"Hey, Helton. Tell me your plan for this. You’re the one who dragged us into this trade. You better have a backup plan," Lord Bolton said coldly.

The other nobles immediately nodded in agreement.

"Please calm yourselves, my lords. Everything is still under control. This is merely... a mishap in our plan," Helton replied calmly while playing with one of the cicadas crawling on his finger.

He was the youngest among all the lords gathered in the room. While the others already had heads full of white hair, Helton still possessed slick black hair combed neatly backward with oil.

"At this moment, I’ve already ordered my men to evacuate the warehouse. Besides, I’ve also met with the leader of the Five Scorpions. He and his group will do their best to protect our business." Helton said calmly.

"Do you know that the Count has already assembled a special force to stop us? Are the Five Scorpions really capable of defeating them?" Lord Wigan asked worriedly.

"Huh! That so-called special force is just made up of snotty little boys! They stand no chance against them, and especially not against me."

Helton then pulled out an old magical lantern and placed it onto the table for everyone to see. The lantern was made from blackwood and emitted a sinister, malicious aura.

"That lantern, don’t tell me it’s a forbidden artifact?" Lord Chabot asked in shock.

"Yes. Sharp eyes you have there," Helton replied with a grin.

"With this artifact, those so-called special force members are simply walking toward their doom." A sinister smirk slowly spread across his face.

"And most importantly, inside this city, no one can escape my vision. Hahaha..." He slowly raised his hand and stared directly into the eyes of the cicada resting on his finger.

---

’A cicada?’

Oliver thought as he placed his bag down beside the bed. A cicada was currently clinging to the wall inside the room where he would be staying for the night.

He rested for a while before lying down on the bed. The mattress was surprisingly soft and comfortable.

He was currently staying at Hazel Inn, one of the top-grade inns within the city. Each member of the special force had been given their own room, all sponsored by the Count.

"I really hate those brats! Why didn’t you just do this mission with only us? We’re already more than enough to clear it." Husk complained.

All of the monsters inside the system had seen everything Oliver experienced.

"Those boys would probably taste really good for me. Can I eat the most annoying one, my Oliver?" Queen asked playfully.

"No, Queen. You already had a human this month. You can have another one next month." Oliver replied. That was the rule Oliver had created to restrain Queen’s hunger for humans.

Queen looked frustrated by Oliver’s response, while Nyx was currently staring intensely at the cicada on the wall before suddenly punching it.

Thump!

"Hey, Nyx. Quiet! There are people sleeping beside us!" Oliver hissed softly.

Right now, it was already past one in the morning. At three a.m., they were scheduled to meet the leader of this special force, a Rank-S tamer. Oliver could barely contain his excitement to finally meet someone at that level.

Soon after, he decided to take a short nap.

---

"Yaaawn!"

Oliver yawned loudly while scratching the back of his neck.

Right now, he was inside meeting room together with the rest of the group members, all of them gathered there while waiting for their leader to arrive.

"Hey, do you think our group leader is strong?" Ingram suddenly asked curiously.

"Of course, idiot! He’s a Rank-S tamer after all! I don’t want to take orders from anyone below our standards." Waine replied confidently while glancing at the sleepy-looking Oliver.

"Besides, anyone who comes from Evenwood City must have been personally chosen by the Count. You know how much our Count values strength, right? He has gathered almost all the powerful tamers in the county into his city." Waine continued proudly.

"But the two most powerful ones are the prodigal twins, the ones they call the Flame Prince and the Ice Princess. Both of them stand far above everyone else, in a league of their own. I heard they’re among the top students of their generation at the prestigious academy in the Kingdom’s capital."

All the boys except Oliver nodded in astonishment.

"If I ever meet the Ice Princess, I’ll do anything to win her heart." Waine said while grinning dreamily.

"Hahaha! Know your place, Waine. We’re just minor nobles. There’s no way she would even look at us." Barid laughed mockingly.

"Tch! That’s only for now. I’ll use this mission as a stepping stone to raise my name!" Waine declared confidently.

As they were talking, suddenly, the door was knocked. All of them immediately stiffened, while Oliver still looked half-asleep.

The door slowly opened, and a man wearing full yellow knight armor stepped inside. The crest of House Labre was clearly engraved onto his armor.

He then stepped aside respectfully, making way for someone behind him. A beautiful woman entered the room.

She had light blue hair that reached her neck and a graceful figure dressed in sleek hunter attire. Her round golden eyes immediately captivated everyone who looked at her. A pair of elegant earrings hung from her ears, adding even more charm to her appearance.

Waine and the others were completely stunned. Because all of them knew very well who she was.

"T-The Ice Princess?!" Waine exclaimed in shock, causing him to stutter.

He had never expected that the person leading them would actually be one of the prodigal twins, and the very woman he admired deeply.

"M-My name is Waine from the House of Bodwyn. It is an honor to greet you," Waine immediately bowed respectfully toward her while trying to contain his excitement.

The others quickly introduced themselves as well.

"Thank you, everyone, for coming here," she said with a gentle smile while nodding toward them one by one. However, her gaze suddenly shifted toward the back of the room, where Oliver was already half asleep.

She slowly walked toward him.

Waine and the others immediately grinned inwardly.

’What a stupid town boy! He’s about to feel the wrath of the Ice Princess now!’

’She’ll definitely expel him from the group!’

All of them expected something terrible to happen to Oliver. But in reality, what happened next completely shocked them.