“Is this really the only choice?” Liana wasn’t too surprised by this outcome, but she still felt it was a pity.

If everything went smoothly, then Vikana could truly be called a hero.

Granting him release would also be helping him.

But...

“Perhaps there’s still a chance.” Liana wasn’t planning to give up on a combatant of Vikana’s caliber.

“The magic demonkind uses now is all ancient, from a long, long time ago. In a clash of magic of the same level, they are no match for us at all. Perhaps, magic that was fatal to us in the past can now be cured?” Liana stated her idea. “Besides, it’s been so long, and Headmaster Vikana has still managed to maintain his consciousness. Maybe he can still be saved.”

“That is true.” Sephirena nodded. If possible, she also hoped Headmaster Vikana could survive.

“But if there really is no chance, do not hesitate. Kill him. A Judge-level demon would be a devastating blow to us.” Liana couldn’t be soft-hearted about this. It was best if they could save him, but if not, then so be it.

“Mn, I will also explain this clearly to the King of Lisat.” Mephilia nodded. “Now, we just have to wait for Minoga to return.”

“Princess Mephilia, it almost sounds like you’re trying to shoo me away.” Minoga smiled. “But we really do need to hurry now.”

Minoga looked out the window. “Well then, Princess Liana, Princess Mephilia, I shall take my leave.”

“Mn, be careful on your way.”

After Minoga left, Kasla also departed quietly. “I won’t disturb you young people any longer.”

Liana looked at Sephirena. “Why don’t you stay here for now?”

After seeing what happened with Vikana, Liana didn’t think letting Sephirena live alone was a good decision.

“If I stay here, I’ll be disturbing you, won’t I?” Sephirena said.

“It’s not like my house doesn’t have room.” Mephilia also spoke up. “Besides, it won’t be for long. Minoga will be back tomorrow.”

“We can also discuss what we should do after tomorrow,” Liana said.

“In that case, it is better for me to accept, than to merely be polite.” Sephirena nodded, deciding to stay.

“I will go prepare a room and bedding for Princess Sephirena.” Loraviel stood up, ready to go.

But Liana grabbed her hand. “Don’t rush. You’re coming with us tomorrow, so you need to listen to what we’re about to discuss. If you have any thoughts, you can voice them too.”

“Oh... okay.” Loraviel was stunned for a moment. This was the first time Princess Liana had held her hand in front of Princess Mephilia. Although it was for a specific reason, you couldn’t deny that she was holding her hand.

Loraviel gave Liana’s hand a small squeeze before pulling her own free and placing it in front of her.

A brief touch was fine. Any longer, and Princess Mephilia would get angry.

Mephilia just gave them an extra glance but said nothing.

“Do we set off together tomorrow? Or in separate groups?” Mephilia asked.

“It’s probably about the same; it won’t make much of a difference. More importantly, we should consider what we need to do.” Liana looked at Sephirena. “Can the holy sword be used right now?”

If the holy sword couldn’t be used like it was in the illusion, the problem could become quite serious.

Without Mephilia by her side, she would lose access to powerful sacred magic. Only the holy sword would be effective against demonkind.

Even though she had already gotten many sacred magic bullets from Mephilia, she was still worried an accident might happen.

Sephirena shook her head. “Perhaps because a part of the holy sword is missing, it’s still unusable, even though it’s slowly recovering.”

“That’s a bit troublesome.” Liana shook her head helplessly.

Fortunately, two Judge-level individuals would be with her. But Liana preferred to consider the worst-case scenario.

That would be, the two Judges being held up by the Laurent’s Judge, leaving only Liana and Sephirena to deal with the demon wolf.

“Why don’t we switch? We can go stall for time. After you repair the holy sword, Liana, you can come and help,” Mephilia said.

“No need. Let’s stick to the plan. The demon is definitely the top priority.” Liana shook her head.

A demon must be killed on the spot to set one’s mind at ease. Stalling would only lead to more complications.

“True.” Mephilia looked at Loraviel. “I’ll be in your care then, Miss Assassin.”

“...As long as it’s what Princess Mephilia requires, I will do my utmost to assist you.” Loraviel had an uneasy feeling.

“I need you to go with me, but ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) I also hope you don’t go with me,” Mephilia said.

“I understand. I will follow in secret. But if the opponent is a Judge, I cannot guarantee I won’t be discovered.” Loraviel nodded.

“Then it’s settled.”

It should have ended there, but Liana thought of one more thing. “Sephirena, can you contact Princess Avira right now?”

“Yes, what is it, Princess Liana?” Sephirena asked.

