all turned their heads toward Lina, who just shrugged in response.

"You did not know that, Mr. Wilder?" Maria let out a small hum as she looked Rhys in the eyes, "You are connected to some very powerful people. You are also connected to the mayor of this city, who is not quiet in voicing his support for Lowborns."

"Ack, all of this because of politics," Ayesha let out another groan, "Just tell those pigs who probably haven't even touched a single monster dick to just suck their own balls."

"What I am trying to say, Mr. Wilder…" Maria then placed her tablet on the table and slid it toward Rhys,

"...is that they are afraid of you, of what you mean to the world."

"This is…" Rhys blinked a couple of times as he looked at the images on the tablet. And no matter what angle he looked at it, it looked like the outside of his apartment.

"You are being watched, Mr. Wilder. That's a live view of the building."

"What in the balls!?" Ayesha quickly grabbed another bottle from the floor before rushing to the window. And as soon as she saw the drone flying outside, she threw the bottle toward it without any hesitation; completely shattering both.

"That is not going to do anything," Maria shook her head, "They are outside right now, and every other tenant in this building has been evacuated and replaced by them. They are just waiting for your answer, Mr. Wilder."

"And… what are they going to do..." Rhys once again looked Maria in the eyes,

"...If I say I'm planning to reshape the world?"