Myths Reawakened-Chapter 173 (2): Hairstyle of Death
Ten minutes later, Filomina led her group to the honor guards and bowed to Legendary Mage Yvette to give a respectful greeting. “Honorable Legendary Mage Yvette Collins, it is an honor for me, Gold-ranked Mage Filomina Ursula, to be received by you.”
She brought up their ranks to emphasize that she was only showing respect to a senior mage as a younger mage, avoiding mentioning the factions they each represented.
Yvette responded with a smile, “High Reverend, the journey must have been taxing. On behalf of the Windsor Ministry of Magic, I welcome your arrival.”
“You’re too kind. Just call me by my name, Filomina...” She turned to Wayne with a smile. “My fellow Gold-ranked mage, you look familiar to me. Have we seen each other before?”
“Perhaps. I’ve always been told that I have the face of an average Joe, so I share resemblances to many people.” Wayne smiled awkwardly, avoiding her fierce gaze.
Filomina’s smile didn’t waver. “So I’ve gotten the wrong man.”
Sensing the subtle tension between them, Yvette interrupted, “High Reverend, Mr. Wayne is a member of the Ministry of Magic, hailing from one of the Tulip Families. To show you a proper welcome, Her Majesty the Queen specifically appointed him as the ambassador of the Ministry of Magic. For the coming days, he will be showing you the prosperity and beauty of Londan as a guide. I believe you’ll grow to love the city.”
Wayne hissed silently. Enough with the sales pitch. The woman’s looking at me like prey.
Filomina put on an innocent smile. “Pardon, but is he only going to be a tour guide?”
Ignorant of the unspoken words behind that smile, Yvette continued to promote Wayne, “Not only is he a guide, but he also represents the goodwill of the Ministry of Magic. We hope that he’ll help resolve the misunderstandings between us.”
“Thank you for the confirmation. I very much look forward to our time together.” Filomina winked at Wayne mischievously.
Yvette nodded in satisfaction. That was a leer if she had ever seen one. As expected of the heir of the Lando family, he was good at putting on a front and seducing women.
Do your best, young man. The future of Windsor is in your hands! It’ll work!
“High Reverend, please follow me. The Ministry of Magic has arranged a banquet at the headquarters for you...”
***
The fleet of cars arrived at the white office building at the headquarters of the Ministry of Magic in the Western District. Kristen and other members of the Church of Moonlight weren’t important enough to join the banquet, so they had returned home from the airport.
Wayne would have loved to go home, too, but he couldn’t. He stayed by Yvette’s side with a smile plastered on his face, his facial muscles getting numb.
The welcoming banquet started from the afternoon tea time and didn’t end until eight o’clock at night. During that time, Filomina had accepted Yvette’s invitation to chat in her office. No one knew what they had talked about, but it seemed that both walked out of the office content.
Filomina had accepted the explanation that there was a traitor among the ministry and promised not to make things difficult during the investigation period, while Yvette had expressed the ministry’s respect for the Church of Moonlight and promised to give the church a satisfactory response as soon as possible.
After the banquet, Filomina said that the alcohol was getting to her, so she would like to return to the hotel to rest. Wayne sighed in relief, managing to put on a smile. At least he had survived today. As for what would happen tomorrow... that was for tomorrow’s Wayne to worry about.
“Yvette, I don’t know Londan well and may get lost on my way to my lodging. May I ask Mr. Wayne to give me directions?”
Since leaving Yvette’s office, Filomina had been calling her by name. It seemed that they got on quite well.
“Of course. He’s your guide and will be at your service anytime.” Yvette smiled suggestively. “And I do mean anytime.”
Reading between the lines, Filomina suspected that Yvette had misunderstood something, but instead of explaining herself, she nodded with a smile and thanked the Ministry of Magic for their hospitality. She was so pleased with the arrangement that she couldn’t wait to go to her lodging.
(一`´一;)
That’s not part of the schedule, Miss Collins, Wayne thought. Did you add new plotlines to my script?
He smiled at Yvette and received an encouraging glance in return, telling him to let go and do it. It wouldn’t be dishonorable as long as it was for Windsor.
Please take another look, ma’am, Wayne grumbled silently. She’s going to eat me!
Don’t say something so scandalous to a senior, kid, Yvette reproached with a look.
Filomina watched them exchange glances with an unwavering smile, her anger burning hotter. Damn Windsor, did they really think she was a shameless woman like that?!
She shifted her gaze to Wayne. The Ministry of Magic’s goodwill? Haha, she would take it.
