"W-well, it's the most common thing to be fighting over, in a situation like this. Was that not the case?"
As he asked his question, the handsome man shot a glare at the woman who had been leading the group.
"Oh," said Maryam, "One would think so, wouldn't they? But, strangely, this group was saying something about how I seduced their young master and he was going to bed me. I don't recall doing such a thing, so I was about to give them a friendly reminder of the importance of respect. Then, you showed up."
The look the handsome man was giving his female underling grew positively murderous.
"Uh, that's really—"
"You wouldn't happen to know them, would you?" Maryam asked.
"No, I—"
"So, you don't mind if I kill them, right?"
"Wait!" cried the handsome man. "I'm sure this is all just a misunderstanding! These people are in my circle of family friends; I followed them because I know they often do stupid things and get themselves into trouble."
He gestured at his female underling. "This is Dioti. She suffers from a cultivation-related condition that causes her to have occasional delusions. I beg your pardon for any offense she may have caused."
It was fairly clear to Maryam that the only conditions Dioti suffered from were stupidity and a bad temper.
"Seems a bit irresponsible to attack someone based on the words of someone having a delusional fit, doesn't it?" Maryam glanced over at the man and the woman who had swung clubs at her.
The handsome man looked around awkwardly.
"Yes, it does," he said, chuckling nervously. "How about you stay with us for dinner tonight, so we can make it up to you? And do forgive me for not introducing myself earlier. I am Maladeel."
Maryam smiled understandingly and agreed.
Maryam continued to pick and eat raspberries while Maladeel's group set up camp. Maladeel himself pulled a luxurious chair out of what must have been a high-grade space compression bag and sat on it as he watched his "family friends" work.
Three group members set out into the woods and returned a few hours later, carrying the carcass of a large, low-tier, bull-type fierce beast. Several others went into the forest to gather fruits and mushrooms. One girl even came to collect raspberries at Maryam's patch.
Maryam ignored her.
The man who attacked Maryam with a club seemed to be responsible for cooking. He used a rather expensive-looking set of spices to season and flavour the meat. He had brought a fair number of non-perishable ingredients in a space-compression bag and used them in combination with the fresh harvests to create a lavish, multi-course meal.
Overall, the young man and his entourage numbered eleven people total.
Dioti set up Maladeel's tent, and often came by to talk with him and bring him drinks and snacks. At one point, she brought a bowl with water and a cloth to wash his feet. Maladeel glanced nervously in Maryam's direction and stopped her.
Of course, all of this did not go unnoticed by Maryam, but she continued to peacefully browse for berries, often stopping to marvel at a particularly shapely leaf or a well-formed stem. In this manner, she passed the time until evening.
Dinner was delicious. It was clear from the taste that the cook knew exactly what he was doing. Over the course of the meal, Maladeel made many attempts to start conversation with Maryam. She always responded politely, but distantly.
After everyone had eaten their fill, Maladeel brought out a jar of wine.
"This is a rare and precious wine, so we normally wouldn't drink it, but tonight is a special occasion," he said, looking at Maryam. "We have a wonderful guest!"
Maladeel gestured and Dioti brought Maryam a cup of the wine. Maryam didn't miss the brief flash of hatred that crossed Dioti's face as Dioti handed it to her obediently.
Maryam also didn't miss the fact that her drink was apparently laced with all manner of suspicious drugs.
By her count, there was an aphrodisiac, a drug that interfered with memory retention, and another drug that would weaken a cultivator, rendering them helpless and unable to use their energy.
It was no mystery what Maladeel planned on doing for the night.
With a light chuckle, Maryam drank all of it down.
Maryam raised her cup, smiling.
"It's good wine," she said, "My thanks to our host."
Maladeel smiled back at her.
"I'm glad you like it," he responded, "Drink as much as you want."
Maryam did, and after an hour or so of merrymaking, everyone headed to their tents for the night.
Maladeel showed Maryam to a neat, well-decorated tent. It contained a large and comfortable collapsible bed.
"I had this set up for you. I hope it's to your taste," he said.
"I'm have no doubt it will be."
Maryam settled into her bed and waited. A few hours passed, and then she heard her tent being opened.
"My dear beauty, do you want me?" a man's voice murmured near her ear.
"M-Maladeel? W-why are you here? I feel… strange…"
"I know, baby," said the man, "that's why I'm here. I can help you with that…"
Maladeel was on the bed with her, wearing nothing but his underwear. His body was visibly excited.
He reached over to pull open her robe, and found his wrist caught in a shockingly powerful grip. Maryam was sitting up and looking at him with a mixture of scorn and mockery.
