"You’re more than welcome here," she said after a short pause. "But they are preparing for the ceremony. I wouldn’t want you getting in their way."
So they were important enough to have a separate section and duties during the gathering.
Now I was really interested.
And not because of the black-haired girl from earlier. I had a girlfriend, and I wasn’t the type of guy to...
Oh. Right. I was exactly that type of guy.
"I understand. I only wanted to introduce myself. Talking to someone my age might help me feel a little less out of place here."
I glanced toward the others. "And since the gathering doesn’t start for a while, I figured a few minutes wouldn’t hurt."
Her eyes stayed on me for a couple of seconds.
"Five minutes."
"Thank you."
I walked past her before she changed her mind.
The black-haired girl was the first to notice me.
"You’re new."
"That obvious?"
She glanced down at my clothes.
"You’re not wearing the proper attire for the young devotees, so you’re not supposed to be here."
My eyes landed on her outfit.
"So it is a uniform."
"It’s not a uniform."
"You’re all dressed exactly the same. I’m pretty sure that’s what a uniform is."
A couple of them laughed.
She shook her head. "It’s just what we’re encouraged to wear during special gatherings."
"That sounds like a uniform with extra explanation."
This time, even she laughed, covering her mouth with one hand.
Her smile suited her even better, especially with those dark eyes matching her whole vibe.
Looks-wise, I’d put her a little above Lea. She had this pure, innocent aura, like the kind of girl you’d assume had never done anything wrong in her life.
Lea was more on the cute, youthful, and playful side.
"I’m Elaine." She took my hand in both of hers and stepped closer, close enough for me to catch a faint citrus scent.
"Raven."
Her hands were unusually soft, without a single callus or rough patch.
Either she’d never done a chore in her life, or she came from enough money that she never had to.
[Recruitment Candidate Detected.]
’What?’
At this point, I was starting to think the system was picking pretty girls for me on purpose.
Was I supposed to build a cult or a harem?
"Something wrong?" she asked.
"It’s nothing." I smiled and opened her stats.
Name: Elaine Vale
Strength: E+
Agility: D
Stamina: D
Intelligence: A-
Charisma: A+
— Special Traits—
[Authority Insufficient]
Her physical stats were nothing impressive, but the last two were a different story.
She had the highest Intelligence I’d seen so far, and her Charisma matched Celine’s. No wonder she caught my attention right away.
But why would someone this smart join a group like this?
Elaine spoke. "You came here by yourself?"
"Should I have brought someone?"
"Not really. It’s just unusual for first-time visitors as young as you to come here alone. Most of us were brought here by our parents."
’So they’re second-generation members. That explained why so many of them were around my age. ’
If members regularly brought their relatives and friends, the organization would grow on its own.
Meanwhile, my cult consisted of one girlfriend who might break my spine if I accidentally flirted with someone.
"How did you hear about us?"
"Internet. I’ve been looking into different spiritual groups and happened to come across this one."
A few of the girls started giving me suspicious looks.
"Are you religious?"
"Not particularly."
One of them frowned and stepped forward.
"Then why are you even here? Wait... did you seriously come here to hit on my best friend? Don’t bother with him. I’ve seen him checking you out since earlier."
I knew her type. Every pretty girl somehow came with one friend whose full-time job was making sure no man got within ten feet of her.
A rookie would’ve probably denied her accusation. Not me.
"It’s true. I was looking at her earlier, but not for the reason you think. I just wanted to talk to someone my age."
"Really?" She folded her arms. "There are plenty of girls your age here, but you kept looking at Elaine."
Damn.
She had me there.
"I never said I picked randomly."
Her eyes narrowed. "So you admit it?"
"Marissa." Elaine finally cut in. "You’re making him sound like a criminal."
"He’s obviously here because of you." Marissa pointed at me. "For all we know, he could be some creep or a stalker."
She turned back to Elaine.
"Did you already forget what happened last year?"
Elaine’s smile vanished.
Whatever happened last year, her friend just ripped open an old wound.
Honestly, I didn’t need the drama. I came here to slowly hijack the whole place from the inside. Messing that up over a pretty girl would be a waste.
"I’m sorry if you misunderstood me. I’ll take my leave."
Without waiting for a response, I walked away, but I could still hear Elaine scolding her friend.
See? Sometimes the best move was to back off and let her make herself look like the jerk.
I returned to my seat and waited.
A few minutes later, the entire hall fell silent.
’What the hell is happening here?’
THUD!
The doors behind us closed, the lights dimmed, and then I felt the cold.
Cold swept through the hall so quickly that my first thought was they’d dumped dry ice somewhere, but the other attendees didn’t seem bothered by it.
DING!
[Warning]
[Warning]
[Warning]
My expression stiffened.
[Demon Contractor Detected]