Chosen By The Lover's Constellation-Chapter 149: Children of Mana, Part Thirty-Two

{Lianna}

The evening air was cool against their skin as Lianna and Enverna sat together on the balcony of Mel’s inn, the soft glow of lanterns casting gentle shadows across their faces.

Lianna’s gaze was fixed on Enverna, her expression one of deep concern as she watched her friend. In between, she’d take a moment to look out the at the busy streets below, wondering what exactly she could possibly say or do to help ease Enverna’s anger.

[Is there even anything I can do? Should I do anything? Should I just leave her alone?] Lianna wondered.

She settled for:

"Here," Lianna said softly, handing Enverna a cold glass of water.

Enverna took the glass with a shaky hand, her fingers trembling slightly as she brought it to her lips.

She took a long sip. Her expression did not change in the slightest.

Miss Taylor approached them, her expression grave as she held her phone tightly in her hand.

"I just received word from a contact of mine," Miss Taylor said. "They’ve located the village Jack mentioned in the note. It’s an old settlement, that burned down during the Great War between Garriden and Telvan."

Enverna’s grip tightened on the glass, her knuckles turning white with tension. She could feel the anger bubbling beneath the surface, threatening to consume her.

"A trap," Miss Taylor concluded, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. "No doubt about it."

Enverna’s jaw clenched, her fists balling at her sides as she fought to contain the rage coursing through her veins.

"I don’t care," Enverna spat, her voice laced with bitterness. "I’m going."

Lianna’s heart sank at Enverna’s words, her concern for her friend deepening with each passing moment.

"Envy, please," Lianna pleaded, her voice tinged with desperation. "Let’s take a while to come up with something. No need to head there without a plan."

Perhaps she understood that, but Enverna’s resolve was unwavering, her anger burning brightly in her eyes as she turned to face Lianna.

"He killed her, Lianna," Enverna said loudly, tears welling in her eyes. "He killed my sister. I can’t just sit back and do nothing."

Lianna reached out, her hand trembling as she gently placed it on Enverna’s shoulder.

"I know," Lianna murmured, her voice soft with sympathy. "But rushing into this blindly won’t bring her back. Besides, there’s no guarantee he’s there now. Even if we are going to go, let’s at least wait till the 29th."

Enverna’s emotions boiled over, her tears flowing freely as she struggled to contain her grief and anger.

"I..." Enverna choked out, her voice breaking with emotion. "I have to do something. I have to make him pay."

With that, Enverna rose to her feet, her movements tense with determination as she stormed back into the inn, leaving Lianna and Miss Taylor alone on the balcony.

Silence hung heavy in the air as they watched Enverna disappear inside, their thoughts consumed by the weight of her decision.

"What do we do now?" Lianna whispered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Miss Taylor sighed heavily, her expression troubled as she glanced back at Lianna.

"We wait," Miss Taylor replied, her voice heavy with resignation. "There must be some sort of a reason why he wants to go there. Something beyond symbolism, anyway."

"I don’t know, but... It can’t be anything good," Lianna murmured.

Of course, she did have a fairly good idea of what they were up to.

If she was understanding this right, this was that missing piece of the puzzle she’d been speculating about before.

The miscellaneous *thing* that would allow Jack to take down Garriden, and then the world.

And, if her intuition was right, then Enverna being asked to go there was simply a minor alteration of the timeline.

Before she could ponder that for too long, though, Lianna got a text message.

"Well," she said, "at least we’re going to be getting some help figuring this out."

"Is that right?"

"Yep. The others just arrived at the gates. We should let Mel know."

"Not your fiance?" Miss Taylor asked, head slightly inclined.

"I... think I should give her some space, maybe," Lianna replied quietly. "I don’t-"

"Congratulations, you’re already doing better with relationships than I was at your age," Miss Taylor smiled. "Make sure to leave her a message, though. Then, we’ll head out."

---

The sun hung low in the sky as Lianna, Miss Taylor, and Mel made their way toward the city gates, their footsteps echoing against the cobblestone streets.

