CHAPTER 38: SAINTESS OR DEVIL? [I]

Lucius pushed himself out of the wall, sighing quietly as dust rolled off his shoulder.

His ribs still stung from the impact, his body complaining in sharp pulses every time he moved.

This was exactly what he meant.

She could attack him in the split of a second, and there was nothing he could do to keep up.

He wasn’t as high ranked as that yet, which meant he needed to be putting a lot of work in.

’Really annoying,’ he thought while wiping the corner of his lips where saliva had slipped out.

The floor was cracked beneath his feet, a nice reminder of how wide the power gap really was.

’Maybe I should try keeping Infinity on at all times.’ He thought.

But then again, manipulating space constantly could fry his brain into mush.

’I need an automatic healing skill,’ he muttered inwardly, rubbing his temples.

Something passive, something that wouldn’t leave him looking like a ragdoll every time an S-rank decided to sneeze in his direction.

Taking in a deep breath, he made up his mind.

"I’ll be going," he announced, his voice clipped and final.

Before anybody could argue, he distorted the air around him and vanished from sight.

Space twisted and folded, spitting him out inside the changing room.

He threw on his clothes in record time, buttoning his shirt with a sharp flick and donning the cap Vanessa gave him, then teleported again.

This time he reappeared atop a building a little distance from the resort.

The warm afternoon breeze brushed across his skin, carrying the faint scent of salt and perfume from the luxury retreat.

He sighed in relief.

’Finally, some peace.’

He could always spend time alone with Vanessa later.

This whole resort trip was supposed to be relaxing, but instead it had turned into one headache after another.

Still, he wasn’t in the mood to return to the girls yet.

They were exhausting in their own way.

’So what’s left for an unemployed man with too much free time?’ He chuckled bitterly.

The answer was obvious.

He wanted to watch.

Not the girls, he wanted to see what would happen to Jose.

Call it morbid curiosity, but the whole thing intrigued him.

The author hadn’t specified what Rita did behind the scenes in moments like these.

And as a good novel reader he was...

Maybe this was his chance to fill in the blanks.

Lucius crossed his arms and waited.

Sure enough, sooner or later, the pink-haired woman with the unnervingly bright purple eyes stepped out of the resort.

Her movements were calm and unhurried.

She didn’t even look like someone who had nearly blown a man into a wall five minutes ago.

Vanessa followed behind her, anger clear in the set of her shoulders.

She clutched her clothes tight, muttering under her breath.

Lucius tilted his head and carefully manipulated the space between them, bending it to carry sound back to him.

It was one of the few tricks he was confident no one could detect — there was no shift in mana, no ripple in the physical world, only subtle distortion.

"Come on, Rita. Get in," Vanessa urged as she opened her car door. "You’ll apologize when we get home."

Rita waved her off with the air of someone brushing away a fly. "Put it on audio call or something. Guild business just came up, love, so I’ll handle it."

Lucius blinked.

And then Rita leaned over and kissed Vanessa lightly on the cheek.

His eyes widened.

’Eh? Does she like women?’ he wondered.

But almost immediately, he dismissed it.

No, it was just a friendly gesture, casual even.

Vanessa didn’t react beyond sighing and sliding into the car, driving off with a faint squeal of tires.

Lucius narrowed his gaze.

Now it was just Rita, standing in silence at the curb, her expression unreadable.

And then she spoke.

"Come."

The word wasn’t loud, but it carried weight.

Almost instantly, the two "guards" appeared, dragging along Jose — the very same blond idiot who had barged into the massage room earlier.

His face was pale, his limbs trembling.

He looked like a man walking straight into the gallows.

Lucius smirked.

Not his fault, really.

Even the bravest man would lose his soul under the weight of that violet stare.

Rita, however, didn’t smirk.

She didn’t even blink.

She simply stepped forward and without warning, drove her foot into Jose’s crotch.

The sound was wet, meaty.

Lucius flinched.

Jose screamed — or tried to.

What came out was more of a strangled wheeze as he collapsed forward, clutching himself.

Blood trickled down his thigh, staining the fine silk of his expensive trousers and onto the ground as well.

Rita looked down at him, eyes flat, voice devoid of emotion.

"You had one job."

Her hand glowed with a faint golden light, and with casual precision she cast a healing spell, knitting flesh back together.

Jose gasped for air, his face a sickly shade of white.

He hadn’t even recovered before the guards shoved him into the waiting car.

Rita slid into the driver’s seat, adjusting the mirror with dainty fingers.

"I’ll teach you a lesson," she whispered, starting the engine.

The car purred to life and drove off, its taillights glowing like twin crimson eyes.

Lucius stared, dumbstruck.

"Did she just...? Ain’t no way." He rubbed his eyes as if that would change what he’d seen.

But no, reality was reality.

Still, curiosity gnawed at him. He couldn’t just stop here.

So he teleported, keeping himself far above the vehicle, trailing in the air.

He bent space again, zooming in on the muffled conversation inside the car.

What he heard was... disturbing.

"I did tell you, didn’t I?" Rita’s voice was low, dangerous. "Your job was to make Lucius let down his guard and slip it into his drink."

Jose’s reply came in a trembling whisper, high-pitched with fear. "Yes... yes, but he didn’t even give me the time of day. He — he ignored me completely."

There was a pause.

Lucius imagined Rita’s eyes narrowing, her lips twisting.

When she spoke again, her voice cut like a blade.

"Do you know what you cost me?" Her tone rose, the calm m cracking. "Do you know I just missed out on a good quality toy because of you?"

The car jolted slightly as she slammed her hand against the chair.

Lucius’ brows furrowed. He didn’t like where this was going.

Inside the car, Jose whimpered. "I — I didn’t mean to—"

"Didn’t mean to?" Rita hissed, her voice trembling with fury. "You’re useless. Absolutely useless."