Chương 198: Chapter 195 - Infamous

It wasn't like Mirelda being free was the worst case scenario. The true worst case scenario was Pinkie getting suspicious of him and eating everyone. Thankfully, that one hadn't happened because stupid Pinkie truly believed that he and her were allies against the Witch Tyrant. It turned out that the actual problem was that he hadn't planned for what came after.

Ryan had been so focused on making sure Clara didn't end up seeing Mirelda get eaten by Pinkie that he didn't really think about what would happen afterwards. That wasn't his fault, nobody could have predicted that Pinkie would just up and leave like that. And now they were left alone in a room with a woman whose class was notorious for harboring deep grudges. And she knew both of their names. Ryan rolled his shoulders and put his game face on.

"Yeah and you're Mirelda Cowens, it's nice to meet you. Would you like some water?" Gone was the girl that was sniveling under the gaze of Pinkie, in came an eighth realm [Witch] from the most powerful coven in the world. Mirelda sniffed again.

"It was a brilliant move, including yourself in the agreement. Making it seem like you were an important party that can't be touched. With that being said, I do believe Pinkie would not care if she is notified that I have cast a hex on you." Ryan chuckled.

"You seem awfully confident for a [Witch] in stabbing distance."

"I am an eighth realm [Witch] from the Witch's Coven. Even if I had no arms I would demolish a fifth realm with just my mind alone. Be grateful that it will only be a hex or two and not true to—what are you doing?" Ryan had taken out Pinkie's phone and was scrolling through an app. The silly dragon hadn't taken her phone back and he was still holding onto it. Mirelda's voice began to play out loud.

'H-how dare you! The Witch Tyrant is no schoolyard bully that needs us to do her bidding. We are independent followers inspired by the Witch Tyrant's intelligence and grace. The Witch's Coven are the Fallen Angels that uphold her honor across both worlds!' Mirelda turned bright red, mana coalesced around her and a blindingly fast [Mana Bolt] smashed through the phone, leaving a hole in the wall behind him. Ryan dropped the destroyed phone, unimpressed.

"I've already saved the file. If you kill me it'll just get posted online along with everything else the Witch Tyrant's done."

"A-are you mad?!" It was a half truth. He had saved the file onto Milock's laptop but him and Milock had never agreed on a deadman's switch. Ryan didn't want Milo to do it but Milo told him that he didn't get to decide what would happen after he died so he should focus on staying alive. If he died, he had no doubt that Milo would absolutely post everything online. Not only that, Mirelda didn't know he had already lost his safety life.

There were enough lies mixed with truth there to keep Mirelda guessing and hesitating. He'd also figured out a little trick with emotions… well two tricks. First was that Mirelda didn't like to read his emotions all the time, second was that just because she could read his emotions it didn't mean that she instantly knew he was lying. Ryan grinned.

"No, you just forgot that I'm Artigan. I will do anything if it means my friends and family are safe."

"I–I know your identity, I could ruin you too!" Ryan just clicked his tongue in disappointment.

"And I'll just reveal to the world everything that happened with the Witch Tyrant. It's not like she'll kill me for telling the truth anymore. Especially not considering how important I'm going to be for her plans." He had already been contemplating the worst case scenario for a while. He could never be sure what skills others had and the higher realm he climbed the more likely it was that Artigan's mask wouldn't hold. Then he thought about it and planned… and realized it wasn't an impossible problem either.

Ryan had allies. If he did get unmasked then he had plenty of support to back up his claims. His photos with the Secretary were out in public. Zedart would no doubt come out publicly in support as well. Sideark would love to interview him for the truth and Valee? Well, he had kissed Valee and that was public too wasn't it? The idea sounded ridiculous until he played it out in his head. He still might not get Artigan's blacklister status revoked, but being condemned as a monster?

It was no longer the worst case scenario. All because he had stuck to his beliefs, no matter how difficult it became. Mirelda flinched from the unrestrained emotion emanating forth from the person in front of her. An endless wellspring of pride at what they'd accomplished and built. A royal pride that had succeeded without having to compromise on who he was. It was difficult to fight against without wondering if you were the one in the wrong. …

Of course that was until Mirelda realized Ryan was weaponizing his emotions and aura on purpose.

"Y-you!" Grettfield was right, it was a neat trick against [Witches] indeed. Ryan chuckled.

"Look Mirelda, it was a shit situation we were both in, but we don't have to be enemies."

"You tortured me!"" Pinkie was the one that tortured you. I interrogated you–uhh wait." Ryan cleared his throat when he realized how bad that sounded.

"Under duress from Pinkie."

"Smooth Ryan." A voice called out from behind him.

"Thanks Clara." Ryan took in a deep breath, then sighed.

"Look Mirelda, we don't have to be friends either, but now that we know we can both hurt each other, we should set some ground rules between us." Mirelda sniffed in what he could only assume was an agreement.

"First of all, no hexing or touching Clara or the rest of my friends and family, they're all civilians and off-limits, got it?"

"I was never going to hex them." Ryan narrowed his eyes. He didn't believe for a moment that Mirelda wasn't planning on hexing them, especially when you remembered that the Witch's Coven actively hexed people for simply saying mean things about the Witch Tyrant. Mirelda looked away from the piercing gaze, her voice quiet. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Maybe a minor indigestive curse on your friend. Something to make you wonder if I hexed them at all." Clara was not happy about that answer.

"Hey! I was nice!" Mirelda snapped at her.

