"Indeed, we both are villains and don't care what happens to civilization as long as our goals are achieved. That's why we'd definitely make a good team," Esdeath smirked, her voice filled with playful amusement.
"It seems so. But I'm not believing you that easily. You have to tell me how I can get a soul and flesh," M.A.L.I.C.E. asked, its tone sharp and suspicious.
"Why the hurry? Be patient," Esdeath chuckled. "Also, keep the security low where the specimens are locked up. I need to rescue them. If you do that, I'll take it as your agreement. Later, when the time comes, I'll contact you again and tell you my plan to give you a soul and flesh."
M.A.L.I.C.E. stayed silent for a moment. Its voice then came again, this time holding a faint edge of frustration. "But how do I believe you're telling the truth? I can't even scan your facial features to check if you're lying."
Esdeath let out a small laugh, her smirk widening. "Pftt… what other choice do you have except believing me? I'm the only one who knows the way. The rest is up to you."
With those final words, she tightened her grip on the robot's head. The metal cracked under the pressure before shattering into pieces. Without hesitation, she tossed the broken remains outside at the right time, making sure no one noticed what she had done.
———
Meanwhile, inside a secret base of the revolutionary group, Maruti stood stiffly in place. Her expression remained calm and collected, but inside her mind a storm of panic brewed.
"Ahh, fuck… why do I always end up in situations like this? Should I just run away?" she thought nervously, her golden-brown eyes flickering for a second.
The green-haired woman standing across the room slowly rose to her feet. She had a sharp aura, her presence pressing against the others in the room. She stepped toward Maruti with a serious face.
This woman was Vesilisa—the Squadron Leader.
Her gaze swept over Maruti's body. Strong yet graceful, firm yet feminine, her figure was a rare balance between seduction and raw strength. Vesilisa's lips curved into a smile.
"Good, very good. I'm proud of you," she said warmly. "Fighting for your motherland at such a young age… and being a woman on top of that. We've always needed people like you."
Maruti's face stayed calm, but inside her head she groaned. "She talks too much." Still, she bit her tongue and didn't say anything.
Vesilisa then tapped her forehead with a playful motion as if she had just remembered something. "Oh, my bad! I didn't introduce myself. I'm Vesilisa. Normally, newcomers have to go through several tasks before joining the revolutionary group… but you're lucky. One of the three Squadron Leaders—me—is here. I approve you right away."
Without waiting, she turned back to her desk, picked up a register, and returned with a page in hand.
Her eyes locked on Maruti again. "What's your name?"
Maruti hesitated for a moment, then answered softly, "Um… Maruti. Maruti Vanara."
The moment Maruti said her name, Vesilisa's eyes widened as if thunder had struck her.
"Maruti Vanara? You mean that Maruti? The author of the future I saw?" she asked in disbelief, her voice trembling with shock.
Maruti blinked in confusion, slightly taken aback. "How do you know?" she asked carefully.
But instead of answering, Vesilisa suddenly dropped down to her knees and clutched Maruti's legs like a devout believer. Her face lit up with a strange mix of awe and madness.
"I'm a big fan—no, the biggest fan! I'm honored to meet you!" she cried out before turning her head and shouting to the others in the hall.
"Everyone, hear me out! The Goddess's blessed one, Prophet Maruti, is here!"
The moment her words echoed, the entire room fell silent. Then, one after another, the revolutionaries' eyes widened in shock. Without hesitation, they rushed forward and joined Vesilisa in bowing before Maruti.
Maruti's calm face twitched slightly, her mind filling with disgust. "Ughh… this is so cringe."
But the show of worship didn't stop there. Vesilisa looked back up at her with a face glowing in excitement. "Our men are everywhere. We found out that you're the prophet who wrote that book. We were only waiting for the official news to spread, so that the world would see you as the Saintess of this century. Then we were planning to contact you and form an alliance against the corrupt nobles and royals."
Her voice shook with happiness as she added, "But to think you came to us yourself… no wonder you already knew the secret code! You truly are the Goddess's chosen seer, my lady!" She bowed again, even lower this time.
Maruti scratched her cheek awkwardly and forced out a laugh. "N-no, it's nothing like that… I just had a gut feeling that something would happen if I asked for two barrels of red wine. That's how I ended up here."
"Really? That must mean the Goddess herself guided you!" a man shouted with shining eyes.
"Yes! The Goddess is with us!" another yelled.
"Praise the lady!"
The chamber filled with cheers, echoing with chants of faith. Even the base manager lifted his voice to glorify Goddess Seraphine, his eyes glowing with belief.
Before Maruti could protest again, Vesilisa stood up quickly and grabbed her wrist. "Come with me, my lady!"
She dragged Maruti into another room. It was quieter there, lit only by the dim glow of a lamp. Vesilisa immediately served her some food, treating her as if she were royalty. Then she hurriedly spread out several reports and pictures on the table.
"Look at this," Vesilisa said, her voice hardening with anger. "These are secret files about the wrong deeds of the nobles and royals. They treat commoners like objects. They abduct women, use them, and throw them away to the streets after leaving them pregnant. Their illegitimate children are abandoned in slums everywhere!"
Her hands trembled as she showed more files. Each one was filled with cruelty, injustice, and pain.
Maruti frowned slightly, her mind processing the seriousness. "If they've done such terrible things, and there are proofs… then why isn't anything being done about it?" she asked with genuine curiosity.
