Chapter 294 (2): Takes Two to Tango

August twenty-fifth.

From the Londan Airport, a few black luxury cars drove out. Silvia had insisted on staying in the Balear Islands for vacation, but only for one day. She knew that as the head of the household, Auston often had to do what his position required him to do. It was the same for her. As the District High Reverend, she had to return to work after her one-month absence.

Such was the way of the adult world. What the mind thought didn’t matter as much as where one sat, and everyone had to learn to rein in their temperament.

Back at the Lando Estate, the first thing Silvia did was send Auston flying into the grove with a punch. Then she took another car to the Church of Nature’s Londan head office.

After watching the show, Veronica rushed at top speed to her own mansion and called for reinforcements immediately, discussing countermeasures with her strategist and general.

Over the past couple of days, she had kept a close eye on Wayne and hadn’t let the old hag get what she wanted, but according to the old hag’s own statement, she had already gotten a taste.

Veronica wasn’t sure if Senna was deliberately getting on her nerves or telling the truth. She needed Kristen’s and Vera’s support, so they should move in temporarily to take turns guarding the trash can. They couldn’t let Senna move the trash can to the Church of Nature’s headquarters.

Auston rushed to the headquarters of the Ministry of Magic first thing, while Wayne drove to his base to conduct experiments. Everyone was busy with their own priorities.

Wayne’s top priority was shutting the Princess up.

He couldn’t afford to delay any longer. The Princess had been missing for two whole months, and with the death of Vice Minister Alan, the Queen was most likely losing her mind. He had to return the Princess soon.

Before leaving, Wayne had shown Juno his angel form—big eyeball with wings, draped in holy light effects. He looked like a proper high-ranking angel descending to the human world. The spectacle would even convince the Pope.

Juno believed it wholeheartedly. Eating up his lies and feeding herself with more she produced herself, she had been staying at the secret base without going anywhere.

Not only did the victim not reveal the secret, but she actively kept the kidnapper’s secret. She was clearly desperate for power.

Juno didn’t think her current situation was that bad. Though she was a captive, Wayne had been considerate of her. There had been no physical torture or physical manipulation. Two months of house arrest were nothing compared to acquiring a potent evolution.

In the end, it was Juno’s call that had changed her fate. Wayne couldn’t use force on her, so to keep the Lando family’s secrets, he could only use both the stick and the carrot.

***

Wayne strode into the base and saw Juno lying on the sofa reading the newspaper. He put on a white lab coat and a pair of medical gloves, turning to stride into the laboratory.

First, research the Forgotten Ones.

During Wayne’s absence, Juno and Celeste stayed in the laboratory. Because Celeste was thoroughly corrupted, unable to even think of betrayal, he was tasked with monitoring Juno and feeding the Forgotten Ones.

He had done well. The Forgotten Ones had gained weight, and Juno had put on two pounds.

“Little brother, you’re finally back!” Juno jogged up to him. “Oh, dear. I’ve been so anxious.”

“Again?” Wayne opened the laboratory door unhurriedly. “I’ve warned you that evolution can’t begin rashly, or you’ll end up just like Celeste, completely losing your autonomy and obeying my every order. You don’t want that, do you?”

“I’m not anxious because I want to evolve sooner.” Juno picked up the newspaper and pointed at today’s headline, saying gravely, “Can you let me out for a while? Something serious has happened. War is on the horizon. I must make an appearance.”

Wayne glanced at the newspaper, his brows furrowing immediately. The vague headline was about international affairs. According to an unnamed source, on August twenty-third, the Rus Federation and Prussia had signed a secret agreement that would likely divide the two countries’ territories in the eastern part of the Chosen Land.

The article didn’t specify what agreement it was, but stated with certainty that the information came from a reliable internal source.

Wayne’s expression stiffened. He thought of the infamous non-aggression pact. Warhorses and tanks had organized a rally race, and the tanks would win decisively. The rest was history.

Based on the timeline, the headline was most likely referring to the pact. No wonder Juno was anxious. It was a serious development. The pact meant that Windsor and Franc were about to declare war on Prussia, and another world war was about to begin.

When the time came, those who would choose sides would choose sides, and those who would surrender would surrender. The whole world would be chased around by tanks.

“But what does that have to do with you? Windsor is the Queen’s nation. Even if you’ll become Queen in the future, you’re not one now.” Wayne shook his head, telling Juno to wait a few more days. He had a feeling that he could solve the problem soon.

“It’s different. I need to control the ‘Princess’. She’s just a puppet, so without me, she can’t—” Juno was about to say more, but the door shut in her face, leaving her staring at it outside.

Half an hour later, Mona received the message and arrived, briefing Wayne on the recent developments at work. An hour later, Ottilia came, reporting to Wayne, too.

Wayne conducted experiments while listening to the two women’s reports, trying out his latest ideas. When he identified a blind spot that made him unsure of how to proceed, he sent a telepathic message to Senna, asking for her help.

Gulp!

Juno watched the stunning beauty walk into the laboratory with glinting eyes, pressing her face against the crack of the door to look inside in excitement. As Windsor’s Princess, she had seen her fair share of beauties, but she had never seen someone as beautiful as Senna.

Come to think of it, three women had already visited the angel. The ladies around the angel were competing for beauty. After Juno evolved, would she, as someone on the angel’s side, be able to invite her colleagues home for tea?

Probably yes, right? They were all girls, so it stood to reason that they would have girls’ talks over tea!

