Shadow Slave novel Chapter 308

Chapter 308 Handmaiden

In the aftermath of the Castle Guard's annihilation, the core members of the cohort gathered in a small room that was situated not far away from the great hall. From there, they could hear the bodies of the slain Guards being stripped of anything valuable and then dragged away to be disposed of... lest they attract the hordes of hungry Nightmare Creatures.

Just like that, the former most powerful faction of the Bright Castle was no more.

Judging by the expressions on everyone's faces, no one had been aware of the secret alliance between Nephis and the Handmaidens. Perhaps with the exception of Cassie.

But none of them dared to ask Changing Star about it.

Well, Sunny had no such problem.

Staring at their intrepid leader with a dubious expression, he said:

"So when did you start working with Seishan?"

Nephis glanced at him, then shrugged indifferently.

"Soon after you left."

A slight spark appeared in her eyes.

"Why? Are you surprised?"

Sunny remained silent for a bit, then shook his head.

"No, not really. I figured out that your spy was one of the lieutenants a long time ago. I just didn't know which one. But I thought that either your cooperation ended with Gunlaug's death, or that they double-crossed you as soon as you got rid of him for them."

Changing Star smiled darkly.

"...She wouldn't."

Sunny frowned slightly, then asked, his voice full of cold, calculating curiosity:

"So why didn't she join your faction when all of this had started? Why go to such lengths to create this charade?"

But then, he raised his hand to stop her from answering and grimaced.

"Actually, don't say anything. I can guess. If the Handmaidens joined us directly, the power of the faction would have been too immense. And that would pressure the other three lieutenants into joining forces against it instead of fighting among each other. Then, we would have really had to end things with an all-out battle, the last man standing wins. Right?"

Nephis glanced at him and nodded.

"Correct."

'Not only did the two of them prevent Tessai and Gemma from considering an alliance, but they also eviscerated the Castle Guard without losing a single follower. How… diabolical.'

Even a treacherous cheat like Sunny couldn't help but be impressed.

However, there was one problem. His frown returned, now even deeper than before.

"If memory serves, the last time we talked about your spy you said that she can never be trusted. You only trusted the information she provided. Why the change of heart? How come you were so confident that she would uphold her end of the deal?"

A pleasant, velvety voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Maybe I can explain myself."

'What the hell?!'

With a startled expression, Sunny turned around and saw the beautiful woman standing right in front of him. Up close, she was even more striking, with her strange grey skin seemingly shining softly in the sunlight.

'How did she get so close without alerting neither me nor my shadow?'