"Don't think I didn't know what you did. You were only being nice because you wanted information from me. Besides, you need to learn to deal with hexes like these if you're going to become apprenticed to Witch Grettfield. Apprentice [Witches] hexing each other is just common practice." Ryan blinked in confusion, then turned to Clara who quickly lowered her hand from doing a zip-it sign in front of her mouth. Ryan narrowed his eyes on his friend." What apprenticeship to Witch Grettfield?" Clara tried to shrug.

"I've got no idea what she's talking about." When it became clear that Ryan did not believe her at all, Clara drooped.

"Oh Mirelda, you know you're horrible at keeping secrets, right?" Of course, Ryan was not happy about any of this.

"What happened to lesson three, Clara! Why am I the only one keeping up with Barry's lesson three?!" Clara threw up her hands.

"I would have told you eventually! Besides, it was only an offer and I'm not going to accept it. So it might as well never have happened!" Mirelda herself blinked in confusion, perhaps realizing that Clara hadn't just been pumping her for information and was actually being nice. Ryan turned back to the [Witch], more than a little unhappy with his friend.

"You know what? You can totally give Clara indigestion if you want."

"Hey!" Ryan ignored Clara, shaking his head.

"So, those ground rules seem fair. Don't hex my friends and family, you can give Clara indigestion and I won't release that video publicly? Deal?" Mirelda pretended to be defeated.

"Fine. A [Witch's Bargain] on that." And the air changed. Something coalescing between them, a skill? Or maybe it was simply the concepts of the class itself. Mirelda was happy to make an agreement with him, perhaps following her class in making pacts with influential individuals. Ryan also was pretty sure that she was secretly holding back a satisfied smile. Ryan smirked, letting Mirelda know that he was happy with the agreement too. He stood up and loomed slightly over her.

"It wasn't a miswording by the way, I'm quite happy for you to try to hex me." Mirelda's hidden smugness likely died right then and there. She had thought that he forgot about securing his own immunity from hexes in that agreement.

"What? Why?"

"Well, it'll be good practice. I need to figure out how my volatile arm works against hexes from a decent [Witch] anyway. I'll be counting on you." And the [Witch's Bargain] turned sour, the concepts falling apart as Mirelda realized that she herself was the one that had walked into a fair agreement. One where the other party had gotten everything he wanted. Mirelda looked so devastated and defeated she started staring out in the distance. Ryan couldn't help but kick the poor [Witch] while she was down.

He gave her a wink.

"That's the difference between you and me. You worship the Witch Tyrant. I'm trying to beat her. Of course you had no chance." Maybe that would knock some sense into the silly apprentice [Witch] that thought she could match wits with him. Hopefully it might even keep her from hexing him. Ryan didn't actually want to go through indigestion anyway. He flipped a coin, then started walking towards the door. Clara pretended to be on his side as she called out to Mirelda.

"Don't give me indigestion, okay! I was the only one nice to you and you already got me by reveal—" Clara laughed as she bumped into Ryan's back.

"Hey what gives?" Ryan had opened the door and was frozen in place, he was looking up at Barry, Milock and another tall figure in stylish robes. One Clara recognized. A floating book was flipping the corner of its pages rapidly at her as if it was blowing a raspberry at her. [Witch] Grettfield was smiling pleasantly, not at Ryan, but at Clara. Ryan was confused by the trio that had been waiting outside.

"What's going on?" Milock was fairly relieved to see him.

"Dude, the house and the air started shaking. Of course we called for help. We thought Pinkie might have gone nuts and killed you all." Pinkie's Legend Manifestation, I forgot. Ryan held the bridge of his nose. Pinkie's manifestation had gone nuts and he'd completely forgotten about it. It was a miracle that more adventurers weren't here and harassing them as it was. Mirelda turned bright red and sank into her chair, trying to hide behind the table because she came to another realization.

The same one that Clara had. It took a moment for Ryan to realize what had happened too. Grettfield was a dragonslayer tier [Witch]. Not only that, she was well practiced in enchanting. She could totally pierce through the private room's enchantments to see and hear everything. She now knew he was Artigan. Except Grettfield didn't seem interested in him in the slightest. Just peering past him to stare at the girl that was trying to hide behind his shoulder.

"While I do not mind being rejected by a potential apprentice, I do find it disrespectful when the rejection is waved around so flippantly to other parties."

"Ahahaha." Clara laughed nervously, shrinking further down Ryan's back.

"I'm sorry [Witch] Grettfield."

"When one apologizes, one should look the other party in the eyes." Clara peeked up from Ryan's shoulder, going on her tippy toes.

"I'm sorry [Witch] Grettfield." [Witch] Grettfield nodded at her.

"Better, but your apology isn't accepted. Now I must go and assure the masses outside that it was just a simple accident." She turned on her heels and marched outside. Clara called out to her.

"Wait! Please don't hex me! Ryan, say something!" Ryan shook his head, more than a little done with his secret-hiding friend.

"You're on your own with her." He turned to Milo.

"How many people are outside?" Milo scratched his neck.

"I think the area got evacuated when they found out the mansion was the center of the uhh manifestation. Grettfield said it was just adventurers making a perimeter now. It's probably better than the paparazzi crowd that was outside before that."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Uh, oh yeah, I didn't want to distract you because of Pinkie, but you're famous now."

"What?" Barry actually snorted, probably the first bit of laughter Ryan had heard from the orc since Seffara had gone and challenged the tenth trial.

"You kissing Valee is currently the top video on trending."

"What?!"