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Shoutout to Bruh_Vista for beta-reading and providing extensive feedback for this chapter!
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Guy planned to have a sit down with Shuri eventually. After hearing about the successful acquisition, he ideated an assembly to commend her achievement before transitioning into a one-to-one. After all, what she had done was a massive accomplishment that had to be lauded. However, things did not pan out that way.
"Don't worry about your responsibility as Marie's research assistant. She has agreed to defer your deliverables for a later date so that you can place your complete focus on this task."
The girl's expression spoke understanding, but what lay underneath implied something else altogether. Guy had realised what his counterpart said about the girl being duplicitous during their conversation in the girl's room. But Guy did not take this duplicity as something malicious, but rather as a defence mechanism. The infrequent truths peppered between her words spoke of a past where she'd had to live a life of solitude, grovelling, and fear. Furthermore, she'd built such a robust layer of lies around her that she seemed to have forgotten herself in the process.
She didn't trust others because she barely trusted herself.
"I'm not sure that I can deliver towards such a heavy responsibility..." The girl said, half truthfully and half in an attempt to weasel out of the limelight.
"Nonsense! If that were true, there wouldn't be so many people ready to vouch for you," Guy refuted. He noticed the girl's eyes widen and dart around in panic. "Markus, Jean, and Marie, all have had a good impression of you and have high opinions of your capabilities. Your peers also share similar opinions. All things considered, and given your predisposition towards the field of Automagy, I am confident that you will be able to bear this responsibility and produce results."
He immediately doubled back and emphasized, "You don't have to produce results, mind you. But I want to rest assured that we've considered all possible avenues before calling it quits."
"But this is something I do not know of! Even with all that I have gleaned from my past, I've barely touched upon this topic," Shuri argued worriedly.
"Of course, if it were already done, there would be no point in studying it in the first place," Guy hinted with a mischievous smile. "As you know, I did a bit of background research on this topic myself."
He reached into his jacket and produced a folded piece of parchment, as well as a key. He placed them both on the table and slid them towards Shuri. Before she could manifest confusion on her face, he explained, "This key will give you access to the restricted section in the Library. Over there, I want you to look into the literature listed in this parchment. I have elaborated on the preferred reading order, some of which will require you to dip into basics available outside the restricted section. But I have a strong suspicion that this may help you closer to what you want."
Shuri stared at the two items with a contemplative frown, but she radiated panic and apprehension from within. Guy held back a chuckle. In the end, she reached for the two and stored them inside her jacket.
"We'll have a meeting every week at this time." Those words caused the girl to jolt. "I want you to keep me updated on anything you've learned. Although I know that you cannot share the secrets of Automagy, you CAN share what you've learned. That is the philosophy of the Sect, after all."
Shuri clearly didn't want to stay here any longer and made it known immediately as she flashed out of the room with such speed and vigour that Guy was certain he saw an outline of her form linger in front of him for a second. However, her escape was cut short as the moment she slid his door open, she collided with the person standing outside.
"Woah there!" The guest exclaimed as she cushioned Shuri's head from colliding against her.
"Marie!" Guy greeted. "Right on time, as usual."
Marie revealed a mischievous smile to the fleeing girl before moving past her and entering the room.
"How did it go?" Marie inquired, to which Guy chuckled sarcastically.
"I'm pretty sure that's a rhetorical question," Guy retorted.
"Well, it's one thing to see it from afar, and another to hear it from the people involved. The Heavenly Eye does not discriminate and is perfectly objective, which is both an advantage and disadvantage," Marie reasoned.
"I was suspicious when you brought such a proposition out of the blue, I'm not going to lie," Guy started. "You know just how invested I am in this project. But then you walk in and ask me to foist it upon a girl no older than you, who I've very little personal experience with."
"You won't be disappointed," Marie responded, refusing to explain any further.
"Even though I trust you, you know that I cannot just work with your word alone. The children here are my responsibility, and I cannot burden you with it no matter how mature you may be," Guy said while shaking his head. "Explain your purpose so that I can rest assured."
Marie furrowed her brows and hummed in thought. "The girl hides a lot."
"I know that," Guy affirmed. "The only reason I did not grill her about her knowledge of Automagy is because you asked me not to."
