SSS Awakening: I Can Create Skills By Will

Chapter 154: The Offer Behind Closed Doors

Lyra walked toward the desk without saying a word.

Arthur remained standing where he was.

Then she began removing pieces of her armor.

It looked like a routine to her.

She loosened the shoulder guard first, unclasping it smoothly before placing it carefully on the desk. Then came the forearm guards. Each piece was set aside neatly, as if she had done this exact motion a thousand times before.

Arthur watched quietly.

At least... he tried to keep it quiet in his head.

Focus.

But it was harder than he expected.

Without the heavier parts of her armor, her movements became lighter. More relaxed. The rigid commander’s appearance softened slightly as the layers came off.

Her posture remained confident, but now it carried a more natural ease.

Arthur rubbed the back of his neck.

This... is surprisingly distracting.

She reached behind her shoulder to undo another clasp, and Arthur quickly looked away for a moment.

Seriously... focus.

He had seen plenty of strong women before.

But Lyra carried herself differently.

There was confidence in every movement. The kind that made people watch without realizing it.

Arthur’s thoughts drifted for a second longer before a soft cough snapped him back.

"Ahem."

Arthur blinked.

Lyra was looking directly at him.

There was a faint hint of amusement in her eyes.

"You can sit," she said calmly. "Make yourself comfortable."

Arthur cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Right."

He walked over to one of the chairs in front of the desk and sat down.

His posture straightened immediately.

Get it together.

Lyra moved behind the desk and sat down in her chair.

For a moment Arthur thought that was it.

But then she stood up again.

Instead of sitting behind the desk, she walked around it and leaned casually against the edge, facing him.

Now she was closer.

Much closer.

Arthur swallowed quietly and hoped she didn’t notice the large gulp go down his throat.

Why is she standing there...

He forced himself to focus on her face instead.

"Uh... you wanted to see me?"

His voice sounded calm enough, though inside he was trying very hard to stay composed.

Lyra studied him for a moment.

The serious expression on her face made it clear the conversation wasn’t meant to be casual.

"Yes," she said.

Then she went straight to the point.

"I heard what happened in the ogre dungeon."

Arthur nodded slightly.

She continued.

"And not just rumors."

Her gaze sharpened.

"I heard the details."

The way she emphasized the last words made Arthur understand he couldn’t brush this off easily.

She already knew quite a lot.

Arthur leaned back slightly in his chair.

"I was just doing my job."

His tone remained relaxed, though there was more confidence in it now.

Lyra crossed her arms.

"Your job doesn’t usually involve destabilizing the skill of a second class ogre."

Arthur gave a small shrug.

"Situations change."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, though there was curiosity behind them.

"And deflecting a variant ogre’s attack?"

Arthur smiled faintly.

"Lucky timing."

Lyra let out a quiet breath.

"It always comes down to luck with you."

Arthur didn’t argue with that.

He knew how strange his actions must look from the outside.

Nothing about his abilities followed the usual logic of this world.

Lyra watched him carefully.

"It’s not an interrogation."

Arthur nodded.

"I’m glad."

"I’m just... curious."

She tilted her head slightly.

"You seem to have more tricks hidden than anyone expected."

Arthur scratched his cheek lightly.

"I improvise."

"That much is obvious."

She paused briefly, studying him.

"I wonder how many more things you can do."

Arthur met her gaze but didn’t answer that directly.

Some questions were better left open.

Lyra seemed to understand that as well.

After a moment she straightened slightly.

"Though that’s not why I called you here."

Arthur’s attention sharpened immediately.

Her expression had changed.

The curiosity was still there, but something more serious had taken its place.

She stepped away from the desk and walked slowly toward the window.

"Tell me something."

Arthur nodded.

"Sure."

"In the ogre dungeon..."

She turned her head slightly.

"...you saw the ritual markings, didn’t you?"

Arthur didn’t hesitate.

"Yes."

Lyra nodded once, as if confirming something she already suspected.

"The abyss worshippers."

Arthur leaned forward slightly.

"You know about them now"

Lyra turned back toward him.

"I’ve known more about them since then."

She walked back toward the desk slowly.

"Not enough, unfortunately."

Arthur remained quiet.

Lyra continued speaking.

"Your report confirmed something important."

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"The ritual formation."

She rested one hand lightly on the desk.

"That wasn’t an isolated case."

Arthur frowned slightly.

"What do you mean?"

Lyra met his eyes again.

"We’ve been receiving similar reports."

Arthur’s interest grew.

"From other dungeons?"

She nodded.

"Several of them."

Arthur leaned back again.

"That’s... not good."

"No, it isn’t."

Her tone remained calm but the meaning behind it was clear.

"These rituals are appearing more frequently."

Arthur thought about the scene he saw in the dungeon.

The strange markings.

The ritual guardian.

"And you still don’t know what they’re trying to do?"

Lyra shook her head.

"That’s the problem."

She crossed her arms again.

"Most of the ritual guardians die before we can capture them."

Arthur sighed quietly.

"So you can’t interrogate them."

"Exactly."

She walked slowly around the desk again.

"For now we only have fragments of information."

Arthur rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"So what’s the plan?"

Lyra stopped in front of him.

"That’s why I called you here."

Arthur felt the conversation moving toward something important.

Lyra continued.

"A special squad has been formed recently."

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"Special how?"

"It focuses only on investigating the abyss worshippers."

Arthur’s eyes sharpened slightly.

"And the ritual guardians?"

"Yes."

She nodded.

"The goal is to track their activity and uncover what they’re planning."

Arthur could already feel where this conversation was heading.

Lyra watched his reaction carefully.

Then she spoke the words directly.

"I want to recruit you."

Arthur blinked.

Lyra’s voice remained steady.

"For that squad."