Yandere Levelling in Her World-Chapter 176 - 177: Brother’s secret

The room was quiet in a way that pressed against the ears.

Kazami and Olivia stood side by side, straight-backed and alert, facing the single chair at the far end of the room. It was not a throne, but the way it was placed, slightly elevated, with a wide desk before it, made it feel like one.

Judith Harrington sat there calmly.

Her posture was relaxed, one leg crossed over the other, fingers resting lightly on the armrest. She did not look rushed, nor threatened, nor curious. She looked like someone who already knew the outcome of this meeting.

In front of her chair, on simple metal stools, sat Nina and Kyouka.

Their hands were cuffed in front of them.

The restraints were not tight, but they were unmistakable. A reminder of where they stood.

Nina leaned back slightly, her sharp eyes fixed on Judith with open defiance. Her hair was tied loosely behind her, a few strands falling across her face. Kyouka sat straighter, her head lowered just a little, jaw tight, eyes focused somewhere between the floor and Judith's desk.

Judith studied them in silence.

Then she spoke.

"Nina Raj."

Nina did not react, but her eyes narrowed a fraction.

"Age twenty-four," Judith continued calmly. "Born to a Indian father and an Norbatian mother. Your father, Rakesh Raj, was a frontline hunter affiliated with the Eastern Coalition. Killed during the Third Gate Collapse. Your mother, Elena Norman, was a logistics officer who later disappeared from public records."

Nina's fingers curled slightly.

"You grew up moving between shelters," Judith went on. "Low registration score. High combat aptitude. You joined Valkyrie Fang at sixteen and rose to leadership after Astrid's betrayal."

Judith leaned forward just a little.

"Until the dungeon disaster."

The room seemed to tighten.

"The mass number of monsters wiped out the guild," Judith said. "Officially listed as an accident. Unofficially, it removed one of the few groups that refused to align with centralized command."

Nina finally smiled, though there was no humor in it.

"Aren't you well informed," she said. "For someone sitting in that office."

She tilted her head slightly.

"Almost like you are not just some businesswoman or activist pretending to care about people, Judith Harrington."

Kazami stiffened at her words.

Olivia glanced sideways, but Judith only smiled faintly.

"Information is a tool," Judith replied. "I make sure I have the right ones."

Her gaze shifted.

"Kyouka Tachibana."

Kyouka's shoulders tensed.

"Daughter of Misa Tachibana," Judith said. "A renowned scientist and healer. One of the lead researchers attached to Valkyrie Fang. Specialized in biological reinforcement and emergency regeneration."

Judith's eyes softened for a brief moment.

"She is recorded dead during the incident."

Kyouka said nothing.

Her lips pressed together, her breathing shallow but controlled.

Kazami stepped forward and placed a thin stack of papers on Judith's desk.

Judith picked them up and flipped through them slowly, her eyes scanning line after line.

"So they are still active," she muttered. "Traitors, moving in the shadows."

She closed the file with a quiet tap.

"Planning to cause another massacre," she added. "Of us."

Kazami clenched his fist.

"Miss Judith," he said firmly. "We should take immediate action. Wipe them out before they grow even stronger."

Judith did not answer him right away.

Instead, she turned her head slightly.

"Olivia," she said. "Have you been able to access the laboratory where they were last seen?"

Olivia exhaled slowly.

"No," she answered. "The monster density in that area is too high. Entering without heavy casualties is impossible. Even with elite squads."

Judith nodded once.

Then she looked back at Kazami.

"There," she said quietly. "You have your answer."

Kazami frowned.

"It seems," Judith continued, "that these traitors have found a route. Or perhaps created one. Something only they can use."

She leaned back in her chair.

"If what these two have explained is true," she said, looking at Nina and Kyouka again, "then the traitors are the most dangerous thing we can encounter."

Nina let out a short, bitter laugh.

"With their new weapons," she muttered, "we would not stand a chance."

Judith's eyes sharpened.

She looked directly at Nina.

"And your leader," Judith said. "Astrid. Would she stand a chance?"

Nina stiffened.

"Aren't you worried," Judith continued, "that they will be massacred the same way? Or does Astrid still have ties to these traitors?"

Her voice lowered slightly.

"Is she trying to betray us by forming another community?"

Nina's chair scraped softly against the floor as she leaned forward.

"She betrays no one," Nina snapped. "She saves people."

Her eyes burned with anger.

"Unlike your pathetic attempts to save people," she added. "Only to push them into an even worse situation."

The room went silent.

Judith did not look offended.

Instead, she sighed.

"Perhaps you are right," she said. "This city was a bad idea."

Kazami turned toward her in shock.

"To gather this many people at once," Judith continued, "with the resources we have. It was reckless."

