Elizabeth dropped her jaw as she saw Hugo standing besides Klaus. The man she believed would not betray her was actually setting her up.
"Hugo, why are you doing this to me?" Elizabeth was furious. Her tone was low, but the hatred rang out in every word.
Hugo did not answer, only showing a poker face with a cold gaze. There was not a trace of remorse on his eyes.
The crowd began to create noise. They wondered who was the right one here. If it was between Klaus and Elizabeth, they might be able to determine who it was
But now, two major figures were facing off with different testimonies. Their credibility was equally unquestionable.
Not only were ordinary people confused, the awakeners were too. They knew that Elizabeth was making things up. And the funny thing was, most of them had no idea that the alpha was actually a dragon.
As people twisted their faces in confusion, Klaus grinned triumphantly.
It was time for him to destroy her in public. However, he wasn't the one to do it.
Hugo took a step forward, facing the crowd with firmness on his face.
"I know you're wondering who's actually telling the truth. But I swear on my mother's name and Sunstrike, that Klaus is not lying. He is telling the truth that—"
"Nonsense!" Elizabeth immediately interrupted.
"It's not nonsense. You didn't go inside the dungeon. You were just guarding outside, making sure none of the ships were damaged from the triton attack. You don't know what really happened."
Elizabeth bit her lip. Anxiety began to take over her mind. Her hands clenched into fists, she had to prove herself right.
She turned her head towards the crowd and her eyes began to search. Then, she spotted a group of awakeners in red clothes.
"Hey, you! Come here!"
Three men looked confused as Elizabeth called out to them. They looked reluctant, but they had already received dirty money from her. Like it or not, they went up to the stage despite the hesitation painted on their faces.
"Hey, tell them what actually happened. About we went into the dungeon, and defeated the wyrm," said Elizabeth. Cold sweat rolled down her forehead.
The three awakeners frowned. They weren't sure what to say.
"Y-yes. That-that's right!" Said one of them. His speech sounded stuttered. "We fought together. Boss and Miss Elizabeth, they fought together on the front lines, against the wyrm. Hehe."
Hugo squinted. "You mean I wasn't there?"
"Yes."
"But she said the three of us fought together. Why are your statement with her different?"
"Eh?" The man was startled, realizing he'd made a mistake.
Elizabeth could not help but bury her face with her hands. "Moron," she muttered.
She quickly pushed the man away from the stage.
"That man is confused. She was exposed to wyrm's poison. So his memory is a little fuzzy," Elizabeth excused.
Klaus laughed. "What a bullshit. She's obviously lying for your sake."
"Shut up!" Elizabeth snapped. Her voice was so loud that it echoed throughout the harbor. Everyone could hear her.
They whispered, creating a noise that was even louder than before. People started to get suspicious of her.
And Elizabeth bit her lip in panic. Taking a deep breath, she tried to remain calm. Then, one of her eyebrows raised. A cunning idea crossed her mind.
"I don't understand why you made up a lie, Hugo. Why are you defending that little brad? Maybe, you're doing this because of that dragon heart, huh? If that's what you want, I can give you more."
"Ah, you weren't sure you could win, so you tried to bribe him," Klaus quipped. He then shook his head.
Elizabeth gritted her teeth.
Hugo sighed. "I didn't do it for anything."
"Nonsense. There are no dragons in that dungeon. And I'm sure you didn't see it. You're defending person who make up stories. Let's see, how many people are willing to testify to you? Ten? Twenty? Thirty? I have over three hundred people who will testify against you!"
"You mean hundreds of people like that guy. He really doesn't sound like he knows what he's talking about. Let's stop this, Elizabeth. You're just going to embarrass yourself."
"You—!"
Elizabeth fell silent. She was at a loss for words. At the same time, her ears could hear the whispers of those who doubted her.I think you should take a look at
The blonde woman bit her lip. She realized she had just made a blunder.
Growling in anger, Elizabeth stared deeply at Hugo.
"How much did that boy pay you? Making you dare to stab me in the back, Hugo. I thought we were on the same side."
"He didn't pay me a dime. Instead, I wonder how much money you spend to bribe Vincent's men to get them on your side?"
