Time passed, in the blink of an eye.

Four years was a long wait in order to do what she needed to do, but she was patient. She would prevail, even if some insecurities threatened to break her ego. Ione grew tired of the wait, and when it was the month before her choosing, she had finally decided to act.

She was going to kill Umin. Tonight.

Her preparations were complete, the skills she had amassed in her isolation were great in number, as a result of forcing herself, constantly, to go above and beyond.

Most of her old skills had not gained a new tier, unfortunately, because she no longer had dreams of the past. The day that Ione woke up with no new notifications was a day of mourning. Yet, it had also strengthened her resolve to do better, be better, and move forward.

She had gained [Meditation], [Lock Picking], [Sleep Resistance], and, strangely, as well as unexpectedly, [Planning]. New tiers were also obtained in [Lying], as well as [Deception] and [Stealth].

Meditation Tier 1: You have found respite within the deepest recesses of your mind. You are at peace, you are calm. Stationary, your base mana recovery is increased by 1.5% per second.

Tier 2: Recovery increased by 2% per second.

Tier 3: Recovery increased by 2.5% per second. You now have the ability to move while using meditation, but you cannot use movement skills in conjunction to increase base speed.

Tier 4: Recovery increased by 4% per second.

[Meditation] had come a few months into living in her new lodgings, after a particularly frustrating and sleep-deprived bout of lock-picking. Ione used the floor as a way to ground her, so she sat down in a cross-legged fashion, the same as she always did, took in a deep breath, straightened her back, and rested her palms on her knees.

She breathed out. In, then out.

In, then out.

Repeatedly, for hours, until she had finally received one of the skills she was after. Then, she promptly passed out.

Lock-Picking Tier 1: You have tried and mastered many locks. Picking locks is 10% easier. Cannot bypass enchanted locks. +15 Dexterity

Tier 2: Picking locks is 15% easier. +5 dexterity.

Tier 3: Picking locks is 20% easier. Lock-picking speed increased by 20%. +5 dexterity.

Ione acquired [Lock-Picking] a month after she got [Meditation] and, while she couldn’t vocally display her joy at finally obtaining the skill, as she was currently in front of Belan’s room, she was elated to know, at that moment, she wouldn't have to bust down nearly as many walls as she she thought she would have needed to. Ione silently pumped her fist in satisfaction, relocked the door from the inside, and slinked away back to her room.

[Sleep Resistance] Tier 1: You have evaded sleep on numerous occasions, to the point of passing out. You are able to stave off the required amount of sleep by one day with no penalty.

Tier 2: You can stay awake for two days.

Tier 3: You can stay awake for three days.

Tier 4: You can stay awake for a week.

Tier 5: Your survival no longer hinges on sleep. You may sleep for pleasure.

After many sleepless nights, and days where Ione had forced herself to stay awake, she had finally obtained [Sleep Resistance], which had allowed her to work faster and more efficiently on [Lock Picking] and [Meditation]. She was fairly certain she had started hallucinating. Ione knew she needed to get rid of her sleep, it was a hindrance to her progress and she had routinely kept herself awake for days on end in order to achieve it. Henra was more than confused, but with [Deception] and [Lying] she had managed to persuade the nun to believe that she was up late studying. It had come to the point where Henra started to dial back on the quizzes, which worked for her as that perfectly coincided with Tier 5 of the skill, 2 years after her arrival in the new room.

Planning Tier 1: Your plans have resulted in success. Unexpected situations have been turned to your favor. You may find more inconsistencies in the plans you make, or the plans of others. +30 intelligence.

Ione had the thought that [Planning] was similar to [Survival], in that survival stipulated she had the foresight to prepare for emergencies. Which she had, during the past 4 years. She had stashes that she created all around the orphanage, buried items that she had swiped from the kitchen, library, and really, whatever else her greedy hands could touch. Regardless, [Planning] was not similar. When she plotted, Ione realized that, with [Survival], she was more likely to develop contingencies for the contingencies, and she was more likely to think about any potential, and random, hiccups that could affect her plans. This skill, in particular, was also extremely hard to level up, in any way. She had finally received it after she had coaxed information out of Henra, her mission to slowly draw out forbidden knowledge from the woman worked and she was left dazed as her mind reeled under the onslaught of information. She marveled at her own survival under the new awareness that her plans in the past could have gone terribly wrong. Henra actually had to coax Ione back to focus on the lesson at hand, when she had finally learned there was a whole new continent to the west, teeming with volcanoes and storms that ravaged the area.