“You called, Master?” Senna entered with a bright smile, glancing briefly at Mona and Ottilia. Her form of address alerted both women.

Ottilia knew who Senna was since they had met in the Misty Forest. At the time, Senna had still been struggling, and she had addressed Wayne more formally than she did now. Thus, Ottilia hadn’t thought deeply about their relationship.

Mona felt even worse. Her exclusive form of address kept coming out of other people’s mouths, making her feel a deeper sense of crisis.

“Mona, this is Senna, Master Silvia’s master. She’s an Oracle High Reverend of the Church of Nature.” Wayne introduced them. “Senna, this is Mona. You’ve met Ottilia.”

He had asked Senna for her assistance to the experiment and to prove to her that he really was conducting research. Once he succeeded, Senna would recover her sense of self.

Well, perhaps not fully, but she would certainly get better.

Senna didn’t take the words seriously. She was clear about her condition. She should just wait for death. There was no saving her, and even if she was saved, she would be ruined for life. Since all roads led to ruination, why bother wasting time?

Besides, she wasn’t looking forward to it at all.

Reading her thoughts, Wayne was left utterly resigned. He put her matter aside for now.

While her matter could be set aside, though, the experiment had to succeed. The dragon blood curse on Silvia and Veronica was a major hidden threat, especially to Silvia. Seeing Auston grow stronger and stronger, the career woman had become agitated and was planning to break through to Legendary rank. Wayne didn’t have much time left.

Besides them, there were also the Church of Darkness’s Holy Maiden, Anastasia, and Vera’s father, Cushing. Their symptoms were milder with room for recovery. If the experiment succeeded, they would retain more of themselves.

Wayne was especially determined to help Vera’s father recover. He refused to let the hunk of a man go down the Windsorian way.

Senna was experienced and knowledgeable in magic, making her an excellent assistant. With her help, Wayne was able to save a lot of thinking time, and the experiment progressed smoothly.

Mona and Ottilia kept backing away, feeling the same pressure that Veronica had felt.

They weren’t her match, not at all!

The last person who gave Mona this feeling was Filomina. The High Reverend of the Church of Moonlight was flawless, and Mona had thought that such incredible beauties were few and far between. And they were, but Wayne had encountered them all.

It would be fine if he had simply encountered them, but the problem was how Senna addressed Wayne. Mona couldn’t tolerate it.

Later that night, Wayne put down his work and checked on the Forgotten Ones who had lost their value as research subjects, planning to have Auston send them back to the asylum another day. He had completed several steps and collected sufficient data. It was time to proceed to the next stage.

He chose Senna for this stage. Ignoring her resistance, he issued a command for her to cooperate. Then he sank his thoughts into Senna’s body and attempted to extract all her evolution.

Senna resisted fiercely, struggling violently and proving her unwillingness to recover. Wayne had no choice but to let her go.

“You have to think clearly, Senna. If I let you go now, you’ll never be let go,” Wayne said seriously. “This is your last chance. What do you choose between freedom and following me?”

“Will I truly be free?” Senna shook her head, clear-headed. “Evolution is irreversible. I can only gain partial freedom. Loyalty that isn’t absolute is absolutely not loyalty. I’m willing to offer everything to my faith.”

“Very well.”

Wayne nodded, releasing his restraints on Senna and letting her leave the examination table.

He had lifted many restraints, granting Senna substantial room to act at her own discretion. Just like Anastasia, she would be allowed to roam free with minimal supervision.

Senna’s eyes lit up. Without those restraints, she could push boundaries again.

“Stand over there and keep your mind out of the gutter,” Wayne warned her verbally rather than restraining her with thoughts. Then he called Celeste in.

Although Celeste had been thoroughly corrupted, too, he remained obedient and revered his faith with absolutely no intention to cross the line, unlike Senna, who spent every night trying to get into her faith’s bed.

“Look at him, then look at yourself. You’re both legendary mages, yet your faith is tainted with so much self-delusion.” Wayne pointed at the living example and criticized Senna for falling to this point. They were in this situation because she had misinterpreted her faith’s preferences with her dirty mind.

Senna huffed and said bluntly, “Master, can it be that you’ve influenced my thinking? That your thoughts have led to my changes?”

“Well, that...”

When Wayne was at a loss for words, Senna pressed, “Subconsciously, you’re not interested in male followers, so he hasn’t expressed strong desires for his faith—or rather, the way his desire manifests is different. Anastasia and I, on the other hand...”

“Enough, stop talking! You have too many excuses!” Wayne interrupted her. Her twisted logic sounded so reasonable that he almost fell for it.

“And don’t call me ‘master’ anymore. It sounds too strange.”

Receiving the command, Senna made a soft sound of surprise, looking at Mona. The secretary held quite a special place in Wayne’s heart, it seemed. He had chosen to restrict Senna to make Mona feel better.

After thinking about it, Senna concluded that her appearance couldn’t be anything but superior, so it had to be a difference in emotional attachment.

Interesting!

Senna’s lips curled. With the restrictions lifted, she could do things she wouldn’t have dared to think about before. Why should she be content with being a mere follower rather than going one step further?

Her faith was sentimental, so sincere feelings would beget sincere feelings. If she could gain his genuine feelings, she wouldn’t be the one to back away in similar situations in the future.

The stunning beauty had found her new goal and taunted her old rival in her mind.

You’ll lose, Anastasia. You’ll be at the mercy of my whims in the future!