A Gambit of Hearts and Minds

“Civilians, stand back! You have no right to enter this inn!”

“Do not disturb the lord’s game!”

“Can you not see the emblem on our chests?! We are Holy Fire Knights of the Holy See! All who wish to live, begone!”

Through Mitchel’s voice, Lucius commanded the Holy Fire Knights to quell the agitated onlookers.

The Imperial soldiers stationed at the inn, observing men openly brandishing weapons at citizens in the grand hall, each tightened their grip on the weapons at their waists, their faces taut with apprehension, yet they hesitated to intervene further.

Given the Holy Fire Faction’s unique standing with the Imperial central government, these knights of the Holy See were, in theory, quasi-colleagues to the Imperial soldiers.

Moreover, as the Holy Fire Knight Order constituted a superior military unit, their personnel’s training and equipment far surpassed that of these mere inn guards.

Thus, even if the Imperial soldiers harbored a desire to intervene, they simply lacked the requisite strength.

The crowd’s fervent outcry for justice was undeniable, with an overwhelming consensus to aid Vireta.

Their persistent assaults on the magical barrier, while effective in their own right, ultimately faltered before the knights’ superior armament, forcing most to retreat in disarray.

Any who dared to continue their defiance were met with brutal suppression.

“What are they doing?!”

“You can’t do this!”

“They’ve closed the doors!”

“Open the gate! I want to go home!!”

Lucius subtly raised a hand, imparting a silent signal to Mitchel.

Subsequently, under Mitchel’s direction, the Holy Fire Knights, emboldened by their authority, brazenly sealed the inn’s main doors.

With this, the civilians trapped within the inn were plunged into utter panic.

****

Within the confines of the chessboard, Phillo’s patience finally snapped.

He drew the steel sword from his waist, raising its hilt high, the cold gleam of the blade flashing past his fiery red hair.

The silver-armored Divine Guard Captain, his countenance contorted in a furious scowl, roared his command:

“Divine Guards, enact the divine will, protect the people!”

The dozen or so Moon-Marked Sect Divine Guards positioned on the periphery immediately drew their weapons, surging towards the knights who were still grappling with the panicked crowd.

“Oppose illegal violence!”

“Oppose the Weinshield family’s reign of terror!”

Following the Divine Guards’ intervention, a contingent of Silver Hand Gospel Society members, along with all the enforcers from the Redwater Gang, spontaneously plunged into the fray.

Their combined numerical superiority swiftly tipped the scales, compelling the Holy Fire Knights to halt their violent actions and forcing both factions into a tense standoff.

However, given the Weinshield family’s formidable influence within the city council, Lucius would invariably retain the mantle of “legitimacy,” regardless of how the situation unfolded.

Furthermore, with the imminent arrival of reinforcements for his opposition, Saranya’s hard-won advantage would inevitably be eroded.

Consequently, she could neither place her hopes on external factors beyond the chessboard nor afford to prolong the game.

Each passing second within this chess match would only amplify the inherent risks.

Saranya drew her gaze inward, pressing her fingertips against her temples, compelling herself to immerse entirely in the ongoing chess match.

She could not betray her master’s expectations; she had to decisively defeat Lucius and claim victory in this game.

Presently, she found herself in check from Lucius; a “rook” wielding a formidable halberd on the opposing side was relentlessly battling and taunting her with wild abandon.

Vireta’s recent ordeal served as a stark signal: it was time to abandon her conventional, by-the-book chess strategies.

As the “king,” she had no qualms about engaging the aggressor in a fierce struggle.

Indeed, this presented a fortuitous opportunity for her to seize the initiative on another flank of the board.

“Aivy! I want you to go—”

“I understand. Do it!”

Following their brief exchange, Saranya disregarded the immediate threat to her own position.

Instead, she maneuvered Aivy, her “rook,” to the very edge of the chessboard, placing her directly before Lucius.

With a precise move, she checkmated him in kind.

“!”

Upon recognizing Aivy, who had materialized beside him in a flash, Lucius’s entire frame abruptly stiffened.

