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Chapter 332 part 3

After all, the crucial point is that Wokua won’t accept the offering. In this situation, the value of Hadiya, the current generation’s offering, has plummeted. It’s not that Hadiya survived because she was special, but because Shandia’s land had become richer, albeit still with shortages. The same result would occur with other offerings.

Of course, while Hadiya’s aptitude as a spirit user is remarkable, the reality is that the fundamental premise has greatly collapsed.

「If you’re troubled about how to treat her, I’ll take her with me.」

It was at this moment that a new voice echoed across the underground lake, where a bewildered atmosphere had been spreading in the silence.

The source of the presence and voice that suddenly appeared, slipping past the detection of the surrounding guards despite their diverted attention, was, of course, Lenia.

With her back to the door leading to the passage, she stood with her arms crossed, wearing a smile that was the very picture of daring. Her gaze was directed at the descended Wokua and Hadiya in front of him.

「Who are you!」

「Lord Soha, please step back.」

As the guards quickly drew their weapons and moved to protect the clan representatives, Lenia showed not the slightest interest in them and began walking leisurely. The atmosphere of the underground lake, which had been filled with confusion until then, suddenly began to stir and turn hostile with Lenia’s appearance.

Soha, surrounded by three guards, shifted his gaze from Lenia to Zebe. He had noticed that Zebe’s reaction to Lenia’s appearance was different from those around her.

「Zebe, is this someone you know? I think it’s reasonable to assume it’s that foreign girl who saved Earthima and Hadiya from their predicament?」

「As you say, Lord Soha? This is Lady Lenia, who made contact with Lord Earthima and the others before me and temporarily protected them. She stayed behind to hold off the assassins so we could head to the ritual site, but it seems she managed to get through safely.」

「And she also got through the traps along the way here without a hitch, and easily broke through the maze. This is…」

Not just a simple problem, but a real monster, Soha thought, remembering the monsters he had dealt with both domestically and abroad throughout his life. He realized that all of them paled in comparison to Lenia, and a look of concern appeared on his deeply wrinkled face.

Although aware of Soha’s wariness, Lenia ignored it and continued walking, finally stopping when she reached Earthima’s side.

「It seems things have unfolded as I thought.」

「Indeed. It appears that from now on, Shandia must walk a different path than it has for the past several hundred years.」

「Those who remain in this country have no choice but to progress along that path, even if it’s difficult. It’s their own country after all. So? What will you and Hadiya do? The fact that you’re the Great Warrior who disobeyed orders from above and helped the offering escape remains unchanged, but given these circumstances, you might be pardoned and work for this country again? Now that the situation with the offering has changed, I think you’re more valuable than Hadiya. As a spirit warrior, you’re head and shoulders above the rest.」

「I’m extremely flattered to receive such praise from you, Lady Lenia. But even a hundred of me wouldn’t stand a chance against you.」

「Hmph.」

Lenia laughed as if to say ‘You understand, don’t you?’ and then turned to look at Hadiya, who had stood up in front of Wokua and was looking back at them. The surface of Wokua was rippling, probably because he was more aware of Lenia’s true nature than anyone else present. He was, after all, a great spirit.

「Hmm, Hadiya, just to be sure, are you feeling any discomfort?」

「No, not at all. Lord Wokua didn’t try to accept my soul as you said, and if anything, he seemed troubled.」

「I thought so. If the terms of the contract allowed for unlimited acceptance of the offerings’ souls, it would be a different story, but if it only seeks the necessary amount of water, he wouldn’t be able to accept it. Besides, while that great spirit doesn’t have a human form and probably has sensibilities different from human species, he’s still quite on your side. I think he’s a truly beneficial transcendent being for you all. Well, since he seems specialized in the contract for producing water, he can’t be used for combat. For me, this is a much bigger deal, but what will you and Earthima do now? I’m tired of seeing nothing but sand and rocks, so I plan to go somewhere with lush greenery and beautiful scenery.」

Lenia continued talking, completely ignoring Zebe, Soha, and the others. While she was receiving murderous glares from all around, Lenia wasn’t the type to care about such things. Hadiya laughed, thinking this was just like Lenia, and answered.

「Well, I’ve seen nothing but sand all my life too, so I’d like to see different places. Or rather, I’d like to distance myself from Shandia for a while. I’m a bit tired.」

「Well, you’ve had the stress of being chased around. So, will you come with me? You can ride with me until we’re out of the country, and then go your separate ways if you like. Here, your luggage.」

Saying this, Lenia pulled out sturdy traveler’s bags filled with changes of clothes, travel money, preserved food, and other necessities for the journey from the shadows using telekinesis, and tossed them towards Earthima and Hadiya.

Hadiya caught hers in a panic, while Earthima caught it easily. Lenia hadn’t packed these arbitrarily; they were things the two had prepared beforehand so they could escape quickly if caught by pursuers.

