A Calculated Betrayal

“It’s strange, but the Holy Moon certainly responded to her.”

“Indeed, she extinguished the Holy Moon.”

Hearing the murmurs from the audience, Saranya breathed a slight sigh of relief.

“I don’t understand. How did she manage that?”

“Regardless of the magic, for it to take effect, the secret lies in the orderly flow of arcane energy, which is known as ‘magical dynamics,’ a field many mages dedicate their lives to studying.”

Kaelan’s lips curved subtly, clearly savoring the role of an instructor.

“Destruction, however, is always easier than creation, and chaos is simpler to conjure than order. That’s common knowledge, isn’t it?”

Saranya nodded. “So?”

“Therefore, when you’re expected to make a spectacle, yet your abilities fall short of creating something magnificent, destruction becomes the only viable option. This was my advice to Paresha.”

“Paresha didn’t have enough time to prepare, nor to learn any proper magic, so I suggested a different approach: disrupting the arcane energy flow of that moon-shaped artifact, rendering it inert. It’s both simple and attention-grabbing.”

‘So that’s how it was.’

The orthodox magical theory of mages follows a three-step process: drawing in magical power, structuring it, and then releasing it. The mechanisms of magical dynamics are interwoven throughout these crucial steps, making it an indispensable discipline.

Conversely, the Church attributes all divine spell effects to the Goddess’s Holy Light, believing practitioners merely weave and utilize Holy Light while denying the existence of magical power itself. This fundamental difference leaves their understanding of magical dynamics almost entirely blank.

Disrupting the flow of magical power to interfere with spellcasting is a trivial matter for mages, yet it constitutes an illicit act for the Church. Since the Church doesn’t even acknowledge the existence of magical power, how could they ever conceive of disrupting its flow?

It’s akin to everyone building with blocks: divine spellcasters, constrained by rigid religious frameworks, can only dutifully stack their blocks higher and higher. Mages, however, can choose to be mischievous children, not only refusing to stack blocks but also gleefully smashing everything to smithereens nearby, ensuring no one else can play.

“When casting spells, seasoned mages consciously extend their domains to prevent ambient magical energy from being disrupted. Divine spellcasters, however, do not; they lack the perspective of magical dynamics, failing to recognize their inherent capacity to wield magic, and thus possess no awareness of protecting themselves or their magical artifacts from interference during spellcasting. This is their fundamental theoretical flaw, one that is irremediable and quite lethal.”

Saranya nodded, half-understanding, and redirected her attention to the stage.

Paresha stood blankly on the stage, her gaze fixed on Doron in a silent plea for help.

“Um… did I pass…?”

Doron let out a long sigh, raised his scepter, and unleashed another beam of silver threads toward the Holy Moon. The crescent flickered, then finally illuminated the hall once more.

“Esteemed judges, what are your opinions?”

From below the stage, a middle-aged female bishop was the first to speak.

“I, of course, agree.”

That was Bishop Maeve of the Pedomar Faction, a long-time friend of Doron’s. And, well… Paresha always felt that Maeve’s gaze lingered on her father with a certain ‘sticky’ quality (TL Note: A Chinese slang term, ‘lasi,’ implying a gaze filled with affection or attraction).

‘It seems the old man truly put in a lot for my evaluation.’

“Acceptable.”

The Bishop of the Moon-Marked Sect from Midas City also voiced their agreement.

The two elderly bishops of the Holy Fire Faction, however, adopted an entirely amused demeanor.

“Hmph, let her pass. She’ll be thrashed senseless by her peers up there, and then she’ll learn her lesson.”

“Indeed, if she wishes to make a fool of herself, why not grant her the opportunity?”

Lucius, one of the co-representatives of the City Alliance, spoke with an air of utter disdain.

“Whatever. Such a trivial matter hardly warrants a discussion among us co-representatives.”

Paresha shot Lucius a venomous glare.

It now seemed Lucius was orchestrating a betrayal, approaching her father and herself with ulterior motives, not only attempting to usurp the bishop’s position but also scheming to install Aivy as a divine officer within the Church.

‘Bastard, such a bastard!’

“Paresha Greystone, are you certain you wish to participate in the ensuing contest?”

“I… I want to try.”

“Paresha…”

Doron’s voice softened, almost becoming a plea.

“Have you truly considered this? Such a contest carries significant risks.”

Paresha clenched her fists, her face feigning resolve, and offered her father a confident smile.

“I have, Bishop. I must become a divine officer!”

Doron turned and descended the stage, leaving the three candidates behind with a final pronouncement.

“All three candidates have passed the divine spell test. The contest now begins. Please demonstrate your abilities freely!”

