“Why?” Betty voiced the question in her mind.

Hunter cocked his head to the side, “Why? The first word in such a long time, and it is that?” Hunter looked down from his steed. “What do you mean by ‘why’?”

“Why are you leading an army of foreign to attack your own nation?” Betty clarified her question in anger.

The two enemies of Intelligentsia met each other in the eyes. Silent recognition and hostility passed between them as the grudge they shared threatened to boil over.

Behind Betty, the town of Janus, decorated with Etaceh’s silvery progress, was ablaze. The raiders on horse-back were burning the town to ash.

“This isn’t my nation,” Hunter Westerna said, deigning to answer his former comrade. “I’m attacking Etaceh’s source of power.”

Betty quit listening to the stubborn old fool, spinning her heel toward the burning town to stop the tragedy. Internally, Betty knew her power alone wouldn’t be enough. The enemies were trained. The Eleanor’s mages were hardened and desperate from their recent losses against Etaceh. Worst was the cavalry, Montgomery was infamous as one of the most powerful military on the continent. Betty didn’t bother to count, but she knew she was outnumbered.

“Don’t interfere, Elizabeth,” Hunter said, stopping Betty with his words. “This is the only way to kill her.”

“You failed, remember?” Betty raged. “That's rich coming from you. What is the old-fart who kept yelling about Curtis’ need to be independent doing by leading a foreign raiding party?”

The exposure of his hypocrisy got on Hunter’s nerves.

“This is a temporary alliance!” Hunter said, retorting with rough outrage. “We must bring down Etaceh by whatever means necessary, Elizabeth.”

Betty stopped and yelled back, “And attacking Janus will accomplish that.”

Hunter replied was short, “Don’t play dumb.” The glowering eyes of Hunter bored into her. “Clearly you know what she is, and why she is unkillable.”

The bitter stench of burning whiffed in the air. Behind Betty, the innocent town who knew nothing of its sin was being razed to the ground.

“You are targeting the worshipers,” Betty spoke. She had been thinking about the tactic to defeat Etaceh since learning about the existence of the Lords. One of the first methods that came to mind was to eliminate everyone who worshiped Etaceh to deplete the faith stockpile, which made her so formidable.

It was an idea Betty quickly dismissed. She couldn’t do it. It implied the wholesale massacre of the people of Curtis — now Intelligentsia — who praised Etaceh as their new Empress. The deposed crown princess didn’t have the stomach to commit a wholesale slaughter to her people for the shot at victory. Moreover, it was unlikely to work. There was no chance of her killing the entire population of a country before Etaceh could react. The destruction of a few towns — maybe even a city — would dock Etaceh’s power, but it won’t affect her meaningfully enough to make her defenseless.

It was akin to claiming the act of planting bean-sprouts by the windowsill alone would reverse global warming.

No rational, sane people would ever do it.

It was this which allowed Betty to come to her ultimate opinion, “You are insane. This is like killing a drop of water in a bucket by spending a national budget, Hunter. I am going to stop you.”

Hunter was undeterred and unintimidated, “Even a drop count in a long-run.”

Cries echoed as the raiders began going into the cowering people's homes and cut them down.

“Help!” A voice echoed before being silent.

“Save us!” Another voice screamed.

“Mommy!” It was a little girl.

Betty flinched as the sound of anguish rose behind her.

“How could you?” Betty said. “These are your people. You dedicated your entire lives to protect them.”

To an outsider, Betty was appealing to Hunter’s humanity. In reality, she knew Hunter Westerna had little humanity to begin with. The man saw himself as a cog in a system to maintain Curtis. No. This was Elizabeth La Louve’s final plea to remain the same — the final desire to hang onto her past responsibility. She had to ask because it was her final mark as the princess. The appeal to Hunter was the earnest request for her former life not to leave behind.

Betty knew it wouldn’t work, but she still had to voice it out loud.

The smoke and the bitter stench of burning was clogging the air now.

On his side, Hunter didn’t disappoint.

“I am the defender of Curtis, Elizabeth,” Hunter said. “The moment these people began applauding the usurper, they are lost causes. We have to cull them for the replacement to take their place.” He glared right into Betty. “You are Curtis' princess. It is your duty to cleanse this insurgency.”

Betty didn’t bother to let him finish his little speech. There was nothing to gain from listening to the obsessive mad-man’s ranting.

She had people to save.

…

And saved them, Elizabeth La Louve tried.

…

“Thank you,” said a woman whose house she just stopped from burning. “Praise be Etaceh!”

Betty left the grateful old-lady praying to her worst enemy with a wound in her heart.

…

Black Magic Rank 1: Drain

Betty grasped the face of a mage on loan from Eleanor. His squad laid down around him, defeated by an ambush of Slaughter and Freeze. The few remaining townspeople in fighting shape were behind Betty — barely recovered from the fight as heat and fire built around them.

“Thank you,” the man came out to greet her. “You save us right there. Are you a back-up from Magic Tower?”

“No,” Betty bit back a curse and dropped the final enemy on the floor. “I am not.”

…

Betty fought on, rescuing people from the fiery pit Janus turned into, stopping any units of raiders she found. She marched through the heat. Her muscles strained. Smoke clogged her lungs. She tried to save as many as she could and guide them to a safer spot.

Each time she succeeded, it sapped some mental fortitude out of her.

“Praise to Etaceh,” said a nun she rescued from a burning church of steel.

