Chapter 5: A Childhood Friend Can’t Win This Fight

“Give up. You’re no match for me. The scroll’s mine.”
A towering man wielding a giant axe loomed over a red-haired girl, his voice low and commanding.

But the girl wasn’t backing down. She scrambled to her feet, ready to keep fighting.
“No way. I have to get that scroll.”

The man sighed.
He could see she wouldn’t quit, and unless he crushed her completely, she’d keep coming back.
“Sorry, I didn’t want to hurt you.”

A heavy blow swung down, as if to cleave the girl in two.
She dodged nimbly, but a swift side kick caught her off guard, sending her flying several meters, nearly hitting bystanders.

“Ready to surrender?”

“No…”

“Why are you so stubborn? In the underground city, not dying is already a mercy.”
The man sighed again, raising his axe for another strike. This time, the girl had no strength left to escape.

As the crowd closed their eyes, bracing for the splatter of blood—
The axe froze midair, halted by some unseen force.

Then, to everyone’s shock, the axe—and the man holding it—were flung skyward, crashing back to the ground with a thunderous boom.
Dust clouded the air, and the man lay still, his fate unclear.

“What just happened? Did she have backup or some kind of life-saving item?”
The smarter onlookers scattered quickly. Whatever that power was, it was too terrifying for ordinary folk.

One wrong glance could spell disaster.
Besides, the outcome was clear—the girl had won.

The crowd dispersed, leaving the once-packed street eerily empty, as if nothing had happened.
In the underground city, scenes like this were just another day.

As attention shifted elsewhere, Tina and Althea approached the red-haired girl, concerned for her injuries.
After resting, she could move freely, though she cared more about the scroll than her own life.

“Thank you for saving me,” the girl said.

“Huh? We didn’t do anything, did we?” Althea was puzzled. She’d planned to help, but someone had beaten her to it.

“Really? I swear I felt some kind of power coming from your direction… Well, thanks for the concern anyway.”

The red-haired girl paused, studying the two closely.
They’d worn cloaks and masks to avoid recognition, so no one should’ve known who they were.

But after locking eyes with Tina, a smile crept onto the girl’s face.
“Heh, I knew it was you.”

“?”
Tina’s heart skipped a beat.

Had she been caught using her witch powers on her first try? No way!

[Prompt: The technique used was called Invisible Hand.
As the name suggests, it’s an unseen force, imperceptible to others.]

“Don’t play dumb, Tina dear. I know you saved me.”
The red-haired girl sidled up affectionately, catching Tina off guard.

“You know me?”

The girl froze, as if struck by lightning.
“You’re kidding, right? Tina dear, you don’t remember me?”

“Uh… I don’t think so? Probably?”

“Wahhh—Tina dear, was I never in your heart? It’s only been a few years, and you’ve forgotten me!”
The girl was on the verge of tears, the scroll forgotten in her distress.

“Hey, Tina dear, it’s me, Phyllis! Don’t you remember when we were kids?
You played at your house, I played at mine!”

“?”
‘Are we actually friends?’

“Ahem.” Realizing her rambling wasn’t helping, Phyllis paused, then dug up her most vivid memory.
This would jog Tina’s memory for sure.

“We were even betrothed as kids!”

“What?!”
Tina and Althea both froze.

A childhood friend and a fiancée?

“Sorry, Phyllis, but I really don’t remember. And that sounds like something we said as kids, just playing around, right?”
Tina figured it was a childish misunderstanding—kids thinking marriage meant playing together forever.

“We’re grown up now. Things change, don’t they?”

“Grown up or not, I still loooove you, Tina dear! If you’re willing, we could be together right now!”
Phyllis’s eyes brimmed with tears, her pitiful look making it hard to keep hurting her.

“But…”
Tina floundered under Phyllis’s relentless affection.

In a game, a childhood fiancée would be an unbeatable rival.
But this was a simulation—she couldn’t exactly two-time, could she?

Tina shot Althea a desperate look for help, but the princess turned away, her face sour, as if saying, ‘Deal with your own mess, you player.’

‘Oh, come on, don’t do this!’
Did she really have to break the heart of a childhood friend who’d already been betrayed? Even if it had nothing to do with her!

Wait—she had an idea!

“Phyllis, the thing is… I’m already this lady’s property.”
Tina sidled up to Althea, her voice dripping with mock tragedy.

“What are you talking about?” Althea’s gut screamed trouble.
‘Is she seriously pinning this on me?’

“What?” Phyllis’s eyes dimmed, losing their spark. “What do you mean, her property?”

“It’s just… she makes me do whatever she wants. It’s all part of her grand plan. She’s rich, powerful, and forced me into a contract. I only get my freedom when her goal’s met.”

“That’s awful! Tina dear, what does she make you do? Tell me, and I’ll do everything to save you!”

“Well… she’s got me investigating the Mistmoon Cult, but I keep hitting dead ends, so she just keeps working me to the bone.”

“Exactly, little redhead.” Althea suddenly jumped in, throwing Tina off.

“If she doesn’t find the cult, she’s stuck with me forever, slaving away on endless tasks until I’ve squeezed every last drop of value from her.”
Althea’s tone was cool, her gaze lofty, treating Phyllis like an ant.

Phyllis faltered, intimidated.
This woman might actually be someone important.

“It’s okay, Tina dear! I’ve got a lead! I’ll save you from her clutches!”
Phyllis handed Tina a token—a bone whistle.

“Tina dear, in the underground city, blow this whistle, and I’ll come running. I’m off to dig up info. The moment I find something, I’ll let you know. Wait for me!”

The red-haired girl dashed off, determined not to let Tina stay with this mystery woman a second longer.
Tina dear was hers!

Tina let out a relieved sigh.
She’d dodged that bullet.

Shifting an emotional mess onto the mission? Pure genius.

“Having fun?”
Althea’s voice remained icy, still in that lofty, commanding tone.

“Huh? She’s gone, Your Highness. No need to stay in character.”

“Oh, really?”

Althea admitted, when Tina called herself her “property,” a strange thrill had stirred in her.
For a fleeting moment, she thought keeping up the act might be fun—watching Tina, smug in her cleverness, trip over her own lies.

She wanted to see Tina squirm, forced to obey to keep her story straight, all because of the fib she’d spun for Phyllis.
‘Wait, what am I thinking?’
Was some weird fetish waking up in her?

“Hey, Your Highness, let’s follow her. I’ve got a feeling that scroll of hers is something big.”
Tina tried to pull Althea along, but the princess stood rooted, unmoving.

“You need to watch your words. What should you call me now?”

“Uh… M-Master, let’s go…”

“Good.”

That was it.
The soft, shame-filled words spilling from the girl’s lips were the sweetest thing in the world.