Chapter 789: The Determination of a Betrayed Woman
Vlad's eyebrows twitched when he saw Maya's expression. "Woman, stop thinking with your lower parts for a few seconds, okay? I thought your fire had cooled down because you already have so many husbands and children, but it seems that hasn't changed."
Maya coughed slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"What do you mean you'll take The Lykos Clan and Tasha, Victor?"
"My Clan will ally with The Lykos Clan through my Wife," Victor stroked Leona's head gently.
"And about Tasha, it's exactly as I said. I'll take her for myself."
Leona narrowed her eyes slightly; even though she enjoyed the head pats, she still squeezed Victor's thighs, knowing he wouldn't feel anything. She had to vent her frustrations somehow!
Maya narrowed her eyes slightly. "Taking her, how exactly, Demon King? Don't beat around the bush. What do you want to do with Tasha?"
"What else? I will train her to be the best version of herself," Victor smiled widely, looking very sadistic and full of expectations for the future. "I will make her so strong that with just one look, she'll make everyone around her tremble in fear."
"Haah." Kaguya, Maria, Bruna, Roberta, Eve, Natalia, and Anna sighed in unison. They had seen this scene so many times that they were speechless.
"Basically, he's saying he'll create another Yandere, right?" Natalia whispered to Leona.
Leona nodded in agreement with Natalia.
Maya felt conflicted when she heard what Victor said, but she didn't say anything more or ask any further questions. Her insides were twisting with envy and jealousy, but she knew that was just her instinctive side talking, the side that desired a strong mate that she could never have. After all, to have such a strong companion, she would need to destroy everything she had built in this millennium, and that was something she would never give up.
'... It would be so much easier if he were weaker... But if he were weak, I wouldn't be as interested... Ugh, complex feelings.' Maya grumbled internally.
"It still surprises me that you can say something like that so casually with your Wife right beside you, Demon King," Vlad remarked, looking at Leona. "Considering the personalities of your Wives..." He turned his gaze back to Victor.
"Aren't you basically courting death every day?" he asked.
"Indeed, unfortunately, no matter how much I court her, she won't show me her beautiful pale ass; she always runs away," Victor sighed in disappointment.
Vlad was speechless for a few seconds. "... That was a metaphor, Demon King."
"I know," Victor smiled.
Honestly, he didn't know what kind of sexual technique Vlad's current Wives used on him, but he had to thank them. The older Vampire had finally loosened up and was acting more understanding.
If this continued, Victor could almost become his friend... Almost.
"Cough, cough," Kaguya, who was near Victor, coughed lightly.
This caught Victor's attention, and when he looked at the Maid and saw her pointing at Maya, he immediately understood Kaguya's message. Victor smiled faintly and thanked her with a gentle look that almost made Kaguya smile.
"Back to the subject. Do you now understand our intentions?" Victor asked Maya.
"Yes. You basically want more influence and the power to speak in Samar, but you won't take away our independence or anything like that," Maya replied.
"Correct. I'm not planning to fight against a dear friend and someone with whom I have already made an agreement," Victor said. "Although they don't care about your existence, I know both of them will feel lonely without anyone to talk to."
'My God', they didn't even need to be named for Maya to understand he was talking about Aurora and Fenrir. Maya felt a bit uneasy with Victor's last sentence, realizing she had misunderstood their intentions from the beginning. She felt foolish for not thinking about this more.
'Werewolves, huh...' Maya's thoughts wandered as she pondered the perspective of the situation. She didn't dare say she fully understood Victor, but if all the actions he displayed since arriving in Samar were genuine, she could somewhat grasp his thoughts.
And after thinking it over, she understood that he had no real reason to harm the Wolves. Yes, his agreement with The World Tree was merely to protect the planet, not its inhabitants, so he didn't need to protect the Wolves... But at the same time, the Demon King's Wife was a Werewolf. That fact significantly decreased the chances of any potential hostility from Victor toward the Wolves and increased the likelihood of him helping them.
Another thing was that during the entire time Maya observed Victor during his visits, she never saw any ill feelings from him towards Werewolves in general. In fact, he seemed to like the City quite a bit and even bought various things for himself.
Now that the cards were on the table, Maya fully understood the intentions of the two Progenitors. Yes, she still had some doubts, and she particularly didn't trust Vlad; after all, the old Vampire's past condemned him and made him untrustworthy.
But if she couldn't trust Vlad, she could trust Victor. He might not have the welfare of the Wolves in mind, but he was helping and working to ensure that the Werewolves entered the agreement he made with Aurora.