Lying… Tier 2: You know your own tells when you lie

Deception… Tier 4: You have an innate sense of when the deception works, or not

Stealth… Tier 4: You are 20% harder to spot. Any noise made from movement while in shadow is muffled

Due to the new [Planning] skill, she had decided to change her strategy. Originally, she was going to kill Umin, go on a fun murder spree, then use [Lock Picking] in an attempt to find Belan’s scroll and then destroy it without her knowledge before The Choosing Ceremony, then flaunt it in her face after the fact. Yet, that plan had many flaws. One, was that she didn’t know how often Belan looked at the scroll, and even if she enacted her original plan the day before the choosing, she couldn't guarantee that Belan wouldn't have viewed it. The most likely culprit would have been Ione. Two, was that Ione knew that scrolls and locks could be enchanted, so she suspected Belan’s scroll would have been protected by some means. Three, If she killed Umin soon after she moved, that also would have cast suspicion on her. She would be able to deceive and lie, but she wasn't sure if she could get through another interrogation when they knew that she was a reincarnator. Belan absolutely would have told someone, like Tervail, or the shadow person and once again, she would have been under the limelight.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Yet, now she wouldn't be.

Daniah, Trikka, Kraylin and Jahren had successfully escaped the orphanage. She was able to meet up with them the week before Daniah’s birthday and told them all to leave at least a few days before Daniah’s choosing. She couldn't be sure, but she had suspected that Belan would do something to prohibit them from leaving, if even one of them tried to escape, so they all had to do it. At the same time. She told them to prepare caches in the woods, any non perishable or long lasting foods, like nuts, and jerky, steal some light, water, and void crystals as well as swords, and to take some knives and whatever cutlery the kitchen had. Make sure they practiced tracking and killing wild animals, which they had grimaced at, but nodded in resolution. Once they made it to a settlement, she advised on changing their names, which they rightfully questioned, and she explained that once they escape, more likely than not, there will be people tracking them. They turned apprehensive, but she assured them that if they wanted to have their freedom, they had to take these risks so she also advised them to heavily cover their tracks, if possible.

If Ione had known mind control was being used in that manner she saw, she would have told them to leave before Osmen’s choosing.

None of them wanted to end up like the little blond girl. When they broached the topic, they were adamant that Osmen wanted to choose a fighting class, but Ione didn’t want to hear it. Not that she didn't believe them, she saw what they did, and not that she didn’t care about Osmen, but being confronted with mind control like that, brought back nearly every memory associated with it and she vehemently banished them from her thoughts. She was under the notion that yes, it had existed, but not that close to home. She was in a state of shock at the time. She didn't want to think about it, and she didn't want to think about Osmen, as a result.

She did ask them to try and find the blonde girl at some point in the future, when they had all gained their classes, and to see if they could help her in Ione’s absence, Daniah, with a tone that said she was offended, said they would do that regardless of if Ione asked them to or not. Ione felt stupid when the black haired girl said that. Then, she asked them something different.

“When all four of you have your classes, would you mind killing the Fathers of the churches you come across?”

They blanched.

“Ione, I don’t think we’re going to be strong enough, we don’t even have mind control resistance.”

That brought her up short, then she said, “kidnap one of them and use them to farm the resistance.”

All of their jaws dropped.

“What? You can’t expect to fight fair when mind control isn't fair at all. We need your defenses up.” She tilted her head.

“But…” Kraylin started. “That feels wrong.”

“You know what's also wrong? Forcing someone to choose a class they didn't want just for some stupid war. If you guys don’t want to do that, that’s fine, but I’m not going to let them keep ruining people’s lives over some sort of age-old feud. I’ll kill them.” She snarled, “all of them.”

The group glanced at each other until Jahren spoke up. “Um, guys?”

They turned their attention to him.

He gave a nervous laugh. “I got a quest to kill some Fathers.”

Daniah, Trikka and Kraylin groaned. Ione smiled.

“Well, fuck,” Daniah said. “How are we gonna capture them?”

“You’re probably going to have to knock them out before the fight even begins. Use sleep arrows, if that’s a thing. Sleep darts? Sleep potion? Shit, I don’t know, you guys will know more of what’s out there than I do so if you see something that will help, then take it. Do as many quests as you can, the rewards might be able to help you, depending on what you get. Here.” She looked through her status screen and selected YES.

Fuck, I don't wanna do this.

In an effort to increase their chances, she reluctantly gave her rewards from her quests to Daniah. Almost in tears, as her precious boons were handed over and Trikka consoled her by patting her back.

“Take these. I’m sure they’ll help. But I would like them back at some point. They’re my first rewards I’ve ever received. Don’t thank me.”

