The Price of a Diversion

Let me be blunt: the Tidal Mirror Hall holds great importance to me. Should anyone pose a threat to it, I assure you, I will not hold back.

‘Lenia is a major problem.’

Saranya sensed something amiss, her vigilance instantly heightened.

Subtly, she slipped her hand into her cloak, her fingers closing around the dagger concealed within her inner pocket.

[We’ve been exposed; let’s act now, Little Ya!]

Kaelan’s voice echoed in Saranya’s mind, a fierce expression suddenly appearing on her face.

Dark, arcane light flickered within her crimson eyes as she prepared to unleash a spell.

In a moment of urgency, Saranya grasped Kaelan’s small hand, gently shaking her head.

‘No, revealing our hand now would gain us nothing.’

‘Lenia is clearly testing us; if we expose ourselves, we’ll fall right into her trap, leaving us with no escape whatsoever.’

‘After all, no matter how powerful my master is, we couldn’t possibly defeat all the non-human spellcasters in the entire Tidal Mirror Hall.’

‘We mustn’t escalate the situation; we need to turn the tables, shake off this annoying Lenia, and go straight for our target: Lenix!’

Saranya turned her head, casting a swift glance at the scene outside.

In the grand hall, Aivy, pulling Phillo along, navigated through the surging crowd, anxiously scanning the room for her and Kaelan.

A little higher up, Lenix leaned against the stair railing, her gaze lowered, observing the chaotic revelry below with a remarkably relaxed demeanor.

Just then, a muffled thud echoed from near the second floor, causing even Saranya’s small room to vibrate.

Several attendants swiftly rushed towards the stairs, gathering around Lenix and whispering a few words.

Lenix’s body instantly tensed; she instructed all the attendants to guard the staircase entrance, then turned and ascended to the second floor alone.

‘This must be the Shadowscale Gang’s signal; our chance to capture the target is here!’

Phillo, with his keen eyesight, immediately pointed in the direction Lenix had departed.

Aivy, still unable to locate her companions, angrily tossed her sleeve and chose to pursue Lenix alongside Phillo.

“Ah, how vexing, the flies are buzzing again… For the sake of your mental and physical well-being, you two should simply wait here with me…”

With an effortless motion, Lenia raised her arm, pulling the tapestry over the crystal pane, thereby obscuring the view of the grand hall below.

This eliminated Saranya’s only means of observing the outside.

“No, we are leaving here!”

Saranya rose abruptly, pulling her master to her feet.

Her voice, cool and detached, directed her words straight at Dump, as she believed he was their only way out if they wished to leave.

“Mr. Dump, I find it hard to believe that a man of your standing would align yourself with Miss Lenia. Do you intend to threaten and restrict your friends’ freedom, just as she does? I fail to understand; my mistress and I merely came out for leisure. What exactly do you hope to achieve by trapping us here?!”

From the moment Lenia began her insolent remarks towards them, Dump’s expression had steadily worsened.

When Saranya laid bare the truth, Dump finally lost his composure, his words turning intensely agitated.

“No! Haia, I am here to help you. Perhaps Lenia genuinely misunderstands your intentions, but regardless, remaining in this room right now is your best option!”

“Who cares about Lenia’s thoughts?! Dump, I am asking you: Is Lenia going to forcibly imprison us here? And are you going to be her accomplice?! You yourself are a lecturer, an intellectual; do you not understand the crime of unlawful detainment?!”

Dump choked on his words, his face shifting between shades of indecision.

Seeing his predicament, Lenia took the initiative to speak.

“You may leave.”

“What?”

Lenia narrowed her emerald eyes, shedding her frivolous demeanor.

Her tone became utterly serious, and her expression radiated a chilling resolve.

“I mean, you are free to leave at any time; I will not forcibly detain you here. However… you will have to bear the consequences yourselves.”

“Those are your words—”

“No! Haia… you must trust me. At the very least, please, just you, stay here!”

Dump cut Saranya off, astonishingly adopting a pleading tone, his sincere demeanor affecting her somewhat.

“Listen to Mr. Dump, Haia; I, too, would like to spend a little more time with you—”

“You wouldn’t dare!!! That’s a delusion! You will not lay a hand on her!!!”

Enraged, Kaelan snatched Saranya’s wrist, pulling her behind her.

With Kaelan at its epicenter, an invisible wave of energy expanded throughout the room, causing the chandelier above to sway violently.

Lenia had repeatedly flirted with Saranya earlier, and Kaelan had witnessed it all.

Now, with the other woman attempting to detain Saranya alone, Kaelan’s fury erupted.

Her eyes blazing blood-red, she roared ferociously at Lenia, much like a protective beast guarding its prey.

“You disgusting woman, let me give you a piece of advice: do not even think about touching her! Otherwise, I wouldn’t hesitate to raze this wretched brothel to the ground, sell you off to a pigsty for breeding, and then chop up all your pig-spawn and feed them to dogs!!!”

“M-Master… that’s too vulgar…”

Saranya wrapped one arm around her master’s waist, gently embracing her to prevent any further extreme actions.

Concurrently, she slowly guided her master towards the exit.

“Master, don’t lose your temper; the real mission is crucial. We need to hurry and help Aivy…”

“Haha… hahahahaha—”

In the face of Kaelan’s furious outburst, Lenia merely grinned, throwing her head back in a continuous peal of wild laughter.

Dump stood beside her, appearing somewhat intimidated, and his gaze towards Saranya was filled with regret.

Saranya, disinclined to heed them, subtly turned her head, her gaze fixed on the wall that still emitted a watery blue glow.

