Chapter 1320 Poison
"Good evening, Mr. Mark." The Poison Princess politely greeted him.
"Good evening." Theo greeted her, but his tone wasn't as warm as he treated the people from the Empress' Palace. It was clear that Theo showed his discontent with how the princess handled the matter before.
The Poison Princess smiled awkwardly as she never expected that everything would turn this way. She thought without Joker, the entire group would be doomed. Yet, they proved it wrong.
But she couldn't cry over spilled milk. She thought of a way to lessen the situation and said, "I wonder if you're free tonight.. I'd like to talk to you privately."
This invitation was surprising. On the one hand, the Poison Princess had no need to talk to him politely. Her father alone was definitely someone the Star Group didn't want to be an enemy. That was also why they agreed to this request since the Poison Princess and the Poison King would promise them that they would never harm these groups.
Yet, the Poison Princess still asked him. It was clear there was something behind Theo and his group. Whether she was interested in Mark personally, Joker, or the three Mythical Rank Experts behind him, the Poison Princess asked Theo to go with her alone.
Still, that didn't change the fact that the Star Group was the only influence that didn't have an expert among the one hundred strongest people in the world. So, they couldn't see any reasons why the Poison Princess approached Theo like this.
After all, the Empress or the World Martial Institute's dean was also among the top one hundred experts, though they were lower in rank compared to the Poison King. Nonetheless, it would be normal if the Poison Princess actually approached either influence first instead of the Star Group.
".." Mark looked at the Poison Princess for a moment before accepting her invitation. "Sure. I'd love to."
"!!!" If he was still the same person as he was back then, Theo would obviously reject the invitation because of the clash between the two. So, it was strange to see Theo suddenly accept the proposal.
"Great." The Poison Princess smiled sweetly and extended her hand. "Please."
Theo nodded with a serious expression as the two walked away, disappearing into the darkness. Even the guards that the princess brought helped them block everyone's vision, making it not suspicious.
"What's going on?"
"Did the princess just invite him to a small date?"
Everyone wanted to know why the two walked away and why the guards blocked them since someone with such a status wouldn't even think about Mark of the Star Group since the latter didn't have much influence.
Meanwhile, Theo and the Poison Princess walked into the woods nonchalantly. The princess even started humming while Theo remained silent.
Suddenly, she asked, "What do you think of me, Mark? Am I pretty?"
"Yes, you are pretty," Theo answered without hesitation.
"What do you think of me? Do you hate me for not taking your side in the argument a few days ago?"
"Yes."historical
"I want you to forgive me."
"I understand. I'll forgive you." The Poison Princess smirked and approached Theo while saying, "You're interesting.. very interesting. What do you think about Joker? Is he strong? Stronger than a Mythical Rank Expert?"
"Yes."
"Hoh? If he's with us today, how do you think the situation will revolve? No, how about the conflict from a few days ago? How do you think he would handle the situation?"
"He would do something about it and force the World Martial Institute to apologize. If not, there's a chance that the stability of the institute itself will be shaken greatly."
"You must be exaggerating. There's no way such a person can do something like that, especially a Supreme Rank Expert." The Poison Princess squinted her eyes.
"No, Joker has the ability to do it."
".." The Poison Princess fell silent for a moment and said, "I want you to be my spy in the Star Group!"
Mark politely bowed his head as if accepting her order.
"Good. From now on, I'll protect you. I'll make sure you stay alive no matter what happens. When you go back to the Star Group, I want you to pay close attention to Joker and tell me everything about him."
"I understand." Theo nodded.
"Good. This is indeed a good expedition. To think I'd gain another slave." The Poison Princess smirked and muttered, "Anyway, I want you to believe in me no matter what happens in a few days. I'll make sure you're alive!"
"Thank you." Theo politely nodded.
"Great. For now, go back to your group and continue to act like usual. Make sure that they don't get too suspicious about your current condition. Even if I order you something, don't immediately accept it to show that we're not in the same group for the time being." The Poison Princess smirked before walking away.
She was the first to leave as Theo saw her off first since he needed to go back later than her.
Unbeknownst to her, Theo was never her slave.
He recalled what happened to him earlier when the Poison Princess talked to him.
'Hmm? It seems that something is infecting my will.. it's as if I need to follow her..' Theo thought. As someone who had been fighting against his other self from other universes, Theo could easily know that he was influenced by something.
'It seems there is a poison that can affect one's will.. At first, I thought the poison could only harm the body, but it seems there are many kinds of poison. I guess it's to be expected from the Poison Princess.'
Even without dispelling the force, Theo was still awake from this poison. And his guess was proven when the Poison Princess asked him whether he was beautiful or not.
So, he just made her think he was under her influence and followed her commands. But when she returned, Theo used the Underworld Body from the Death Avatar to erase the toxin from his body.
'Well, this kind of poison is useless even without the Death Avatar since the influence of my other self from other universes is far stronger than the poison. It seems that my suspicion is correct.. Since you're planning to play it like this, I'm going to use you too.' Theo smirked, planning something evil in his mind.
And the next morning, the expedition would meet their first huge problem.