Chapter 315: United Front

—

Eir raised her head, meeting their gazes head-on without flinching. She straightened her back, her posture unwavering beneath the weight of their scrutiny.

The setting sun cast long shadows behind them—Leah’s and Treya’s figures stretched like drawn blades, their silhouettes pressing down on Eir as if demanding answers.

The air in this once-bustling novice town now crackled with tension, thick enough to suffocate.

Rivals in love, eyes red with hostility.

All three carried an aura of refusal—refusal to lose, refusal to back down.

In combat.

And in words.

—

“She took Will from me.”

Treya’s sword didn’t waver in the winter breeze, its tip unwavering as it pointed at Eir.

“Though I must say, considering you were the one who crashed the wedding, I should be the one seeking revenge. And yet, you struck first.”

Eir exhaled, lowering her shield slightly and planting it firmly into the ground, shifting into a defensive stance. Then, with deliberate slowness, she dusted off her maid’s apron—an unspoken taunt toward Treya, whose elegance had been slightly singed by Leah’s explosion.

Leah glanced between them, lips parting in confusion.

She had missed everything past the wedding incident.

Her gaze lingered on Eir—the once-meek maid who had always followed Will’s orders, the gentle soul who cooked and cleaned and seemed content to stay in his shadow.

A perfect maid.

A flawless Holy Shield.

Yet now, defiance flickered in her eyes—something entirely unlike the obedient Eir she knew.

But then again—

Was Treya still the quiet, diligent princess?

Was Leah still the composed, doting teacher?

No.

The wind stirred, tousling Leah’s red-streaked hair. The vial of Bloodmint Essence in her palm pulsed with heat, her heart hammering against her ribs.

They had all changed.

And they all understood one thing:

Whether as a witch, a princess, or a maid—

They were no longer the people Will had left behind.

They were here for him.

To claim him.

The one who meant everything to them—to Morning Star, to their fates, to their worlds.

The one they would never surrender to anyone else.

—

“Hold on.”

Leah—eldest (but least endowed) of the three—twirled her metal staff with a flourish before pointing it at Eir.

“If Her Majesty claims you were the last to see him, then you’re the one who owes us an explanation, no?”

Her tone dripped with sarcasm, her emphasis on “Her Majesty” laced with mockery.

This was a battlefield of three.

But that didn’t mean they had to fight alone.

Sometimes, ganging up was necessary.

Especially when the maid was holding the final clue.

—

“…Young Master isn’t here.”

Eir’s voice was quiet, measured—as if she’d spent a long time steeling herself for this moment.

“Which means he’s not with me, either.”

“I thought he would return here, but…”

Treya cut her off.

“Then who took him? Don’t tell me after all that grandstanding, you just let him escape?”

“Exactly~ Even I wouldn’t have let him slip away,” Leah chimed in, smirking, her crimson eyes glinting with challenge.

Eir tightened her grip on her shield.

“…It was Shuna.”

A beat of silence.

Leah’s grip on her staff slackened.

Treya lowered her sword.

“Shuna—that black-haired woman? The one who whisked him away from here from the start?” Leah scoffed. “I fought her once.”

She glanced between them, eager to flaunt her exclusive intel.

She remembered it clearly—

The duel in Frostpeak Spire, inside her own dungeon chamber.

“Did you win?” Treya asked, as casually as asking about the weather.

Leah’s eye twitched.

“Of course I—!”

She trailed off, staring at the witch-hat engraving on her staff—the one Will had designed.

The one that had made her hesitate.

“…I merely slipped up.”

She flipped her hair defiantly, spinning her staff in a showy arc.

“How unfortunate. Not even a graceful loss,” Eir mused, her polite tone laced with venom.

“I suspected as much.” Treya sheathed her sword but kept her distance. “I had her trapped in the dungeon, but she escaped. Even…”

She hesitated.

She didn’t want to admit it—

Shuna had breached Will’s memories, the same ones she couldn’t crack.

And worse—

She might know things none of them did.

“For now, I still count myself the victor against her.”

Leah scoffed.

“Next time we see her, I’m taking the first shot.”

Her gaze flicked to Eir.

“And you? Did you lose too?”

Eir shook her head.

“No. She… chose not to fight me. But I recognized her scent.” Her nose wrinkled. “There’s something… off about her. Like a dungeon monster’s aura.”

Another silence.

They traded wary glances, sizing each other up, weighing their weapons.

But one thing was clear—

For now, they had a common enemy.

No matter what.

They would take Will back—

From that woman.

—

“Inside.”

Treya strode past them, stepping over the shattered doorframe without a second glance.

Leah followed, twirling her staff.

Eir exhaled, hefting her shield.

And just like that—

The war council began.

—