Chapter 35

"Please wait, Lady Ilona," Diantha mumbled. She was not looking at Ilona, but somewhere far away.

Ilona did stop. Even if she wanted to leave, a part of her wished to hear an explanation that would satiate her rage. "I’m listening,"

"Do you not believe in Hecate? I believe she can win…" Diantha could not continue as the pressure on her soul became suffocating.

"I was expecting an explanation. If you don’t have one, then we are finished."

Ilona twisted the knob.

"Hecate will not go with you."

"She cannot stop me from taking her with me," Ilona was not keen on forcefully taking Hecate away.

"What of her guilt? Will the person who would go with you be the same as the one you’re trying to save?"

"I will erase her memory," Ilona was desperately trying to come up with a solution to this situation. There were only two possible ways out of this: taking Hecate away or killing the inspector. The second was the same as singing off a death warrant to millions of people.

The empire would not hesitate to crush everything within the empire that has even a remote connection to Roundtable Rivals. If it did not directly wage a full-scale war.

There was a reason the empire was as mighty as it was.

It did not allow leeway for the outsider. Empire strikes even an insignificant threat with all its might. She did not have the strength to bear the burden of so many lives.

"Then, will she be any different than Winny?" Diantha said as she patted the cat on her lap.

"..." Ilona was quiet. Now, she was considering the third option. Letting Hecate stay. But that was after she tried her best to leave.

…

It was a futile attempt. Hecate’s face twisted in rage as she ran off at the simple mention of leaving. Ilona could not bring herself to follow her.

She noticed Iris coming up the stairs. A part of Ilona felt pity for Iris. She did not know what she had done to Hecate. Most likely, she fell for Diantha’s warm words.

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Ilona faulted herself for being irresponsible. She should have had a talk with Iris. She never did, but the guilt of her actions did not allow her to look at Iris for more than a moment without feeling the urge to wrench her own neck.

"Iris," Ilona called. She knew Iris avoided her after she, in her guilt and rage, hurt her and forced her to agree on something she should never have been forced to.

"Yes, Lady Ilona?" Ilona wished Iris did not call her name with such respect and fear. It created an invisible wall that Ilona could not hope to break.

"Are you aware of the consequences of your action?"

"I thought you agreed to Lady Diantha’s words."

"I was not talking about our agreement, but what Hecate would need to face now."

"I am aware of it, Lady Diantha explained... At the same time, she also said there was no option now that the emperor was aware that I was not hers. I did not plan to agree until I had your agreement, but then she pointed out that Hecate has been at 99% mastery in every attribute for about three years and still cannot ascend to the next level—she is chained to her past. This tournament is her only way to grow."

"I see…" Ilona did not say anything else; Iris, who had lived in the labyrinth, had a completely different value for ascending than someone like Hecate or her.

Iris lived one-third of her life in the Greater Labyrinth. Ilona had forgotten what kind of place that was. Anyone in the labyrinth would be willing to jump down a pit of Kreens if they could hasten their ascension even by a day.

"I am sure she would be happy once the tournament is over, even if the next few days are hellish; that, too, is a price for the strength she needs to pay for her lady."

Ilona nodded. Iris did not know the reason, but Ilona was sure. If Diantha had actually told her why Hecate never ascended to Level 5, Iris would not have agreed to go along with this.

"I’ll go look for Hecate; her presence feels weirdly tense," Iris said as she passed Ilona.

"Right,"

Ilona turned the way she had come, back to meet the grand duchess.

"I’m sorry," Diantha muttered, her voice still emotionless and distant. Ilona took the seat next to her.

"I care little about your apologies. I would have ended this farce if not for the war that would break out from my intervention."

"I am aware, and I am grateful for the patience you've shown. If it were any other member of the Roundtable, I would be dead, along with everything in this state. But this is a golden opportunity given by Mother just for Hecate to free herself from the chains of her pasts."

"Or she never accepts that fate and dies." Ilona spat. At this point, she was very tired of this mess.

Diantha should’ve known better than everyone else how much Hecate hated the notion of Killing the Raven. Ilona could not fathom why Diantha was keen on forcing Hecate into this situation. If Hecate hesitates for a moment, it will end badly for both of them.

"She will kill the raven."

"You will force Hecate to kill her sister."

"I will. If I could, I would have killed her sister and freed Hecate from her miserable situation. How long did you want to keep her sane, to stop hallucinations, on medicine?" Diantha looked at her; those eyes were filled with tears.

"I can no longer bear to see what has become of her. A few days ago, I walked into her room. She had a fireball in her hand; it was hot enough to burn me from meters away. She planned to use that thing to burn her wounds. Even if you wish to turn away from her reality, Lady Ilona, I cannot. Sooner or later, she would burn herself. She must kill the raven." Tears flowed down her face. Ilona did not know of this. Every word spoken by Diantha was like a flaming whip, burning her flesh. She failed to see Hecate’s condition.

Ilona’s lips pressed thinly as she tried to find an argument. Even if Ilona wished to say that Diantha did not care about Hecate, she could not. Diantha loved her just like a mother would.

"You’re far too kind, Lady Ilona. It makes you weak to make the decision. You want solutions that are fantastical—where everyone gets to be happy. I am not born with your might; as such, I can only harden my heart and make decisions that would hurt the people I love the most."

Ilona held back her voice. She had no words to counter Diantha’s argument. Hecate, perhaps, was lucky to have Diantha.