Chapter 86: Leave everything to me

Kiyome looked at Rhea’s arm wrapped around Lathel, and her brows immediately furrowed.

"What I’m about to say isn’t suitable for outsiders to hear."

"He isn’t an outsider."

Rhea answered without hesitation.

Lathel paused slightly, but Rhea tightened her hold on his arm even more. That domineering posture made it clear that she had no intention of yielding.

Kiyome took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm.

"Fine. If you want him to hear, then I’ll speak plainly."

She stepped closer to the two of them, her sharp gaze fixed on Rhea.

"Do you really intend to protect Lathel?"

"Yes."

"Do you even know what you’re doing?"

"I know better than you do."

The cold answer made Kiyome’s temple twitch slightly.

She glanced at Lathel, her expression complicated, as though she were looking at a knot that could no longer be untangled.

"Rhea, Lathel isn’t as simple as he looks. This doesn’t only involve Aldric or the conflict that just happened. You have no idea how many problems he has already dragged along with him."

Rhea tilted her head slightly.

"I don’t need to know."

"You have to know!" Kiyome suddenly raised her voice. "There are things moving in the shadows. There are people who have already noticed him, and the consequences won’t stop at a few fights inside the Academy. If you continue keeping him beside you, you’ll be dragged into it too."

Lathel lowered his eyes.

His fingers unconsciously touched the small notebook in his pocket.

Rhea noticed.

She reached over with her bare hand and gently took his hand, leaving him no chance to pull away from her embrace.

"I’ve been involved in this for a long time."

"You don’t understand." Kiyome gritted her teeth. "Lathel is connected to more things than you think. I can’t tell you everything, but I’m giving you a chance to withdraw."

Rhea looked directly into her eyes.

"I don’t need that chance."

"Then you want to oppose me?"

Kiyome took another step forward.

The mana around her began to fluctuate, blowing the dust on the ground to both sides.

"I tried to speak to you peacefully. Aldric may be an idiot, but he is still part of my plan. If you protect Lathel, that means you’re choosing to stand against both me and Aldric."

The atmosphere between the two women became tense.

The nearby members of the Church quietly moved farther away.

Only Lathel remained standing beside Rhea.

Rhea looked at Kiyome for a long time before the corner of her lips curved slightly.

It was not a happy smile.

It was undisguised contempt.

"Opponents?"

Kiyome narrowed her eyes.

Rhea slowly said:

"I’ve never considered you and Aldric my opponents."

Kiyome’s expression relaxed slightly, but Rhea’s next sentence immediately froze it again.

"Because in my eyes, the two of you are nothing more than a pair of clowns."

Kiyome froze.

Her face rapidly reddened with anger.

"You..."

"Aldric brought me flowers after I broke his arm, then lost his mind because I rejected him. And now you’re standing here using vague threats to make me abandon someone I want to protect."

Rhea continued calmly:

"If that’s all the two of you are capable of, then you aren’t even qualified to make me take you seriously."

Kiyome clenched her hands so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"You’ll regret this."

"I never regret my decisions."

"You think your strength can solve everything?"

"At the very least, it’s enough to deal with you and Aldric."

The mana around Kiyome erupted even more violently.

For a moment, it truly seemed as though she was about to attack.

Rhea did not release Lathel.

Her other hand merely rested lightly on the hilt of her greatsword, but a cold killing intent instantly covered the courtyard.

The two auras collided, producing faint explosions in the air.

In the end, Kiyome withdrew her mana.

This was Church territory.

If she fought a Judicator here, she would have no way to explain the consequences to the people behind her.

Kiyome looked at Lathel one last time.

Her gaze contained anger, worry, and a complicated emotion he could not understand.

"Lathel, you have no idea how chaotic everything has become because of your existence."

Lathel parted his lips slightly, but no sound came out.

Rhea immediately pulled him behind herself.

"Don’t speak to him in that tone."

Kiyome sneered.

"You may be able to protect him today, but you can’t keep him locked beside you forever."

"I can."

Rhea’s answer made both Kiyome and Lathel pause.

She did not look like she was joking.

Kiyome stared at her for several more seconds before turning away.

"Then let’s see how long you can remain this arrogant."

Her figure quickly disappeared beyond the gate.

The heavy atmosphere gradually faded.

Rhea released the hilt of her sword, but still did not let go of Lathel’s arm.

She led him into the Church building, passed through several corridors, then stopped somewhere with no one else around.

Lathel took out his small notebook.

He wrote very slowly, as though he had to think for a long time before putting each word onto the page.

[Have I caused trouble for you?]

Rhea looked at the sentence.