Lianna’s mind was still reeling from everything Enverna said. In all honesty, they probably should have expected this. Perhaps they would have if the distance between Enverna and her family hadn’t been made so dire in these past few months.

They were likely the last thing she was thinking about and, now, this happened.

As they approached the gates, Lianna’s attention was drawn to a pair of familiar figures.

Desmond and Xi, the two Constellation’s Followers, standing amidst a small group of guards, their expressions tense with frustration.

[Wait a second...] Lianna thought, narrowing her eyes. [What’s going on here?]

A few members of the church flanked the guards, their presence casting a shadow of unease over the scene.

Lianna’s first instinct was to rush forward. To pull out her bow and aim for their heads.

But she knew that would only cause trouble.

[As far as the law’s concerned, these people are all innocent. We can’t do anything to them, unless it’s a situation like Caroline’s where they start it.]

Suppressing the urge to intervene, Lianna hung back slightly, her gaze flickering between Desmond and Xi and the group of guards.

Miss Taylor, ever the voice of reason, stepped forward, her posture calm and composed despite the tension in the air.

"What seems to be the problem here?" Miss Taylor inquired, her tone polite yet firm as she addressed the guards.

One of the guards, a burly man with a stern expression, turned toward Miss Taylor, his gaze narrowed with suspicion.

"We’ve received reports of suspicious activity in the area," the guard replied, his voice gruff. "These two were spotted with some individuals known to have ties to foreign terrorist organizations."

Miss Taylor raised an eyebrow, her expression one of mild surprise.

"Is that so?" she remarked, her voice tinged with skepticism. "And what evidence do you have to support these claims?"

The guard hesitated, his gaze shifting uncomfortably as he exchanged a glance with his comrades.

"We... received an anonymous tip," the guard admitted reluctantly. "But we can’t take any chances, especially not with the recent tensions between Garriden and Telvan."

Miss Taylor nodded thoughtfully, her mind already spinning with possible solutions.

"I understand your concern," Miss Taylor said calmly, reaching into her bag to retrieve her identification. "But as the administrator of the Watchful Guild, I can assure you that these individuals are under my supervision. I will take full responsibility for their actions."

With a flourish, Miss Taylor presented her identification to the guards, her words carrying the weight of authority.

The guards exchanged a wary glance before one of them stepped forward to examine Miss Taylor’s identification. After a moment of scrutiny, he nodded reluctantly, acknowledging the legitimacy of her credentials.

"Very well," the guard conceded, his tone begrudging. "You may pass. But be warned, any trouble caused by these individuals will be on your head."

Miss Taylor inclined her head graciously, her expression one of quiet determination.

"Thank you for your cooperation," she replied, her voice calm yet authoritative. "Rest assured, they will not cause any trouble."

As the guards stepped aside to allow them passage, the members of the church lingered nearby, their expressions dark with frustration and resentment.

Lianna felt a second surge of anger rise within her at the sight of them, but she bit back her words, knowing that any confrontation now would only escalate tensions further.

Instead, she fell into step beside Miss Taylor and Mel as they made their way through the gates, leaving the members of the church behind them.

"Greetings," Xi said. "It was a pretty comfortable trip, all things considered. Didn’t know we’d have the leader of the Watchful welcoming us personally, though."

Desmond remained silent, his eyes set on Miss Taylor.

[Man... I’ve heard about the stuff Miss Taylor’s done, but, the way these people are looking at her... Just how famous is she?]

"So, what exactly have we missed out on?" Xi asked, her expression a mix of curiosity and concern as she glanced around the bustling city streets.

Miss Taylor nodded, gesturing for Xi and the others to walk with her.

"Let’s head back to the tavern. I’ll fill you in on everything that’s been happening."

With that, the group fell into step behind Miss Taylor, their footsteps echoing against the cobblestone streets as they made their way back to the tavern.

As they walked, Lianna couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief knowing that more allies had gathered to help.

But, would that be enough?

Had Jack become too strong by now?

[No harm in trying, I guess.]