Raven was momentarily taken aback by Erik's unexpected response, swallowing the prepared speech she had for him.
"Because of our past, I'll give you one chance to speak."
"Then could you please remove the knife first?" Erik gestured to the blade that had drawn blood from his neck.
Raven let out a cold snort, clearly expressing her answer.
"How heartless, Raven. Even though we were once so close." As he spoke, Erik couldn't help but start playing the emotional card.
Hearing this, Charles felt increasingly uneasy. He couldn't help but question Erik: "What have you done to Raven? Are you that desperate?"
Erik retorted coldly, "Her knife is still at my throat, ready to slit it at any moment. Do you think I would dare to do anything to such a vicious woman?"
Charles thought about it, and it made sense. Without using their powers, neither of them could defeat Raven. Even with their powers, one wrong move and Raven could easily turn the tables.
So, he suppressed his impatience and listened to their continued conversation.
In the face of enemies, Raven was a cold and ruthless demoness. But with her companions and loved ones, even though she tried to maintain her aloof persona, in Charles and Erik's eyes, she was still that innocent little sister from the past.
Besides, Charles could read her mind, and he knew that she still cared about them.
[Erik actually came to find me. Wasn't he locked up? Did someone rescue him? The only one who could save him would be Charles. Does that mean Charles came to find me too?]
[Charles... I haven't seen him in years. I wonder how he is. Is he doing okay?]
Charles was deeply moved by Raven's concern. However, Raven's thoughts suddenly took a turn.
[Wait, why am I thinking about that unfaithful jerk? He's probably slept with enough women to form a whole study group by now.]
Charles: "..."
[He'd better not bring any women with him when he comes to see me. Otherwise, I'll definitely kill that woman!]
[If he brings a child too, I'll kill them both!]
Charles: Why has his sister become so terrifying after all these years? It must be Erik's fault!
Saiki Kusuo, who was monitoring Erik, couldn't help but urge him: "I think you'd better hurry, Erik. The meeting time has arrived. She's about to disguise herself as a councilman and infiltrate the meeting."
"Shut up, I know," Erik said, unilaterally cutting off the connection with Charles and Saiki Kusuo.
He understood Raven's personality very well, so it only took a few words to lower her guard.
Charles was stunned by his sister-seducing techniques. Who was it that said he was a smooth-talking playboy? His tricks were pathetically weak compared to Erik's!
Raven retracted her knife and released him. Although there was still a hint of wariness in her eyes, it was simply an instinctive reaction from her life of constant vigilance.
"So, what's the reason you came to find me this time?"
"I know you're planning to assassinate Trask," Erik answered honestly.
Although he often deceived Charles and Raven, he usually told the truth when faced with Raven's direct questions. Because a woman's intuition, especially Raven's, was incredibly accurate. The slightest emotional leak or change in tone could be a tell, and she wouldn't just be suspicious; she might even kill him in a fit of rage.
"And?" Raven wasn't surprised that Erik knew her plan. Not only because Charles was around, but also because there were many Brotherhood members near Trask.
"Did you come to find me to collaborate and kill Trask together?"
When he was first released, Erik did indeed have that plan. He even wanted to kill Raven as well, to cut off the root of the disaster 20 years in the future.
However, because of Saiki Kusuo's threat, he had to suppress his violent temper and patiently persuade her.
"No, Raven. I came today to persuade you to abandon this plan."
"Abandon?" Raven seemed to have heard the biggest joke, and she couldn't help but laugh.
"My God, hearing that word from you is even more unbelievable than Charles turning over a new leaf. Erik, are you out of your mind?"
Charles: "..."
Erik: "..."
If I wasn't being threatened, would you even have the chance to mock me? Just wait and see how I make you obey!
After a second of silence, Erik decided to throw Charles under the bus: "Okay, actually, Charles asked me to come find you."
Although she had already guessed it, hearing Charles's name still made Raven's expression change instantly.
She turned to leave, but Erik, with his quick reflexes, stopped her.
"Don't be agitated, Raven. I know you seem to hate Charles on the surface, but deep down, you still care about him."
Raven wiped the blood off her knife with a blank expression.
"Do you want to feed my knife with your neck again?"
"Of course not," Erik smiled. "But Charles did rescue me. To repay his kindness, I naturally hope you two can bury the hatchet."
Raven rolled her eyes at him. "Didn't you used to say that Charles was a hypocrite and untrustworthy? You told me to stay away from him so I wouldn't be deceived. Now, you suddenly want us to bury the hatchet. Erik, I'm starting to suspect your ulterior motives. Never mind, I'm not interested in listening to your nonsense. I'm leaving."
Erik's words were all nonsense. Raven felt that talking to him was simply a waste of time.
She twirled the knife in her hand, warning him not to make any rash moves, and casually turned to leave.
Seeing that she was unmoved, Erik took a deep breath and shouted, "Charles lost his legs. He disbanded the X-School. His beloved sister left him. His most trusted friend betrayed him. He's been abandoned by everyone and everything. He's started drinking heavily all day long. His hair is a mess, his beard is unkempt. When I saw him, I thought I was looking at a beggar. He's in a terrible state, with no hope for the future. I think he's close to death, Raven. Can you bear to see the once spirited Charles die drunk and alone in a corner, with no one caring?"
The emotional card is often very effective on women, especially if the woman has feelings for the man who's playing the victim.
Raven immediately softened. All thoughts of assassination and infiltration were pushed aside. She turned back to Erik and asked for confirmation.
"Is what you're saying true?"
"You'll see when you go back. The kid is so down-and-out now that even I can't stand to look at him."
Raven took a deep breath and relented. "Alright, I'll go back with you to take a look. If I find out you lied to me, I'll kill you! By the way..."
She paused, looking as though she found it difficult to ask, "Has Charles... had any other women during this time?"
"Of course not," Erik began to smear Charles without hesitation. "Didn't I tell you, he's crippled now. How could he possibly find a woman? Even if he wanted to, he's powerless."
Raven breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear."
Seeing that Raven had finally agreed, Erik instructed Charles in his mind, "Remember to make yourself look as miserable as possible later. Don't let Raven see through it."
If Erik wasn't still somewhat useful, Charles would have wanted to obliterate this bastard who was slandering him.
He snarled, "Just bring Raven back quickly."
Then, he cut off the connection.
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