Hearing this, Elsa's eyes suddenly dropped, her long lashes veiling the surging emotions within.
She remained silent, her lips pressed thin; much of her previous lazy, manic demeanor faded, leaving only a quiet, focused contemplation.
"The White Whale..."
She murmured those two words under her breath, a trace of imperceptible excitement lingering in her tone.
"I see. No wonder supplies on the market have been ridiculously scarce lately. So someone is planning to move against that legendary mabeast?"
Because of the existence of the Cursed Doll, she had always lived her life as if separated from the world by a thin veil.
It was difficult to grasp a true sense of life; she felt muddled, like a wandering empty shell.
Only when she sliced open a prey's warm abdomen and gripped those pulsing intestines with her fingertips—feeling the scalding sensation spread from her hands to her entire body—could she truly feel alive.
And the White Whale, that was a familiar of the Witch of Gluttony, one of the world's top mabeasts.
Its guts would surely be hotter and more vivid than any prey she had ever known.
"That is indeed a tempting offer."
Elsa pressed a finger against her red lips, exuding a seductive charm.
"However, I am quite devoted. By comparison, Green-kun's intestines excite me much more..."
The casual smile on Grin's face instantly froze. He couldn't keep his composure for even half a second, his eyes screaming that this was absurd.
"Fine, fine, fine..."
Grin nodded repeatedly and, with a look of utter helplessness, lifted the clothes covering his stomach.
"Come on then, I'll give you the chance. One slice of the knife, and my guts are yours."
Elsa flicked her tongue out, quickly licking her lips. Her body arched slightly, her right hand gripping her Kukri in a reverse hold.
"Arigato... Then, I shall dig in."
"Wait... no, I haven't even started the countdown yet!"
As soon as Grin finished speaking, he saw Elsa launch herself toward him like an agile leopard.
She certainly didn't waste any opportunities.
Whatever, it's not like I'll die anyway.
Grin closed his eyes, and the Blessing of the Forest activated in response. The surrounding vegetation began to move despite the lack of wind.
Specks of shimmering green light drifted from the leaves, all converging toward him.
Chii—
A very faint sliding sound was heard.
Grin only felt a slight chill on his stomach; the expected pain did not come.
A very soft brushing sound passed by his ear.
Grin felt a wave of coolness across his midsection, but the anticipated agony was nowhere to be found.
He opened his eyes slightly to see that what was pressed against his abdomen wasn't a cold blade, but Elsa's soft fingertips.
"Green-kun's physique is unexpectedly good~"
Elsa's fingertips traced over Grin's firm abdominal muscles. Her movements were gentle to the point of teasing, carrying a lingering ambiguity.
"Ara~ This is the first time someone has ever offered their guts for me to cut. I've truly met a kind person."
Startled, Grin lunged back several steps to create distance. He clutched his chest tightly, his face full of disgust.
"I think I've met a psycho... Are you going to cut me or not?"
Elsa brought the Fingers that had touched his abdomen to her lips and gave them a shallow lick, as if taking a preliminary taste.
Her red lips curved into a soul-stirring smile. While a fanatical desire still burned in her eyes, there was now a touch of playful composure.
"Let's save it as part of the reward. I've always liked to save the most delicious dessert for last, to be savored slowly. Now, tell me about your plans for the White Whale."
The man before her had once squeezed her intestines out through her mouth. Every time she recalled that scene, her heart raced.
Grin then briefly outlined his thoughts to Elsa.
He wanted her and Meli to take a vacation in the Royal Capital and wait for his orders.
By taking control of these two assassins first, he could prevent Roswaal from causing more trouble.
Furthermore, if the White Whale was killed, those lunatics from the Witch Cult would likely appear. When that time came, the more combat power he had available, the better.
Meli poked her head out from behind Elsa and said with some concern, "Elsa, the target is the White Whale. Can we really win?"
Elsa raised her hand to wipe the cream off Meli's cheek.
"If he truly brings down the White Whale, wouldn't that further prove he can protect you from 'Mother's' reckoning?"
Meli realized that the White Whale hunt wasn't just about Elsa's obsession with giant intestines.
It was also a test Elsa was setting for Grin. She was very curious to see how far this man, who didn't fear the assassin organization, could actually go.
"Let's leave it at that for now. For the next few days, you two should just relax."
Grin turned and walked toward the door.
Just as he stepped out, he saw a middle-aged woman walking hurriedly toward him.
Grin retreated half a step, dumbfounded.
Holy crap, is this auntie that fierce? Coming downstairs to confront me directly?
Seeing Grin, the woman sped up even more, shouting with a look of worry on her face:
"Oh my heavens, did you break the door?! Talk things through first, you must never hit a child!"
"No, I was just using a small stick to teach her a lesson, I didn't use any force at all."
Grin's mouth twitched; he found it a bit difficult to extricate himself now.
The woman was dressed simply and wore wooden slippers. From her face, though she wasn't sallow from hunger, she looked somewhat thin.
The woman grabbed Grin's wrist and pulled him to the side.
"Young man, I couldn't see clearly from upstairs just now. Looking at your outfit, you're probably not from around here, are you?"
Before Grin could answer, the woman had already brainstormed an entire narrative for the situation.
"I understand. That poor woman must be a mistress you're keeping here. You rich people are really something else, keeping a mistress but not even buying her a decent house."
"She gave you a child, you know! I saw just now, it looked like a daughter. And here you are, dead drunk and hitting them!"
Having said that, the woman sniffed the air, her expression turning puzzled.
"Wait, why is there no smell of alcohol?"
"This is absolutely ridiculous, what on earth are you talking about? This is a misunderstanding. Let go first, Auntie, I have urgent business to attend to!"
Grin was dizzy from the woman's rapid-fire verbal assault; all he wanted was to break free and run.
"What are you all arguing about?"
Meli, hearing the noise, curiously walked out of the room.
When the woman saw Meli covered in bandages, her eyes almost spat fire.
"You absolute scumbag! You actually beat the child into this state!"
She backed away a few steps, picked up a wooden board from the ground for self-defense, and began shouting loudly for help from her old friends.
"Martha! Rossi! Come out and help me quickly! We must teach this bastard a lesson today!"
Oil lamps lit up in several nearby rooms in response, and replies came immediately.
"I've had enough too! Only last year a woman was beaten to death by her drunk husband. We cannot let this happen again today!"
"Wait for me, see if I don't poke him to death with a shovel!"
"Are you people insane?!" Grin guiltily backed away from the woman and called out to Elsa inside for help.
"Elsa, come out and help me explain!"
As soon as he spoke, Elsa walked out slowly, wrapped in a black robe that completely concealed her fine figure.
The cold-blooded killer actually acted like a housewife who had suffered immense grievances.
She crouched down trembling and pulled Meli into her arms, tears welling in her eyes.
She looked exactly like a Mother and daughter sharing a hard life.
"Kind grandmas, please don't make things difficult for my husband. Otherwise, if his real wife finds out, we will surely be killed."