Chapter 196: Chapter 196
Wendy could barely stand.
Ron put her arm over his shoulder to support her.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine now, thank you."
Shusuke Ito looked at the three of them and clapped his hands.
"Welcome, honored guests."
Shusuke Ito didn't seem inclined to make a move.
Dominica stared at him intently.
"I've already prepared a banquet. Please, this way!"
Shusuke Ito gestured invitingly.
Unnoticed, a figure silently appeared behind Ron and Wendy.
Dominica glanced back briefly.
Then he spoke.
"Wendy, Ron, let's go."
With that, Dominica led the way in the direction Shusuke Ito had indicated.
Wendy patted Ron on the shoulder and leaned closer to whisper in his ear.
"Uncle Dominica has this under control."
Ron instinctively leaned back, startled.
The warmth of her breath on his ear felt strange, almost intimate.
Wendy seemed to realize how close she had gotten, her ears turning slightly red in embarrassment.
They were standing very near to each other now.
Ron could clearly catch the faint, pleasant fragrance of Wendy's scent—a distinctly feminine aroma.
Since coming to this world, Ron hadn't had much close contact with women.
Nina was too young; Ron couldn't feel anything other than protective toward her.
With Morena, their relationship was purely platonic.
Now, the women he had been closest to were Wendy, Shizuku, and Sally.
Shizuku had a cute, dazed demeanour and was physically the most developed in certain areas.
Sally came next, carrying the air of a warrior.
Even though Sally had lost her memory, traces of her past experiences—surviving the Republic of Gorteau and fighting with the revolutionaries—remained.
As for Wendy, her noble aura was unmistakable.
Her every gesture and word exuded elegance, not out of pretension but naturally born of her upbringing.
She wasn't a princess, but she was at least the daughter of a grand noble family from Fiora. Her background was leagues apart from that of ordinary people.
Shusuke Ito smiled as Ron, Dominica, and Wendy entered the passageway.
The corridor was clearly prepared in advance as if waiting for their arrival.
The figure from earlier followed silently behind them.
It seemed the rest of the airship's passengers had been subdued.
Before long, they reached the end of the corridor.
Shusuke Ito opened the door, revealing a lavishly decorated dining room.
Two figures were already seated at the table.
Including Shusuke Ito and the figure behind them, there were four individuals in total.
All four radiated strong auras.
In other words, the airship was a trap set up by Shusuke Ito and his allies, waiting for Ron and his team to walk into it.
Ron glanced at Dominica.
Wendy had assured Ron earlier that there was no need to worry, suggesting that Dominica was well aware of the situation and had prepared accordingly.
Shusuke Ito knew they would catch up and had laid this trap aboard the airship.
But Dominica, knowing it was a trap, believed his preparations made it irrelevant and had come aboard anyway.
Ron was curious about Dominica's plan.
After all, the four opponents before them were clearly formidable.
Roughly gauging their aura, three of them were at A-level strength, while one was at B-level.
Taris Nen users were known for their strange abilities, and they could create troublesome monsters.
The monster girl, the giant fish, and the human-head balloons they had encountered earlier hadn't posed fatal threats but had still been difficult to deal with, consuming significant amounts of aura and stamina.
As for Ron's own preparation, he had one key move up his sleeve.
He had placed Hanma Baki ahead of time.
Before boarding the airship, Baki had obtained an ability from a member of the Mad Beast group in Meteor City. By clapping his hands, he could swap positions with Ron over a vast distance.
As long as Baki followed the airship below, this ability could be activated.
The moment danger arose, Ron could have Baki use the ability to ensure their safety.
"Please, take a seat," Shusuke Ito said, sitting down himself.
He clapped his hands, and several women emerged nervously from a side passage.
They clearly weren't aligned with Shusuke Ito and were likely the airship's staff, temporarily coerced into service.
Dominica took a seat.
Ron and Wendy sat beside him at the large, long table.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Shusuke Ito, a member of the Eagle Squad."
"This is our captain, Crawford."
Shusuke Ito gestured toward a middle-aged man.
"These are our other members, Cook and Charlotte."
Ron observed the situation carefully.
Crawford, the middle-aged man, was the captain.
Cook, the bald man, was the figure who had appeared behind Ron and Wendy earlier—the lone B-level Nen user.
Charlotte was a mature woman with an exceptional figure, though her looks didn't quite match Wendy's youthful elegance.
Ron recognized these names from Shusuke Ito's contact list, though they hadn't been mentioned in recent text exchanges.
This suggested there were other squads involved.
"What is your plan?" Dominica asked.
Crawford's expression stiffened.
He narrowed his eyes at Dominica.
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