Yuliana, who had been staring at her for a moment, snapped her head toward Kasim.
"Kasim. I simply cannot go on like this. We have to help Kate."
Kasim made a troubled expression. He sympathized plenty, but they were in no position to help. For a mere mercenary group to interfere in the internal affairs of a nation's Royal Guard was, in short, an absurdity…… So Kasim cautiously placated Yuliana.
"I fully understand Your Highness's feelings. We want to catch and kill that bastard too. But there is no way, is there?"
"If there isn't one, we must make one. Surely you're not suggesting we just leave Kate behind and go?"
When Yuliana grew stubborn again, Kasim felt his head beginning to throb. He couldn't think of any countermeasure. In the end, he proposed a solution he thought most suitable for the current circumstances.
"I believe it would be best to supply Kate with some additional travel funds. We will provide a suitable amount from the mercenary group's finances so that she may go to a quiet village and raise Timmy without worry."
It was a proposal that clearly showed Kasim had put considerable thought into it, but Yuliana rejected it coldly.
"That's absurd. Do you think Kate would be happy with that? And what about Timmy? Are you thinking of letting such a cute child grow up without a father?"
With an expression that said she couldn't be reasoned with, Kasim shook his head. There was simply no way to prevail over Yuliana in a battle of words. Now Yuliana was even pouring curses upon Count Edward's daughter.
"How dare she go after a married man…… Wretched vixen. No doubt she's a nasty, stubborn wench without an ounce of decency. Worthy of death……"
'That's you, though?'
The words rose to his throat, but Mitchell pressed his lips shut with all his might. He couldn't possibly imagine what would happen if he let them slip. Coincidentally, Yuliana snapped her head around and glared at Mitchell. Feeling as though he had committed a sin, Mitchell couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.
"W-why are you looking at me?"
"We'll have to step in, you and I."
The way she blurted it out without hesitation suggested she had reached a decision. Soon, Yuliana poured out everything on her mind to Mitchell without holding back.
"In my opinion, the root of all this is that wench called Illaison. So we have to deal with her first. Only then do I think that bastard Philip, wretch of the earth, will come to his senses. I hate the man, but he is still Timmy's father……"
"B-but how, against the Vice Commander of the Royal Guard's daughter……"
A short while later, after hearing Yuliana's explanation, Mitchell felt his hair stand on end.
"I suppose we'll have to use the handsome man strategy. For now, the best-looking among us is you. So you enter Terbia's palace and try to seduce that wench called Illaison or whatever. No doubt she's a stupid girl with shit for brains. If you stop at nothing, there's no way you couldn't seduce her. If you manage to turn her heart, perhaps that bastard Philip will return to Kate."
"Y-you've lost your mind. Are you in your right senses?"
"My mind is perfectly clear right now. Mark my words. If you don't listen to me, nobody knows how I will act from now on. As you know, your father would never doubt a word I say."
Caught in a bind with no way out, Mitchell could only gape.
Yuliana's proposal was making even the mercenaries unable to hold back wry smiles. The intention to help a woman with nowhere to turn was admirable, but the method was so extreme that it was nothing short of absurd. Perhaps feeling sorry for Mitchell, Kasim cautiously intervened between the two.
"But Your Highness. No matter how I think about it, that is an impossible plan. Of course, I acknowledge that Mitchell is a skilled knight, but he can never become a Royal Guard. It is a given that only those whose loyalty is proven alongside their skill may enter the palace."
"That's why you must infiltrate in secret and make it happen."
Yuliana was being stubborn without reason. Unable to watch anymore, even Kate stepped in, but she was unyielding.
"I appreciate the gesture, but please stop. Just that you care so much……"
"No. This is something that absolutely must be done. You stay quiet and still."
Having snapped coldly at Kate, Yuliana trudged over to Damon. Then she placed her hand on her hip with a snap and glared at him.
