I Only Summon Villainesses

Chapter 360: Little To No Use For Strategies When We Have Numbers!

Trying to argue about certain things was a dead end. I had better chances of fucking Maggie. No... actually, did I? It wasn’t so clear.

The morning brightened quickly, and the rest of the company members came to my homestead, where we held the first meeting on how to go about the entire mission.

"The things we need to do here are to get back her goods... she also wanted you to find a way for her to control one of the Clans, right?"

I nodded grimly to Levi.

"The Crystaldeep Clan. The rumors say they have a source of unlimited resources. It’s inexplicable, really—a tale that doesn’t make sense. Sounds like a watered-down Peter Pan story to me."

Tristan gave me a confused look.

"What’s a watered-down Peter Pan story?"

I gave him a look, wanting to explain a twisted story about an evil boy who was lonely and, because of it, started kidnapping people’s children with the promise of paradise.

But I shook my head.

’That’s beside the point...’

"Don’t bother. As much as it’s a rumor, though, I think we should give it some consideration, but we can’t afford to make it our priority."

Gilbert nodded at me, holding my shoulder like he was my uncle or something.

"Cade boy is right. We gotta consider things logically before thinking about fairy tales... which brings us to the main question. What’s our first move?"

Everyone went silent when he asked that. Tristan was standing, leaning against the frame of the inner room. Nisha was behind him, leaning with her butt against one of the shelves.

’Uh... did it get bigger?’

Levi was seated in front of me, leaning on a pillow with one leg crossed on the table, while Gilbert sat beside me, cross-legged like I was.

There was one other presence in the room.

Kassie stood behind me and spoke casually, folding her arms.

"Are you looking for strategies?"

Levi raised his head to look at the dominating crimson gaze of the Tyrant behind me.

He lingered for a moment, then said in a subdued tone,

"Uhm... is that a bad thing?"

Kassie sighed.

"It’s not, but it’s also disappointing."

Gilbert looked at me, then at Levi, and said in confusion,

"Since when do we have a red-haired beauty calling the shots around here?"

I stylishly glanced at him and winked to tell him to say no more. But that fool...

"And you, Levi, why are you acting like that with that tone, speaking like she’s your mother?" He laughed wildly, then turned to Kassie.

"Little beauty, you’re so gorgeous. Come sit next to daddy."

Kassie’s gaze descended on him like a storm.

The room darkened and the pressure inside thickened. I didn’t know much of what Gilbert saw, but he started sweating, his eyes widening.

He lowered his head shamefully away from Kassie’s gaze and went mute.

’I tried to warn you.’

Meanwhile, Kassie turned to Levi and said,

"What I mean is, you have the force. Tear into their gates and crush them."

Levi raised his head, looking a little lost. A moment later, he cleared his throat and coughed.

"I think you overestimate us too much, ma’am... we wouldn’t be able to take an entire clan on our own."

Kassie gave him a deathly pale look.

"You don’t need to."

Levi was confused for a moment, but he asked politely,

"So then... what will the attack accomplish?"

Kassie responded matter-of-factly.

"A diversion."

Levi sat up properly, paying attention to Kassie as she unfolded her arms.

"You want information, and probing around for it is useless."

Levi nodded.

"Indeed it is... the Crystaldeep and Watermoon Clans surely have a good grasp of the underwater information network by now. If we try to use it to smoke them out, it’ll happen the other way around."

Kassie nodded affirmatively.

"So the easiest thing to do is just go for the information yourself. Go to their home, bring destruction on them while one person looks for what needs to be found—everything that can be found."

Levi kept looking at Kassie. The idea was brilliant and reckless at the same time.

’I guess it depends on what we’re bringing to the table to destroy them and use as a diversion.’

If it were a standard army, it would be difficult to use human resources and waste so many lives for information collection when there was still a more demanding war ahead. No one would ever think of such a thing.

But the difference between now and then was simply Kassie.

