The Villainess Returns with a System-Chapter 121: Among Us

"Under attack?" Vivian glared at Woodman and Amos, her eyes narrowed with suspicion.

The disciple’s sudden announcement had thrown a wrench into her expectations. She had envisioned a professional gathering of seasoned conspirators, individuals ready to meticulously plan and execute a decisive strike against the oppressive Empire of Elgard. Instead, she was faced with palpable anxiety and a general lack of preparedness.

Their performance disappointed her, and she scanned the room with unease, her gaze sweeping over every corner and every face, searching for any sign of weakness or deception.

"Which one of you secured this meeting location?" she demanded, her voice sharp and laced with impatience.

Amos and Woodman exchanged glances, a silent conversation passing between them before removing to Vivian.

"This is usually the disciples’ job, but I double-checked after them, as usual, along with Mr. Amos," Woodman explained, his tone defensive. He seemed eager to deflect any blame.

"Is this place secure? Fortified against Aura and Magic users?" she pressed, her questions sharp with urgency.

She needed assurances, concrete evidence that they weren’t walking into a trap. She knew that the Empire had eyes and ears everywhere, and any lapse in security could be catastrophic.

"It is. Only extreme brute force can breach it," Amos replied confidently, puffing out his chest slightly.

He was sure of his defensive formation, a complex arrangement of wards and enchantments designed to repel any magical or Aura-based assault. He had poured his heart and soul into its creation, and he believed it was impenetrable.

"Who knows the entry and exit routes?" she inquired.

"You don’t mean..." Amos began, paling, but Woodman interrupted.

"Only Mr. Amos, myself, and the other Fellow Enlightened who met with us," Woodman stated.

"Summon everyone. Now!"

Vivian’s command was laced with authority. The two men exchanged a quick look before Woodman nodded for Amos to comply.

A minute later, they gathered outside the Chamber of the Automaton with seven of the "Fellow Enlightened," where Vivian’s fears were confirmed.

"One is missing," Woodman announced ominously.

In this grim situation, the realization of betrayal hung heavy, making the conspirators feel trapped. To escape, they needed to find the mole and cover their tracks, or their escape destination would be exposed.

However, this would be more challenging than expected.

"How long can your defense formation hold off the attackers, Professor?" Vivian asked.

Amos paused before answering, "It depends on the enemy. The advantage of my formation is that it defends against Spellcasters like myself, as it’s the best defense House Morgan has ever developed. However, a Gold-ranked Knight, like a royal guard, would have breached it by now."

His reply offered a glimmer of hope.

"So you’re saying the strongest enemy outside is a Silver-ranked knight?" she clarified.

"I’m saying we must prepare for the worst and analyze our weaknesses as if we were the enemy," he said firmly, shaking his head.

That was Amos Morgan’s teaching style, which shaped the meticulous personalities of his students, including Vivian.

If there was even a chance of a Gold-ranked Knight being outside, they had to assume there was one.

"And the escape route?" she asked.

"Secured," he replied, "But we can’t leave a mole to expose it later on."

"Also, this place is full of ledgers and artifacts. We need time to clean up, to tear the place apart to find the last Fellow Enlightened... or should I say... the Excommunicado," Woodman added.

"Your orders, Lord Sage?" An Enlightened stepped forward, bowing slightly to Woodman.

"Seek out the traitor Hudson Walden. Bring him in alive if possible."

Woodman’s words resonated with authority. His underlings, disciples and enlightened alike, pounded their chests with their fists, drew ceremonial daggers, and began tearing the place apart. Their synchronized footsteps echoed with an unsettling rhythm, a pulse of dread bouncing off the rustic wooden walls. This was a hunt for the betrayer who had broken their oath and undermined their clandestine world.

As Woodman commanded, Vivian remained with Amos. Her value as an asset dictated her presence with the Sorcerer, who could secure her retreat if an emergency demanded it.

Vivian felt the guns she holstered behind her back with her fingertips, bracing herself for the inevitable confrontation. Yet, she felt strangely calm, a sense of confidence rising from within. fгeewёbnoѵel_cσm

"Professor," she said, addressing the man beside her.

"Yes, Vivian," Professor Amos replied.

"Mr. Woodman mentioned ledgers and artifacts. Do you know their location?" she asked.

"Why do you want to know? These things are highly secretive," he replied.

"If an Enlightened knows their location, the traitor’s first move would be to secure them. The ledgers’ location might offer clues about the traitor," she explained.