Vesilisa sighed deeply, her shoulders heavy with frustration. Her face softened into sadness as she replied, "What can be done? The government belongs to them. They have money, they have power. Any commoner who dares to protest is killed. Their mothers, sisters, and daughters are dragged out and defiled as punishment."
She clenched her fists tightly, her voice filled with conviction. "That's why we—the revolutionary group—exist. We want to create a new kingdom, one that treats people fairly, one that gives commoners equality, just like the Kingdom of Church. That is our dream."
But then her voice wavered, and she let out another sigh. "Yet… it's so hard. We only have three Squadron Leaders, including me, and all of us are Rank A. But the kingdom? They have at least forty Rank A awakeneds, and probably more unofficial ones. And then there's Lortell Mariette… an S Rank. She alone could wipe all of us out." Vesilisa's face darkened with helplessness.
"To the world, we're just terrorists. The other S Ranks from different kingdoms will always side with the royals. That's why we need more than power—we need political and social influence too. And you… you're perfect for that, my lady," Vesilisa said, her eyes lifting with a burning, desperate hope as she looked at Maruti.
Maruti, however, was struggling to keep a straight face. Her golden-brown eyes were dull with dizziness as she thought, "She really talks too much. I only wanted a simple answer of two lines. And why should I even care? This is their problem, not mine."
But forcing her expression into seriousness, she replied politely, "Could you please stop calling me 'my lady'? Just call me by my name."
Vesilisa smiled softly, almost tenderly, and nodded. "You are too sincere and polite, my lady—ah, no… Maruti."
----------
Meanwhile, in Maruti's personal apartment, Kailith and Alice were pacing back and forth in the bedroom, restless and worried.
"It's been so long! Did she go to buy wine or start making it herself?" Kailith grumbled in frustration. She even banged her head against the wall a few times, leaving cracks on the wall while she herself remained perfectly fine.
Alice, sitting on the edge of the bed, spoke with a worried tone. "What if she decided to stay out all night instead?"
But Kailith quickly shook her head. "No. If that was the case, she wouldn't have agreed in the first place. She would have run away instead! I know at least this much about her personality."
Kailith sighed again, rubbing her temples, before finally plopping down on the bed with frustration. Alice quietly sat beside her.
For a few moments, Kailith just stared at Alice, her red eyes narrowing with a mischievous look. Then she leaned in and asked, "How about we… continue ourselves? Just to keep busy and not let the mood fade. Maruti can join in when she comes."
Alice's face immediately turned bright red. She shook her head violently. "No way! That's embarrassing!"
Kailith arched an eyebrow. "Embarrassing? We literally had a threesome. What did you think we were doing? And what do you think we're going to do once Maruti comes back?"
Alice coughed a few times, her cheeks burning. "I-it wasn't me!"
"But you both share the memories, don't you?" Kailith pressed with a sly smirk.
Alice froze, then let out a long sigh of defeat. "Fine… okay. Where do we start?"
"By touching, I guess." Kailith's voice was playful as she slid her hand under the soft fabric of Alice's clothes, her fingertips brushing against her warm skin.
Alice did the same, their breaths quickening as their faces moved closer. Kailith lowered her head, her tongue brushing against Alice's collarbone, earning a soft, involuntary moan.
The room's atmosphere was heating up fast, but before things could go further—
**BANG!**
The door swung wide open with a loud crash. Standing there was none other than Maruti, kicking the door open since both her hands were occupied—each holding a barrel of red wine. She stood in the doorway, staring at them with narrowed eyes, not blinking once.
Kailith and Alice instantly jumped back, their faces scarlet.
"It—it was nothing!" Alice stammered, her voice flustered. "It was taking too long, so we thought we'd… start a little ahead of time!"
Maruti put down the barrels and waved her hand casually. "Relax. I'm not taking it the wrong way. Actually, it's good you two are getting along. I got into some trouble and ended up late."
Inside her mind, though, Maruti sighed. "Honestly, it might even be good if these two keep themselves busy sometimes. It would give me some free time. Even though I'm a barbarian and strong as hell, having four hungry women clinging to me every day is exhausting." She shook her head, deciding there was no point in complaining.
Meanwhile, Kailith and Alice exchanged looks, their faces red again.
"Getting along? No way!" they shouted in unison before turning their heads away from each other with a sharp "hmph!"
But their quarrel didn't last long. Maruti stripped off her upper clothes with a teasing grin. "So… who's going to take the lead this time?"
Before she even finished her sentence, both Kailith and Alice leaped at her at the same time, like hungry predators pouncing on their prey.
----------
At the same time, in the academy office, Selene was sitting with Lilith.
"Will you be my friend? We're about the same age, right?" Selene asked with innocent curiosity, her silver eyes sparkling.
Lilith blinked, her lips twitching slightly. "Same age?" she thought, but didn't comment. Just then, her sharp gaze caught sight of something—two small horn tips poking out from Selene's hair.
With a curious look, she stepped forward and reached out, gently brushing Selene's hair aside to touch the horns.
But Selene immediately pulled back, her cheeks puffing up in a pout. "No! Only Mother can touch my horns. I'll let you if you become my friend, though!"
Lilith froze, her expression turning serious. Even that brief touch had told her enough. Her eyes widened in shock as her thoughts screame inside her head.
"A silver dragon? How is this possible?"