’I’m sure that’s what he’s thinking.’

Levi was smart. He could easily communicate with Kassie and figure out what she meant, given how often she was direct and sparse with words.

"Lady Kassandra. Does this mean you’re agreeing to attack their front gate on our behalf?"

Kassie gave him a disgusted look.

"What? Why would I do that?" She gestured slightly. "In fact, it seems to me that you’re in a more suitable position. You have a better skill set for it."

Levi looked at her, a small frown falling on his face.

"Whether your ability causes great strain on your soul, spirit, or even your essence—no one cares, frankly. The only thing that matters is whether you can do it or not. Levi, you have a talent that can decimate numbers. You have the perfect tool for disruption. Why hold it back and hide it away?"

She shook her head and muttered,

"Such disappointments, you humans."

Instead of Levi, it was Nisha who darkened with anger toward her and straightened.

"Do you know the sacrifices and pain he has to endure to bring out just one clone?"

Kassie looked at Nisha intensely.

"Oh, do you want to talk about sacrifices and pain, young lady?"

Nisha wanted to speak, but Levi’s hand rose, stopping her abruptly.

He lowered his hand and smiled, but there was something about the smile that felt incomplete and a little ungenuine.

"It’s fine. Lady Kassandra is correct. I’ll do it."

Having to watch all of this transpire was slightly awkward.

Kassie, of course, was right. There were very few times I had seen Levi in action. Granted, he, Nisha, and Tristan were always on jobs together, but sometimes I couldn’t help thinking that was too much power focused in one place.

Sure, Po and Derry usually handled delivery and extraction jobs, but still, Nisha and Tristan could work independently.

If I didn’t know so much about Nisha’s power—which I did—I knew even more about Tristan’s power. He might be a regular summon, but he was an S-rank with a speed-type talent.

Tristan was very suited to take on big missions or even lead the rest of the team into bigger missions. But no—he had been hanging out with Levi for God knew what.

Of course, coming to Waterland, I could see the magnitude of the jobs they usually did. But I still didn’t think that was excuse enough.

Levi was truly, truly not using his abilities to their best for the good of the company.

Whereas I had been trying to pour in my best. We all had been.

Silence settled in the air for a moment before Kassie casually nodded.

"That’s fair then."

She turned to Tristan.

"You can go ahead and search for as much information as possible. Cade and I will serve as support from outside the sphere, while Nisha will serve as close support."

She looked into Levi’s eyes.

"You don’t need to worry about yourself. When I support you, leave your back to me."

Levi smiled warmly. But right now, I somehow couldn’t tell if the smile was genuine or if I was overthinking it.

***

After that conversation, we set out and met the Matriarch at the Clan Hall for breakfast, where we ate along with the Clan Elders.

I had no idea that the Boundlesswave Clan was so vast. There were so many people, young and old, among the Clan Elders gathered in the dining hall.

"Hmm, so this is the infamous Black Snow Company. I had no idea they were so young."

The man seated opposite me, with a slight hunchback, spoke while looking straight into my eyes, searching for words I had already decided I wouldn’t give him.

White Feather herself was at the table, and the table was filled with delicacies I had never even imagined existed—each one a different shape and size, with different textures and leaves, all decorating the palette of meals in a colorful pattern.

"The Black Snow Company should be treated with respect while they are here. If there’s anything they need, it should be provided."

White Feather spoke in a very cold and authoritative tone.

Seeing her talk like this, I couldn’t shake the image of how she had been moaning in my hands just last night while I held her and filled her with my thick, salty milk.

Watching her act as a leader while thinking about that situation, I suddenly felt the ancient mountain threatening to rise. With it came an urge to bend her over this table right here, right now, and fill her gates until she passed out.

Our gazes met for a moment, and I saw her cheeks redden slightly before she averted her eyes.

Meanwhile, someone behind her was glaring at me like I had killed her mother.