There was only one week left before the election when a Simian party member suddenly approached Sordidon in the library.
He remembered that she was the one running for Secretariat, a Lapis Lazuli Illuso Mage. She was curvaceous, had long, curly white hair that looked more like clouds, and a dazzling smile.
“Good day, I am Armadilha Carneol. I heard from an outside source that you have been ejected from the Avian party as the Lyr?”
She had this air to her that was not like how usual seductresses were. She never does the batting eyelashes, twirling hair, or even the coquettish voice.
She had a sense of authority and control, her face always full of self-assurance and her smile simpler yet somehow deadlier.
Sordido grinned and nodded. “Yes, that’s true…. beautiful miss.”
(This must be the benefactor brother was talking about.) He thought, feeling proud of himself for noticing so fast.
(Could this be their Mage Focus? They must have pretended to be Cermin just like this too.)
(Do they think they can fool me easily by pretending to be a pretty girl? Hah!)
The girl’s smile grew even wider, just by a tiny bit, but Sordido did not notice it.
“Our Lyr position happened to be freed up. We believe that you would be a useful asset to our party.” She offered her hand..
Sordido took it. “I see. I would consider it.”
“You really should. After all, your Head threw you away and humiliated you in front fo everyone.” She went near to whisper to him. “Wouldn’t you like to get some revenge on him?”
Sordido sneered. (Big brother was right. The benefactor thinks I’m the weak link, and can be pulled to their side.)
“I…. I think so.” Sordido pretended to consider it. “After all that I have done for the Avians….. It feels unfair.”
“It is unfair.” The Simian girl agreed. “It tramples over your worth as not just a Student Council member, but also as a Mage. To have your powers taken away by some upstart.”
He gritted his teeth. “That Cermin Drychspiel….. I want to make him pay.”
He was quite good at acting, and did consider to be an Artisan before moving to Scholars just like his Big Brother.
The Simian girl cocked her head to the side. “And do you know what would make him pay faster?”
“What is it?” He asked, interested at what this benefactor was planning.
“Make him and Pavone fall out. Perhaps frame him with stealing documents from Pavone’s office… That would definitely cause a rift in their friendship.”
“Not to mention that we might find something that would incriminate Pavone, and help the Simians win against the Avians.”
Sordido chuckled. This benefactor was pretty cunning, almost as cunning as his big brother.
But his big brother was much smarter. He saw this coming, and had Sordido become a spy.
He grabbed the girl by the waist.
“You are one smart woman, miss. How come I never thought of that before?”
The girl just calmly pried his hand away and walked out of the library’s door.
“Let us make haste, hm? I made sure Pavone is currently preoccupied and….” She flaunted the office’s key to him.
Sordido frowned. (How did she gain the key undetected by Big Brother? Pavone is always alert with his things.)
But he followed after the girl eventually, his hand on the pocket of his pants.
His scar has not yet healed, so he was currently powerless. However, he does not need power to deal with this trickster.
He had a paralyzing stone with him.
Once he activated that the rune within it and attached it to this person’s neck, they would immediately fall down and get paralyzed.
Everyone can use runes, even non-Illuso mages. All you need was a Flame to activate it.
It was a good alternative for people who had lost their Mage Focus or had weak Flame.
However…
Runes also take away Flame, capturing the energy and keeping it inside. So it was not often used by people who do not have it as a Mage Focus.
It was a Flame stealer, and so was Ronin.
Once they entered Pavone’s office, the girl sat on the desk with her legs crossed.
“Where shall we first look into, Sir Palladium?” She asked, her fluffy hair cascading down to the desk, almost covering it entirely.
“I have never met a noble with a Palladium Heartstone before. It’s a Medium Heartstone, close to being a Commoner, is it not?”
Sordido furrowed his brows now that his Heartstone was brought up. “Yes… And what is it to you?”
“I find it interesting. Palladium is within the platinum group… Which also happened to be The Blanc D’Argent’s Heartstone. “
“In fact, you look closer to platinum, just have impurities of Palladium combined.”
Sordido’s eyes bugged out, and he gripped the paralyzing stone tighter.
(They know. How!? No one else could know…. They have to be eliminated!)
He walked towards the girl, and aimed to slam the rock to her neck—
But his vision turned to black!
As he swung, he missed her completely, and the momentum caused him to fall to his feet. As he fell to the floor with a thump—
“Ahhhhh!” He yelled as his hand holding the stone was stepped on, and he had to let go.
Someone took it from him in this darkness—
And slammed it to his neck, paralyzing him!
“Ah, poor little Blanc D’Argent.” The girl said, as she blew the smoke from the stone.
The rune for paralyzing, a snake’s head, was marked on his neck.
She twirled the stone from side to side. “This looks pretty useful. I’ll be taking this, if you don’t mind.”
She then went to rummage the drawers, and eventually, found what she was looking for.
“Aha!” She took a pile of small papers tied together by rope, and some scissors.
She just pocketed the pile of papers, and went over to the unconscious Sordido.
Snip!
She cut some of his gray hair and pocketed it as well.
“Kai, I have a question.” She said after leaving the office and locking it from the outside.
Another person appeared beside her. “What is it?”
“How good are you at acting?” Ronin grinned, still wearing that pretty Simian’ girls face.
Kai blinked. “….. Me?”
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