Amos looked at Vivian with a mix of amazement and apprehension. He glanced back at the Chamber of the Automaton and approached the door.

"In there?" she asked.

"Listen, we’ll enter quietly. There are other corridors leading to that chamber. If we find someone..."

Before Amos could finish, Vivian had a gun in each hand, ready for action.

"I’ve got your back, don’t worry," she said with a wink.

Amos shook his head wryly and focused on the door, whispering a minor spell, WARDUS, to create a barely visible force field around himself before slightly opening the door.

Back in the Chamber of the Automaton, everything seemed undisturbed, suggesting a false alarm. Vivian thoroughly scanned the place with sharp eyes, finding no signs of entry, even looking in potential hiding spots.

"Nothing here," she concluded.

"Maybe," Amos mused, approaching one of the doors, "I sense something here."

A Sorcerer’s senses were extremely sharp, especially those skilled in Mysticism Magic. Vivian followed Amos, guns raised, as they approached a wall panel that likely concealed a hidden door.

As she suspected, Amos activated the mechanism, and the wall pieces slid apart, revealing a hidden corridor. However, the corridor wasn’t the most interesting thing; it was the body lying within.

They exchanged a look before approaching the body. As they dragged it into the light and removed the mask, Amos immediately recognized him.

"Vivian Moore, may I introduce the Fellow Enlightened, Mr. Hudson Walden," Amos said grimly.

"Charmed," Vivian greeted the deadman back.

The missing Kabbalist wasn’t a traitor; he was dead, his warm blood still dripping from a diagonal slit across his throat. The crimson liquid formed a small pool on the floor, a clear proof to the brutal efficiency of the attack.

Vivian holstered her pistols, the metallic click echoing in the confined space, and examined the wounds with a practiced eye, holding his face and turning his arms without flinching. She was methodical, searching for any clue the body might offer. Amos watched her, impressed by his student’s composure. He knew Vivian had seen death before, but her ability to remain detached and analytical in its presence was remarkable, a testament to her training and perhaps a darker aspect of her past.

"You’re too used to death, Vivian," he commented.

"Death is a business partner in my line of work. Those sent to him are bound by a vow of eternal silence, or so everyone thinks," she replied, continuing her examination.

"And what do you see?" he asked.

"No struggle, nothing under his nails, no bruises even. He was assassinated cleanly. He was in shock, his cuffs and hands were bloody, he tried to hold his neck. The killer used the victim’s necktie to stop the bleeding and not course a mess while moving the corpse to a secure location. Exactly what I would do, but the work is too clean."

"Too clean?"

"It lacks struggle. The killer approached him easily without raising an alarm. An insider, someone Mr. Walden would naturally allow to be close enough to turn his back to."

"But why the back and not the front?" Amos asked.

"Since most people are right-handed, the wound will be wider and deeper on the left side of the neck where the slitting started. Fwshhht! Like that," Vivian demonstrated with her thumb.

Amos nodded. "A right-handed killer barely narrows it down."

"True. But who would Mr. Walden turn his back to so openly? This is a secret cabal, not a book club. People would maintain a safe distance at all times."

"That’s right. I know some of Mr. Walden’s friends among us since he was annoyingly gregarious. Such a betrayal of friendship! It reminds me of that night," Amos said bleakly.

"Reginald and Richard?" Vivian asked.

Amos looked surprised. "You knew?"

"I’ve always known," she said with a sigh. "How did you find out?"

"The Kabal had information. My goal with them is to gather enough evidence to bring the Superhuman’s son to justice," he said, his face devoid of hope before looking at her. "How did you?"

"Mostly Divination and Tarot, nothing that can stick on those Marshall bastards. Also, once I cracked down on Richard, he acted like a wild animal. He killed his lover, after all."

"Lover?" Amos’s eyes widened.

"You didn’t know? Reginald and Richard were secretly together. Richard hates me, so Reginald’s friendliness toward me may have triggered him," Vivian explained.

Amos was silent, his heart seemingly broken again. Vivian didn’t know how to comfort him, but the situation was urgent.

"Professor, I know justice is important, but once guilt is proven, always call upon the executioner. Death should always be repaid with death."

"So even you are willing to kill?"

"Death for death, Professor. It’s the law of the Divine, and to be his instrument that purges evil is the highest form of piety," she said, pointing at the door. "Let’s go deliver some justice for poor Mr. Walden, shall we?"

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