'At least they came prepared'. Levi thought as he cooled off.
They were currently taking a much needed rest, the members of Ryu clan had probably scouted out the realm before Cecilia arrived, as they had arranged basic cooling runes.
They all sat down on mats, with their seating position forming a circle, they were each given a rune-etched stone, it projected a cooling atmosphere for around six feet. He had separated from Lyra albeit reluctantly.
They were currently sitting on a roof near the house that served as a focal point of the entire realm.
Cecilia had never wanted to stop, but the house didn't allow the entrance of anyone above Grade 1. So Lyra who happened to be the only grade 1 was sent to scout out the interior.
Although Nayla had insisted they send back some sorcerers to head back to the gateway and request for a competent grade 1, Cecilia had insisted for Lyra to do it.
That was how they settled down here.
"Arrg—". Levi placed his hand on his mouth to muffle the scream that nearly slipped out. The parasite was starting to stire awake, he could feel it wiggling.
And to make matters worst, he couldn't apply the sedative now, if he dared to do it, he too would be knocked unconscious.
And if he was knocked unconscious, his plan would undoubtedly fail.
He pated his chest, feeling the outline of the parasite.
'A little longer'. Less that a second later, Lyra stepped out of the house. 'yes'. He exclaimed in his mind.
Finally, this was the cumulation of five years of planing. And nothing was going to ruin it.
****
Lyra stepped into the open, immediately met by Cecilia's sharp voice.
"Did you see it? And if you saw it, did you touch it?". The questions snapped out in rapid succession.
Lyra flinched, shoulders dipping before she answered. "N-No… I mean, yes, I saw it, but I didn't touch it."
Cecilia's tense expression eased slightly, the corners of her lips twitching upward. "Good."
She pivoted on her heel. "Then we're leaving. Let's—"
"About that…". Lyra's quiet interruption made Cecilia stop mid-stride.
Slowly, Cecilia turned back, her tone razor-sharp. "What?"
"I…" Lyra's eyes lowered, as though afraid to meet Cecilia's. "I found some runes near the artifact. I… deciphered them. It's as Nayla suspected. It requires… a soul sacrifice."
The air shifted instantly— thick with unease. Nayla's expression was calm, almost expectant. But Cecilia's face froze in disbelief before twisting into fury.
"What soul sacrifice?". Her voice cracked like a whip. "Are you certain you read it correctly?"
Lyra's chin dipped lower. "Yes, Lady Cecilia. I triple-checked… I wouldn't dare lie."
Cecilia stepped closer, her presence suffocating despite the cooling stone's magic. Her gaze burned into Lyra's bowed head as the rest of the group sat frozen, not daring to speak.
After realizing the weight of the situation regarding the soul sacrifice, her expression morphed from one of anger to a blank one.
Then she stiffly turned to Nayla, her voice broken and lost. "W-what now?".
But Nayla asked a question in return. "Young Miss you remember how the Matriarch insisted you bring your servant boy alone?".
"Levi?". Cecilia frowned. "What does he have to do with anything?". But the answer came seconds later.
"No way!".
"Yes the mistress already made plans for situations like this". Nayla continued with no visible emotions on her face. "He will serve as the sacrifice".
Cecilia expression turned to one of bewilderment. "I can't kill him!". She took a step back at the thought of killing him.
Although she looked down on him— just another commoner plucked from obscurity— Levi was still hers. A tool placed in her hand by the Matriarch, a pawn carefully molded for her purposes.
Sacrificing him now would be like throwing away a fine dagger just because it had drawn first blood— wasteful, shortsighted.
And worse, the order hadn't come from her. It came from Nayla, cloaked in the Matriarch's authority.
Her jaw clenched. 'Since when did I let others dictate how I spend my own resources?'.
"He's not to be wasted here". She said, her tone cold, clipped. "The Matriarch may have her designs, but Levi still serves a purpose. Mine."
That was right, she didn't hesitate because he was a human, no. She hesitated because she didn't like using what's her's, even if the order came from her mother.
If she wanted her to get the artifact so badly, she should have arranged some other commoner, not her commoner.
Nayla's expression didn't change, but the air around them felt heavier.
"Purpose or not". She replied evenly. "without a sacrifice, the artifact remains out of reach. And the Matriarch's will—"
"I am well aware of her will". Cecilia snapped, the faintest crack in her composure showing. "But if a sacrifice is to be made, I will choose when and where."
Nayla's lips curved— just faintly, not enough to be called a smile.
"Young Miss". She said, voice steady and deliberate. "This boy's sole existence has been for this very moment. Every meal he's eaten, every step he's taken at your side— it was all in preparation to be a sacrifice for you."
Her gaze slid briefly toward Levi, then back to Cecilia. "And right now, in this place, he is the most disposable. His death gains you the artifact. His life? It gains you nothing."
Cecilia's brow furrowed, but Nayla pressed on, lowering her tone just enough to make the words feel like a whisper only Cecilia could hear.
"You needn't even stain your own hands with commoner blood. That is beneath you. Leave it to someone else."
Cecilia's eyes narrowed. "Someone else?"
Nayla's head tilted, her expression unreadable. "Lyra can do it. She is Grade 1, she can enter freely, and she already knows where the artifact rests. One clean motion, and the problem is solved."
Lyra stiffened, her hands curling into fists besides her legs.
Cecilia's gaze shifted to the girl— measuring her, weighing the offer.
'Just this one time, for the artifact'. After chanting it inside her head like a mantra, she took a deep breath before responding.
"I will allow it, but only for the sake of the Artifact". Then she turned away.
Nayla's head inclined just a fraction, a sleek black dagger balanced effortlessly across her palm as she offered it to Lyra.
"Here."
Lyra took the blade, her fingers trembling— not from its weight, but from the weight of what it meant.
'I can't kill him, I can't, how would I face his parents, how would I face myself'. Lyra's heart pounded so fast she could practically hear it besides her ear.
"I… I'm not sure that I—"
Nayla cut her off with a slight tilt of the head, her voice as smooth and unyielding as polished stone.
"You have two paths, girl. The first— kill him, ensure Lady Cecilia claims the artifact, and I will see to it that your name and your family's name are spoken with reverence. Money, freedom, safety… all yours. No one will dare touch you."
Her gaze sharpened, the faintest glint catching in her dark eyes. "The second…" She let the silence hang, heavy and suffocating, before continuing in a softer tone— almost tender.
"You fail, and not only will the Matriarch hear of your incompetence… but your family—".