I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 219: Borrowed Fear

"This is our share?" Lucien asks, wide eyes fixed on the number displayed before him. Disbelief bleeds into something sharper. Greed. Satisfaction.

Isabelle nods, unable to hide her smile. It stretches wide, proud, almost triumphant.

"Yes. The Hunters have cleared four dungeons consecutively. And right now, they’re clearing two dungeons at the same time."

She lets the words sit.

Isabelle is in an excellent mood these days. Better than excellent. Her apprentice and his team have exceeded every expectation placed on them. Dungeons fall one after another. Heartstones flow without resistance. No negotiations. No arguments. No delays.

They deliver.

Their magic lessons are progressing smoothly as well. Too smoothly, perhaps. Every one of them can now wield magic with confidence, some more than others. Control is improving. Power is growing.

Things are finally looking up for Arcanus.

Lucien leans back, fingers steepled, lips curling into a slow, satisfied smile.

So this is what momentum feels like.

For the first time in a long while, the future looks clear. Close. Within reach.

Their time is finally coming.

Arcanus will no longer stand beneath Vitari’s shadow, nor waste time accommodating the Neutrals, who hesitate and moralize but never act. Arcanus will stand alone. Strong. Independent. Unquestioned.

"Lucien."

Isabelle’s voice pulls him out of his thoughts.

Lucien looks up. Isabelle is no longer smiling as brightly. There’s hesitation in her eyes now, a slight stiffness in her posture.

"Erm... Ethan asked if it’s possible to add a few more members to the Hunters."

The room goes quiet.

Isabelle doesn’t elaborate, but she doesn’t need to.

More members means more rotations.

More rotations mean more dungeons.

More dungeons mean more heartstones.

But that isn’t the part that makes her uneasy.

More members also mean more people learning magic.

More people knowing.

And once magic spreads... it never stays contained.

Lucien stays quiet, fingers tapping slowly against the armrest. His expression is unreadable.

Part of him wants to say yes immediately. More members mean faster growth, more dungeons, more heartstones. Power accelerates. Momentum builds.

But another part of him, the part that has survived this long, whispers caution. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

That part is louder.

He takes a deep breath, steadying himself, and finally speaks.

"It’s not that I don’t want to agree. I do. But at the moment, we need to be very careful."

Isabelle watches him closely, listening.

"Arcanus isn’t out of the Custodians yet," Lucien continues. "Not yet. We still need to stay low until we are absolutely certain we’re stronger than them."

He pauses.

"These twenty people... we’re lucky. They’ve stayed quiet. They follow orders. They don’t ask the wrong questions."

His eyes narrow slightly.

"But can we guarantee that will continue?"

He exhales slowly.

"More people involved means more risks. More mouths to talk. More chances for mistakes. One slip, one careless word, and everything we’ve built collapses."

Isabelle nods slowly. She understands. That’s exactly why she brought it up instead of making the decision herself. She doesn’t need Lucien’s permission, but she values his instincts. When it comes to survival, Lucien rarely miscalculates.

"What do you suggest?" she asks.

Lucien leans forward.

"It hasn’t even been two months since the Hunters first wielded magic, has it?"

Isabelle shakes her head. "Not even two."

"Then let’s wait," Lucien says decisively. "Another three, maybe four months. Let them stabilize. Let them grow accustomed to power."

His gaze sharpens.

"And more importantly, let us see if their loyalty holds under pressure."

If they stay loyal when they’re strong, then they’re worth investing in.

If not... better to know sooner than later.

------------------------------

"Thomas, any changes?" Victor asks over the phone, exhaustion bleeding through his voice despite his attempt to sound calm.

Thomas stands before the Sphere, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the projection. He shakes his head slowly.

"No. The dot is still solid purple. And the area around it is still muted green."

Victor exhales loudly, frustration slipping through.

"What could possibly be happening?" he mutters. "And you said it’s in St. Lucas, Solarys?"

"Yes."

"I think Rhaenas is there," Victor continues. "It’s all over the news. The entire island is being evacuated. Solarys DEU is on site."

There’s a brief pause before he adds, quieter now,

"I’ve been trying to call Maeve. It goes straight to voicemail."

------------------------------

"Now, it’s just you and me." Theo smirks.

The moment he sealed the gate, he no longer needs to sustain five extra Mind Shields, no longer needs to hurriedly purify the green mist while splitting his focus in too many directions.

Now, he doesn’t need to, because the King has pulled most of the green mist back to itself and reshaped it.

Theo exhales slowly.

His mana pool feels fuller than it did just minutes ago. Not abundant, not overflowing, but enough. Enough to fight. Enough to survive. Enough to win, he hopes.

"Now you are alone."

Theo stiffens.

The voice doesn’t come from the air.

It comes from inside his mind.

"You can talk?" Theo asks aloud, his tone controlled despite the sudden spike of tension.

"What is so strange about that?" the King replies smoothly.

"Human language is easy."

As the King speaks, it steps out of the green mist that has been concealing it.

Theo draws a sharp breath.

His skin erupts in goosebumps. A cold wave rushes up his spine, his chest tightens, and fear floods him without logic or warning. It is fast. It is suffocating. It is wrong.

Irrational fear.

Crippling fear.

Theo frowns, forcing his breathing to steady. This makes no sense. He has faced horrors far worse than this. Monsters, death, annihilation. This reaction doesn’t belong to him.

A soft, amused laughter echoes in his head.

"I see you have a phobia of spiders. It is common for young women."

Phobia? Me?

The thought snaps through his mind.

No. Not me.

Realization hits him like ice water.

It’s Thea.

Thea has arachnophobia. Severe. Deeply rooted.

And now Theo understands.

The King isn’t attacking his body.

It’s attacking his borrowed fears.

And Theo has to fight them.