"What do you think about this?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you feel like using your magic once for that damnable bastard who abandoned his wife and child for the sake of advancement, and for poor Kate who still can't forget him?"
"………."
"If it's with your skill, I believe you could alter Mitchell's face to make any woman fall for him."
Damon smiled faintly. Her stubbornness was the same as ever, but Yuliana's warm-heartedness in wanting to do anything for a pitiful woman wasn't so detestable. However, Damon was not one to take the bait so readily. Rather, he subtly needled Yuliana's temper.
"Kya! What a beautiful pure love. To not hate the man who abandoned her and her child, but rather to think of sacrificing for him……"
"………."
"I believe the mindset of the woman called Kate is something all the women of Arcadia ought to emulate. Obedience to men is a woman's greatest virtue. Of course it is……"
Twin flames slowly kindled in Yuliana's gaze, but Damon feigned ignorance and continued with glib words.
"For Kate's sake as well, it would be undesirable for us to interfere. If we did, her noble spirit of sacrifice would only be diluted……"
"You damnable bastard."
Unable to endure any longer, Yuliana swung her hand. Dark mage or not, she felt she wouldn't be satisfied until she slapped him silly. But Damon wasn't one to take it meekly. Yuliana's hand was seized in a flash before it could even touch his cheek. Yuliana shrieked.
"Let go of me!"
She struggled fiercely to free her caught hand, but it was immovable. Since her meridian gate was caught dead on, she couldn't exert any strength at all. Damon's sly voice drilled into her ear.
"A slap isn't a very effective means. Even if it hits, it doesn't hurt much. Let me teach you a move. Raise your arm."
Without realizing it, Yuliana raised her arm—or rather, Damon raised the hand he was holding. He stretched out his other hand and pointed to the middle of the hollow area beneath Yuliana's armpit.
"There are many vital points on the human body. Even using the same force, striking a vital point accurately yields far greater effect. For example, this spot is one of the extremely painful ones if hit correctly. Weak women must target such vital points to incapacitate a man quickly. Would you like to experience it?"
Without waiting for Yuliana's answer, Damon ruthlessly dug his fingers into that spot. Of course, he controlled his strength somewhat considering his opponent was a woman.
"Kyaaah!"
The spot Damon had struck was precisely the Inner Armpit Point. One of the key acupoints along the Heart Meridian, it was also called the Extreme Heaven. Though not fatal, it was one of the vital points that caused tremendous pain. Yuliana instantly wrapped her arms around herself and sank down. Fat, round tears streamed down uncontrollably from the sheer pain. She had never hurt like this in her entire life. For a long time, she couldn't move from that position. After some time, Yuliana barely managed to rise and glared at Damon with venomous eyes. Damon was still wearing a brazen grin.
"See? The effect is certain, isn't it? From now on, targeting vital points will be better than bothering with slaps. If we have time, I'll teach you the body's vital points one by one."
It was a tone tossed out as if doing her a favor, but Yuliana said nothing. Silently turning around, she walked straight over to Mitchell.
"This won't do. There is only one way. It seems you'll have to use that face of yours to play the seducer."
Mitchell made a troubled expression. It was a proposal he absolutely could not accept, if only for his pride. Employing the handsome man strategy was absolutely not something an honorable knight would do……
"It simply won't do. Setting aside whether it's possible, I could never do such a thing."
The light in Yuliana's eyes glaring at Mitchell was growing darker.
"So you're saying we should just leave that poor woman be."
"The situation is pitiful, but what can we do about it?"
Stepping forward, Yuliana looked straight up at Mitchell.
"So you're saying you won't do it?"
Mitchell steeled himself and nodded. He did so while bracing himself fully to block Yuliana's incoming hand. By experience, in such cases, she would undoubtedly throw a slap nine times out of ten.
"You rotten brat."
