Chapter 143: Leah
"I can't use his identity for more than 10 minutes," Raven said, realizing that Roval was a peak Radiant Walker.
'The cooldown for the shapeshifting spell is a big problem. But once I comprehend the spell model, I can extend the time limit for a few hours. Not only that, I can also increase identity imprint slots.' Unfortunately, he didn't have enough time.
A troubled look appeared on Jovie's face.
"If I return to the camp without him, the guards will definitely be suspicious and accuse me of killing him. Leah will also get in the way and try to put the blame on me."
"Why not make Roval the bad guy?" Raven suggested.
"You mean?" Jovie furrowed her brows.
Raven smiled and began explaining his plan.
Then, he walked toward the corpse, took a drop of blood from Roval's finger, and let it fall onto his palm.
The next second, the blood slowly absorbed into his hand and disappeared completely.
At the same time, a strange imprint appeared within Raven's 'Shapeshift' spell model.
'Perfect!' Raven removed Roval's clothes, iron spear, and armor, then put them on.
"Let's go."
Saying so, he and Jovie started walking toward the campsite.
Once they got closer to the camp, Raven started to shapeshift and soon became Roval.
"Let's meet at the lake after 15 minutes," Raven said. Then both walked into the camp.
…
The guards who were friends of Roval noticed them walking together and were startled.
"Bring Leah to the shore. I'll tell her not to disturb you anymore," Raven said loudly to Jovie, then waved at his friends.
"Boss?" "Why are you with her?"
Meanwhile, the guards who had accompanied Roval glanced at Jovie momentarily and ran toward him.
"Are you okay, boss?" a tall guard asked while the others glanced at Jovie warily.
They had seen her overpower Roval and make them retreat, so seeing them walking together confused them.
"How did you manage to subdue her, boss? Isn't she also a Radiant Knight?" one of them asked as Jovie started walking towards the camp.
"Hmph, so what if she is a strong knight? She became my woman the moment she touched my mighty sword," Raven said with a smirk, then added while adjusting his pants,
"After spending some alone time with me, she surrendered herself. Well, which woman will say no after seeing my holy sword? Damn, she's made me feel heaven for a while."
"Wow! Can't we also get some fun, boss?" another guard with a tall figure asked, glancing at Jovie's back.
"Hmph, dream on, Kyle. I like her, so don't think of touching her."
"What about Miss Leah, boss? Won't she get mad if she hears this?" a guard with blonde hair asked.
A troubled look appeared on Raven's face.
"You're right, Mike. She will get mad for sure. Do you have any suggestions?"
"Why are we even thinking hard? A few slaps will make her obedient like a puppy. She's just an Official Walker and a servant, after all," Kyle said in a carefree tone.
"She has some connection with Wizard Ariel. If we end up hurting her, he might kill us," Mike shook his head at the idea.
"I already asked Jovie to bring Leah to the lake. I'll talk to her privately and convince her to get along with Jovie."
"Should we also come along?" a middle-aged man with a walrus mustache asked.
'I was planning to kill Leah and use her identity… But Roval's disappearance will become a problem. Once the Wizards investigate, they will point their fingers at Jovie.'
[You should be wary of her, too. Although she is cooperating, I can tell she has been scheming something big.]
'I noticed it too. But what is she doing here? Is she also after the Arcane Fragment?'
Zera continued in his mind.
[It is possible. Alas, what I'm worried about is this Expenditure group. There is no way this will be as easy as you think. Although the Count seems to have gathered a few Expert Walkers, a single Rank-3 Magical Beast will cripple this group in a matter of minutes.]
'Don't jinx it!'
Raven clicked his tongue and turned his attention towards the guards.
"Suit yourself. I've got some urgent business to attend to. Meet you guys at the shore soon."
Saying so, he walked away from the camp and moved toward the nearby woods.
Meanwhile, the guards glanced at each other and soon headed toward the lake.
…
The lake's surface rippled under the moonlight as the three guards stood at the shore, their armor dull under the pale glow. They kept glancing around with mild impatience.
"Why do I feel uneasy? We're just here to convince Miss Leah, right?" the blonde one asked.
"Yeah," another replied, arms crossed.
"But I'm worried about Miss Leah's temper," Kyle said.
A gust of wind passed through the trees behind them, carrying the scent of pine and wet soil. The night was unnaturally silent—no birds, no howls, no insects.
Moments later, two silhouettes emerged from the tree line.
Leah was the first to spot them, followed by Jovie.
"Ah! Hey there!" she waved, a hand raised high as she approached. "Didn't expect to see you guys, too. I heard Roval has something to say," she said while glancing behind her.
In truth, Leah thought Jovie would never return to the camp, as she had personally told Roval to take care of her.
