I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 115: Seeing the Board

"What do you mean? And what are you doing here instead of monitoring up there?" Maeve is confused.

"I’m here to see how you’re doing. I don’t think you’re used to this kind of situation. And to explain to you about your resonance." Aldriana explains.

"Mine?" Maeve blinks.

"Yours is light. On the surface, it can only be seen as giving light to others. Nothing more. But as you already know, light eventually leads to life. The most powerful magic." Aldriana continues.

"And it also has offensive magic."

Maeve frowns. "How?"

"Well, maybe not in the way you’re imagining." Aldriana continues. "I only remembered it when you said you heard a voice embedded in their clicks."

She gestures toward the war zone. "Now look at them. What do you see?"

Maeve shakes her head slightly. "A lot of haelions panicking because they can’t see their attackers. They’re yelling for their King to save them."

Aldriana smiles. "The men wouldn’t see that."

"Huh?" Maeve looks at her.

"The men would see enemies to be killed. A dungeon to be cleared." Aldriana grins. "They’re single-minded creatures, those men." She conveniently forgets that she is also one of them.

"You, with your light resonance, now that you’ve recognized it, don’t you feel something different besides liberation?"

Maeve hesitates. "I... I feel illuminated." She scoffs. "That sounds cheesy."

"It may be. But it’s the truth." Aldriana nods. "Now look again at the haelions. What do you see?"

Maeve squints at the war zone, trying to see something that isn’t there.

"I... I don’t know what I’m looking for."

"Don’t," Aldriana says calmly. "Just tell me what you see."

"I see... like I said before, haelions panicking. Asking for help from their King."

"Go on," Aldriana encourages her.

Maeve looks at Aldriana, then back at the war zone.

"I see... Arthur moves like an assassin. Quick, efficient, deadly. Haelions are dropping around him."

She swallows.

"Liam moves differently. He’s also deadly, but not like Arthur. Liam is more... elaborate. Like delayed death. Arthur is quick death. And Julian..." She pauses.

"Julian is painless death."

Aldriana doesn’t interrupt.

"The haelions are moving away from where those three are. Especially Arthur and Liam. Julian’s reach is farther than the other two. They can’t really see him. But Arthur and Liam..."

Maeve frowns, thinking.

"Even if the haelions can’t see them, they can see their range."

She glances at Aldriana, unsure if this is what she means. She still doesn’t understand how this is offensive.

"You’ve found one," Aldriana says.

Maeve blinks.

"You’re thinking, how is that offensive? And you’re right. If you want something that kills like Arthur, you don’t have it. Not right now. Unless haelions die the moment light touches them."

Maeve exhales softly.

"But imagine if this continues. What happens?" Aldriana presses.

"Arthur will be forced out of hiding. He’ll have to expose himself to finish them. That’s when it becomes dangerous. Same with Liam."

She gestures at the glowing battlefield.

"With your light, you can herd them. Keep them inside Arthur’s and Liam’s effective range."

Aldriana tilts her head slightly.

"You know a blender, right? Very sharp. Very powerful."

She smiles faintly.

"But without someone feeding things into it, it can’t destroy anything."

Maeve blinks. Blender? A kitchen tool? Yeah, I know a blender.

Somehow... I get what she’s saying.

"Now what else do you see?" Aldriana asks again.

Maeve looks back at the battlefield. Even though she’s still confused and doesn’t fully understand, she tries. And without realizing it, she starts looking for patterns. Patterns in the chaos.

"The haelions..." Her breath catches. "They... they’re forming formations!"

She stiffens. "No, wait. They started doing that since the King’s screech. The King is ordering them!"

Aldriana nods. "Bingo. They’re following their general’s orders."

"What do we do?" Maeve panics. "Should we tell our men?"

"And what could they do with that information?" Aldriana asks calmly.

Maeve opens her mouth, then closes it.

"They... can’t do anything except try to kill them faster. Can they?" Her shoulders slump. Her discovery feels useless.

"And now you feel useless, don’t you?" Aldriana says. Not unkindly.

"You found something important, but you think you can’t do anything with it."

Aldriana pauses, then takes a slow breath.

"You’re right. Our men down there can’t do much except fight harder. And as you can see, that’s becoming more difficult." She gestures at the battlefield.

"The haelions aren’t acting like headless chickens anymore. They’re moving in formations. They’re avoiding Arthur and Liam. Only Julian is still picking them off."

Maeve swallows.

"But you’re wrong about one thing." Aldriana turns fully to her.

"You are not useless. You, Maeve, and only you, can cut that order."

"C-cut the order?" Maeve stares at her.

"I can’t hear the words clearly," Aldriana continues. "You can. I only hear noise. But I can tell it’s monotone, repetitive. The same command over and over. Am I right?"

"Yes." Maeve nods, startled. Half amazed that she can hear something Aldriana can’t.

"That voice is what’s keeping them organized," Aldriana says. "A constant command reinforcing their behavior. These haelions aren’t intelligent beings. They don’t think. They follow."

She smiles slightly. "Which means..."

Maeve closes her eyes and listens again. The voice still makes no sense to her. The words are unclear. But suddenly, she understands what Aldriana means.

"I can cut them. You might be right," Maeve whispers. She opens her eyes.

"I can help. I’m not useless." She grins, a little wild, a little fierce.

Aldriana smiles back and gives her an encouraging nod.

"Okay. Okay. I can do this." Maeve inhales deeply, excitement bubbling up despite the fear.

Down on the battlefield, Arthur and Liam are starting to struggle. Without stepping out of the light, their kill range is shrinking fast. The haelions are learning. Slowly, deliberately, they’re drifting just beyond reach.

"Aldriana," Arthur’s voice comes through the earpiece, tight but controlled.

"I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but I can’t kill that many anymore. They’re moving out of my range. Is it safe for me to come out?"

"Negative, Arthur. Negative." Aldriana answers immediately. "We’ve noticed it. Yours and Liam’s. Hang in there."

She glances at Maeve.

"Maeve is about to solve your problem."