Chapter 383 180: "It Was Carlos Who Made Me Do It!

Just as he'd said, this all started with Sean. If Sopea died here today, he would have hated Sean for it too.

But Sean...

'Sean knew how much I resented him, yet he still wanted to get revenge for me...'

The Night Watcher lifted his head, opening his eyelids to look at Sean for the first time.

There were no eyeballs in his sockets; they were empty, like those of a dried-out skull. He couldn't see Sean, of course, but the gesture was subconscious. He wanted to take a careful, fresh look at the young man.

The Night Watcher's expression was conflicted.

It would be a lie to say he felt nothing.

In all his long years, this was the first time he'd seen someone truly repay hatred with kindness.

'Then how was I to repay such kindness?'

He wanted to ask Sopea what Sean was really thinking.

Sopea was closer to Sean; he understood him better.

He never expected, however, that Sopea would be even more emotional than he was.

Or rather, more moved.

Sopea, who was usually as stone-faced and haughty as a cold old scholar, had abandoned his typical aloofness. His old eyes were filled with tears, threatening to stream down his face as he murmured, "He really took this to heart..."

Night Watcher: "?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did you tell him about me?"

Sopea: "That's none of your concern."

Night Watcher: "?"

"You told him about my situation, and now you're telling me it's none of my concern?"

'Is there something wrong with your head, you old fool?'

"When I say it's none of your concern, I mean it. You'll know why sooner or later." Sopea's gaze remained fixed on Sean, his eyes full of gratitude and relief. "In any case..."

'This is Lord Blake.'

"This is Mr. Sean."

Night Watcher: "..."

Meanwhile, in the corner, Bofunova finally seemed to panic when she heard Sean say he wanted her eyes. She dropped her tough act.

"Sean, you can't do this!"

"When it comes down to it, there's no real deep-seated hatred between us. I never wanted your eyes."

"Don't you want to find the Gate of Hell?"

"I can take you there myself," Bofunova said urgently.

"And that's not all. You can have anything you want from me—except my eyes. That includes me."

Sean sneered. "Doesn't Miss Bofunova think a little too highly of herself?"

It was just as the Night Watcher had said: even if Bofunova stood naked before him, he wouldn't spare her a second glance.

Not wanting to give up, Bofunova asked, "Then why were you staring at my chest earlier?"

Sean replied without a change in expression, "I was checking if you had any hidden weapons."

Bofunova: "?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Sean added. "Your eyes are just to settle the score for the Night Watcher. We still haven't settled ours."

Sean hadn't forgotten that she'd sent people to ambush them at the airport, hoping to wipe them all out in one go.

Even Elise couldn't help but remark, "You have some serious double standards."

'One minute she's saying there's no deep-seated hatred, the next she's scheming against them at every turn. Anyone who didn't know better would think she had a split personality.'

Without a shred of hesitation, Bofunova threw Carlos under the bus.

"Carlos was the one who told me to go after you."

Sean: "Huh?"

'She had a partner?'

Sean genuinely hadn't expected that.

With the Witch Hunt Operation in full swing, the struggle between Wizards and Hunters was one of life and death. Each side had its own position. That was why Sean hadn't even bothered asking Bofunova for her motive. From his perspective, it was perfectly normal for a Witch Hunter Family to get a tip about prey entering their territory and send people to capture it.

And by the same token, it was just as normal for the hunter to be killed by the prey.

"So it's Carlos again."

Elise frowned. "Did we do something to offend him?"

Yisha spread her little hands. "I don't know either."

They'd never even been to Krim State.

"It probably has to do with Pulente," Sean said.

He recalled the intelligence Kate had gathered: of the two squads of assassins sent to kill Pulente that day, one of them belonged to Carlos.

Carlos wanted Pulente dead, but they had struck a deal with Pulente instead. That wasn't a development Carlos wanted to see, so he decided to eliminate them all.

"Do you have a recording?" Sean asked Bofunova.

"No, but I have the call log," Bofunova said.

'That would at least prove Carlos had actually called her.'

"Alright," Sean said. "I'll trust you this one time."

"Elise, free one of her hands."

"Yes, Master."

Elise gave a little wave of her hand, releasing the bonds on Bofunova's right.

"Now take out your phone and call Carlos," Sean said, his tone full of meaning. "I'm sure you know what to say."

Biting her red lip, Bofunova complied.

'She wasn't someone who enjoyed betraying her partners, but she really, really didn't want to die.'

'Just one month left...'

'In one month, she could return to her true family and become a revered Grand Mage. Her future was so bright; she couldn't let it end in a wretched place like this farm.'

The call connected quickly.

With an eight- or nine-hour time difference, it was still dark in Krim State.

Carlos had apparently been sleeping. Woken by the call, his voice was laced with impatience. "Miss Bofunova?"

"What is it?"

Bofunova glanced at Sean, composed herself, and said coldly, "What do you think?"

Carlos's reply sounded like his brain hadn't booted up yet. "What do I think? You're the one who called me, aren't you?"

Bofunova let out an exasperated laugh.

'Carlos had asked for her help, and she'd given it, only to end up paying the price herself.'

'Meanwhile, Carlos himself was sleeping soundly, having completely forgotten about the whole thing.'

Bofunova wanted to curse him out, but Sean stopped her with a look that said: 'Cut the crap and get to the point.'

Bofunova had no choice but to nod. Forcibly suppressing her anger, she said, "I've caught the person you asked me to get."

Carlos sounded confused. "When did I ask you to catch someone?"

Thinking Carlos was playing dumb, Bofunova answered through clenched teeth, "Sean!"

Carlos: "Sean? Who's tha— Wait!"

"Sean?!"

Hearing the name, Carlos threw off his blankets and shot upright, suddenly wide awake.

"You mean you've already caught Sean?!"

Bofunova: "That's right."

She shot a tentative glance at Sean before adding, "He's in my hands right now."

"Excellent!" Carlos was suddenly excited. "When will you be done playing with him? When can you send him over?"

Sean shook his head, signaling for Bofunova to make Carlos come to them.

Bofunova got the message. She switched to her usual lazy, seductive tone. "Done playing? I could never get enough."

"It's not every day you find a man who's this handsome and this good in bed. A lifetime wouldn't be enough."

The corner of Sean's mouth twitched.

The Eleanor Sisters struggled to suppress their smiles, unsure if they should laugh.

Carlos's voice turned cold. "What are you implying, Miss Bofunova? Are you trying to go back on our deal?"

"That's not it at all," Bofunova said. "It's just that I've grown rather fond of him. We've become quite... intimate. After all we've been through, our bond is deep. If you still want me to hand him over, the original price won't be enough."

"You'll have to pay more."

Carlos sneered. "Is this how the Kovloki Family normally does business?"

But Bofunova suddenly exploded. "You have the gall to bring up my family?"

"Do you know how many people our Kovloki Family lost to catch this Sean?"

"Even I almost died at his hands!"

"He's no Tier Three like you claimed! He's a Tier Six, and he knows Secret Techniques!"

"To do you this favor, the Kovloki Family lost at least ten billion! People are dead, the factory is gone, and even the Smell Crows we worked so hard to raise are gone! I haven't even billed you for any of that, so what's the big deal about asking for a few more truckloads of materials? Huh?!"

"Let me be perfectly clear."

"The Kovloki Family doesn't do credit. Either you bring the materials here yourself, and we make the exchange—goods for the man."

"Or, this man is mine from now on, along with everything he possesses."

"The choice is yours!"

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP...

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