Chương 270: Interruption

"Excuse me, esteemed guests. I have come to fetch Mister Yeldt""Oh, is Binibelle already done with the Unwanted Presences?"

"No, Miss Binibelle only just got started. I have received word that Mister Johnpol Jimeni would like to discuss with you. He says that he once knew your master""Really?"

"Pardon my remark, but the old archmage is a curious character. It isn't unlikely that he simply sensed something about you and is merely making up a story to justify himself. He is somewhat eccentric""Oh, huh… Well, Archmage Jimeni is greatly respected. I would be foolish not to accept his offer""Very well, allow me to guide you to him, in this case" The elven mage left with the maid under the narrowed stare of Gontra, but the maid didn't even seem to notice the hostility.

Hilene leaned back on the couch, her right ankle resting against her left knee.

"Gontra, human women don't stare at each other to establish dominance, you know? You'll just look weird" The troll woman huffed.

"I do not like this woman. She's a seductress, she even has orange eyes, like those of a predator! I bet she preys on men all the time. She better not touch my elf boy, lest I break her fragile spine in half!"

"... So it really is official-official, heh? The elf and troll. Don't forget me when you need to pick a bridesmaid""Heh… I don't know about having a ceremony, I just don't look right in a dress""You'll look just fine, Gontra" The she-troll shrugged and then smiled after a while, whispering something to the swordswoman.

"And what about you, Hilene? How is it going with your young stallion?"

"Don't… Don't say 'stallion', that's freaking weird, and… He's not that younger than me""He's like, twenty-one and you, you're-""Don't mention it. All that matters is that I still look good and youthful, alright? Anyway… He's too busy crafting theories and learning magic to notice my hints. Well, his and Binibelle's idea of theory crafting is more like self-induced hallucinations…" Gontra's smile widened.

"You should just go for it. Mage boys always love warrior girls. It's just in their blood to want a physically powerful woman""I'm fairly certain that 'mage boys' do–In fact–Tend to prefer 'mage girls', Gontra. Wizards love to mingle together and have their dates in libraries while discussing spells and energy circulation""It sounds like you know a lot about this""... I dated once in my life. It was fun, but it just didn't work out in the long run.

I figured out that I didn't like him that much, and he figured out that he wanted a woman in the same field of study as him""Tough luck, and you never had anything since?"

"None whatsoever" Hilene and Gontra discussed in one corner of the room, whilst Hortus had somehow managed to fall asleep. The ranger was somehow able to fall asleep on command, wherever and whenever. As for Jupo, he was just solemnly staring at the wall, probably cooking up another criminally brain-numbing theory inside his brain. It would make sense to some extent, like always, but he would present it in the worst way possible, and at this point, everyone was starting to feel like it was on purpose.

From time to time, however, the young mage would look down at his left arm and grasp the wrist… The phantom pain wasn't getting stronger or weaker. It was staying at the same level of intensity, but the tingling sensation, like the feeling of ants crawling beneath the skin, was shifting. Unfortunately, he had no clue if it meant something, and if it did, he had no idea at all what the meaning of these changes would possibly be. He couldn't figure out where the monster was.

He knew that it–Or rather, she–Was in this very architecture. She could be roaming the halls, she could be hiding inside a room, she could even be right outside the room he was currently in. He had no sense of how close or far the creature was. The phantom pain in the arm he had once lost only told him that she was nearby. Without anyone paying close attention, time passed. Perhaps ten or more minutes went by before the door once again opened, and the maid stepped inside.

Her posture was just as perfectly refined as usual.

"Mister Jupo… Miss Binibelle is done with the Unwanted Presences, and I was able to speak with Miss Maya. She will be receiving both of you inside her private quarters. Please, come with me" Jupo nodded and followed after her.

"I swear she is just picking off the men one by one""Gontra… Not so loud!" Hilene and Gontra spoke to each other, but Jupo didn't listen to what they said, instead focusing on what was to come. If the Silent Knightess really was Mara Nebulo, and Mara Nebulo truly was the grand culprit behind it all, then this meeting could easily turn into a fight… A fight inside a confined space. A fight in a place where their potential enemy was a respected individual.

Things could get bad, and then get worse in the blink of an eye. They walked for several minutes.

"This is where Miss Maya resides–It would seem that Miss Binibelle might have gotten a little bit turned around… Why don't you speak with Miss Maya while I go fetch her, Mister Jupo?" This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"Mmh… I am the disciple, I don't know if it would really be appropriate…" The maid smiled. Her smile was like a ray of sunshine following a thunderstorm.

"Do not worry, Miss Maya isn't going to eat you" With these words, she pushed open the door, revealing a simple room, and most importantly, the Silent Knightess sitting at a table.

"Greetings, Miss Maya" She didn't even turn her head slightly, not even a twitch. He stepped forward, his foot entering the room. To his right, there was a wall that obstructed a portion of the room, but as he moved ahead, his eyes landed on the bed inside the room. At a glance, there was nothing wrong with it. In fact, there was nothing odd about it at all, but immediately upon gazing at it, it was like his left arm caught fire from the inside out.

He did not know why, but the fact that it was pristinely made made him feel weird. It did not feel correct. It did not feel organic.