「Since you’ve taken care of me, and it seems like I’ll be able to see various unknown worlds, I think it might be good to go around with you, Lenia. But what about you, Earthima?」

「Well, I too have been born and raised in Shandia all my life, so to broaden my horizons, perhaps I should accept Lady Lenia’s invitation.」

Finally hearing a clear statement from both of them accepting her invitation, Lenia’s face brightened. This was the first step towards the strongest group Lenia had in mind.

The one who threw a wrench in this was Zebe, who had been used and… well, more like had troubles pushed onto her by Lenia. However, she looked reluctant, as if what she was about to say wasn’t her true intention.

「Could you stop right there, Lady Lenia Rufful Blaster Blast, daughter of the baron?」

「Oh? You’ve investigated that far in such a short time. I hadn’t given my family name.」

「It’s hard to believe that a noble from the great nation of Arkrest Kingdom in the eastern continent would come to Shandia alone, without guards or attendants. Although we only have trade connections with that country, you’re famous for your high abilities, if not as much as the Arc Witch? I’d like you to stop meddling in our country’s secrets and further recruiting the Great Warrior and the ‘former’ offering. Any more than this will become an issue between countries.」

When a daughter of a noble from another country gets this deeply involved in another country’s turmoil, it could potentially develop into an international issue.

Earthima and Hadiya also looked at Lenia with shocked faces at this unexpected development, but Lenia showed no signs of panic. She had anticipated this kind of situation. She slowly raised her left hand in front of her face, making a motion as if removing a mask…

「Then how about this face? If it’s the next clan head of the Maffa family taking these two on an overseas tour, there shouldn’t be any problem, right? Or should I say, there won’t be any problem?」

What appeared was a face identical to Zebe’s. While the body remained Lenia’s, only the face had changed, creating an unbalanced appearance. But it didn’t stop there. Lenia moved her hand in front of her face, changing it into different faces one after another.

This wasn’t some kind of magical illusion, but a real change of cells, altering even the bone structure.

「Or would you prefer this old woman? Or this one? Or that one?」

Faced with Lenia reproducing the faces of those present one after another, Zebe was at a loss for words, her eyes wide open in shock at this unexpected situation. The same was true for Hadiya and the others, but for Lenia, this was all according to plan, and she inwardly smiled a mischievous smile.

「Kukuku, do you think there’s a fool who would cause trouble in a foreign country using their real face and name? Well, never mind. Since these two have said so, I’ll be taking them with me.」

Saying this with the face resembling Karavis from when she attacked the Demon King’s army, Lenia made a small gesture with her fingers, summoning Hadiya with telekinesis.

Hadiya’s body floated up as if grabbed by invisible giant fingers, and when she was set down by Lenia’s side, Earthima was also there in the same manner. By the time the surrounding guards realized this was bad and tried to move, it was all too late.

「Well then, farewell. You people of the sand country who were far too slow to realize the truth. We may never meet again, but take care.」

With an excessively graceful lady’s bow and a sarcastic remark so biting it could make one’s blood boil, Lenia took Hadiya and Earthima and made a spatial jump.

Ignoring all the barriers and magical formulas set up to prevent teleportation in the underground lake and ritual site, the three figures appeared at a location just within the border in the northwest of Shandia. A short walk away was a station for transport services operating between the northwestern country.

「Hmph, now we won’t have to see the faces of those boring people anymore. Alright, let’s go to the nearby station. We must enjoy sightseeing while searching for talented individuals, or it would be a waste!」

Lenia, back to her original face, announced this while laughing 「Wahahaha」 happily, but Earthima and Hadiya were still blinking in confusion at the sudden change of scenery. Seeing Lenia back to her familiar face, Hadiya sighed and asked a question.

「Before that, Lenia. Is Lenia your real name? And that face?」

「Huh? … Ah, I hadn’t told you guys about the situation, had I! Wahahaha, well, both this face and the name Lenia are real. Since we’re leaving home and traveling far, I prepared that multi-faced disguise earlier as a countermeasure to avoid trouble if my identity was discovered. Besides, if rumors spread about a strange person changing their appearance everywhere they go and headhunting talented individuals who then disappear, it’ll divert attention from my homeland!」

Watching Lenia laugh cheerfully like a child in a good mood, without a trace of malice, Hadiya shook her head in exasperation, her shoulders drooping. Then she exchanged glances with Earthima.

「What do you think?」

「I don’t reckon they’re the type to lie to us in this situation. Besides, we’ve already agreed to go along.」

「That’s true. Well, if we follow Lenia, it certainly won’t be boring… I’m sure we’ll see a new world.」

「I have a feeling it’ll be a new world full of violence, but we’ll have to survive wherever we go.」

Thinking they’d need to find a replacement for Soreiga first, Earthima gazed at Lenia’s back with a troubled look as she laughed energetically. Though Lenia’s shoulders were slender and frail, they somehow appeared reliable as the two had bet their entire lives on her.

「Now then, we’ve had a lizard and a camel, so next should be an insect type!」

Unaware of the two’s thoughts, Lenia pondered the next talent to recruit, laughing with genuine excitement.