Fate: No One Plays the Villain Like I Do Chapter 34 34: When Allies Meet, the Backstabbing Begins

"Are you... are you alright?"

The girl in the black hood, who had effortlessly taken down over a dozen Mad Lions, seed hesitant and didn't approach. She stopped beside the fire, head lowered, her voice soft and delicate. Her downcast eyes avoided contact, as if she were afraid of looking at anyone directly.

When the Surian traveler who had been saved climbed out of the pit and stepped forward, the girl instinctively shrank back, clearly shy. But sensing no hostility, she didn't want to be rude. She simply tensed and stayed put.

"Thanks! You really saved there, little lady!"

Samael pounded his right fist to his chest and gave a nod of sincere gratitude.

"By the way, mind telling your na? I need to rember this debt."

"Ana..."

She hesitated a mont, then whispered so softly it was barely audible. If not for the ancient snake's sharp senses, he might have thought she hadn't spoken at all.

"Ana, got it. I'll rember that!"

"The Magical Beasts are all taken care of. There shouldn't be any danger for now. Co on, sit over here."

"You saved my life—at least let do sothing to return the favor."

Samael greeted her with open warmth, and without waiting for permission, tried to gently guide her toward the fire.

But the girl remained tense and awkward, clearly unsure of what to do. Her eyes darted toward the silhouette of a dead tree in the distance, silently pleading for help.

"Oh dear, looks like I won't get to keep watching shy little Ana any longer."

With a lazy, magnetic voice, a handso man erged from the shadows—loose silver hair cascading past his shoulders, purple eyes filled with amusent and a dreamy glint. He wore a white robe trimd in violet and carried a staff.

Samael's body tensed, muscles coiling instinctively as he stared down this unexpected intruder who'd just appeared from behind the tree.

"rlin, go die!"

The purple-haired girl under the hood scowled and let out an irritated huff.

The white-haired Magus just smiled, unbothered. He took a few graceful steps forward, dipped into a polite bow, and moved with all the flair of a court noble.

"Relax, friend. I'm just a kind passerby—rlin."

"And my companion here is just a little shy. She doesn't react well to overly enthusiastic attention."

Despite his perfect speech and elegant manners, the man exuded a laid-back aura—and the smile on his face carried a detached mischief, like he'd already seen how everything would play out.

"Of course, if you still want to express your gratitude up close, this big brother wouldn't mind a bit of affection from sothing beautiful."

The white-haired Magus chuckled lightly, trying to ease the tension.

Yep. That kind of flippant line—the kind that makes you want to punch soone—could only co from him.

Hidden in the shadows, the ancient snake twitched the corner of his mouth and silently raised his guard. Against this nightmare-blooded trickster from another age, he needed to be on high alert.

Historically, the formation of the Three Goddess Alliance left Uruk besieged on all sides, with no way to defend itself. Gilgash, strong as he was, couldn't be everywhere at once.

So, to ensure Uruk's survival, he sacrificed his unmatched combat power, awakened and stabilized his magical potential, and through a secret summoning ritual, called forth seven Heroic Spirits from other worlds.

Each represented one of the seven classes that spanned the history of human Mystery: Saber, Lancer, Archer, Assassin, Rider, Caster, and Berserker.

The one who filled the Caster role was none other than rlin, the great sage from Celtic legend who raised King Arthur.

It was said that this Flower Magus carried the blood of an Incubus, and excelled not just in illusions—but deception.

In a way, Samael had t a fellow professional.

And more than that, rlin was an ally in Gilgash's grand plan—his eyes and ears on the ground.

To infiltrate Uruk's ruling circle and influence the Hero King's decisions, facing this master swindler was a trial in itself.

At that mont, Ana gave a faint nod, confirming her white-haired companion's identity. Seeing that, Samael gradually eased his visible tension and invited both of them to join him by the fire. But inside, his thoughts were racing, carefully weighing every word and action.

From the perspective of his Incubus heritage, rlin's beast quality didn't matter much.

Historically, this guy used illusions to deceive Tiamat the mont he appeared, manipulated Quetzalcoatl into betraying the Three Goddess Alliance mid-battle, and even impersonated a virtual idol in the future to con the human avatar of the legendary King Solomon.

With achievents like that, the great sage rlin's intelligence needed no further proof.

When two tricksters et—backstabbing is just part of the ga.

From the mont only the little girl Ana revealed herself while a certain Incubus half-blood hid behind a tree, peeking out, Samael had sensed sothing was off.

rlin clearly harbored suspicions toward this so-called traveler who dared to wander the wilderness alone at night.

If he didn't want to be rembered as so Surian-era relic who got outplayed by a slick-talking youth from the future, the smartest move was to stay outwardly relaxed while keeping a tight grip on his guard.

Through so casual conversation, the three exchanged introductions, and on the surface, the atmosphere seed perfectly cordial.

Sandwiched between the two, Ana cast a quiet glance at the Surian traveler Samael and the ever-smiling "kind big brother" rlin sitting on either side of her. Her small nose scrunched slightly as she sniffed the air.

She couldn't explain why, but sothing about these two chatting away gave her an oddly familiar scent.

With more experience, she might've understood what it was.

Pure... unadulterated scumbag energy.

...

While this pleasant little test of character played out around the fire, several dozen kiloters away atop a ridge, hulking, grotesque figures crept into position. Low growls and whimpers rumbled from their throats as they advanced in the shadows.

"Oh? A sector of Magical Beasts in the fan-shaped zone has gone silent?"

"Coordinates, distance, range—give details!"

A figure stood tall against the cold wind, cloaked in darkness. With a gentle motion, they brushed a Mad Lion's fla-like mane as they murmured questions.

"Grr..."

But the beasts below could only respond with confusion and barely restrained rage.

They lived for the hunt—for bloodshed and carnage. They were created to leave scars on the world, not to think.

Reason and strategy? Not in their design.

"Chasing numbers mindlessly has ruined your bloodline. What a bunch of brain-dead failures."

"No wonder it's been half a year and you still haven't breached Uruk's wall. Pathetic!"

"I honestly don't get what Mother sees in you!"

The cold, androgynous voice dripped with disdain. His deep, erald eyes narrowed, shifting toward the direction of the silent fan-shaped sector.

"Forget it. I'll go hunt down these rats myself."

In a flash, the air quaked violently as a golden stream of light tore through the night sky.

..

Back at the campfire, rlin's eyelid twitched. In one fluid motion, he shot to his feet, grabbed his staff, and shed his usual laziness in an instant.

Ana, reacting a beat later, clutched her purple scythe to her chest and whispered anxiously.

"rlin, he's coming after us again—he's fast!"

"He's coming? What are you talking abou—"

Samael blinked, puzzled, but when his gaze landed on the corpses of the Magical Beasts around them, his face shifted.

"You're telling the swarm of Magical Beasts that bypassed Babylonia's front line and gathered in Kutha... was because of you two?!"

rlin gave a weary, sidelong glance at Ana, who now stood with her head bowed in guilt. He sighed, then turned back to the Surian traveler with a strained smile that tried its best to be sincere.

"It was an accident. Do you believe ?"

...

(40 Chapters Ahead)

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