She straightened.

"But I will make it better."

Her gaze locked onto Nina's.

"So," Judith said, "do I have your support? And Astrid's. If it becomes better for the people."

Nina stared at her.

"Why should I trust you?" she asked.

Judith answered without hesitation.

"Because you can," she said. "There is nothing I gain by killing your people."

She glanced briefly at Kazami.

"Unlike the stupid orders the general received earlier."

Kazami looked away.

"I want Astrid to join me," Judith continued. "She seems like a capable woman."

Her voice was steady, sincere.

"Let us make this a better place."

Nina hesitated.

Before she could respond, Kyouka suddenly jerked forward.

"I do not have time for this," Kyouka shouted. "My brother is in danger."

Everyone turned toward her.

"Ren needs my help," she said, her voice trembling with urgency.

Judith froze.

Her eyes widened just a little.

"Ren," she repeated softly.

For a brief second, it was as if something clicked in her mind.

"Oh," Judith muttered. "That Ren."

Kyouka stared at her.

"What do you mean?" she demanded.

Judith's expression changed.

"You do not need to worry about him," Judith said calmly.

Kyouka's breath caught.

"What are you saying?"

Judith smiled faintly.

"He is more powerful than any of us," she said. "The most powerful man I have ever seen."

Kazami's eyes widened.

"He can probably manage on his own," Judith continued. "Silver can vouch for that."

She raised a hand and pointed behind her.

Standing quietly near the wall was a blond-haired woman who had not spoken a single word until now. Her presence was subtle, almost easy to miss, yet the moment Judith acknowledged her, the air shifted.

Silver stepped forward slightly.

Kyouka turned slowly.

Her eyes widened in shock.

The name echoed in her mind.

Silver.

Someone who had seen Ren at his strongest.

Someone who knew things about Ren that she didn't.

Kyouka's lips parted, her thoughts spinning, as she realized she was about to hear something she never expected.

***

Ren and Drain slowed as the crowd thinned.

The main street split into several routes, each leading deeper into the safe zone. Patrols moved in steady patterns. Cameras followed every angle.

Drain stopped first.

"Well," she said lightly, turning to face him, "this is where we split."

Ren nodded. "From here on, it is better if we move alone."

"Smart," she replied. "You draw attention just by existing."

He frowned. "That is not a compliment."

She smirked. "It is."

They stood there for a moment longer than necessary. The noise of the city filled the space between them. Footsteps. Voices. A distant announcement echoing through speakers.

Drain adjusted her cap and rolled her shoulders. "I will head east. You should head to the black market contacts. Information brokers. Someone there will know where your friends were taken."

Ren looked at her seriously. "Do not push too far. This place looks clean, but it is full of knives."

She met his gaze. "You worried about me?"

"I am realistic."

She laughed softly. "Same thing."

Ren shifted his weight. "And you?"

"I will disappear for a while," Drain said. "That is my specialty."

She took a step back, then another, like she was about to turn away.

Then she stopped.

"Ren."

He looked at her. "Yes."

She hesitated. For once, her playful expression faded. "There's something dangerous following you, I can feel it."

He shrugged. "That is normal for me."

"That is exactly the problem," she said. "You say it like you are used to it."

Ren did not reply.

Drain exhaled. "Listen. I do not regret helping you. Not even a little."

"I know."

"But this," she gestured vaguely around them, "this is where I get off."

Ren inclined his head. "Thank you. For everything."

She waved it off. "Do not make it sentimental."

She turned to leave.

Then suddenly, she stepped back in.

Before Ren could react, she grabbed the front of his uniform and pulled him down.

Their lips met.

It was fast. Soft. Gone before his mind could catch up.

Drain lingered just long enough to whisper against his mouth, "You are a dangerous man, Ren. You bring trouble wherever you go."

She pulled back slightly, her eyes sharp but uneasy. "That is the most interesting thing about you."

Ren did not move.

"This," she continued quietly, "is as far as I am willing to go with you. Because I am scared of you."

She released him and stepped away.

"Try not to destroy this city," she added, forcing a grin.

Then she turned and walked off into the crowd, blending in as if she had never been there at all.

Ren stood frozen.

People brushed past him, annoyed glances thrown his way. A patrol passed close enough that he could hear their armor shift.

He touched his lips slowly.

"…That woman," he muttered. "She talks too much."

He straightened his uniform and looked in the direction she had gone.

"She is not powerful enough," he said under his breath. "Not someone I want to deal with for long."

Yet even as he said it, a strange feeling lingered in his chest.

A sense of unfinished business.

Ren turned away and headed down the opposite street.

"Why," he murmured, "do I feel like this is not the last time we will meet."