NOVEL NEXT Chapter 160: 'I was the One...'
"Maria."
"Mm?"
"You plan to walk around the campus like this, don't you?"
As Mel's steps stuttered in the corridor to the Student Council Room, an undisguised Maria only smiled as her arm was locked tight on her waist.
They've walked from the Eastern to enter the Western Academy Building; Maria insisted on staying invisible while accompanying her undisguised.
It worried Mel that <Archon> ranked like Samantha would intrude to question this sight, but Mel's mind was occupied by Maria's palm that kept drawing circles on her tummy.
The implication was clear, scary, yet also too stimulating for the poor old Mel!
"Mel." Maria tapped her Mel's cheek. "You enjoy this, don't you?"
"Heh heh..."
A chuckle, then Mel leaned her flushed cheek onto Maria's shoulder. "Was it so... obvious?"
Reading Mel's spark of cheerfulness, Maria merely sighed.
"Always seeming so carefree... we're about to meet one of the most troublesome witches, you know?"
"Ah, please. Liora was a sweet person!"
Mel's arms wrapped around the Saintess, grumbling. "Better than a Maria who wouldn't be flustered no matter what I do."
"You flatter me."
Maria's lips curled up, mischievousness flashing in her curving gaze.
"Because I could only imagine you as a pure girl without any pervertedness, Mel."
"Haha." Mel let out a fake laugh. "Nice joke."
"I'm not joking, though?"
"...heh?"
Mel briefly froze, her steps stopped as her eyes shifted to meet Maria's sincere gaze.
"Ah-"
Her throat clenched as the blush spread to her ears; it's a tease. A tease! She reminded herself.
"Let-let's just go..."
"Sure. Mel."
Their steps resumed, with a blushing maiden enraptured by a cunning 'white demon' disguised as a nun.
As they arrived before the oak door, they opened themselves to reveal Liora.
Still dressed in her school uniform, the elf eyed Mel from top to bottom; her summer dress slightly drenched in sweat and unsavory fluid below.
"...no one saw you like this, right?"
"Nope!"
"...."
The tired Elf rubbed her eyes, yawned lazily as she turned and waved. "Come in then. You're lucky that all of them were in lectures."
"Mm. Of course!"
"Ah, and also."
She paused for a moment before looking over her shoulder.
Her grey eyes, unimpressed and unfazed, even before the greater power she imagined.
"You stop your <Illusion> magic here, Maria."
"Of course."
The graceful voice sang in the air, as Maria revealed herself; light particles flying about as she flashed a subtle, confident grin at the tired elf.
The elf only groaned. "You two..."
She pointed at the hand at Mel's waist. "I expected worse. But this exceeded even my Calculation..."
"Eh-heh heh..."
With a tired chuckle from Mel, Maria silently pulled them into the room with a relaxed gesture.
Mel couldn't have known then, but the conversation afterwards, as Maria silently closed the door behind them, would be key in deciding Liora's fate.
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As Mel and Maria settled onto one of the two sofas, they watched Liora casually return to her desk, which stood at a distance to their side.
Countless documents piled up, as Mel observed a flicker of complaint blinking along with the elf's sleepy eyes.
Each stroke of her pen was delicate, yet firm as if to hold a silent complaint.
Mel gulped; the elf's expression remained unchanged, yet her glance towards Maria told a different story.
"So."
The tension strung up with one word from the Elf, flat and emotionless.
"What did I ever do to welcome a Saintess herself here in my footsteps?"
Maria, who sat closer to the Elf, shifted her smiling gaze slowly to lock onto the uncaring Liora; her eyes still focused on signing another paper.
"And what did I ever do to warrant such a suspicion from you, Liora?"
The Saintess, savior who ended the {Unprided Crusade} and enactor of the {Great Purge} that cleansed the corruption of the kingdom, tilted her head innocently.
Liora only gave one answer to that.
"Everything."
No hostility or venom slipped out. Liora just stated a mere fact.
"I simply couldn't stand your very presence here, that's all."
"Eh?"
Mel blinked confusedly; she trusted Maria to accompany her, precisely because she thought Maria and Liora had a deal not mentioned in the game's lorebook.
But the hostility flaring between them, even without a staring contest like with Lila's, was worse than she thought?
"You two..."
Mel pouted. "I'm not one to intrude on personal matters, but please don't fight when we have more important matters to discuss."
"Sure."
Maria was the one to fold; her hand settling on Mel's thigh naturally.
The Saintess squeezed the skin as she admired Mel's blush to calm herself.
"Sloth.... I mean, Miss Liora."
Maria mumbled, before turning again to Liora; this time with a genuine frown.
"I dislike you. And you dislike me. But your focus should be on alleviating your current workload, right?"
Liora only held her head, arm propping at the desk as she neatly settled the document on one of the neat paper stacks in the corner.
Mel's visit last time sparked in the elf's mind, not because of her touch in the end, no. Definitely not.
Instead, she realised that the wisdom of 'tidying' papers reduced her workload more than necessary, and she did not need to find scattered documents to check and sign.
"And for that..."
Liora squinted at both her guests on the sofa.
"What do you want me to tell?"
"Perfect."
Maria's voice, calm yet bore a manufactured grace, echoed as she idly played with Mel's thigh beside her.
"First," Maria asked. "Tell us the connection between the Cult and the Elven Forest."
"The Elven Forest... you should've known from the start that the Elves had supplied the Tree Saps to them."
Liora shrugged as she began taking another document to sign, the scribbling that once ceased started again.
"What more do you want?"
"Then how about your childhood?"
"I don't understand what of it would interest you, Maria."
Maria smirked. "Oh no. It would not interest me, but Mel, who hasn't known your history, Liora."
"Oh..."
Mel's eyes briefly widened; the stroke of the pen briefly paused as Mel was given time to process the information.
Liora's childhood?
Although excited at the prospect of a cute Liora, an unease crept up on Mel's heart.
The flow of the conversation.
Mel bit her lips as she shook her head.
She was reminded again of Nyrel's words; <Prophecy>, as the Cult told them.
She wished to deny the possibility, but-
"Mel."
Maria's voice, no longer calm, bore only sternness as she sighed.
"You have to hear this through."
"Maria..."
Squinting at Maria, Mel wished to convince Maria to stop, but-
"It would be tiring."
Liora interrupted, as her hand resumed again on signing another paper.
"So let's brief this through; there's no need to hide it."
Her grey gaze swept around the room again, nodding at Mel with a hint of need.
"...mm."
Reluctance briefly flashed across Mel's eyes, the heaviness unrelieving as she cast a <Silence> spell across the room.
"...tell Mel, Liora."
Maria's hand left Mel's thigh. She cupped her chin, expressionless, and stared back at the elf.
"You make it sound serious, but it really isn't."
Liora casually signed another document and placed it again in the stack; a gesture of familiarity in a much less stressful environment she used to inhabit.
"Yes." She confessed, her mind briefly wandering away from her work.
"I was the one who prophesied to the Cult; where the non-awakened Witches were."