'I told him to f*ck her up, destroy her will, and leave her near the woods completely. But that fool ended up bringing her back to the camp.' Leah hated Jovie because of her looks. She had a mysterious charm that attracted even the Wizards.
'Even Lord Ariel asked me about her. It infuriates me.' That was why she considered silencing herself before Jovie became influential in the group.
What shocked her was that Jovie returned as good as new to the camp.
'Either he didn't touch her, or she might have seduced him. Haa, it seems I have to kill her myself.' A cold glint appeared in her eyes while her face showed a playful smile.
Meanwhile, Jovie followed her quietly, her eyes scanning the guards.
The three soldiers straightened upon seeing the women.
"You're here, Miss Leah!" one greeted, while the others waved their hands.
Leah nodded. "Yeah. Why are you guys out here?"
"We're waiting for Roval," the blonde named Mike answered.
Jovie blinked. "Why would he tell you to come here?"
"Not sure. He said to wait and that he'd follow us soon."
Before Leah could question further, a faint shimmer passed through the air behind the guards.
Suddenly, a tall figure stepped out from the shadows behind a tree. But this figure was a completely new person.
It wasn't Roval anymore.
It was Raven.
His original appearance was now fully visible—sleek black hair, sharp eyes that glinted like cold glass, and a calm, unreadable expression.
The guards froze.
One of them took a shaky step back. "W-Who the hell...?"
Raven didn't say a word. He looked at them, smiling.
Leah stiffened, her playful smile vanishing.
Although she didn't know who this person was, she sensed something was wrong and became alert.
She took a cautious step closer to Jovie and tried to grab her hand.
But all of a sudden, Jovie drew a dagger from nowhere and plunged it directly into Leah's neck!
"W-W—" Leah didn't even have time to react as sharp pain assaulted her neck, followed by blood drenching her dress.
She turned her gaze toward the guards to ask for help, but soon widened her eyes.
At that moment, Raven had already arrived before them and plunged his spear into the middle-aged man's chest.
Mike and Kyle unsheathed their swords and tried to attack, but Raven's movements were swift.
He calmly pulled out the spear and made another thrust at Mike's neck.
The attack was too fast for Mike even to notice.
Before he could react, the silver spear pierced his neck and killed him instantly.
"S-Spare me!" Kyle screamed in horror as he watched his comrades fall and dropped his weapon in surrender.
But a soft hand holding a dagger suddenly appeared from behind and sliced his throat neatly.
Kyle's eyes widened as he clutched his neck, trying to stop the blood. He soon dropped to his knees.
All of them died within seconds.
"How ruthless," Raven commented as Jovie wiped the blood and stored the dagger in her spatial ring.
"How are we going to deal with this?" Jovie asked, looking at the corpses.
Meanwhile, Raven walked closer to Leah's corpse, took a drop of her blood, and created an identity imprint.
Then, he removed her clothes and stored her naked corpse in his spatial ring.
After that, he changed his facial structure to match Leah's and started wearing her clothes.
"Shall we go?" Raven asked in his original voice.
"That's it?" Jovie was startled.
'Anyone can tell he's not Leah but a person in disguise, though.'
Raven chuckled.
"I didn't use the shapeshifting ability just now because of its restrictions. If I use it, I can replicate a person's body structure, voice, strength, and even some natural habits." He paused for a moment, then added,
"But there are restrictions. If that person's strength is like mine, I can maintain the shapeshift spell for up to 10 minutes. If that person's strength is Rank-1 Walker, I can remain in that form for up to 10 hours daily. That's why I chose Leah's identity instead of Roval's."
"What an interesting ability. It's not an illusion but a complete body shapeshift, huh?" Jovie nodded in understanding.
"Yes. If I revert to my original appearance just after using this spell, I still have to wait another day to cast it again. So I have to be careful when using this ability," Raven said while adjusting his clothes.
"The restrictions are harsh, though." Jovie suddenly thought of something and asked,
"Can you also shapeshift into a Rank-3 or even Rank-4 Walker?"
The corner of his lips curled upward.
"I can shapeshift into a Rank-3 Walker, but I can only maintain it for 10 to 20 seconds. As for Rank-4, I don't think it's possible—the gap in strength is too vast."
"Yeah." Jovie agreed and then gave him a suspicious glance.
"But why do I feel like you're hiding something?"
Raven smiled instead of responding.
In truth, Raven had been hiding an important detail from her.
As long as he managed to comprehend the spell model, the restrictions would lessen.
'At that time, I can even shapeshift into a Rank-4 being for a few seconds. But I'd better keep this as my trump card.'
He was also wary of her mind-reading ability.
'If not for my increased spirit power, this woman would've already seen through my thoughts!'
While thinking, Raven took out Roval's spear from the inventory and stabbed it directly into Kyle's chest.
Then, he took a handkerchief and wiped the hilt.
"Let's go back to the camp," he said, walking toward the camp.
…