Chapter 508: Wanda's Feelings

Yuka’s reasoning sounded convincing enough, and Kouhei couldn’t immediately find a flaw in it. Having another faction to rely on during a potential war would undoubtedly be beneficial, particularly when the other candidates could become enemies at any moment. If they managed to establish a proper alliance, they would have a better chance of protecting their respective forces and responding to any threats that came their way.

Still, the situation wasn’t quite as simple as Yuka made it sound.

“If we want to survive a war like this, I believe cooperating with one another would be greatly beneficial for both of us,” Yuka continued. “At the very least, if we join forces, we won’t have to worry about each other suddenly trying to kill the other, wouldn’t you agree? We would have someone we could rely on, and that alone would put us in a better position than we are right now.”

That part was certainly true, Kouhei supposed, since having an ally among the Demon Lord candidates could prove useful when things eventually became more dangerous. If they could establish a relationship in which neither side had to constantly worry about being attacked by the other, they would have more room to focus on their actual enemies rather than wasting resources preparing for a possible betrayal.

Unfortunately, there was still one problem he couldn’t simply overlook, regardless of how reasonable her proposal sounded.

How much could he actually trust Yuka?

Although she had helped him and his faction on several occasions, that didn’t necessarily mean she was someone he could afford to trust completely. Her previous actions had been beneficial to them, and he couldn’t deny that she had provided assistance when they needed it. Even so, Kouhei couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something about her that he hadn’t quite figured out yet.

She was helpful, certainly, but that didn’t automatically make her trustworthy. In fact, someone who knew how to be helpful at the right moments could sometimes be even more difficult to judge, especially when their intentions weren’t entirely clear.

For all he knew, Yuka might eventually stab him in the back when he least expected it. The worst part was that such a betrayal would probably happen only after he had grown comfortable enough around her to lower his guard. If she was genuinely planning something against him, then earning his trust first would make her job considerably easier.

The thought irritated him more than he wanted to admit. He didn’t particularly enjoy looking at every person around him as a potential enemy, but his position didn’t exactly allow him to be careless either. Trusting the wrong person could cost him far more than a few resources, and he couldn’t afford to make that kind of mistake simply because someone had offered him a seemingly reasonable deal.

Yuuna had already warned him to be careful around other people, and Kouhei had gradually learned to take her advice seriously. He understood that the people most likely to betray him weren’t necessarily those who openly declared themselves his enemies, but those who managed to earn his confidence before turning against him.

After all, someone who openly opposed him was relatively easy to watch out for. He knew where they stood, what they wanted, and what he needed to do to protect himself against them. Someone who had gained his trust, however, could cause far more damage if they decided to betray him at the right moment.

“You don’t trust me, do you?” Yuka suddenly asked, apparently picking up on his thoughts from the expression on his face.

Kouhei raised his eyes toward her, momentarily wondering just how much she had managed to figure out. He hadn’t said anything particularly revealing, yet she had somehow managed to identify the main reason he was hesitating. Either she was unusually perceptive, or he simply wasn’t doing a very good job of hiding his doubts.

Considering the way she was looking at him, he suspected it was probably a combination of both.

“Well, you did bring this up rather suddenly, Sano-san,” Kouhei replied honestly. “And considering our current relationship, I don’t think I can say that I completely trust you just yet. You’ve helped us before, and I appreciate that, but agreeing to merge our forces is a different matter altogether. I can’t make a decision like this without thinking about the risks involved.”

“That’s fair,” Yuka replied, accepting his answer without appearing particularly offended. “I wouldn’t expect you to agree to something this significant without giving it some thought. Honestly, I’d be more concerned if you accepted my proposal immediately without asking yourself whether it was a good idea.”

Her response left Kouhei with little to say, since he couldn’t exactly argue with that point.

Yuka smiled at him again, maintaining the same calm and composed expression she had worn throughout their conversation. She didn’t seem particularly bothered by his hesitation, nor did she appear interested in forcing him to make an immediate decision. Instead, she seemed perfectly content to leave the matter open while allowing him to consider what she had proposed.

“Still, I’ll let you think about my proposal for a while, Kouhei-sama,” she said. “There’s no need to give me an answer right now, especially when you’re preparing to leave the country this weekend. Take your time and consider what this arrangement could mean for both of our factions before deciding whether you want to proceed.”

She leaned forward slightly, looking directly at him with a pleasant smile.

“However, I genuinely believe that establishing a good relationship with me would benefit both of us in the long run. We don’t necessarily have to trust each other completely from the beginning, but if we’re willing to cooperate and gradually build that trust, I think we could accomplish far more together than we would by treating each other as potential enemies.”

***

Days passed.

Kouhei had returned to Italy to meet up with Petra and Aegis, although this time, he wasn’t traveling alone because Hina had insisted on coming along with him. He hadn’t particularly minded having her accompany him, but considering the people they were about to meet, he had a feeling that her presence might make things a little more complicated than they needed to be.

Wanda had already arrived at the place where she was supposed to meet them, which happened to be the same hotel they had stayed at during their previous visit to Italy while searching for Yui. Kouhei and Hina were waiting outside the hotel when Wanda finally pulled up in her car, apparently ready to take them straight to Petra’s mansion.

“Please, get in, Lord Kouhei and Madam Hina,” Wanda said politely, opening the car door for them with the respectful attitude expected of someone in her position.

Although her words were perfectly courteous, there was something about her tone that made Kouhei feel as though she wasn’t particularly happy to see them, especially him. She was doing her best to maintain a professional attitude, but the faint hostility behind her otherwise polite expression was difficult to overlook.

Kouhei couldn’t really blame her for feeling that way, though, considering what he had recently learned about her relationship with Petra.

During his previous visit to Petra’s mansion, he had unexpectedly walked in on the two women kissing, which had certainly been an interesting discovery. He still had no clear idea what their relationship actually involved, but judging from how comfortable they seemed with each other, it was obvious that they shared a bond considerably closer than an ordinary friendship.

At the time, Kouhei hadn’t known what to make of the situation, so he had decided not to interfere with whatever was going on between them. However, now that he had a better understanding of their circumstances, he couldn’t help wondering whether Wanda’s apparent dislike of him had something to do with Petra.

After all, he was having sex with Petra despite the fact that their relationship wasn’t necessarily built around romantic love, at least not in the conventional sense. Whatever arrangement they had between them, it was clear that their physical relationship had continued long enough to become a familiar part of their lives.

Considering how close Wanda seemed to be to Petra, it wasn’t particularly difficult to understand why she might resent him for that.

Well, he had more important things to deal with during this visit, and getting himself involved in someone else’s romantic situation was hardly going to make his life any easier.

After a short drive, they finally arrived at Petra’s mansion, which was just as enormous and impressive as Kouhei remembered from his previous visit. The place practically screamed wealth from every corner, and he couldn’t help wondering how much money Petra actually had to spend to maintain a property of that size.

The moment their car approached the entrance, the massive gates opened automatically, allowing Wanda to drive through without needing to stop and get out. She continued along the driveway until they reached the mansion itself, where she brought the car to a smooth stop before getting out to let her passengers leave.