“Intelligentsia dog,” cursed a cavalry soldier she took down.

“Are you from Magic Tower?” said a mother as Betty returned the child she dug out from a collapsed building.

All praise for her enemy, but none of them remembered her.

For two hours, Betty repeatedly wore herself out, moving at high-speed with Haste around Janus. She insisted she tried to help the people, but she knew that was simply a convenient lie. If she truly wanted to save them, she would have defended the conscripts before Hunter’s raid succeeded. Instead, she froze stiff at the mere image of Hunter when those poorly trained garrison got overrun by a superior war engine. If Elizabeth wanted to go above and beyond, she would have called Ciel or Xia and asked them for help.

Betty dropped her exhausted body by the fountain she found herself earlier in the afternoon. The night had arrived. Flames still smoldered, but the light had weakened enough for her to see the stars. The Fountain behind her was intact despite the devastating conflict the town had suffered. Only the enchantment that operated the fountain broke, but Betty was fine with that. Being near a source of water helped her relax. It helped her cope as the dark mirror she tried to distract away from caught up.

Hunter Westerna and Elizabeth La Louve were the mirror image of each other.

They were the people who didn’t possess personal happiness, instead found fulfillment in external stimuli. Elizabeth thirsted for external love. Hunter starved to keep Curtis strong as a nation. They built their entire image around that purpose as royalty and official. The two questionable humans trudged along, hurting everyone around them to fuel that bottomless obsession.

In that fountain put in the middle of the town, former princess Elizabeth reflected on her life. She couldn’t help but envy her sister. Xiahana had the moral spine and inner resilience Elizabeth never had. Deep down, Betty wanted to drag her sister to her level, but she got broken instead. Betty snorted. Here laid the woman who thirsted for love so much she betrayed everyone around her. In the end, what did she have left?

Nothing. 

Just like Hunter, Betty had nothing left aside for the goal of destroying Etaceh. She was truly a pitiful human.

Or was it?

Surely, her father knew what she was like. Despite her personality, Edmond La Louve still loved her unconditionally. On introspection, Betty had so much to lift her up. Her sister was still there. Sure, Xia was nothing but a pain to her, but the familial love was there. Hikari relied on her. Amy looked up at her. Even Caislean shared her doubt and fear. Then there was Ciel. He never asked to be Harem Lord, but did nothing but his best to give them a fair chance.

Elizabeth might have nothing left, but Betty had something to live for. She still got Xiahana and many more honorary ‘sisters.’ They loved her despite being fully aware she could be a selfish narcissist.

Carolina was right. It was time to move on. Hunter was a cautionary tale of a path she should avoid. Maybe it was a good thing she lost the princess persona. It was an excellent opportunity to build something more genuine.

What was she then? What was she without the princess’ title and obligation?

Betty couldn’t change her basic personality. She would still be the same selfish person she always was.

A light footstep arrived, followed by more clicks of boots. A shadow loomed over the downcast woman.

Betty knew she was surrounded, but she didn’t move. She was mentally coming to terms with the funeral. A part of her had died, leaving the rest forever changed.

“Thanks to you, many of them have escaped,” Hunter said with mild disappointment. “I believe this means you won’t be joining our crusade.” He pointed his sword at the former princess. “Any last word, Elizabeth?”

“Oh, I’ve got a speech to share,” said the woman. Her mouth twisted into a smile. “I think I finally found what I should be.”

Hunter unconsciously stepped back. A surge of panic erupted from his heart. Something was wrong. There was something different about the woman leaning against the fountain compared to the girl he used to know.

“Honestly, I think we are more similar than I like, Hunter,” said the blond woman. Her eyes were framed by the shadow. “We are both ruthless scumbags who projected an admirable image. I made a mistake of trying to reject that part of me. Your error is succumbing to it. Sorry, but I’m done living at your level.”

Hunter’s grip tightened around his sword.

“Elizabeth?” the old man said with fear. Something about this 'thing' sitting by the fountain terrified him. Hunter had never felt this kind of monstrous presence before. It was like a beast had risen from the underworld.

“I’m a ruthless scheming bitch too smart for her own good,” Betty confessed in a playful voice, hiding the calculating cold. “That’s probably why Carolina and I got along, despite hating each other. We are birds of feathers, but I am ‘their’ ruthless scheming bitch.” She sighed. “Xia might be a good leader, but gosh, she is so horrible at tact.”

“What are you talking about?” Hunter got into a ready stance.

“I’m talking about how my family is turning too awkward for my taste,” Betty raised her head, showing the surrounding raiding party the icy, merciless blue eyes. “Sorry, Hunter, but I can’t let you run around burning more towns. Ciel will be disturbed and Xia might march to deal with you instead of doing her job.” Betty got up to her feet. “Now, don’t take offense at this request, but I need you and your band of merry men to die.”

Betty was no longer afraid or lost. At long last, she found her answer — the place she belonged.

At such a threat, every man in the raiding party drew their weapon and pointed it at the Sorceress.

“I must admit I never expected this kind of intimidation from you, Elizabeth,” Hunter said.

Betty stretched, unperturbed by the army observing her. “Just call me, Betty,” she said. “Elizabeth already died the day Etaceh rose. I believe I owe you some ‘good times,’ gentlemen.”

…

Skill unlocked — [Compound Magic]

…

It was the battle which became of Elizabeth La Louve.

From her ash, rose the Sorceress of Athenaeum.