“Aivy…”

The young noble lunged towards the magical barrier separating him from Aivy, his arrogance having completely dissolved, his voice now a mere whisper.

“I can give you a chance… Don’t help the enemy anymore. I’ll give you a chance… Leave that bastard man—”

“Give me a chance…? You still dare to utter such words?!”

Aivy raised her long staff, its tip aimed squarely at Lucius’s face, her eyes ablaze with resentment and gradually glistening with unshed tears.

“You’re the bastard! Surrender, Lucius!!”

“Aivy—”

“Don’t say another word!”

“Think about it carefully! Do you truly intend to be my enemy?!”

“Yes, Lucius, you are my enemy!”

“Have you forgotten? All that we’ve been through together… You are my most precious… I only have you, Aivy… I… I couldn’t even bring myself to touch you, for fear you might change… Aivy, I wanted you to forever, forever remain that pure—”

“Stop! Don’t say my name again! How disgusting… You are truly disgusting!!!”

Aivy clapped her hands over her ears, and when she spoke again, her voice was choked with sobs and tears streamed down her face.

“Even now, you still wish to exploit those memories to manipulate me… Lucius, I only regret that the one who created those memories with me wasn’t Phillo!!!”

Aivy’s words struck like a bolt of lightning, causing Lucius’s body to slump and leaving him utterly stunned.

“Phillo changed me, and I love being changed by him. I am changing him too, and I love him. I will never betray him! I refuse to be your disgusting specimen, framed and pressed between your pages every day!”

“Specimen? Haha…”

Lucius’s fingers, splayed against the magical barrier, convulsed, curling inward into a tight, trembling ball, his nails scraping a sharp, sibilant hiss across the transparent ward.

“Ha… Hahahahahahahahaha—”

“Specimen?! You are nothing but a crumpled rag, soiled by a low-born! You are unworthy… Unworthy!!!”

The young noble slowly straightened his posture, faint tear tracks still marring his face.

His golden hair, which had fallen across his brow, now subtly curled under the lamplight, gleaming with an unhealthy, oily sheen.

“Mitchel…”

Lucius spoke, his voice steeped in a chilling, grim resolve.

“Later, chop that red-haired Divine Guard into pieces for me, mix him into the relief porridge for the lower district refugees, then send Aivy and my little she-wolf together to the Weinshield family’s mansion… Oh, as for Aivy, remember to sever her limbs first…”

****

Saranya raised a hand to her brow, her gaze fixed intently upon the unfolding drama between Aivy and Lucius.

Undoubtedly, Aivy had utterly shattered Lucius’s composure; the boy, who had moments ago exuded such an insufferably smug arrogance, was now a picture of utter brokenness.

“Hmph…”

A cruel smirk played on her lips, a wave of vindictive pleasure washing over her as a grand revenge began to unfold.

“It’s not enough. I want you to suffer more; I want to torment you to death, you trash, you scum. All who have harmed me must pay the price…”

“That Aivy…”

Kaelan’s voice suddenly cut through the air, carrying a faint, bewildered inflection.

“Was she truly sincere?”

Saranya paused, a flicker of confusion crossing her features.

“Master means… what?”

“What she just said, about Phillo, love… change… and so on…”

The young witch lifted her gaze to Saranya, a thoughtful glint in her crimson eyes.

“She said those things deliberately, just to influence Lucius’s mindset and disrupt his judgment, right…?”

“No… Master, that’s not the truth—”

“Those things she spoke of, they don’t truly exist. Nothing is stronger than the bond between us. We already possess the most beautiful ‘love’ in the world, and Saranya’s feelings for me far surpass theirs… Isn’t that right…?”

Saranya swallowed hard, gradually becoming entranced by the soft, dreamy expression on Kaelan’s face as she spoke.

She inwardly swore that her initial intent had been to gently refute Kaelan.

Yet, ultimately, she merely leaned in closer, nodding with a dazed, blissful expression.

“Yes, yes… Saranya loves Master the most…~”