She pretended to stagger under the influence of alcohol and left the white office building with Wayne’s gentlemanly support, ‘accidentally’ stepping on his foot a few times as they walked.
“Apologies, Mr. Wayne. I’ve had too much to drink. Are you alright?”
“I deserve this.”
“Sorry again.”
“...”
Watching them walk away, Yvette shook her head. She didn’t really understand their relationship, but it didn’t seem like love. After a moment of consideration, she concluded that Wayne had slept with Filomina and ghosted her, and now, he was caught.
“Young people these days have such messy relationships. Can’t they focus on their magic training?”
***
The black car stopped at a manor located in the Western District. It was a property of the Church of Moonlight and would serve as Filomina’s personal residence for the near future.
Filomina got out of the car, her gaze fixed on Wayne. Dorrin came up to welcome her, curious why Filomina had returned with someone from the Ministry of Magic.
“I don’t want to talk business today. Wait until I visit the base tomorrow.” Filomina continued to look at Wayne. “Please stay for a chat, Mr. Wayne. I’m curious how the Ministry of Magic is going to shift the blame.”
“It’s all a misunderstanding. My presence here is proof of that.”
“We’ll talk inside.”
Wayne and Filomina weren’t alone. The manor was large, and two other icy-looking female mages had moved in as well. They were both an eight in terms of beauty, and since they looked identical, their appeal was a ten as a packaged deal.
Wayne drank tea in the living room with an upright posture, his face carefully neutral. The two mages kept their eyes on him until an hour later, when Filomina came over in a bathrobe. Her long legs peeked out from under the robe. Her long hair rested on one shoulder, tied into a ponytail.
Wayne’s eyes twitched. Auntie, that’s the hairstyle of death[1]!
“Virna, Diede, you’re dismissed. I want to have a private conversation with Mr. Wayne.”
With that order from the High Reverend, the twins left the living room, setting up soundproofing and sealing barriers.
Wayne’s eyes twitched again. He understood the need for a soundproofing barrier, but a barrier to keep him trapped wouldn’t be necessary. He stood up and said, “High Reverend, it’s getting late. Staying up is the bane of beauty. I’ll let you rest.”
“Mr. Wayne, the Ministry of Magic didn’t appoint you to have tea. Don’t you want to resolve the misunderstanding?” Filomina huffed. “When I saw you at the airport, I was worried that I had been fooled by the ministry again!”
Wayne attempted to explain, “Can it be that the Ministry of Magic didn’t lie to you, and a traitor was responsible? I wouldn’t have gone after our own people. It doesn’t make logical sense...”
It didn’t work. Filomina pointed out the flaw in the logic, “It could be internal conflicts within the ministry. As a member of the ministry, you couldn’t have failed to recognize the dragon-blooded creations!”
“I only joined two days ago,” Wayne grumbled.
“A Gold-ranked mage who just joined the Ministry of Magic?” Filomina sneered. “Since when is the Windsor Ministry of Magic strong enough to deny a Gold-rank mage immediate entrance?”
“I’m not a Gold-ranked mage...” Wayne complained in a small voice. Then he concisely summarized what had happened: “There is a traitor among the Ministry of Magic, and the royal family very much wishes to continue working with the Church of Moonlight. I only happened to be in Luzerbourg. They appointed me their ambassador because I was too kind and went out of my way to save you. I’m serving you now as my punishment.”
“You’re punished for being good?” Filomina frowned, her thoughts unreadable.
“That’s exactly right.” Wayne gave her a thumbs-up. “In fact, I’m a victim, too. If you punish me for that, you’ll not only be playing into the ministry’s hand, but there will also be one less hot-blooded, righteous man in the world.”
“The righteous Mr. Jack?” Filomina snorted. Trying to fool her a second time? Did she look like the gullible type to him?
“Whatever. I’ll say upfront that I’m not returning the sword to you.” Wayne slumped back into the sofa. He would be an idiot if he ever played the good guy again.
Filomina scoffed before sitting down next to him, coaxing him, “It seems that there’s no love lost between you and the Ministry of Magic. They don’t deserve your heart of gold. Would you consider joining the Church of Moonlight instead?”
Wayne stared at her in confusion. What was this development? Why was he being headhunted again?
1. In anime, there are many characters with a low ponytail on the side who end up getting killed. It’s known as the hairstyle of death and is especially common for the mother character. Hence, it’s also known as the dead anime mom’s hairstyle. ☜
