The Fabricated Dispute

Noah probably has a goal in mind.

He must be thinking of tricking the summoned creature who's governing this Realm that Eli wasn't particularly working with the Champions.

If not that, then to just at least show them that they aren't in good terms. That way, words won't spread about her being a walking radar that deliberately lures villains out.

Looking back, his plan was somewhat similar to Venus's idea to deceive the enemies.

At the end of the day, they're all meant to preserve her reputation as a villainess.

Though she already had enough of acting like one, she couldn't really complain since she messed up Venus's plan when she went to save Cosette. This was the least she could do to make it up to it.

Breathing deeply, Eli pulled herself together and showed the most daunting expression that she could muster.

"You seriously think I'd be scared with that?" she taunted, eyes half-lidded and glazed with truculence.

Noah was silently caught off guard at this.

Although it's a good thing that he had a reaction from her, he wasn't prepared to see such an ominous front. But then, something was amiss.

She's just probably very miffed, but for someone who's supposed to be mad, it felt more like she just saw right through the waters and was now riding the waves. He did think of the possibility that she'd be able to decipher something about their plan, but he didn't expect she'd pick up this fast.

When Eli saw a brief and faint smile on his face, she knew that she hit bingo.

"The way you switch on and off like that is utterly disgusting. You may be a normal human on the outside, but you're just like any summoned creature out there. You're nothing but a wolf in sheep's clothing. It is indeed infuriating – to have the Champions look after such a sickening bipolar like you, that is."

Eli felt like crying.

"Must he really go that far? Being a bipolar is no joke, you know..." she internally grimaced.

Even though she had steeled her resolve to help him with this, she still couldn't take his sharp tongue and offensive remarks without feeling heavy in the process.

Noah, on the other hand, just felt like peeving her more. It's interesting enough that she's stepping up the game, so he decided to heat things up.

Eli couldn't back down, though. She had to summon all her villainous spirit and aura once again.

"You chose the wrong person to mess with, Noah Altera."

While their skit was taking place, they're unknowingly garnering quite an audience.

It took a while before the act really hits the ceiling, suddenly including more than throwing a fit and blowing a fuse.

"Hey, isn't she supposed to be rebelling?"

The guardians of the Realm were dumbfounded upon finding their guest clashing tongues and word plays with one of their uninvited visitors.

Everyone in the fortress was still in the middle of a battle. However, those menacing auras and foreboding vibes were just impossible to go unnoticed.

Some of the servants who weren't fighting had witnessed the exchange as well, starting from when the blonde first attacked the ash-haired with his knives.

In the end, they just concluded that this villainess was simply everyone's enemy at this point.

"Your Majesty, shouldn't we get out of here now? Those two might really do it," Allen voiced out before lunging his sword towards the enemies.

"Hey, don't relate her to that rogue! She isn't violent!" Zeke bolted out from a distance, his golden chain currently wrapped around a few guards.

Hal was busy with a handful himself. He'd been firing a series of shots for a while now.

Glancing at Eli and Noah, he can't help but agree with Allen, though. For a fake fight, they sure are throwing quite a tantrum.

A while ago, Noah had proposed something outrageous, yet pertinent to their rescue mission.

"Make it look like we're not affiliated with Eli?" Hal asked, surprised at his sudden suggestion.

"Since we want her to lure summoned creatures out for a while longer, we have to avoid leaking any news that she's with us. We hadn't seen the master of this Realm yet, so it's possible that they're using this opportunity to gather info about us. Not to mention, there's that matter about some spy lurking around the campus..." Noah trailed off with a stern look, deep in thought.

Hal firmly nodded at this as he somewhat got his point.

"...We may not be able to entirely cast off the suspicion that we're somehow connected since she's attending the same school as us. But, at the very least, let's make it appear like she's in a squabble with the Champions. More favourably, she has to antagonize us."

He isn't the Champions' tactician for nothing, indeed.

"Though I think that'll work, Eli having a fit of pique is a bit unlikely. She's like a portrait of solitude, you know."

"Are you sure about that?"

Noah then only gave him a meaningful side glance, much to his confusion.

Hal wondered what he meant by that, but after seeing them quarrelling now, he suddenly got the impression that something had happened between them before.

He knew that Noah was the type who enjoyed watching the world burn sometimes. He also believed that he's capable of irking her with how frank he is.

Even more so, since Eli has Venus with her, he might do more than acting obnoxious. Some of the words he'd say might truly come from his true feelings.

What Hal didn't expect was Eli's revolted response.

"Let's end this," he finally muttered to which Allen and Zeke only nodded.

Pivoting on his heel and turning around, hand on the edge of his fluttering coat, Hal wielded his invisibility magic and vanished into thin air.

Zeke hauled as many enemies as he can, caging them with his unbreakable chain before tugging on its end and unleashing an electrifying gush of magic.

"[Lightning Irons!]"

A flash of golden light then rushed through the chain, causing the restrained enemies to suffer a tremendous amount of shockwaves.

Allen only gawked at this in astonishment.

He's told that the golden chain was the Chairman's heirloom, but he didn't know that it has lightning magic.

Not wanting to lag behind Hal and Zeke, he then proceeded to fulfil his own assignment.

Allen went straight to the Realm's guardians, swinging his sword at them with one fierce strike.

"[Savage Blade of Judgement!]"

Caught in his powerful thrust, the enemies staggered behind and cried out in pain, receiving a great deal of casualties.

Noah glanced at the scene that's currently taking place. It's his cue to start off the final phase of the plan.

Looking back at Eli, he saw how exhausted she was already. He almost let out a snort at the thought that she really got caught up in the heat of the moment that she drained herself this much.

It's also a sign that she's truly just pretending all this time.

Raising his hand upward, he then voiced out his skill-related magic.

"[Slash Storm]."

With that, Noah commanded a downpour of dozens of knives, scattering them all over the place and impaling the remaining enemies.

In a surging torrent of sharp blows, they lurched forward with incredible speed.

Eli only watched the merciless sequence of piercing attacks in flummox, flopping on the ground with a mystified expression.

That's until a shining orb of scintillating golden light materialized amidst them all, looking hazardously portentous as it's about to burst.

"This is getting out of hand! Where is Lord Caspar?!"

"Lord Caspar! We need an order!"

"The Realm's in danger!"

Eli went wide-eyed at the guardians' pleas for help. This Lord Caspar must be the summoned creature who rules this deteriorating territory.

Now that she thought about it, he still hadn't appeared even when almost everything in his fortress was in ruins, which she thought was a really cowardly thing to do.

Staring back at Noah, Eli found him already carrying Cosette in his arms before running towards Zeke and Allen.

Baffled as to why they look like they're about to retreat, she called out to him, only to receive a cold glare.

Not even Zeke nor Allen spared a glance at her. They just turned around and prepared to escape.

"W-What...? Why am I being left behind...?"