"Hmm~ here I come my fluffy and comfy sofa~"

As soon as she returned to the mansion, Claudia flung herself onto the sofa and curled up into a ball, hugging the pillow.

"Claudia looks like a little rabbit, nyaa~" Caila walked over, reaching out to pat her head. "Little rabbit, be good~"

Claudia swatted away Caila's naughty hand. "Really, Caila! I'm not a child anymore!"

"Adult also enjoys a pat on the head, nyaa~"

Caila pounced on Claudia and started ruffling her head, making messier of her already mess hair. The latter, not to be outdone, started to rub her head back in retaliation. Seeing such a warm-hearted scene in front of her, the corner of her lips curled up involuntarily.

"You guys can get a rest in the base, I'll go to the association to settle some matters." Aurora immediately left, heading to the Association.

After entering the association, she bypassed the reception area and went straight to the second floor to Henrick's room, once again opening with a kick.

Bang!

"Damn it! It's you again, wild girl! Can you stop kicking my door all the time!"

Henrick cussed in a low voice, a vein almost popped up due to anger. Didn't this girl know how to open a door properly? Was this a proper attitude for a noble lady? Lord Vidal must be blind to grant such an uncouth lady a noble title, Henrick couldn't help grumbling inwardly.

But he also felt helpless, knowing that no matter what he said, this girl wouldn't listen to him at all. She would probably continue to kick the door open in the future.

If Aurora knew of his little thought, she would definitely tell him to be more confident and remove the word "probably."

"Don't get angry too quickly, old man. You'll die sooner." Aurora sat on a chair and took out the letter she got from Jeffrey and threw it on the table. "Take a look at this first."

"What is this?"

Henrick picked up the envelope and flipped it over. The dissatisfaction and anger on his face disappeared instantly when he saw the golden mark of the Republic of Harmonia stamped on the back.

He read the letter solemnly, and after a while, he released a heavy sigh.

"Lass, it seems that what you said is really true... those assholes from Republic of Harmonia have their hand on this matter."

Henrick slowly put down the letter in his hand, opened the drawer, took out a small purse, and threw it into Aurora's hand.

Aurora frowned slightly and weighed the purse. Judging from the weight, she estimated it to be at least a dozen gold coins.

"Lass, don't frown. This is almost the limit of what I can come up with myself... And this letter you provided is very important to us. In addition to this bagful of coins, the association will give you 4 points as a reward... but..." Henrick fell silent for a while, and he looked at Aurora with scrutiny.

"I hope you can give me an explanation. The Raging Tempest Mercenary Corps' acceptance of the mission was also planned in advance by your side, I'm sure of it." Henrick tapped his fingers on the table little by little.

This old fogey was truly capable.

Seeing his reaction, Aurora immediately understood that Henrick had already noticed that something had happened to the Raging Tempest Mercenary Group that had taken over the mission, and he only wanted a reason to convince him.

Aurora took a deep breath, leaned back on the chair, and stared squarely at Henrick in front of her. When Henrick met her eyes, his body froze suddenly. A strong aura pressed against him, leaving him breathless. He felt as if he were being watched by someone stronger and more dignified than him, similar to when he met the honorable member of the royal family back then, if not stronger.

How can this be?!

Henrick swallowed hard. He couldn't understand why such a young girl would release such strong pressure. It was unbelievable!

"If the Republic of Harmonia really launches a war, Rosewood Town, which is one of the places located between the two countries, will surely be the first to bear the brunt of the war. In this situation, there's no way the garrison army can handle it on their own, and at that time, the mercenary groups under the association will surely be dispatched. Am I right, Old Man?"

Henrick nodded. If a war really started, then the mercenaries would also naturally be involved.

"Then... what should we do if we are to be stabbed in the back at that time?"

What Aurora said suddenly made Henrick fall into silence. Anyone with a discerning eye could immediately understand what Aurora was implying. She was nakedly telling Henrick that once a war broke out, the Raging Tempest would surely betray them.

"Are you so sure they will do such a thing?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm not willing to gamble with my comrades' and my own lives! As long as I think there is a threat, I will definitely find a way to nip it in the bud, instead of regretting it after it happens!" Aurora clenched her fist tightly while her eyes revealed a cold light.

Olsen's ambush that night made her realize her own weakness and arrogance. She would never repeat the same mistake again.

"…"

Henrick just stared at Aurora for a long time without saying a word. Two conflicting paths were laid in front of him.

On the one hand, although he would never admit it, he had a strange trust in what this unruly girl said. Until now, all her words had proven to be true. But on the other hand, he couldn't just let go of potential manpower just based on speculation, making a hill out of a mole. especially when the omen of war was already on the horizon.

The room turned quiet for a long time before Henrick's heavy sigh broke the silence.

"I'm afraid I can't accept this reason."

"I guess so." Aurora shrugged, knowing what kind of person Henrick was. She directly took something out of her inventory and threw it into Henrick's hands. "If you still have doubts about this, old man, just take a look at this thing." Fortunately, she had the foresight to ask Tix for a recording crystal before confronting Olsen.

Henrick looked at the thing in his hand suspiciously. "Isn't this a recording crystal?"

He used magic power to infuse the recording crystal, and a picture soon rolled through the air, which happened to be the scene of Olsen confronting Jeffrey and Aurora in the forest. As the picture progressed, Henrick's face changed, getting darker and darker as time passed.

"Asshole!" He slammed his fist on the table, roaring furiously. "Damn traitor! Damn him! Damn him!"

From the record, he watched how, even after learning about Jeffrey's identity, Olsen still decided to join hands with him to eliminate Aurora, fully knowing that such an act was nothing but treason. He didn't seem to use any necessary means to kill Aurora.

This scene completely wiped out all the hesitation left in Henrick's heart.

"I won't pursue this matter anymore." Henrick returned the recording crystal to Aurora. "But, I need your assurance that this matter will never affect other mercenary groups."

"I agree." Aurora readily agreed.

After dealing with this matter, Aurora quickly bid farewell to the brooding Henrick and left the Association. After she was gone, Henrick immediately stood up and briefly explained the matter to the people below, and then quickly got into a carriage and headed somewhere with the envelope in his bag, hoping that he wouldn't be too late.

Just as Aurora returned to the mansion, she saw Claudia running towards him with an excited expression on her face.

"Why are you so excited?"

"Captain! He's back! Blair has returned with new members!" Claudia said excitedly, pointing inside.

"Oh? That's great. I can't wait to see what kind of new members he brings us this time." Aurora hurriedly headed inside the mansion.