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The next time Maria woke up, she felt her head ache with pain. It was pounding with the rhythm of her heart beat and she had no idea why or how it had happened. It just hurt to even think about what she had gone through before this.

And instantly, her mind flashed back to Trisha and Kagemori. If she had been knocked out, then the other must have been knocked out as well. What happened to them? What about Lucas? Was he dead? Had Maria succeeded in killing him?

“You should not try and get up. Your wounds are bad and they will continue to get worse as time goes on. Not to mention, your life force is dangerously down. I told you to be careful, did I not?” Maria felt her body sag at the voice. It was Lady Elma who was looking back at her with a disapproving look on her face.

Maria was barely able to move, but as soon as she did, her eyes landed on the unconscious form of Kagemori. The demoness looked alright, if not a little hurt. At least this was one piece of good news for them.

“Where is Trisha?” Maria asked as she looked around for her other partner. She expected to see the princess there as well since they had been their primary target but the princess was nowhere to be seen.

Not to mention, Lady Elma seemed to be avoiding Maria’s eyes with an almost guilty expression in them. Whatever had happened, it had not been good.

“We managed to retrieve you and Kagemori in time but Trisha was a different case. Unfortunately, with President Rosewell there, I could not retrieve her as well. I’m afraid that she’s been captured” Maria felt her heart stop at the news.

They had tried so hard to rescue Kagemori, only to end up with a scenario even more concerning than before. And Maria could not help but feel like it was her fault in some way or form.

“Hey, don’t try to get up. We just got you stabilized. You’ll rip your stitches off if you got up now” Lady Elma yelled, trying to keep Maria down. But the struggle in her body was real and Maria’s desperate attempts gave her more power than needed.

“We can’t stay here. We need to stop this execution before the node goes off and-” Maria did not get to finish the words.

Lady Elma had a sorry face but she was adamant as well. Maria felt magic sneak up her arms and hold her gently. She tried to buckle herself free but it was of no use. Lady Elma was serious about keeping her in the bed.

Kagemori had woken up in the commotion as well, her injuries laid bare for the world to see and Maria didn’t even have enough energy to give her friend an appreciative glance.

“W-Witch? Did you manage to save us?” Kagemori asked her voice horse due to the lack of moisture in her throat. Lady Elma passed a glass of water to her before taking her place in front of Maria again.

She looked constipated as she faced the princess-lookalike. There seemed to be some history there that Maria was not privy to. Nor did she care particularly about it.

She just wanted to be free and make sure she saved this continent. She had gotten attached to the people here and she did want to see them live out their natural lifespan.

“Rest for now. We’ll take over from here. Don’t worry, the princess is safe for now” Kagemori’s body lost its tension as soon as those words reached her. Maria felt conflicted at the emotions she saw in front of her.

But when she did not contradict Lady Elma’s words, Kagemori finally closed her eyes and went back to sleep. It was then and only then that Maria turned toward Lady Elma with a critical eye.

“The one you saw at the alter was Kagemori, right? But with the recent happenings, it seemed as if we have managed to change the future” Lady Elma started but Maria was not so sure.

While she did know that they had changed the future objectively, she could not help but feel like she was missing a point there. Something in her just told her that things were not as right as they thought them to be.

Or maybe it was Maria that was overreacting to everything. Maybe she needed to take a calming breath and let things be as they were.

“Still. We cannot allow Trisha to get killed here. If nothing else, then she has the key with her and she’s too near to the node for me to feel comfortable. By the way, where are we?” Maria asked, feeling the familiar thumb of energy around her.

“The royal castle. It was built right on top of Imu’s node a few centuries ago to protect it. I guess you felt the familiar energy here?” Lady Elma asked in a tired voice. Maria nodded, a little dumbfounded at her present situation but chose to settle down as well.

“So, what do we do next? The old man Rosewell is looking for the node’s key as well to monopolize the power. I’m not afraid for him but some foolish demon might try to use this opportunity. And I’m also concerned with Albest’s involvement in all this” Maria cautioned.

Really, the situation would not have been half as bad if not for Albest and its meddlesome ways. It certainly felt like they were everywhere and involved in every big or small scandal that was happening on other continents.

Just the fact that Maria had run into them twice now made her feel like it was all a big plot she was a part of.

“Albest? This is bad then. I guess we have no choice but to choose a candidate for Imu. Maria, do you think Suna your companion would be a good candidate for demon lord?” Lady Elma asked and Maria felt her head short circuit.

Suna? As a demonic lord? But she was not even in her right mind. And Maria did not think she would appreciate being bound to a node that took Nao away.

And Maria’s silence must have been answering enough for Lady Elma because she did not ask the question again. Instead, she turned to her sleeping companion and raised an eyebrow.

“I guess we have no other choice. Shadows in Imu were raised as guardian deities for the rulers and it’s time Kagemori took up the responsibility. She’ll have to become a demonic lord candidate” and Maria nodded her consent. In fact, she could see no other better candidate than Kagemori.