Mitchell's prediction came true. As Yuliana's hand cut through the air with a whistling sound, Mitchell reflexively covered his face. Yet no sensation passed over the hand shielding his face. Instead, pain came from his armpit—a tremendous pain unlike anything he had ever imagined. At the unbearable pain, Mitchell gaped wide.
"Kuaaack."
It was a pain that felt like his airway was completely blocked. Yuliana had given up on the slap and struck precisely the vital point she had learned from Damon. Because he had raised his hand to cover his face, his armpit had been completely exposed. Being the clever Yuliana she was, her fist struck Mitchell's Inner Armpit Point dead on.
Unfortunately, as he was not wearing armor, Mitchell was utterly defenseless against the pain. Mitchell instantly wrapped both arms around himself and sank to the floor. His appearance, groaning and shedding fat, round tears, was no different from Yuliana's just moments before. Watching him, Yuliana smiled slyly.
"This is quite a useful technique, isn't it?"
At those words, the mercenaries felt a spine-chilling dread. Though none of them had been hit, seeing Mitchell's state left no doubt that the pain was beyond imagination. Moreover, since Yuliana was not one to choose her targets, the mercenaries trembled as one.
It was no different from placing a sharp dagger in the hands of a reckless rascal.
Whether she knew what was in those mercenaries' minds or not, Yuliana approached Kasim this time.
"It can't be helped. The Commander will have to undertake this task out of necessity. Though your looks fall a bit short of Mitchell's, you have your own manly charm. It is worth a try."
Instinctively, Kasim covered both armpits.
"That is utterly absurd. No woman would fall for me. Unless she has a screw loose."
"How can you say that when you haven't even tried?"
Neither side yielded an inch in their war of words. Damon, who had been listening leisurely, finally opened his mouth.
"Stop your fruitless labor."
Yuliana's eyebrows sharply arched. But Damon paid it no heed and continued.
"In my opinion, the mind of this fellow called Philip is what's most important here. Even if, by some chance, you capture the Vice Commander of the Royal Guard's daughter's heart, what will you do if he doesn't change his mind?"
"………."
Yuliana was left speechless. Because Damon's words were nothing but the truth.
"Men have their own pride. Especially knights, no doubt the degree is more severe. It is hard to expect him to take back a woman he once cast aside, as if he were the one rejected. Looking at the situation, that fellow has surely steeled his resolve."
"Are you saying we should just stand by and watch?"
"There is definitely a way. Of course, it is certainly not an easy task."
At Damon's assured declaration, Yuliana's eyes went round.
"Wh-what……"
The mercenaries' gazes also concentrated on Damon all at once. They had already concluded that reuniting Philip and Kate was impossible. Kate, too, unable to abandon a shred of hope, looked at Damon with a desperate expression. Looking over the group, Damon puffed out his chest.
"If I step in, this is a problem that can be resolved simply. As you know, I am a Master of the 9th Circle. I have the ability to make the impossible sufficiently possible."
"R-really?"
"Of course. But there is a problem."
Having finished speaking, Damon looked at Yuliana with a triumphant expression.
"Truthfully, this is something that would require considerable effort even from me. It means I must expend enormous mental strength and mana, and sweat profusely to bring it to fruition. But why must I do so?"
"………."
"The woman called Kate is someone I met for the first time today. I believe I have already done plenty merely by casting healing on her……"
Only now realizing Damon's true intentions, Yuliana trembled.
"Why are you like this? Isn't Kate pitiful?"
"Being pitiful and helping are separate matters. The situation is dire, but I simply cannot feel any necessity to exert tremendous effort to help."
"Damned old man."
In the end, Yuliana burst out cursing. Still, it seemed she had softened considerably compared to the past, likely because she had truly realized Damon's tremendous abilities.
"This is precisely why you are called a wicked villain."
"That's right. I am without a doubt an extremely bad and wicked villain."
Damon puffed out his chest and gave Kasim a sly nod. Glancing once at Kasim, who nodded without understanding why, Damon looked at Yuliana with a sinister gleam in his eyes.