Lathel continued writing.

[If you have to oppose so many people because of me, I can leave. You don’t have to...]

Rhea placed a hand over the notebook and closed it.

Lathel looked up.

"I already told you."

Rhea spoke calmly.

"I don’t mind trouble."

He shook his head and tried to open the notebook again, but Rhea suddenly stepped forward.

Lathel instinctively moved back until his back touched the cold stone wall.

Rhea placed one hand against the wall beside his head.

Her other hand held his wrist.

She did not use much force, but she also did not allow him to avoid her.

The distance between them became extremely close.

Lathel could feel her breath brushing across his face.

Rhea’s dark red eyes stared directly into his, cold yet filled with undisguised possessiveness.

"You always think leaving will help other people avoid trouble."

Rhea lowered her voice.

"But have you ever considered that you disappearing would be the greatest trouble for me?"

Lathel froze.

Rhea lifted his chin with one finger.

"I don’t need you to decide what is best for me. And I certainly don’t need you to sacrifice yourself and quietly disappear."

Lathel’s lips moved slightly, but no sound came out in the end.

"You only need to obediently stay beside me."

Rhea’s gaze softened slightly, but her tone still allowed no refusal.

"No matter what Kiyome is preparing, what Aldric wants to do, or how many more people are targeting you..."

She lowered her head until her forehead nearly touched his.

"I’ll deal with everything."

Lathel looked at her for a long time.

Finally, he slowly nodded.

Rhea released his wrist in satisfaction, only to immediately take that hand again and lead him deeper into the Church district.

This time, Lathel did not resist.

...

At the same time, inside the Black Rose Legion’s estate, the sound of things breaking continuously echoed from a locked room.

A vase was thrown against the wall.

Then a chair.

A table.

A mirror.

Anything within reach.

The luxurious room had already become a mess.

The curtains had been torn apart, cushions were scattered across the floor, and shards of broken glass reflected the faint red light of the Magic Array covering all four walls.

Catrina knelt in the middle of the wreckage.

Her blonde hair was completely disheveled, sweat soaking her face and collar.

Both arms wrapped tightly around her trembling body, her nails digging deep into her flesh.

The pain had returned.

It did not come from any specific wound.

It came from deep within her blood, like thousands of insects crawling through every blood vessel before gnawing at her bones from the inside.

Catrina gritted her teeth and tried not to scream.

But the pain quickly exceeded what she could endure.

"Lathel..."

His name escaped her dry lips.

Just saying that name seemed to ease the pain for a brief moment.

Then it became even worse.

"Lathel... Lathel..."

She called his name while crawling toward the shattered mirror.

In the fragments that remained, her face was divided into countless distorted pieces.

Her eyes were bloodshot, yet the corners of her lips curved upward as though she were smiling.

"Where are you?"

A strangled sob escaped her.

"Why aren’t you here?"

Catrina reached through the broken glass.

Her fingertips were cut open, but that small pain could not compare to what was tormenting her body.

Eventually, her hand found a decorative knife that had fallen beneath the table.

Catrina picked it up.

She stared at the light reflected along the blade and laughed.

The laughter mixed with crying, rising and falling in pitch, causing the female knights standing outside the room to remain completely silent.

The blade passed across her thigh, leaving a dark red line of blood.

The new pain allowed Catrina to regain clarity for an instant.

She tilted her head back.

Tears ran down both cheeks, but the smile did not disappear.

"Lathel..."

Outside, a young female knight placed a hand on the hilt of her sword.

"Vice Commander, are we really not going in?"

The woman standing in front of the door gently shook her head.

The insignia on her armor marked her as the Black Rose Legion’s Vice Commander.

"She ordered that no one is allowed to enter."

"But if this continues, she’ll hurt herself."

"We’ve broken through the door three times already. Every time she regains consciousness, she attacks anyone who comes near."

The Vice Commander sighed.

"The Healers can’t dispel whatever is tormenting her either."

Another crash sounded from inside the room.

Several female knights unconsciously stepped forward.

But in the end, they still stopped.

They were warriors who had faced magical beasts and crossed countless battlefields.

Yet at this moment, all they could do was stand outside the door and listen to their commander laugh and cry, repeatedly calling the name of a man who was not there.

"Lathel..."

Catrina’s voice gradually weakened.

She hugged the knife tightly against her chest, her body curling up amid the ruined room.

"If only you came back..."

A trembling smile appeared on her lips.

"...I would forgive you."

Outside the door, the female knights looked at one another.

In the end, they could only sigh and shake their heads.

None of them noticed that beneath Catrina’s clothing, the black markings were slowly spreading farther across her skin.