"Jupo!" He heard his master's voice resound from down the hallway, just a second after he felt her mana sense wash over him. Normally, mages refrained from using their mana sense when inside places such as a royal palace. It was considered not only rude but suspicious to do so. As such, none of the mages in the group had used their extra sense during this visit. The fact that Binibelle was breaking this rule immediately put Jupo on alert, so he turned around to respond.

"Ma-" His sentence was cut short as a hand landed on his shoulder–A hand far heavier than what a dainty maid should have–And at the same time, a fist was driven right through his guts, carving right through his unprotected body. Unfortunately, as was typical, the mage guests wouldn't have any spells active while they were visitors. It was supposed to be a sign of respect and trust, but it exposed them to exactly what had just happened. Jupo's body was pierced, a tunnel blasted right through his abdomen…

The sudden pain made him exhale. No words came out of him as he stared in shock at his attacker.

"You'll be promoted a step-up from cockroach if you can survive this like you survived the loss of your arm… And you're already doing your best to get it, heh?" Jupo quickly channelled a defensive spell and also used a spell to try to hold the maid in place, so that she wouldn't be able to rip her arm out, but it was a futile attempt. Trying to cast two spells simultaneously in his state was a foolish affair.

He could only do one properly, and he unconsciously prioritised the spell protecting him from further harm over the other, allowing her to pull her arm back, throwing Jupo against the wall as she immediately prepared to crush his skull against said wall. The air whistled, and the sound of clanging steel resounded.

"Damn it, I am not built to run" Binibelle sighed and looked at Jupo.

"Is your spine damaged?"

"She grazed it a little… Thank the gods I moved at an odd angle…"

"Focus on preventing your blood from ending up on the carpet. I'll deal with our prime suspect" The maid had been thrown back, but it didn't seem like the mana bullet had had much of an effect. Her uniform and skin had been shaved off, but it only revealed a metallic underside.

"Mana-resistant steel, little-big woman" With a flick of her wrist, Binibelle pulled Jupo out of the room and further down the hallway whilst she stepped forward into the room.

"Mara Maeve Maya Nebulo… I've been meaning to talk with you for a while… Is this the Silent Knightess?" She glanced at the supposed Maya sitting at the table.

"Oh, this?" A ghostly white hand reached out through the floor and grabbed the knightess. Both disappeared out of thin air immediately after.

"It is merely a dummy that I made for the occasion" The halfling fired another mana bullet, but the maid dodged it.

"I thought you were supposed to have purple eyes. Why are they orange?"

"It's not really a disguise if I keep the one thing that clearly sets me apart from everyone else, is it?" Her eyes began to glow.

"Regardless… I have been meaning to meet you, too, Binibelle. I have heard that you've caused trouble for my daughter. It is quite unbelievable, isn't it? A girl can't even feed herself without attracting attention from so-called investigators" Without warning, she suddenly surged forward, throwing a kick at the halfling, which was a most easy affair as Binibelle stood at the perfect height for it. However, the strike never met its target as a barrier found itself in the way.

Her attack bounced off, and a hail of spells, ranging from mana bullets to flying slashes, spears, and missiles. The false maid dodged only the strongest of the bunch and allowed the rest to hit her as she manoeuvred across the room as if she were a spider, stabbing her fingers into the walls and ceiling to climb around. Binibelle could hardly aim at her target, especially when Mara Nebulo suddenly unleashed a spirit of large proportions.

Its attacks were far more effective at damaging her barrier, forcing Binibelle back as Mara leapt through the room's window. With her mana sense, Binibelle was able to track her, but the speed at which her opponent moved was problematic. She riddled the spirit with mana bullets, which did not destroy it, but did work in pushing it back for a little while, allowing the halfling to rush into the hallway and erect a new barrier spanning the whole width of the hallway.

Mara had broken through a window and then broken through another to get into the room next door… Ending her course by turning an innocent door into splinters in an attempt to get to the wounded Jupo before Binibelle could act. The mage did not celebrate, however, the spirit wasn't done for, and the ball was still in Nebulo's camp. The barrier was a large one, harder to maintain whilst having to deal with a pissed-off, vengeful spectre.

As Binibelle was forced to deal with the ghost, Mara reeled her right arm back and suddenly surged with lightning. Her eyes flickered between overwhelming brightness and dull lightlessness as her head twitched uncontrollably. Her punch shattered the barrier just as the spirit was torn apart for good and dispersed to nothingness. The strike lost strength after this feat, but with unnatural balance, Mara got right into a stance, delivering a direct kick to the halfling's side.

The crunch of breaking bones was felt, and Binibelle was thrown against the wall like a rag doll. No time was wasted. The false maid rushed for her fallen opponent as her arm seemed to deflate before her skin was torn to shreds, revealing a sickle-like blade in place of an arm. Binibelle quickly did her best to put up a barrier, but fate was kind, and the monster disguised as a maid was suddenly blown away far into the hallway by a powerful blast of magic.

"Huh… Mana-resistant steel… I can't go too hard inside the royal palace, the funds aren't good enough to deal with repairs like this yet" Johnpol Jimeni, nonetheless prepared to cast another spell.

"Damned interloper" The maid, now in a state of disrepair that revealed her mechanical nature, grabbed the sickle that had detached from her when she was attacked, and promptly vanished into thin air. The archmage threw his arms up in the air.

"That was one hell of a quick warp… Anyway, are you kids doing alright?" He said, looking at the two mages, one with a hole through his stomach, and the other with an arm broken alongside several ribs.

"Not so alright, I suppose"