Chapter 16: The Test of Raven

"I'm not afraid to tell you, Yuka is in a very safe place, and it won't matter even if you find her."

Finding the woman too bothersome, Kiba was blunt. In his opinion, with Raven around, Yuka's safety was guaranteed. Since even a powerful Orphnoch like Eiichi Toda was instantly killed, he figured Smart Brain couldn't do much against Raven.

"A very safe place?"

Smart Lady nodded thoughtfully, not pressing the issue further. It was as if she had already found some answers.

She had investigated the death of Eiichi Toda and found the circumstances strange. Although President Murakami had immediately assumed Faiz was responsible, her subsequent inquiry showed that the Faiz Driver had remained stationary in one location that entire day, quite far from where Toda died.

Therefore, the one who killed Eiichi Toda was someone else entirely. The culprit was very likely an Orphnoch, one who was skillfully hidden from their detection.

Realizing this, Smart Lady became very intrigued. She wondered what this mysterious and powerful Orphnoch looked like.

Before leaving, she didn't forget to flirt with Kiba, saying, "Onee-chan will be waiting for you to change your mind, Yuji."

Kiba sighed in relief once she finally left. He knew that with Smart Brain's resources, it was only a matter of time before Yuka's whereabouts were discovered. Despite his confidence in Raven's strength, he felt it was necessary to give them a warning.

So, Kiba sent a text message to Yuka's phone.

Unbeknownst to him, this text message was being monitored by Smart Lady.

As she got into her car in the apartment's underground garage, she opened the Smart Brain handheld terminal and quickly locked onto a location.

A wicked, charming smile appeared on her face.

She drove out of the parking lot and made a phone call, planning to send a couple of Orphnochs to that location to test Raven's strength.

Meanwhile, Kiba, still unaware he was being monitored, struggled out of the room on his not-fully-recovered body. He intended to go look for Kaido.

Having lived together for the past few days, they had come to know each other a little. Kiba realized that although Kaido spoke of attacking humans, deep down, he still held onto his human heart. Kiba was determined to prevent Kaido from doing anything foolish, stopping him from sinking any deeper.

....

On the other side.

After receiving Kiba's message, Yuka immediately told Raven.

"What should we do, Mr. Raven? It seems Smart Brain is looking for me," Yuka's face was full of worry. She was terrified that she would get Raven into trouble.

"It's fine. Let them come. It saves me the trouble of hunting them down myself." Raven was enthusiastically devouring the steak and boiled eggs Yuka had just prepared for him.

While others ate three meals a day, Raven had to eat as soon as he felt hungry. This was with the golden armband already on his arm. If the armband were gone, Raven's appetite would be even more ravenous. This was a side effect of becoming an Amazon Origin.

"Phew... I'm finally full." After swallowing several pieces of steak in a few bites, Raven felt his appetite decrease slightly.

To be honest, an Amazon isn't just interested in protein; they also need a sense of satiety. Otherwise, he could just mix protein powder with water, which would be simpler and less hassle. But while that would provide the necessary protein, the feeling of hunger would remain. The Amazon instinct preferred meat. And if he had to prioritize, human flesh would rank above beef, pork, and eggs...

Seeing Raven eat so happily, Yuka smiled sweetly and began clearing the table, looking every bit like a devoted wife in a domestic setting.

"Hey, is the boss here? Get me an Iced Latte."

Just then, two tall figures walked into the Café. One was bald, and the other had a mohawk haircut.

"Coming right up," Raven snapped to attention when guests arrived and started brewing the coffee.

After sitting down, the bald man whispered, "We don't see the girl here. Did Smart Lady get it wrong?"

"Don't worry. We can ask someone later." With that, the man with the mohawk unsettlingly licked his lips and grinned wickedly.

Both men were Orphnochs who operated in the area and were summoned by Smart Lady to look for Yuka Osada.

What they didn't know was that they were being used as cannon fodder to test Raven's strength.

And every word of their hushed conversation was heard clearly by Raven, who stood nearby.