Toma's nails cut through Cill's garb like a warm knife gliding through butter. Grazing her skin, they remained just a spectre away from cutting her open, but the control of the Mediora on its body ensured that not even a hair on her body was touched before it was time to kill her.

"And so," wrapping its fingers around her neck, it spoke in a whisper and with a jumble of two voices. "Why are you fabricating a failed paper? A personal vendetta with the boy? Or did you want to elope with him? You should've just asked as the others do, maybe I would've allowed you to have him as your reward for coming up with such brilliant ideas."

"N-no, sage… I wanted to sell the Glintsmith's name as a family of saviors and to meet with the boy–" A sharp finger pressed against her lips cut her words short.

"And you didn't think to discuss this with me?" Its fingers tightened around Cill's neck. "Your servant, where is she going? I saw her walking from here, quite the bold girl for ignoring me as I passed."

"She must've been nervous to see you." Struggling to breathe, Cill's hands were fighting against her instincts to touch the mediora and push her hands off her neck. "I sent her to one of Glintsmith's houses on the outskirts. By burning them and me, we could've given Glyea's parents' deaths more meaning in the eyes of the public!"

"Hmm?" Grabbing Cill's burned arm, Toma lifted it with a yank. "So that's why it smells like burnt flesh here. You wanted them to be your saviors, I take it?"

"Yes… They saved me, and that's why I want to push the girl, another savior of a town not far from here, as the new queen. That would've been the story that we would've sold to the public!"

"And you wanted the boy to go along with the story? Is that why you were failing him? To add reason behind his meeting with you in reprimand?" Nodding her head, Cill tried to loosen Toma's grip, but it didn't work at all. "Covering your tracks in case someone notices that he visited your personal office… Smart, but still secretive to the point that you decided not to tell me first?"

"I-I was going to!" Finally, Toma's nail sliced through the very top of Cill's skin. Her thighs bled a drip, but not more than what was needed to paint the sage's fingertip.

"What about the mercenaries? They would've known what you did." Drawing her hand back to its face, Toma licked the blood and kept squeezing around Cill's neck.

"Hire another set of mercenaries with no involvement in the previous mission to kill them as a personal feud!"

"Clever girl, but what of your servant? She knows, doesn't she?" With a smirk on its face, the sage glanced downwards into Cill's bloodshot eyes. "Kill her once this is over. I'm sure that would be sufficient for her ignoring me and for you acting without permission."

"Y-yes…" Barely being able to utter a word through her gritted teeth, Cill said what the sage wanted to hear, and sure enough, it finally let go of her neck. "HA!"

Gasping out loud, she grabbed her own neck and started breathing deeply. Her lungs were rushed with hurt with the amount she was pumping in, and her heart raced more than ever, and despite that, the only thing she could feel was relief.

"Good girl," still sitting on the sage's lap, she swallowed hard and let it pat her on the head like a little kid. "That is what I love about you, Losso. You're smart and loyal, a rare combination these days."

Planting a kiss on the back of her head, Toma rose from the chair and allowed Cill to get off its lap as well. Even so, holding her by the shoulder, its body towered above her like a giant twice her size.

"Just don't go around making the same mistake again," smiling a toothy grin, that same feminine charm on Toma had turned to something far more sinister. "I would hate to do something to you. You're not only smart but also such a good-looking young lady, it would be a shame if you didn't pass on your genes to the next generation, but don't worry, I'm already working on finding you a fitting groom for you to have children with."

"Children?" Turning around, Cill finally took a step away from Toma.

"Yes, as a woman, you need to have children." Stretching its arm, the sage pressed the back of its hand against Cill's belly. "A fine specimen you are, young lady. It'd be a shame to waste your youthful years not nurturing the future. We need more of you, as many as possible, ideally–the current batch of minora sages are imbeciles after all."

There was much that Cill wanted to say, but holding her tongue in the delicate matter, she simply nodded and accepted everything that Toma had to say. Receiving a few pats on her shoulders, Cill remained standing as the mediora began retreating to the door. All the while, the sound of its ankles rang as a din inside the girl's head.

"See you soon, Miss Losso. I'm expecting great things for you." And with that, it was gone; only the sound of its retreating footsteps remains.

Quickly walking over to the door, Cill locked it from the inside and looked around and under her desk for any finger-sized traces of magic or any apparatus that could be used to spy on her. To her surprise, there was none; the sage Mediora still trusted her–at least to the degree that she had the benefit of the doubt. But that was all, as one wrong move could spell her end, which further reminded her of her duty.

'I need to tell her not to ignore Toma! That could've always blown our cover, stupid sister!' Making a mental reminder to reprimand her, Cill returned to her work. Her goals were not far now, but until the girl Glyea was here, nothing could be said for certain. And the only thing for her to do was keep up the facade and do as the sage advises her.

"Only a few more weeks, I promise…" She whispered, not to herself but to a person long gone and yet waiting for their return.

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