No sooner had the Bishop’s words faded than a sudden ‘buzz’ sounded in Paresha’s ear, prompting her to swiftly drop into a side roll, narrowly evading an arcing silver blade of light.

“Tch.”

Aivy, standing nearby, lowered her long staff, clearly displeased by her failed sneak attack.

The blade of light had been aimed directly for Paresha’s cheek; had it not been for her swordsman’s reflexes, one side of her face might have been severed.

‘Aivy is truly ruthless, trying to disfigure me right from the start!’

“Take this!”

Dalia joined the fray, brandishing her silver short staff. With its tip, she conjured Holy Light, creating a shimmering cascade of moonlight that she unleashed like a torrent, showering Aivy with over a dozen diamond-shaped light cones.

Paresha knew Dalia, also a member of the Church, would stand with her; this was one of her sources of confidence.

Aivy, however, remained unfazed. She raised her hand, spun her long staff, and chanted a prolonged incantation, causing a luminous barrier to materialize before her. The moment Dalia’s diamond light cones struck this barrier, they froze in place, unable to advance even an inch.

Light Solidification, a versatile Light-elemental spell, allowed for solidified beams of light that could either fly straight to attack enemies or hover defensively in front of the caster.

“Quiet!”

Paresha raised two fingers, pointing her double-barreled shotgun directly at Aivy through the air.

Aivy recoiled as if slapped by an invisible hand, stumbling backward. Her luminous barrier wavered, and Dalia’s next volley of attacks shattered it completely, several light cones grazing Aivy’s side and instantly leaving behind streaks of blood.

Saranya watched from below, utterly engrossed.

‘With Paresha on crowd control and Dalia on offense, if they team up, Aivy, no matter how strong individually, stands no chance of resisting.’

“I withdraw!”

Realizing she had no hope of victory, Aivy unexpectedly raised both hands, loudly declaring her surrender. Before the other two could even react, she decisively leaped off the elevated platform and returned to her seat.

‘We won…’

‘We won!!!’

‘So easy!!!’

Paresha excitedly turned to Dalia; defeating Aivy had truly been thanks to her. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say Paresha had ‘lain down and won’ (TL Note: A Chinese slang term, ‘tang ying,’ meaning to win effortlessly due to the efforts of teammates).

Though she wasn’t sure what to do next, by convention, Dalia would surely find an excuse to lose to her, so Paresha didn’t need to worry.

She took a few steps closer to Dalia, raising a hand and waving it haphazardly in the air, feigning the casting of a complex spell to provide Dalia with a plausible reason to concede.

“My apologies…”

Right before her, Dalia’s face suddenly hardened, and her short staff pointed directly at Paresha’s abdomen.

“Perhaps the rules between us should change… Me becoming a divine officer in Midas City and you in Vero City, that arrangement seems… no longer suitable. Midas City’s situation worsens year by year; compared to there, I find myself far more interested in Vero, after all.”

Paresha’s pupils constricted in shock. Before she could react, a ‘thump’ resonated in her ears.

A powerful gust of air struck her abdomen.

By the time she regained her senses, Paresha was already airborne, her feet lifted clear off the ground.

She traced a perfect parabola, falling from the elevated platform. Amidst the gasps of the audience, she landed on the back of her head, crashing noisily into a cluster of tables and chairs, overturning them before her head lolled to the side, and she lost consciousness.

“Bastard!”

Kaelan sprang to her feet, rushing towards Paresha.

“Hey, Master!”

Saranya quickly followed Kaelan.

At the judges’ panel, the Bishop of the Moon-Marked Sect from Midas City stared wide-eyed in astonishment, clearly having not anticipated Dalia’s betrayal.

“Well fought, Miss Dalia.”

Aivy rose from her seat, smiling as she shook Dalia’s hand, while Lucius cheered loudly, leading the applause.

Only then did the stunned audience react.

“Excellent!”

“A splendid fight! That little girl finally got a taste of hardship!”

“We’ve long heard that girl was incompetent; now we see it for ourselves!”

“How utterly ridiculous! What nerve does someone like that have to contend for a divine officer position?”

On stage, Dalia glanced toward the judges’ panel, her eyes meeting Lucius’s, and she couldn’t help but blush, lowering her head slightly.

Saranya observed this, a sense of foreboding stirring within her.

‘The intelligence was flawed! There’s an inside man! Dalia isn’t on our side either!!’

‘Aivy, Dalia, the City Alliance…’

‘After all that, it turns out the entire arena is filled with members of the Weinshield family. The first segment is already lost, and now the upcoming team battle will be a two-on-one.’

‘I truly can’t imagine how we’re supposed to win this…’