NOVEL NEXT Chapter 272 A Reward Of Life
Sheryl's question made Tyler's heart skip a beat.
There were two reasons for this; one was that Sheryl had discerned their intentions, and the other was that she had asked about "you all", not "you".
In other words, Sheryl probably had deduced the relationship of common action between Tyler, Heloise, Vanessa, and Garvit.
(Truly impressive... Sheryl, who became the Chief Court Magician at the age of 28, really is formidable.)
However, Tyler read from Sheryl's mind that she was not entirely sure, so he did not intend to confess just yet.
"Lady Sheryl, why would you ask that?", Tyler countered.
"Isn't it about time to stop playing mind games with me, Felix? You must know about Wallace Azure Lizard resigning his captaincy and leaving Delis Town, right?"
The news of the eldest son of the Azure Lizard family withdrawing from the Labyrinth Raid Team was indeed causing a stir in Delis Town, and it would be too fake for Tyler to say he didn't know at this point.
However, before confessing completely, Tyler wanted to first probe what Sheryl's purpose was in finding him.
"I am aware of Lord Wallace's departure, but I fail to see how it relates to your previous question?", Tyler continued to feign ignorance.
But his feigned ignorance seemed to have worn down the last of Sheryl's patience.
Sheryl slowly stood up, letting out a sigh. The sigh made Tyler feel as if the temperature in the room had plummeted another ten degrees.
If the low-temperature "interrogation" continued, Tyler was afraid he might freeze first.
.
"...Never mind, I won't beat around the bush, I'll be direct."
Fortunately, Sheryl did not intend to continue the cold interrogation, but chose to have an honest conversation with Tyler.
Sheryl bluntly said that she believed Vanessa and Tyler were working together.
Whether it was Wallace Azure Lizard or Vanessa Snowy Hart, these nobles who had joined the Labyrinth Raid Team couldn't possibly give up without a reason.
However, the fact that Wallace Azure Lizard fled indicated that there was a deadly danger in this Labyrinth Raid, and the cause was most likely the "Third Team of the Scarlet Family" that Sheryl couldn't control.
Nobles often protect each other, a dynamic Sheryl had seen many times, and Vanessa, as a current "guest" of the Azure Lizard family, must have received information from Wallace Azure Lizard, so there was no reason for her not to flee.
"Felix, Vanessa wouldn't have failed to tell you and planned to slip away on her own, would she?"
Sheryl looked at Tyler coldly, her eyes and heart devoid of any emotion.
At this point, Tyler finally understood, Sheryl was just doing her job, she was merely here to confirm her suspicions.
(Well... since we're going to withdraw from the team sooner or later, might as well do Sheryl a favor now.)
.
With less than 8 days left before the Labyrinth Raid Team set off, Tyler decided to have a "sincere" conversation with Sheryl.
"Vanessa did tell me, but we haven't made a final decision yet."
Tyler told the truth; they were 99.99% decided on fleeing, but they hadn't made a final decision yet.
"Hehe, Felix, there's no need for such social niceties with me, is there? Your withdrawal from the Labyrinth Raid Team is just a matter of time."
Sheryl's words were very sharp, and by this point in the conversation, she had confirmed most of what she wanted to confirm, and it was time to reveal her true intentions.
"Let me be straightforward with you, Felix. I won't stop you, and I can't stop you if you want to withdraw, but I have a request: I want you to stay."
(Hah?Me?)
Tyler was taken aback; Sheryl's request was unexpected.
Furthermore, Sheryl was a person who said what she thought, which made it difficult for Tyler to know her thoughts in advance through mind reading.
"During our previous encounter, I learned that you have a strong ability to escape. I believe that no matter what the Scarlet family plans to do in the "Aqua Nest", you should be able to survive and escape."
"What I want you to do is enter the "Aqua Nest" as a member of the Labyrinth Raid Team, figure out the Scarlet family's plot, and then escape and tell me the truth."
"Of course, this isn't compulsory, and if you're unwilling, I won't force you... but if you're willing, I can offer you a 'reward'."
After saying this, Sheryl crossed her arms over her chest and continued to stare at Tyler with cold eyes, waiting for his response.
At this point, Tyler found it a bit difficult to look directly at Sheryl, because her posture was, well, her chest was just too... no, the room was just too cold.
Out of desperation, Tyler had to first ask Sheryl to retract her frosty aura, then open the window to let the hot air outside come in - otherwise, Tyler felt that he was going to freeze to death in this summer heat.
"Oh, I didn't realize."
Sheryl apologized in a decent manner; it seemed she didn't mean to lower the temperature to undermine Tyler's will.
After the temperature rose, Tyler's frozen brain gradually began to function again. He thought about it carefully for a moment and soon came to a conclusion.
"Lady Sheryl, what kind of reward are you planning to give me?", Tyler asked first instead of giving a direct answer.
"Depends on what you want, money, magic items... as long as it's within my ability, I can promise it to you."
Sheryl's answer didn't satisfy Tyler, he wouldn't risk his life for these common things.
"So long as it's within your ability, I can ask for anything, correct?", Tyler asked again.
And his question made Sheryl take two steps backward.
She misunderstood his intentions.
"You... you're not falling for my body, are you?"
Sheryl, who had been mostly emotionless, seemed a bit flustered.
Seeing her interesting reaction, Tyler couldn't help but want to tease her a bit.
"Lady Sheryl, I never said that, please don't overthink things."
"Who's overthinking things about you!"
Sheryl's reaction was somewhat intense, but she had plenty of experience and quickly controlled her emotions.
"Enough with this nonsense, tell me what you want as a reward."
Seeing that Sheryl was a bit unhappy, Tyler decided to stop teasing her and honestly expressed his thoughts.
"Lady Sheryl, I believe you are essentially asking for my life, so the reward I want is for you to unconditionally promise to do something for me in the future. What do you think?"
Tyler's proposition made Sheryl feel that he was asking too much. In her eyes, how could the value of this young man's life be compared to hers?
However, Sheryl really couldn't go into the "Aqua Nest" herself, because that would cause more serious problems.
"I think it's possible, but with restrictions, it can't be anything immoral."
After some consideration, Sheryl agreed to Felix's proposal. No matter what, she wanted to figure out what the Scarlet Family was planning this time.
"Alright, let's consider it settled."
Tyler extended his hand to Sheryl. She hesitated for a moment, then shook the young man's hand.
— (The restriction "immoral"... that should be enough, right?)
— (This kid should be about ten years younger than me, he can't possibly be interested in my body... right?)