"And how, exactly," said an icy voice, "were you planning on doing that?"
"W-why are you...? You were supposed to be—"
"I was supposed to be what? Helpless? I know. Unfortunately for you, though…"
She tightened her grip on his wrist. His bones began to fracture under the pressure.
Maryam was smiling now, and Maladeel finally realized how terrifying that was. She had often worn that expression throughout the day. At the time, Maladeel had seen it as normal.
"M-Maryam," Maladeel stuttered, "I can explain…"
And indeed, he did explain. Apparently, the whole thing was Dioti's fault. Out of spite, she had laced Maryam's drink with a poison that would kill her unless she had intercourse. Maladeel assured Maryam that he would definitely punish Dioti severely, but for now, it was more important for him to save Maryam's life.
"Is that so," said Maryam, "I understand. Would you like to scream for your minions, or do you want me to end you now?"
Maladeel chose the first option.
"Everyone, help me! This woman is trying to kill me!" he cried.
It seemed that Maladeel had ordered his subordinates to stay up and be ready in case anything went wrong, because Maryam's tent was instantly surrounded.
"There we go," she said, "That's more like it."
"Just give up," Maladeel said, "If you accept my help now, I can forget this ever happened. After all, it's to save your life. I wouldn't tell on you, but if word of this somehow got to my father… It could be really bad for you."
Dioti quickly picked up on the hint.
"Do you even know who you're grabbing? That's Maladeel Selor, you know. 'Selor,' like the head of our 'Selor' sect. If anything happens to him, the sect will spare no cost to hunt the perpetrator down!"
Maryam had been containing the unique fluctuations of her true energy inside her body ever since she had entered the festival realm, leaving no identifying energy lingering wherever she went.
Now, she began to release the fluctuations of a water-natured cultivator.
"Really? That should be interesting," Maryam said.
Then, she turned to Maledeel.
"I'll save the best for last."
She knocked him unconscious.
Maladeel's companions were mostly at the peak of the Core Creation stage. They should be the among the strongest disciples allowed to participate in the festival.
Still, Maryam made efficient work of them.
Two of them she punched to death. Her fists shattered their skulls and her energy annihilated their cores.
Another three had their throats slashed by her open hand. Dioti was kneeling next to Maladeel's unconscious body, desperately trying to wake him, so Maryam ignored her for the moment. The last four tried to run.
Maryam caught up to them easily, chasing them down one by one. Those four were lucky. After a few brief moments of terrified flight, they died so quickly they had no time to feel pain.
Then she returned to her tent, where Dioti had given up on waking Maladeel and was in the process of shouldering his body. Apparently, she was planning to escape with it.
"Why try so hard to save him?" asked Maryam. "I would have ditched a sh*tty lover like him ages ago. You're clearly not okay with him cheating on you with every hot woman in sight. He even pushes the blame onto you and makes you help him do it. I can understand making a mistake, but this makes me curious. Why stay with scum?"
"You don't understand anything!" Dioti snapped. "It's only right for him to seek other women. He is a powerful man. How could I be worthy of telling him what to do? I know my duty. That's something a rabid b*tch like you would never understand!"
"Oh my. You're quite the twisted one, aren't you? I almost feel sorry for you," Maryam said as she broke Dioti's knees and forced her to the ground. "But how many women have you made suffer for your messed-up ideals?"
Dioti spat on the ground, then Maryam slashed her throat. The woman's life swiftly left her body.
Maryam stood for a moment, inhaling deeply as the blood sprayed, before turning to wake up Maladeel with a surge of her energy.
"How are you feeling?" Maryam asked, her hand firmly grasping his neck.
"You won't get away with this. The elders will find you."
"For starters, they won't even be looking for the right energy signature. This was all done by a water-natured cultivator, you see, which I clearly am not."
"They will definitely come looking for me when my energy disappears. There are many artifacts monitoring my life force."
"And I'd imagine you had a lot of other life-saving artifacts too," Maryam added helpfully, "It's quite unfortunate that you have nothing on you but your underwear, right now, and some jewelry."
Maladeel seemed to be struggling to do something.
"By the way, you don't have to bother trying to activate the special properties of those bracelets. I've already disabled all the items you have on you."
"You'll be a suspect!" Maladeel shouted, "Someone will have seen me talking to you earlier! They'll send their energy through your mind and find everything! You won't be able to deceive them!"
"Oh, don't worry about that," said Maryam, "In matters of control, there is no one in this world who is my equal."
Then she crushed his neck, ending his life.