CHAPTER 301: HER?

"Mr. Covez, this is Coco Hughes." Alithe turned to the man behind the desk, "She was the one I was telling you about."

Coco stared back at the guild master, her gaze steady and unflinching as she studied his face closely, her eyes taking in every detail, his features all sharp and masculine, his angular jawline giving him a stern appearance.

Despite his serious expression though, she could see a hint of curiosity in his eyes, blending well with his scrutinizing gaze.

"Is.. Is this the only daughter of Baroness Hughes?" Mr. Covez asked, a lilt of reluctance in his voice.

"Unfortunately." Coco answered the question herself.

The guild master quirked up an eyebrow at that. "Unfortunately? Can you elaborate about that, Mrs. Hughes?"

Coco tensed up as she realized her mistake, her heart pounding in her chest.

She hadn’t anticipated the question so now, her answer left her feeling vulnerable and exposed, making a pang of worry surged through her, the weight of her error sinking in.

I shouldn’t have answered the question that way. Coco grumbled in her thoughts, visibly upset with herself.

She could feel the tension in the air, the silent judgement of the room bearing down on her, and Coco could only bite her lip to stand her ground, her anxiety mounting with each passing second.

For some unknown reason, Coco felt intimidated by the man’s presence, her stomach clenching with an unfamiliar sense of dread.

She had never felt this kind of thing ever since she got transmigrated in this world.

She could feel the way he kept his gaze on her, studying her intently, the intensity of his gaze made her feel like a bug pinned under a microscope that was captured in the intention of just observing her.

Even though the situation is apparently harmless, her instincts warned her of danger.

The guild master leaned back in his chair, tearing his gaze away from Coco as a smirk played on his lips, his green eyes clashing with Alithe’s eyes.

"Fine. I’ll see to it that she will be moved to the second stage immediately," He said, his tone cool and authoritative.

There was a glint in his eyes, a hint of curiosity piqued, as if he had been waiting for this moment, with a dash of amusement playing in his green pools.

Coco’s heart leapt into her throat, a wave of panic surging through her as she let the word sink in.

Moving to the second stage so soon? She hadn’t even prepared herself mentally!

Coco felt a jolt of energy run down her spine, her worry growing, thousands of questions running through her head as she stared at the guild master.

From what Coco could remember after her lovely conversation with the prisoners back in Yogusho Village, the first stage was a written examination— the hunter was whining about them not being a student so it got stuck in her mind.

The written examination, the first stage, was probably the easiest of all the stages in the licensing, but now she will skip that because of who—

"You won’t regret it." Alithe stated, a proud smile slowly emerging in his lips.

"I could tell." Mr. Covez agreed, chuckling lightly as he stared at Coco, "Please come back here next week, Mrs. Hughes. The second stage will start early in the morning."

"Pardon?" Coco blinked.

"Be here before seven in the morning." Mr. Covez hummed out and turned to Alithe, "Make sure that she will bring her weapon because we don’t take aspiring hunters that don’t have any weapon with them."

"I understand." Alithe nodded his head, "Is that all?"

The guild master glanced at Alithe briefly, before turning his gaze back to Coco, his gaze raked over her, sizing her up from head to toe.

His eyes lingered a moment longer than necessary, roaming over her form as if trying to gauge her worth.

Coco felt scrutinized, her skin crawling under his intense gaze, and she couldn’t help, but shift uncomfortably on where she was standing, feeling ridiculously vulnerable under his critical eye.

Then, Mr. Covez turned back to Alithe, a hint of disapproval in his tone.

"Make sure she wears appropriate attire." He said, gesturing towards Coco’s casual attire. "A shirt and pants like that won’t protect her after all."

His gaze lingered on Coco’s outfit, his eyes noting the lack of protection it provided, genuinely concerned.

Alithe couldn’t help, but snort at the man’s words.

Coco? Protection? Her? The woman who helped him rescue Sinclair? And prolly saved him, too? Her?

The idea seemed absurd to him, that much is obvious.

Coco was strong, incredibly so, and she had proven that time and time again with her resilience and courage when she agreed to help rescue his pair.

However, he also knew that this man, Dahilian Covez, was not aware of Coco’s true capabilities.

"Okay." Alithe said, biting down another snort.

At that, Mr. Covez immediately noticed Alithe’s reaction, his brow arching quizzically.

"What’s so funny?" He asked, his voice tinged with curiosity and a hint of annoyance because of all people, he had not expected such a reaction from Alithe.

He couldn’t understand why Alithe was finding humor in the situation as he had just issued a statement based on what he observed from Coco’s appearance.

He looked at Alithe expectantly, awaiting an explanation.

However, Alithe merely shook his head, his smile still lingering on his lips.

"Nothing," The hybrid replied, a look of mischief crossing his eyes for a moment. "It would be best if you saw for yourself."

The smirk on his face widened, his expression bordering on smug, making it clear that he knew something that Covez didn’t, and he was relishing in the fact that he was privy to information that the other was not.

Sure, Mr. Covez will find out soon, but where’s the fun if Alithe wouldn’t have fun poking the bear with a stick first?

"Anyway, I’ll make sure that Coco will be prepared for next week."