Regardless of Victor's feelings on the matter, what mattered was the bigger picture and whether his actions would harm or improve the Wolf society.
"... I understand. So, what should I do now?" Maya was being objective; she was a woman of action. Now that she understood everything that was going on, she no longer felt confused.
Victor and Vlad smiled faintly; it was always good to talk to someone intelligent.
...
"All this time..." Tasha tightly held the proof of Volk's betrayal in her hand. Her Wolf ears and tail had been present for quite some time, standing on end, and her eyes shimmered with shades of celestial blue mixed with gold.
Tasha had just finished reading the diary that Victor had given her, which recounted the love life of a woman with Volk and their child, whom she had never heard of before.
With each word she read in the diary, Tasha's feelings of betrayal grew deeper and more intense. When she finished reading everything, she felt an overwhelming mix of pain, anger, and disappointment. The discovery of the betrayal hit her like an arrow to the heart, causing her to question everything she thought she knew about Volk and herself.
The sense of betrayal eroded her trust and left her feeling vulnerable and exposed. The image she had of Volk as an ally was now tainted with suspicion and disbelief. It was as if a part of her had been broken, and she felt lost and disoriented.
The shivers of her ears and tail were a physical manifestation of her emotional turmoil. Her Wolf instincts were on high alert, ready to defend and protect herself from imminent danger. She felt betrayed not only by Volk but also by her own feelings, questioning why she hadn't seen the signs before.
Amidst this emotional turbulence, a desire for confrontation and justice burned within her. She wanted to confront Volk, demand answers, and show him how much his betrayal hurt her... But she wouldn't do that... Not like this.
Tasha was a Goddess. A Goddess with Origins in Egypt. And if there was one universal trait among all Mythologies, it was that... Gods could be cruel.
The great flood that once nearly reset humanity that was caused by The Biblical God and various other tragedies he brought about.
The actions of The Greek Gods towards their people, which didn't need to be commented on, as everyone knew the Myths.
The actions of The Norse, who were as petty and cruel as The Greeks could be.
The actions of The Egyptian Gods towards their worshippers.
And these were just the regular Gods who often weren't 'offended' by Humans.
Now, an Egyptian Goddess who had been betrayed?... She carried with her the cruelty and relentlessness that were characteristic of Gods in all Mythologies. She was cruel, vengeful, and resentful.
Nothing else mattered to her except the desire to see her traitors pay for what they did. Her heart was consumed by the flames of hatred, and she would not stop until her vengeance was complete. The Goddess of Egypt rose, and her wrath was like a hurricane, ready to devastate everything in its path. No one would escape her fury, and all would be reminded that crossing paths with an implacable Goddess was a fatal mistake.
It was in this storm of emotions that her Master's words resonated in her mind.
"Remember, Tasha. The most intense feelings cloud our judgment. Don't ignore your feelings, but don't be enslaved by them either. A good Assassin knows how to deal with emotions in a way that doesn't hinder their lethality."
Tasha's turbulent emotions began to calm down. She took a deep breath, and her feelings started to grow calmer, like the sea before a storm.
The explosive storm of her emotions turned into a calm yet dangerous sea that would swallow everything and everyone at the right time.
"Calm your mind. Conceal your internal turmoil. Sharpen your mind. And never lose control." Her wild features began to fade, and all that remained was a charismatic Goddess and an unyielding Leader.
"Hassan-i Sabbah, my Master, once said: Nothing is true, everything is permitted... I must never forget that." Tasha put down the diary.
A statement that was merely an observation of the reality around us, saying that nothing is true, implies realizing that the foundations of societies are fragile. We must be the shepherds of our own civilization. Saying that everything is permitted means that we are the architects of our actions and must live with the consequences, whether glorious or tragic.
Don't blame anyone but yourself for your mistakes. Learn from them and evolve to avoid making those mistakes again in the future.
"I am the shepherd who created my own civilization, and unlike him, I am not a coward who hides behind my actions. Does Volk think that eliminating me from the equation is enough to stop me?"
"He is completely wrong." Tasha stood up.
Despite being hurt by what she discovered, in the end, it was as Victor had told her. From the beginning, she never gave her complete trust to Volk, but for someone like her, for whom trust was more precious than gold or any precious material, the trust she gave Volk was enough to hurt her heart, and that was what irritated her the most.
"First, I must check on my youngest son and keep him in a safe place. Second, I will organize all my supporters and assess the damage to my Faction." Tasha's image exuded absolute focus and determination.
"After that, I will deal with my ex-husband."