Chapter 23: Manipulation is a Game

"Huh?" Azalea frowned.

From his vantage point above the broken road, he spotted only a single young man standing before the carriage. He held a dagger and shielded the girl behind him, gripping her wrist protectively.

Just one? Azalea narrowed his eyes. Did I misread the situation? But… something's wrong. Where are the others? And this guy…

He scoffed internally. A commoner. Weak. Pathetically weak.

"What? Why were you screaming?" Anna's voice, he tilted his head as Anna landed softly nearby.

"What are they—?" she began.

"Kill him."

"What?"

"You heard me."

BOOM!

The man's head exploded in a burst of crimson and bone.

"I didn't say do it in such a disgusting way. Now go lick up all the blood," Azalea ordered, his voice cold.

Anna's blood froze. "Please… no…"

"Then clean it. And stir the horses."

She ran. Her hands trembled as she used a spell to erase the traces of blood. Once done, she disappeared from his sight.

Azalea sighed, stepping into the now-damaged carriage.

Inside, a girl sat trembling. Her entire body shook.

But Azalea wasn't fooled. Not for a second.

Any other idiot might've thought she was some helpless noble girl—but not him.

At this point, he wasn't driven by emotion or sentiment. Only goals.

Vivian.

One of the most dangerous villainesses in the game.

What made her dangerous wasn't just her ability to manipulate others.

It was why she could manipulate them.

The other side of her divine blessing.

That was why he sent Anna away.

That was why he was the one walking in now.

Because he was immune.

Vivian's ability wasn't charm or seduction—it was emotional influence. A divine gift that could warp the feelings of those exposed to her presence.

But it wouldn't work on someone like him.

"What… are you?" she stammered, backing away in the seat.

For the first time in her life—Vivian felt something alien.

Uncertainty.

Staring into Azalea's eyes felt like staring at a blank page.

An emotionless machine.

"Human," he replied, sitting across from her.

"No… that can't be," she whispered.

"Drop the act," he said flatly. "I want to talk to the real you. You can't fool me."

She stared at him in silence. Then her eyes narrowed, her demeanor shifting entirely.

"What do you want? Who are you?" Her voice was colder now, measured.

"Good," he said, eyes sharpening. "I know your little plans. You're trying to start a war."

Her eyes widened in genuine shock.

"I don't know you," she replied.

"But I know enough," Azalea continued. "You made that idiot fall for you—drove him to obsession. Then you handed yourself over right at the border of Ezram. Of course Albion would blame them. That sparks conflict. And when the tension reaches its peak, you reappear—revealed to have been in Morntelia all along."

He grinned.

"And suddenly… Ezram and Morntelia—former allies—are at each other's throats. All Albion has to do is sit back and enjoy the show. Or better yet, swoop in and 'mediate' the conflict."

"You're trying to destroy the alliance between Ezram and Morntelia. If they believe Morntelia staged the abduction to provoke Albion against Ezram—"

"It would all collapse," Vivian finished, her voice tight.

He'd struck a nerve.

"Is Albion that insecure?" Azalea muttered, more to himself.

"What do you want?" she snapped. "If you kill me, you gain nothing. My death would only…"

"Who said anything about killing you?" he replied.

Vivian blinked. "What?"

"I don't give two flying fucks about what happens to the kingdoms," he said, voice blunt and cutting. "I just need something from you."

She swallowed hard.

This was bad.

Her power wasn't working. His emotions were unreadable—nonexistent. She couldn't tell what he was feeling. Couldn't manipulate what wasn't there.

"W-what?" she asked. "If… if it's my body…"

"No." He scowled, genuine irritation flickering across his face—and that brief glimpse of feeling threw her completely off balance.

Yes.

She felt it.

For a moment.

But then it vanished again, like mist.

"Why do you all keep thinking your pathetic bodies are worth anything?" he snapped. "All I want is the location of the Legacy—the one outside Albion."

Her breath hitched.

Two things hit her at once.

First—the insult. No one had ever dared say something like that to her.

Second—he knew about the Legacy.

Impossible.

That information was barely uncovered by the scouts who abducted her. They hadn't even informed the king yet. She'd killed them before they could. The site had been untouched, undiscovered, and she had planned to use it later.

So how—?

"Who are you?" she breathed.

Azalea leaned forward slightly, eyes cold.

"Someone you should obey—before things get ugly."