Elizabeth hissed. "You know, your actions will not only put me down. But also Vincent. Do you know the consequences?"
"I know. And I'm also curious. How would Vincent react if he knew you were using his name for your own purposes? Stop projecting yourself on others."
Elizabeth did not answer. Just stared at the man before her with her hands clenched into fists.
And then, she stepped off the stage. Sneers along with disgusted stares assailed her as she made her way through the crowd.
Thus, it was Klaus' victory.
"I wonder where she'll hide her face," Klaus muttered.
And then, Hugo invited Klaus to speak to the crowd.
With his voice echoing from the speakers, Klaus told the chronology of the story. Starting from how they departed from the dungeon to enter the castle. He explained everything in detail, including how Vincent killed all his men. People were completely shocked when they learned that horrible fact.
But above all, Klaus told them how they—Klaus, Hugo, and Noah—could defeat the dungeon lord, the dragon.
Of course, it was made up story. He said that it was Noah who found the Dragon's lair, and Klaus told this news to Hugo. While the awakeners were busy dealing with Vincent and the wyrm, the three of them slipped away and faced the dragon alone. In order not to sound like a coward, Klaus said that the cause of Vincent's loss of control was the dragon. It had illusory abilities that could obscure humans' mind.
People seemed skeptical of his story. But Klaus did not care anyway. The main goal was not to make them believe, but to get the media to cover him. Thus, the world would know who Rays of Hope was.
The Port of Miami was witness to the fact that a wrapped lie can defeat a lie. This raid was not just about conquering the dungeon, but also taking advantage of circumstances for personal gain.
After the feud, they still continued the welcome ceremony with music and dancing. The mayor had poured a lot of money into this event, so he didn't stop it even if they heard unpleasant stories.
At the same time, the awakeners left the harbor. Some went home, some went to the hospital for treatment.
The Rays of Hope members could be seen gathering in the parking lot. They were ready to go home, but they were still waiting for the boss.
"What are they talking about?" muttered Sylvia. The red-haired woman laid her eyes on the three men who were talking, about 500 yards away from where she stood.
"Who knows," said Akio. "I'm curious, too. Three people who I originally thought would be eternal enemies, it turns out they're in an allied relationship. Doesn't that, well, sound strange."
Sylvia did not answer. She had her own thought.
Meanwhile, the three men they were talking about were in serious conversation.
"Hugo Musgrove. You're really amazing, man. Finally that haughty bitch knows her place." Noah laughed loudly while patting Hugo on the shoulder.
Hugo put down Noah's hand. "Elizabeth just happened to let her guard down. She thought I was on her side, after everything we've been through."
"It must have been a tough decision," Klaus said. "You destroyed a strong relationship for our sake."
"Not really. I only did it for myself. I've always helped her because she returned the favor. But the more I helped her, the more she out of control. I'm afraid, if one day she falls, she'll drag me down with her." Hugo smiled slyly. "After all, if there is a very favorable deal in front of me, I won't miss it."
Klaus smirked. "Yeah, you made the right decision."
After Klaus defeated the dragon, he convinced Noah to continue with their plan. To steal credits from the leaders of Sunstrike, Morning Star, and Oathkeeper.
These people were greedy. For the sake of personal gain, they were willing to do anything. Because that was how the Five Pillars guilds had gotten to where they were now. If the alpha died on its own, they would definitely claim that they were the ones who killed it.
When the rest of the world had their eyes on them, Klaus would show up and claim their success, just like he did with Elizabeth. Whether it worked or not, public sentiment on them would decline and the names Rays of Hope and Sons of Thor would soar.
They waited inside the dungeon, until the last minute. The goal was for the three leaders of the Five Pillars guild to leave first. However, Hugo still stayed inside the ship. Noah suggested to Klaus to include Hugo in the plan.
And apparently, Hugo agreed with it. Of course, with conditions.
Hugo reached out to Klaus. "Sunstrike is waiting for the supply from Mors Industries. I hope you can speed up the process."
Klaus smiled and shook his hand. "Of course."
After that, the three big boss parted ways.
