God of Tricksters

"So, we're going to escort this princess?" Ruth looked at the photo of the Poison Princess. "Can't her father just escort her himself? He is supposed to be a great man, right?"

"If you look at this mission, it's said that the Poison King is preparing for a ritual to baptize the Poison Princess. It's said that after this, the Poison Princess will have the body of poison that accumulates one thousand poisons." Ryo pointed at the explanation in the report.

"That's true, but why can't he just go together with her and do the ritual without anyone knowing? Won't it be safer that way? It's rather suspicious." Ruth shook her head, denying the information.

"Well, there is a chance that he wants to take advantage of us to guard him during the baptism. I think it'll attract the monster since it's stated that we need to stay for a few hours after escorting the princess." Ergene also read about the information while furrowing her eyebrows. She also felt suspicious about the whole mission, but it certainly brought great attention to everyone in the world.

"This is not a joke. There are many holes in the argument here." Ruth was truly skeptical about the mission. After all, she was an elite assassin. She was there to kill people, so she had learned how to find a hole in the documents since it would impact her success rate tremendously.

"Still, he has accepted the mission." Ergene glanced at Theo. The latter should have realized that the mission reeked of schemes, yet, he still participated in this mission. It was clear that he was planning something.

"These are my friends." Theo showed them three people among the participants.

"Huh?" Ryo and Ruth widened their eyes as they stared at Theo dumbfoundedly. Ryo hadn't been told the truth while Ruth had just joined the group, so they weren't aware of Theo's real identity.

When they saw these people, they instantly recognized them since they managed to shake the world a few years ago.

And the one that could lead them and fool everyone was their leader, Theodore Griffith. In other words, Joker was Theodore Griffith, who should have died a few years ago.

Ergene maintained her calm since she was already aware of Theo's identity, but to everyone's surprise, Ruth also remained calm.

"I see. So, that's how it is." Ruth stared at Theo and asked, "Are you planning to deal with the Griffith Family in the future?"

"Yes. And it won't be too long." Theo admitted without hesitation.

Getting into this sort of trouble would make Ruth fall into a deeper scheme where she couldn't leave the group. However, it was surprising that Theo was actually open about this.

"I don't understand. If you didn't tell me anything about it, I would have fought against the Griffith Family and got chased by them for the rest of my life because of my connection with you. This is where I'm supposed to draw the line with you. So, I don't understand why you actually told me about this." Ruth frowned. "What are you planning?"

"I am not planning anything. If I want to gain your cooperation, you need to know about it sooner or later. I'm planning to tell Chris and Coline sooner or later, so yeah…" Theo shrugged.

"Chris and Coline? Does that mean the others have known about this?"

"Other than Walker, who doesn't need to know, and Millie, who won't even be in combat… Yes."

"But you…" Ruth bit his lips and asked, "No. Please answer this question. What is your goal? Are you planning to destroy the Griffith Family?"

"The Griffith Family is the end and the beginning," Theo answered mysteriously.

"The end and the beginning? I can't understand. Do you think I will follow someone who is trying to kill himself?"

"The end for my conflict with the Griffith Family as well as the beginning of my true journey," Theo smirked.

"Your true journey?"

"What do you think about the top ten experts in the world?" Theo asked.

"They're strong. Even with this power, I don't think I can be compared to them."

"But what if I told you that they are just the start of my journey and becoming the number one expert is not my goal?"

"Huh?" Ruth dropped her jaw. She wanted to say something, but the words stuck in her throat.

Ergene closed her eyes as she was already aware of Theo's goal. The one that only she and Theo knew. A goal that was beyond everyone's imagination.

"Well, I'll stop here. If you decide to distance yourself, I don't mind. But I need to keep you with me for a while to make sure that you don't tell anyone about that power." Theo looked at Ruth with a sad smile.

However, Ruth asked one last question. "I want to know this one thing. How confident are you in destroying the Griffith Family?"

"Zero percent. The Griffith Family won't be destroyed. However, the future Griffith Family won't go against me since it'll go under a huge reform," Theo answered.

"…" Ruth never expected that Theo would answer it this way. If he told him one hundred percent, she would be impressed because Theo's achievement made her think it was possible. Yet, Theo's answer was in the form of an explanation, showing her that he didn't plan to make a false claim.

Trust. It was the fundamental of a relationship. That was why Theo didn't lie to her… or so she thought. She was simply unaware that Theo couldn't lie.

"If you keep guiding me to become a top ten expert or anywhere near that position, I'll follow you," Ruth added a condition.

"Sure." Theo closed his eyes. "Though, it'll also depend on your talent."

"Hmph. You shouldn't have said the last part, but… thank you for not lying. As someone who is working in the shadows, deception, lies, and schemes were common. That's why I'm going to follow you for now because of your honesty." Ruth finally decided.

'For now, eh?' Theo thought but didn't comment. He already expected this kind of answer, so he turned to Ryo, who hadn't spoken anything this whole time.

"If you're already this strong, do you even need me to be your shield?" Ryo asked.

"Yes. That will never change, Ryo. You'll always be my shield. Protecting me doesn't mean you're standing in front of me with your shield."

"…" Ryo closed his eyes for a moment as if he fell into deep thought. However, he soon opened his eyes and said, "I don't have anything other than my shield."

"No. You have everything, including the ability to harm people."

"I have promised not to injure other people anymore."

"I didn't say that by injuring people, you could harm them. But if you protect me and everything around me, can't you say that it can also harm people?"

Ryo fell silent for a moment before lowering his head. "I shall serve as your shield. If you think I can't protect anyone anymore, don't hesitate to throw me away."

"You shall be my shield, and it won't change. I promise." Theo smiled.