"You cannot just take away someone under my command like this, Chief Atlanta. You need to provide compensation to us and our region."
Commander Arnold could not hold himself back anymore. He needed to secure his funding right now, or he would lose his confidence and right to ask.
"Compensation? Are you able to do such a thing for me, Commander? As far as I know, Lea is not your property. She is also not officially under your command. So, I don't see where this demand is coming from. But since you asked me so nicely, I shall pass your request to the headquarters."
Chief Atlanta was a devious one. She knew it would be troublesome for Arnold if this news reached the headquarters. He might even lose his position and be demoted.
'No, I cannot let this happen. Ugh, this would have gone much more smoothly if Lea had been the one to ask this request. There is no way Chief Atlanta will listen to me now.'
The call was cut off, leaving Commander Arnold and Lea in silence. Lea took this as a sign that she should go as well.
"Well, it's time for me to leave now, Commander. Good luck dealing with the headquarters. I hope you have a nice experience with them."
The commander was out of it and did not even notice when he had been left alone. He only knew he needed to ensure his safety and transfer his funds to a secure location.
Lea walked out of the commander's room with a happy look. The staff looked at her for more information. They needed to know how their commander was feeling before facing him.
"Sorry, but the current situation is dire. So, keep your head down and save yourselves. Your commander is not in the best mood right now."
The staff sighed and looked stressed. But these tense days were more abundant than the normal ones, so they knew they would get through it somehow.
Lea giggled but then stopped cold when she felt someone rushing toward her. The blood-lust in the air was high, and Lea felt the sharp stab of interest stab her.
'Oh! Someone is trying to assassinate me? And right in the middle of all these people as well? That's bold of them.'
Lea did not notice anyone around her, but she could still feel her senses warning her about being in danger.
Since Lea's senses could not pick anything up, she allowed her instincts to take over. Her hand lashed out and grabbed something in mid-air.
People looked at Lea as if she had lost her mind, but Lea could feel the sensation of having something beneath her finger. And from her experience, it felt like a fragile throat. Lea had just caught her assassin by the throat.
"Woah, you are a daring one. Did you think you could assassinate me in the middle of the day? Unfortunately for you, that did not seem to be the case."
Lea squeezed a little harder, and the illusion finally fell apart. The illusion faded to show an adult elf rushing toward Lea.
The elf looked 21 years old, and she was fully developed. She looked at Lea with hate-filled eyes, but these were familiar to her now. Most people who saw Lea's true nature did not like her.
"Y-You m-mons-Ter"
The elf tried to speak, but her voice broke in the middle. The lack of oxygen affected her, and her sudden appearance startled everyone.
"W-Where did this elf come from? Are we under attack?"
"Why did the sensors not pick up something? What kind of ability is this?"
"Oh, man! The security department will have a hard time cleaning up this mess."
Everyone was startled, but Lea looked calm. She knocked the elf in her arms and then looked at everyone else.
"So, where do I put this carriage? Do we have any doctors who can take care of an elf? We need her answers to ensure that she remains alive until the end."
Lea looked at the staff in front of her. They all looked at each other with questioning eyes before cooperating with Lea.
"This way. You can take her to the med bay and into your usual room. We will stop anyone from coming after you."
"I will go and inform the commander of what happened. What? Do any of you want to tell him? I thought not."
Lea pretended to prey on the poor soul who took the responsibility of telling Commander Arnold of the situation. The poor girl looked terrified but also determined.
And everyone was glad to leave the situation up to her.
"Alright, Maria. Thanks for your sacrifice. We shall never forget what you did for us. We shall remember your sacrifice."
"Guys, I am heading out to tell Commander what happened, not to my execution. Stop pretending to be so over-dramatic."
That was the last Lea heard from the people around her. She walked toward the medical wing and then toward her private section. She placed the female on the bed and watched as she opened her eyes.
The elf looked delicate and startled to see Lea. She instantly shut her lips and refused to speak up.
It was a wise decision, but Lea did not care about it. If she wanted to pry any knowledge from the elf's lips, she would do it without any questions.
"Would you like to tell me your story now, or would you like me to pry it from your lips by force? The choice is yours to make."
Lea asked the elf, but she only got a pair of poisonous eyes looking back at her. If looks could kill, then Lea would be dead by now.
"Go away. I have nothing to say to a killer like you! You should be thankful I am not going after your head right now."
The elf complained before she sat down on the bed. Even the elf should have realised she could not use her powers by now.
The medical wing had the strongest protection against the rift, and using the rift's powers became too burdensome when one was here.
"Oh! That's interesting. So, you think you can kill me? Then go ahead and try it out. I will even stand still for you to do it."
Lea raised her hands and stretched her arms. She stood in a surrender pose and waited for the elf to make an attack.
The elf got ready before she realised the truth of her situation. She could not move an inch and had been rooted in her place. Lea had not even used any power, but this was the result.
"Looks like you realise your situation now. It would be better if you kept your head down and did not try anything funny. Good behaviour would get you rewarded and-"
"No! I will not listen to what you have to say to me."
The elf looked up sharply, and her eyes shined with a familiar heated emotion. Lea was not surprised to see that the elf was also a sentinel.
But unlike Emily, the elf was too unstable to continue using her powers. She would lose her mind at this rate.
"Let me see. Ouch, this is bad. Your eyes show how deep you are in your transformation, and the abyss also affects you. You need to seek out a guide as soon as possible."
Lea advised, but the elf knocked her hand away from her face.
"Ha! You are a sick person. How dare you talk about my guide to me when you were the one who killed my guide seven years ago? The reason I am in this situation is all because of you."
The elf complained with hate-filled eyes. She looked heartbroken as she tried to combat the emotions inside her.
"I killed your guide? That's off. You do not have a life bond; if you did have one, you would not have survived. Bonded pairs are a pain to care for, so I usually kill both sides. So, how did you survive until now?"
The elf opened her mouth but closed it instantly once she noticed Lea's current mood. She felt suffocating, and she was afraid that she would die if she said anything inappropriate.
"I…that is…we were not bonded yet, but we made a promise. You took that future away from my partner, and I will never forgive you for this."
The elf complained, but Lea had heard enough by that point. She sighed and looked at the female in front of her.
"Look, kid, I do not have time to play around with you. Did I kill someone important to you? Well, get over it. I do not feel any guilt over killing anyone infected with the abyss. Be it you or your partner."
Lea's cold eyes caused the elf to tense up and stop talking. The elf wanted to swing at Lea, but her senses stopped her.
Ultimately, all she could do was to huddle in her place and wait for the judgement regarding her presence here.