“If... during this time, the Luska Kingdom prepares to make a move against the Lisat Kingdom, I hope the Elf Forest can lend its aid.” If everything descended into chaos...

The Lisat Kingdom would be at its weakest. If the Luska Kingdom attacked at this time, the Lisat Kingdom would be in extreme danger.

“Of course. Princess Liana is now the Elf Forest’s most important friend, and the Lisat Kingdom is also our ally. There’s absolutely no problem with such a request,” Sephirena said.

“That’s good.”

After finalizing the rough operational plan, they returned to their respective rooms to rest.

Liana, naturally, went back to Mephilia’s room with her.

Liana seemed a bit uneasy, not just about the mission, but more so about Mephilia and Loraviel.

“Don’t look so gloomy.” Mephilia, on the other hand, seemed very relaxed.

“I really don’t know why you’re so confident. What on earth are you still hiding from me?” Liana was frustrated.

“You’ll know when the time comes. For now, let’s just get some rest.” Mephilia hugged Liana and rolled onto the bed, opening her mouth and giving Liana’s collarbone a bite.

“Where are you biting?” Liana pressed down on Mephilia’s head.

“You’re right, wrong spot. It should be a little lower.” Mephilia nodded, moving her head down a bit.

A tingling ache slowly spread as Mephilia bit her, right through her clothes.

But it was just a bite... “We’re leaving tomorrow, so I’ll let you off for today.”

Mephilia wasn’t yet so pent-up that she felt the need to get cuddly-cuddly just from being with Liana.

“Oh, well thank you very much,” Liana said, lying beside Mephilia.

She wanted to ask about Loraviel, but ultimately held her tongue. That was a matter between the two of them, and they would handle it.

Liana trusted Mephilia, and she also trusted Loraviel.

“Goodnight, Liana.” Mephilia placed a light kiss on Liana’s forehead.

The next day, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Liana opened her eyes.

She saw Mephilia in front of the mirror, tying up her hair, with a tie held in her mouth.

“It’s still early, Liana. You can sleep a little longer,” Mephilia said.

“No need.” Liana shook her head and got out of bed. “Is Minoga back?”

“Mn, she’s already outside,” Mephilia nodded.

Liana stretched, took an outfit from the wardrobe, and began changing right in front of Mephilia.

Mephilia just stared intently at Liana.

“Want to touch?” Liana said seductively, cupping her own small soup dumplings.

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” Mephilia walked up to Liana, pinning one of Liana’s hands against the wall. “You know time is tight, so you’re deliberately saying things like that to seduce me?”

“Who knows?” A smile tugged at the corner of Liana’s mouth.

Mephilia reached out and gave a certain spot a hard squeeze. “I’ll remember this, Liana. Just you wait until we get back.”

“Lüèlüèlüè~”1略略略, onomatopoeia for 😛 Liana stuck her tongue out.

“But this... I can take.” Mephilia bit Liana’s lip.

The two separated, a silver bridge connecting them. “Now, you’re not so nervous anymore, are you?”

“Much better, thank you.” Liana’s nervous mood had eased considerably because of Mephilia.

“Then let’s go out, shall we? We shouldn’t keep them waiting too long.” Mephilia took Liana’s hand, and they walked out.

“I thought Princess Liana would sleep in a little longer.” Kasla looked at Liana with a grin, wearing an “I understand” expression.

“This isn’t really the time to oversleep, is it?” Liana shrugged.

Liana walked up to Minoga. “How did it go? Did you explain everything to the King?”

“Mn.”

“And what did he say?” Liana asked.

“He said to leave everything to Princess Mephilia. Her decision is the King of Lisat’s decision,” Minoga replied.

“What about the other Judges?” Liana looked around but didn’t see any other Judges present.

“We must maintain some secrecy. Otherwise, the other side will become guarded,” Minoga said.

Liana glanced at Mephilia, then nodded. “I understand.”

There was no need for Mephilia to lie to her. Liana took a deep breath. “In that case, let’s set off?”

“Mn.” Minoga nodded.

Sephirena and Liana boarded one carriage, while Loraviel and Mephilia boarded another.

The Judge accompanying Liana’s group was Minoga. This time, Minoga sat inside the carriage with them.

“Are you nervous, Princess Liana?” Minoga asked.

“I was a little at first, but I’m much better now.” Liana looked out the window. The Kingdom was still peaceful now, but after today, it would likely descend into chaos.

“I wonder what kind of changes the world will undergo after today,” Liana murmured. The changes to the timeline were accelerating the world’s plot.

“With things having developed to this point, no one can predict what will happen next, can they? We can only take it one step at a time,” Minoga said.