CHAPTER 76: CH 76: WE ARE HERE TO TAKE HER - PART 6

Evaya stood with her arms loosely folded, watching the high priestess from across the quiet chamber.

The lingering scent of incense still hung in the air, curling upward toward the painted ceiling, yet it did little to disguise the undercurrent of unease between them.

"Are you certain that it was wise to send Kana back with those two?"

Evaya began, her voice low and measured.

High Priestess Jenna glanced up from the papers she was arranging, her serene expression unshaken.

"Why wouldn’t it be?"

Evaya stepped closer, her boots clicking softly against the polished stone.

"You know as well as I do that she’s already involved with them. If she ever wanted to back down, High Priest Rudy won’t allow it. And he’s not going to believe she has nothing to do with them anymore."

Jenna gave a small, almost amused smile, but there was no warmth in it.

"You’re not wrong. Still... we didn’t have much of a choice. Keeping her here would have caused more trouble than sending her away."

She set the last page down with deliberate care.

"If I can, I’d rather not make enemies of Kana’s partners. They are not the sort of people I enjoy having complications with."

Evaya’s brow furrowed.

"So you’re letting her go for her own safety?"

"For her safety, and ours. And perhaps..."

Jenna echoed lightly. Her smile deepened faintly, but her eyes stayed cold.

"Perhaps she can still be useful to us. While she’s away, she might draw out certain opponents who have been keeping to the shadows. A living lure, if you will."

Evaya stiffened, her jaw tightening.

"You’re throwing her in danger."

"I’m giving her an opportunity."

Jenna corrected, as though it were a matter of semantics.

There was something in the way she said it—smooth, practiced—that made Evaya narrow her eyes. For all the gentle cadence of Jenna’s voice, there was no denying the steel behind it.

"You act differently when it’s about Kana. Do you... like her?"

Evaya said, her gaze locking on Jenna’s.

Jenna’s expression didn’t flicker.

"I like everyone. Even you, Evaya. But since you keep rejecting my invitations, it’s awfully difficult for me to show my favor toward you."

She replied, as if it were the most natural answer in the world. Then, with a soft sigh.

Evaya scoffed.

"Drop the act and give me a real answer for once."

"I am giving you an answer. Some people require a different sort of care, that’s all."

Jenna’s lips curved, the same controlled smile as before.

It was vague—too vague—but somehow Evaya could still sense the truth buried within it.

Kana was special to her. Exactly how much, Jenna wasn’t going to admit, not here, not now.

Evaya let the silence stretch before finally muttering.

"If she dies because of this, it’ll be on you."

Jenna only tilted her head, as though Evaya’s words were nothing more than an idle remark.

"Then I will have to make sure she doesn’t."

Evaya didn’t look convinced.

She lingered there, arms still crossed, her gaze searching Jenna’s as if trying to peel away every layer of polite composure the high priestess wrapped herself in.

"You always talk like the pieces on the board are yours to move. But people aren’t just pieces, High Priestess. Not her."

Evaya said finally.

Jenna’s hand paused mid-motion as she reached for another parchment. Her lashes lowered, shadowing her eyes.

"Pieces or not, Evaya, the game doesn’t stop simply because we dislike the rules. Kana stepped onto this board the moment she walked into the temple. The only choice she has left is which side she plays for."

Evaya’s fingers drummed once against her arm.

"And you’ve already decided which side that is."

"That’s what leadership is. Making decisions before others can."

Jenna replied smoothly.

There was no anger in her voice, but it carried a finality that pressed in on the room.

The incense smoke drifted lazily between them, its sweet, heavy scent mingling with the sharper edge of unspoken threats.

"You’re awfully calm for someone who’s using her as bait. Do you really believe she’ll come out of this unscathed?"

Evaya muttered.

Jenna’s eyes lifted again, pinning her in place.

"No one comes out of anything unscathed, Evaya. But I believe she will survive. And when she does, she’ll be stronger for it."

The conviction in her tone was unsettling—not because it was cold, but because it carried an almost personal faith, as though she knew something Evaya didn’t.

Evaya exhaled slowly, her irritation tempered by a reluctant sliver of curiosity.

"You really do have a soft spot for her."

Jenna’s lips curved, but it was the sort of smile that said nothing and promised nothing.

"If I do, then it is mine to keep."

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

The quiet was broken only by the faint creak of the wooden desk as Jenna resumed sorting her documents, the rustle of parchment oddly loud in the stillness.

Evaya finally pushed herself away from the desk and turned toward the door.

"If she comes back hurt, I won’t just blame you. I’ll make you regret it."

she said without looking over her shoulder.

Jenna’s voice followed her, light and untroubled.

"Then you had better hope she returns to us in one piece."

Evaya’s hand tightened briefly on the doorframe before she stepped out, the sound of her boots fading into the corridor.

Alone again, Jenna let her fingers still atop the parchment, her smile fading into something quieter—something that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Meanwhile, in the western wing of the temple complex, the atmosphere was very different.

High Priest Rudy sat in his private study, the windows half-draped in heavy curtains, the only light coming from the gold-cast lamps on either side of his desk.

His attendants stood respectfully near the walls, waiting for his word.

One of them stepped forward, bowing low.

"The girl has left the temple, my lord. She was accompanied by an elf and a police officer."

Rudy leaned back in his chair, his fingers drumming lightly against the armrest.

"An elf... and a police officer. Interesting."

He hummed under his breath, as if tasting the combination of words.

"What are your orders? You’ve said before that to achieve our goals, we need to weaken High Priestess Jenna’s authority and prestige."

The attendant asked carefully.

"That’s still true. But these things cannot be rushed."

Rudy said without hesitation.

He reached for a scroll on the desk, unrolling it slowly, his eyes skimming the lines without really reading.

"First, we will capture the one she favors. Once we have her in our possession, we can move to the next step."

The words were calm, but the tone was ice.

The attendants exchanged glances before one of them spoke again.

"We will proceed carefully. She will be approached soon, and captured before she realizes what’s happening. And even if we are caught, we will ensure you are never implicated."

"Good."

Rudy leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. The golden lamplight caught the sharp angles of his face, casting deep shadows across his features.

"Do not fail me. And do not underestimate her. The girl is not as simple as she looks."

The guards around him bowed deeply, one by one, before filing out to begin their work.

Once they were gone, Rudy remained seated, gazing at the empty space before him. A faint smile touched his lips—cold, humorless.

"Tools. Every one of them. And tools are discarded when their use is over."

He murmured under his breath.

The lamplight flickered, throwing long, thin shadows across the walls, as if the room itself shared his thought.