“Now’s our chance, let’s go, Master!”

She took off running, giving Kaelan a push so her master would pass through the wall and leave the small room ahead of her.

“Little Ya! Wai—”

The young witch’s figure phased through the wall, reaching the other side, and the hesitant words in Saranya’s ear abruptly ceased.

‘Excellent! As long as she and Master rendezvous with Aivy outside, given Master’s power, seizing Lenix amidst the chaos will surely be effortless.’

‘She has absolute faith in her Master!’

‘Even a ten-thousand-year-old dryad cannot withstand the Black Witch’s supremely powerful dark magic, hah!’

Watching her master’s figure vanish from the small room, joy surged in Saranya’s heart.

Taking two steps as one, she reached the edge of the wall herself.

“Tsk, you little fool. Since you’ve made such a mistake, don’t blame me for what follows…”

Hearing Lenia’s words behind her, Saranya’s heart pounded with dread.

She mustered all her strength and dashed towards the wall—

“Thud!”

A sharp pain shot through her forehead, stars exploded before her eyes, and she collapsed backward onto the floor.

“D-Damn it… I still didn’t make it…”

The previous blue magical glow had vanished, leaving only a despairing crystal wall before her.

She had, of course, anticipated such a possibility, which was why she had insisted her master go first.

From a rational perspective, her master possessed immense power; capturing Lenix would give them their greatest leverage, making everything else manageable.

And from a personal standpoint… it went without saying.

If forced to choose between herself and her master, she would undoubtedly ensure her master’s escape first.

‘Saranya, prevent Master from fighting Lenia; do not alert Lenix.’

‘Saranya, sacrifice yourself, let Master go first, otherwise Lenix will escape.’

‘Saranya, you must sacrifice yourself… to accomplish Master’s mission…’

‘Sacrifice yourself, sacrifice yourself…’

These were the dictates issued by her brain, and in moments of crisis, such commands appeared with increasing frequency and intensity.

She obeyed these dictates without question, devoid of reason, warmth, or any trace of emotion, as naturally as a knee-jerk reflex or the daily acts of eating and drinking.

This was not the first time such a situation had arisen; when Mejga had attempted to harm her master, identical dictates had formed in her mind: protect Master, possess Master, at all costs.

She would, of course, sometimes question why she would go to such lengths for an enemy who had slain her comrades, a wicked witch.

Whenever such thoughts arose, it was as if she were gazing into an abyss; an inexplicable emptiness and dread would immediately descend upon her, forcing her mind to retreat.

Her strong character, her knightly fervor, her exquisite swordsmanship—none of it offered any help in this regard.

Perhaps she had long since grown numb; she forced herself to “love” her master, and she knew she “loved” her master, she *had* to “love” her master…

“As you wished, I am staying here! Come at me!”

Saranya let out a pained groan, forcing herself to her feet.

Drawing the dagger from within her cloak, she turned to confront Lenia.

“No matter what happens to me, Master outside will capture Lenix; you cannot stop Master— Ngh!”

A sharp, dull pain erupted at the back of her head.

Saranya let out a muffled grunt, collapsing forward onto the ground.

In the fading moments of her consciousness, she saw Dump bypass her prone body, approach Lenia, and, with trembling hands, drop the short club he held.

“You’ve done well, Wolsen. The Truth Assembly thanks you.”

“Tell me, I’m doing the right thing, aren’t I…?”

“Of course. This child has suffered enough. At least with me, she won’t be a s*ave, nor a mere doll to be manipulated. I will ensure she is happy every day, forever by my side…”

“I hope you keep your word, Lenix…”

“Lenia” removed her grayish-white mask, her fair skin gradually transforming into an emerald green, revealing the true form of a dryad.

****

“Little Ya?”

Kaelan heard no footsteps from Saranya.

She spun around abruptly, only to be met by the unyielding crystal wall.

‘I’ve been tricked; the plan failed, and I’ve been bitten back…’

Disordered footsteps echoed from behind her as several robed witches and non-human spellcasters initiated their rituals, closing in to surround her.

“Kaelan Novfloss, fugitive of the Olavi Empire, known as the ‘Black Witch’, you are accused of kidnapping and manipulating a prominent individual—Saranya Kerfen, a noble of the Northern United Principality, Grand Commander of the Night Lily Knights, and Imperial Legion Commander.

Furthermore, you are suspected of subjecting her to severe mental control, gravely violating magical ethics, as well as being implicated in murder, robbery, theft, arson, disturbing public order, casting forbidden curses, and illegally trespassing into ancient ruins…”

“The Truth Assembly, in accordance with the ‘Pan-Continental Magic Convention,’ will proceed with your secret arrest.

We advise you to surrender peacefully.”

Kaelan registered nothing of what those irritating individuals were saying.

Her expression was vacant, and her stomach felt as though it were twisting into a knot.

“Truth Assembly…? Oh… where’s Little Ya…? Tell me… where is Little Ya?”

“Commander Saranya has been rescued. From this moment forth, we will ensure her proper care and devise a rehabilitation plan for her.

Her well-being is no longer your concern!”

“You… you stole Little Ya…?”

Realizing this, Kaelan’s pupils suddenly lost focus.

Her fingers began to nervously claw at the wall, her ten jade-like fingertips leaving streaks of blood on its surface.

“No no no no no no no no no—”

“We know you are a repeat offender, having roamed free for many years. This time, we absolutely will not let you escape!”

“Give her back to me…”

“Kaelan Novfloss, please cooperate!”

“Give Little Ya back to me, nowwww!!!”