Chapter 232 Benign Sincerity
"Forget it. I'm done trying to make sense with this bitch!"
Helena, consumed by fury, lunged at Raven, who immediately shot back in a flash, almost staggering as she landed.
But Helena was already upon her again, so there was no moment of respite for her.
Much worse, there was little to no time for her to summon her weapon.
"Please wait!"
Raven exclaimed, albeit softly, as Helena drove in her staff from the left with an explosive force.
WHOOM!
The malevolent staff went over Raven's head as she ducked. She threw a leg slightly forward but with much more force than needed, giving Helena a bone-shattering low kick.
The Feral Sage's leg faltered, causing her to lose balance and almost fall. Immediately, Raven grabbed her head and drove her knee to smash Helena's pretty face.
But that knee did not make it.
Helena, with a powerful palm thrust, sent Raven's knee back—not just that—the thrust was so powerful that Raven tumbled and smacked her face on the floor.
It was like an object was about to roll in a certain direction, and it was hit hard enough in the opposite direction... the object could break, even considering the force of the hit and the momentum of its initial movement.
Luckily for Raven, the ground was sandy.
She stood and spat out sand from her mouth, all her face smeared by white sand.
"Please try to understand... this was necessary. There's no way I will reach the Sleeping Mountains without your map."
"Like I fucking care whether you reach there or not. First, you steal a Heroic-rank weapon from me. Then you try to steal a map that I almost lost my life trying to remove from the ruins of Alcava. And you come here to tell me to try to understand? It was necessary?"
Helena's eyes gleamed with madness.
"Killing you won't be enough, you worm!"
She lashed out her rod and dashed forward—with such magnifying speed that the sands spread apart—however, Raven was already holding two stilettos, which were crossed over her face, hooking the rod in between to keep its tip from dismantling her eyes.
She threw her hands away, causing the rod to fly up and Helena to stagger back. Raven dove in sharply and swung her dagger toward the Feral Sage's neck.
Helena, however, did not move. She just frowned... a very deep frown.
In that moment, Raven stopped her onslaught, felt cold sweat behind her neck, and jumped as far away as she could from Helena with a burdened look on her face.
Northern, who was watching, couldn't help but ask why.
He, at the very least, didn't observe anything.
Reno was also standing beside him; the guy seemed less curious than he was, so he must know.
Northern looked at him and looked at the other two ladies that stood apart from each other, with a dangerous tension wafting in the air.
'Damn, I'm so novice about these things.'
"What... went... what went wrong?"
Reno looked at him with a blank expression; they were enemies, weren't they?
But he smiled and responded:
"Will you then tell me how you manage to see me?"
"I have these amazing eyes and an ability that negates your own."
Reno was silent for a while, his eyes focused on the ground and hands beneath his chin.
Then he looked at Northern, smiled handsomely, and nodded.
"I see, fair enough."
He turned to the two ladies.
"Well, there was nothing much. Just that Helena just now was about to use her talent ability. Those two must have been fighting till now without using their abilities."
"Oh, I see..." '...nothing special.'
Reno added:
"If Raven didn't jump back just now, she most likely would be dead by now... that's how powerful Helena is... or has become."
He ended with a slight frown.
With that look on his face, many questions rose in Northern's head. He knew about Helena's history with Afkon from the little Raven had told him.
He also knew now that this was Afkon's general. Probably one of the people that were being sent here over the course of ten years.
In order to confirm, he still had to ask.
"So... you came on the same year with Afkon?"
Reno looked up at him.
"Oh, no, no, Helena, Afkon, Reiuse, and Shayanna are all that are left of the first year. I'm from the fifth year. And I'm guessing you are from this year, Raven's set. Never seen your face, though."
Northern frowned as he remembered.
"Yeah. I've been in a rift all the while."
Reno blinked at him.
"Been in a rift? How does that work?"
Northern sighed,
"Trust me, you wouldn't understand or believe."
He refocused his attention on the two, leaving Reno to think whatever.
The guy's furtive glare stayed on him for a couple more seconds before Raven spoke again—even though she was already speaking before.
"...I did not come here without an offer that will suit you. I came here so I can pay for it all."
Helena grimaced.
"Pay for it all? Pay for it all? How exactly are you planning to pay for it all, you bastard? I took you in and protected you, guess how you pay me back. Stealing from me!!"
"I've not even begun to pay you back. I will pay you back by making sure you return to the Central Plains. By making sure you return to your family, even if it costs me my life to do so. I will make sure of it."
Helena paused, stared at Raven.
How could she necessarily kill her when she goes ahead spitting touching words like that?
While Helena appreciated how concerned Raven was about her, she also thought she was going too far for the people she doesn't even know.
But the truth was, she knew Raven had nothing to gain.
And she also knew... she, of all people, probably doesn't want to go to the Central Plains at all.
For everyone that got sent here... it was a curse.
But for Raven, it was probably a blessing.
As to why... only Helena in this entire desolation knew.
Raven continued talking.
"The reward I have for you now... is that we are ready."
Helena looked at her.
"Ready for what?"
"The creature in the woods. The three of us should be able to hunt it."