"It is better to live in ignorance about the source of that knowledge, Mister Larks. At least for now while the Sect is still in its initial stages," Marie hinted. "This was also why I asked you to alter the trajectory of her cultivation by giving her access to those books. She knows more about Automagy than she lets on, and if she walks down that path, not only will it lead to trouble for the Sect, it will also doom her."
Guy inhaled a cold breath at that statement.
"I don't understand why you've taken such an interest in this girl," Guy said offhandedly. "What are you thinking?"
Marie noticed the burgeoning mischief in Guy's gaze and responded with a wry smile, "It's nothing like that. I just feel responsible for her, you know? I have a vested interest in her well-being, and I want her to live a happy life."
"Happy by whose standards?" Guy shot back. Marie's words, while well-meant, had a possibility of veering down a dangerous path. "Just because you are happy with something doesn't mean others will be happy with the same outcome. Not everyone behaves the same way."
"I know that - I'm not trying to play deity here," Marie defended herself. "I just want Shuri to peel the many layers of lies she's built around herself. She doesn't need to be truthful with others, but at least she should stop lying to herself."
"The girl is buried deep within a mire of lies. I suspect she, herself, is unsure of her identity. She has probably rationalised something to keep her mind from fragmenting," Guy affirmed. But he raised a finger and emphasized, "But those lies are what give her comfort. If you pull the layers away forcefully, it will do more harm than good - like removing the shell off of a hermit crab. If you want to excavate her from all the lies, do it incrementally. I've taken notice of your attempts, but I strongly advise caution."
Marie nodded and said, "I will keep that in mind, Mister Larks."
A thoughtful silence followed as both parties let the conversation simmer.
"On a different note, how are things going with you?" Guy asked. "I'm not asking this as the Sect Leader but as someone who cares for you and is concerned about you."
"What do I say?" Marie responded with a warm smile.
"Is Mage Nara treating you well," Guy probed in a low voice. He knew that whispering didn't help in the grand scheme of things since not much was truly hidden when living amidst a Tesseract Transformation realm mage.
"Master treats me as he would his child," Marie said to assuage Guy's worries. "Speaking of children, when are you and Matron Reva going to start considering having some of your own?"
Guy sputtered in embarrassment. "We aren't that close... yet."
"Well, I'd hurry it up if I were you. Is your plan to propose to her on her deathbed?" Marie mocked.
"That's a bit harsh..." Guy moaned.
Marie simply shook her head with a disdainful expression on her face. As she stood up, she shot out, "Coward!"
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Marie exited the Sect Leader's room in high spirits. She followed the corridor but stopped a foot away from turning the corner. She elevated herself to her tiptoes and inched closer before leaping around the corner and yelling, "AAAAAAAAA!"
A shrill shriek followed suit, though it teetered off almost immediately. Marie looked down and noticed Shuri as she had fallen onto her bottom.
"What are you doing down there?" Marie stated jokingly.
In response, Shuri raised a shaking finger, pointed it towards Marie, and spoke with a vicious snarl, "It was you! You did this to me!"
"Scare you? Of course, I did!" Marie averted.
"Just why are you doing this to me?" Shuri groaned. "What did I ever do to you? Why can't you just let me live in peace?"
At that moment, Marie took an aggressive step forward and cornered Shuri against the corridor wall. She banged her hands against the wall and trapped Shuri between them. Shuri's eyes flickered around as they tried to avoid making eye contact with Marie, whose face was mere centimetres away.
"I did let you live," Marie declared mysteriously. "Which is why, you see, I need to do this."
Marie noticed Shuri's confused look and tapped the girl's nose to tease her. "One day you will come to appreciate all that I am doing for you. Till that time, I am more than prepared to be the bad guy in your eyes."
Without elaborating any further, Marie twirled and continued walking away, leaving a flustered Shuri whose heart rate had skyrocketed and turned weirdly irregular for a moment.
"What just happened...?" Shuri murmured blankly. Her hand moved instinctively towards the pendant around her neck and fiddled with the stone absent-mindedly. As she watched Marie's back recede, the rage which had dissipated earlier due to Marie's sudden behaviour came back with full force. But at this point, Shuri could do nothing but grumble. And that is what she did as she journeyed all the way to the restricted section of the Library.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