Kraylin gave a small smile and Daniah gaped at her.

“Let’s move on.” Ione crossed her arms. “I know capturing them seems hard, but it’s going to be infinitely more difficult to resist them when they want you to free them. What would stop them from mind controlling you to walk right up to the authorities and turning yourselves in? I’m not sure how their mind control works; if it’s sight based, then you can just throw a blindfold over their eyes, have someone stand behind them, then take it off when you need the resistance, then throw it back on. Have someone tether one of you to a tree and have someone else behind him controlling the blindfold. If it’s automatically in a radius, then you’re kinda fucked, depending. If they have sound based mind control, you better bring earplugs, and good ones. If they can control more than one person, you’re kinda fucked, depending. Do you know what that means?”

“We’re kinda fucked?” Asked Jahren, crestfallen.

“Not exactly, just means you have to do some reconnaissance. You’re gonna have to do some research and follow your opponents then figure out what you’re going to do. Best scenario, it’s sight based. Worst scenario, it’s all of those combined.”

Daniah yawned and Ione knew it was time to go. They were currently huddled under a tree in the forest and it was nearing sunrise. They had gained [Stealth], so she was confident that they would be able to make their way back unmolested. They said their goodbyes, which Ione hated. She would have rather just walked away and pretended that she was going to see them the next day, but it made it all the more real that they were going to be gone for a long time. If they even survived.

Which, it seems they did. At the present time, she was hearing talks of Fathers’ across Whisperwind mysteriously dying and Ione couldn't help her mirth. Those motherfuckers did it. She was proud, and now, it was her turn.

She had made sure to know when the food shipments came in, with Coranne’s help. They had kept up their communications through the years and they routinely met up, about weekly, just to ask each other how their days had been. Fellis joined in as well, and at that point, Coranne was well aware of Ione’s extracurricular activities. It seemed strange, as the nun was almost jealous of the time the group spent together, citing that she would have liked to learn new skills too, but she understood why Ione didn't tell her. Mind control. Ione asked why the gang wasn’t mind controlled to spill their secrets after what Osmen revealed, and Coranne was surprised.

“Mind control? No, children aren’t mind controlled to choose their classes.” She said, astonished.

“Coranne, I saw it happen right before my eyes.”

“That’s impossible.” Her back was ramrod straight and with [Predator Sense] Ione could see her heart beat increasing.

“Coranne, you didn’t know?”

“I-I.” Her eyes widened.

Ione stood up. “Coranne, do you remember what your class options were?”

“I, yes, but, it’s kind of fuzzy? I was told that’s what happens when you choose a class.”

Fuck. Ione couldn't tell if that was right or not, but she had a very strong suspicion that Coranne was mind controlled, and if she was and couldn't tell? That was bad. Very bad.

“Coranne please, make it sound natural, but pretend that you hate me in front of Belan. Don’t make an obvious change in your behavior, of course, just, but you know too much and if she even suspects, one iota, that you are on my side, and that you know more, so much more than what you should know, you’re going to be mind controlled to shit.”

Coranne, ashen, quickly nodded her head.

Fuck. She should have never told Coranne who she was, but the nun would have suspected it, regardless. She wished she had [Planning] before, but now she had to live with her choices.

They quickly dropped the conversation, both uncomfortable with the implication, while Fellis listened intently. For some reason, her golden eyes never left Ione, and the white haired girl questioned her.

“Why do you keep looking at me like that?”

“That’s a secret.” She giggled.

“You won’t tell me?”

“Maybe later.”

Little turd knew more than she was letting on, but she wasn't going to push.

Ione then talked about her plan for Umin and Coranne was enthusiastic, citing that she wanted to help in any way she could. So Ione had set her a task, figure out the pattern of food deliveries and that she would do the rest.

She never cared about the deliveries before, but now it was her chance to leave the orphanage without being suspected. Ione remembered when Coranne said they knew that the person who killed Sannie was living on the property, and she suspected that they had some sort of invisible barrier or barricade that logged activity, in or out. It was likely that if she left, along with the shipment, that her presence wouldn’t be logged. To get back in would have been an issue, but she thought of something for that, confident that it would work, but if it didn't, she had contingencies, for the contingencies.

The food truck left a little while after dinner, the prime time Ione was supposed to be back in her room, left to her devices.

Left to my devices indeed.

She would have to avoid the nuns, children, and the delivery people, successfully sneak into the carriage, and then jump out, unnoticed.

It was just after dinner, and Ione prepared herself. She could do this.