I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 201: Selective Justice

"Whoa, whoa, easy, Maeve." Theo takes a step back, palms up, trying to calm her down.

Maeve looks at Theo like she might swallow him whole. But with Theo wearing the face of a fragile young woman, it’s hard for her anger to hold. She exhales sharply.

"I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, Thea. I— I snapped."

Her shoulders drop, the fire draining out of her as she looks down again, defeated.

Theo steps closer. "Hey. It’s okay to feel stressed and overwhelmed. Let’s take a few deep breaths, alright? Let’s calm down together."

He deliberately takes a loud, slow breath.

Maeve follows.

One breath. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Two.

Three.

By the fourth, the tightness in her chest eases. She opens her eyes and gives Theo an awkward smile. "I feel much better now. I really am sorry I snapped at you."

Theo smiles back. "It’s fine. I know how stressful this is. Now... is there anything I can do to help?"

"You can blast them all to oblivion!"

Claudia’s voice comes from behind them, sharp and furious.

Theo and Maeve turn to see her standing there, hands planted on her hips, eyes blazing.

"I can’t believe them! I know most of those people personally!" Claudia fumes. "They’re from big companies and prominent families. Meaning they absolutely have money! How can they keep saying they don’t?"

She doesn’t slow down. "Thea, we need to change our hiring terms. This is ridiculous."

"In fact, I’m going to Arthur right now and talk to him!"

She spins on her heel and marches out of the office without waiting for a response.

Theo and Maeve stare after her for a second.

Then they both laugh.

------------------------------

"What did I say?" Lucien sneers.

"Jonathan is guilty. He betrayed us, and now he’s running away."

"It’s not what you think, Lucien," Victor says calmly, though exhaustion seeps into his voice. "I’ve said this many times. Jonathan is dealing with a personal problem. He needs time."

"But Victor," Richard says mockingly, "it’s been weeks. How many personal problems can one man have?"

Victor sighs. He has no answer. No one does except Jonathan.

The Custodians are in yet another conference call, circling the same topic again and again. Victor is the only one who witnessed Jonathan’s breakdown, and without another witness, everything rests on his word.

Fortunately, Victor’s reputation for honesty has stalled any formal hearing. Unfortunately, the Arcanus refuse to let it go.

"Victor," Edmund says quietly, "we have to admit it doesn’t look good."

"He’s been missing for weeks," Eleanor Whitmore adds gently. "No notice. No contact."

Eleanor’s concern draws nods.

"She’s right," Martyn says. "Do we even know for sure that he’s okay?"

Victor shakes his head. "I’ve thought about that. The only way to know is to track his Custodian ring with magic."

He gestures to the hologram around him. "And I can’t do that from Solarys. We don’t have the device here."

His gaze shifts to Thomas Calder. "Only HQ does."

Thomas has been quiet the entire meeting. Now he speaks.

"Actually... I know where he is."

The room stills.

Paul frowns. "And you didn’t say anything? Are you protecting him? Or are you in league with him?"

"Watch it, Paul," Thomas says evenly. His voice is calm, but firm.

Paul clamps his mouth shut.

"I didn’t speak up because of what Victor told me," Thomas continues. "That Jonathan left for personal reasons. I tracked him only to make sure he was alive."

He takes a slow breath.

"And he is. I contacted him once. He answered. He said he’s fine, apologized for disappearing, and asked for time."

"When?" Victor asks sharply.

"Five days ago," Thomas replies.

Victor stares at him. "You didn’t tell me."

"I’m sorry," Thomas says. "Jonathan asked me not to."

The room stills again.

"But it doesn’t resolve the problem, Rhaenas." Lucien doesn’t let go. He’s like a pit bull. Once he bites, he refuses to release. "How does Maeve’s team know this?"

"The most probable explanation is Ms. Collins told them," Isabelle adds smoothly. There’s a trace of satisfaction in her voice. Another apprentice in trouble means one less rival for hers.

"Maeve may have told them," Victor says, pinching the bridge of his nose, "but that doesn’t mean she told them about us as well. It’s also possible she only suggested the name Rhaenas without explaining what it means."

He exhales slowly, visibly restraining himself.

"Look, I know how this must look from your side. But I’ve met Maeve’s team. I’ve spoken to their leader, Arthur Montrose." Victor straightens slightly. "Maeve had already revealed that she wields magic. And when I met Arthur, he showed no sign of knowing more than that. He never tried to leverage it, never hinted at blackmail, never even probed."

"That, to me, is a very good sign."

He continues, voice steady but tired. "Since that first meeting, they have shared heartstones from every dungeon they’ve cleared with Maeve’s help. I receive a weekly report. Number of dungeons. Number of heartstones obtained. Exact percentage of our share."

"Everything is transparent."

Victor looks around the holographic projections. "We’re getting heartstones. Exactly the way we wanted."

He lets out a long breath.

"What more could we possibly want?"

Silence follows.

Victor is exhausted.

He’s exhausted by Arcanus. By the constant suspicion. The endless attempts to stir trouble. The excuses they use to withhold their own heartstones, while pointing fingers at others.

Maeve doesn’t argue. She doesn’t posture. She simply delivers.

And to Victor, that tells him everything he needs to know about who is trustworthy.

And who isn’t.

But Victor is not ready to cut ties with Arcanus either. Not yet. That is why he has been restraining himself, choosing his words carefully, weighing every sentence before letting it out. Politics among Custodians is a fragile thing, and burning bridges too early would only make matters worse.

Unfortunately, his last sentence lands exactly where it shouldn’t.

It pokes Isabelle’s rawest nerve.

"I’ve told you many times already," Isabelle snaps, her composure cracking. "Ethan and his team got those heartstones with their lives on the line! I can’t ask them to hand them over. Do you want me to rob them?"

Her voice is sharp, defensive, almost shrill.

"Isabelle," Lucien warns quietly, but firmly.

She stops, but her jaw remains clenched.

At this moment, Arcanus’ position is far weaker than they are willing to admit. Their refusal to share heartstones with the rest of the Custodians has already created tension, resentment simmering just beneath the surface.

And now, to make matters worse, Jonathan’s apprentice is earning heartstones at a faster rate than Ethan’s team ever did.

Since that first dungeon clearing, the Hunters have not entered another dungeon. They are training. Exclusively. Focusing on magic.

No one else knows this.

And Arcanus intends to keep it that way.

Because if the truth comes out, there will be no room for excuses.

They were the ones who broke their oaths first.