VIP Chapter 406: The Most Difficult “Canine” (3k)
When they were still in the witch’s lair, Will confidently explained his plan to Liya.
He planned to appear as a “cripple” to instil an unavoidable sense of guilt in Iaar.
Then, he would adopt the image of a “savior” to reverse the unhealthy relationship he and Iaar had unintentionally established, where he was the Master and she was being trained like a “beast.”
And finally, the last step…
“The final step is what you, an outsider, need to do. At the right moment, you need to deliver a true blow, forcing her to make the choice she must make.”
Will believed his plan was flawless, without any issues.
But…
Liya, after listening, was uncharacteristically silent.
“Hmm… so, this is your plan? The entire plan is just a play for her to understand on her own. There are hardly any true words from beginning to end, will she really believe it?”
Liya crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair, a mocking expression peeking from under her large hat.
“First of all, she will definitely believe it. Iaar is like that. Precisely because she believes whatever I say, or even if she knows it’s a lie, because it comes from me, she will twist it into the truth.”
Will waved his hand.
“She will. And, this isn’t ‘fake.’ Although my physical condition and my mindset are both acted. But… this is actually a test for her.”
“A test, alright, alright, a test… what is it testing?”
“…It’s testing whether, at that moment, she can choose the answer I want.”
Liya frowned silently again.
“Starting with me, you’ve always made drastic, irreversible moves to gamble whether our connection is as you thought it was… Should I call you a gambler, or… a master manipulator of emotions?”
“Aiya, probably neither? I’m just Will, who understands you all well and wants to go all the way with you, watching you reach the endpoint I desire.”
Will offered a smile, gazing intently at Liya, even reaching out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
“Okay, okay, I know. After all, if she can’t understand the magic hidden within ‘Ice Array,’ we won’t be able to do anything about Al.”
Liya’s earlobes turned slightly red, and she used her hat to cover them.
“Only she, and only her. Not only can she defeat Al… but she might also create that crucial opportunity for us to converse with her.”
“Hmm… You seem worried, but I think the success rate of the plan is quite high. I’ve personally become the bait, so isn’t it easily within reach?”
Liya’s red eyes glanced sideways at Will, with a somewhat disdainful look.
“You truly understand Iaar, but… I think… you might be overestimating yourself?”
“Overestimating myself?”
“The only difficult part of this plan is… you must act till the end, act like you know nothing, act like complete control is in her hands?”
“Yes.”
Will nodded, but the more relaxed his expression became, the more disdainful Liya’s upturned lips grew.
“Do you know why someone like you, who dodged me and the mind-controlling freak Treya before, lost to her?”
“Huh? Isn’t it because you two weakened my health bar, so Iaar killed me with just one hit?”
“Well, well, that’s certainly part of the reason. Buuuut! Although, although I don’t want to admit it – on being straightforward, completely following one’s heart, and expressing whatever comes to mind… I am indeed inferior to Iaar.”
Liya sounded a bit jealous, even overwhelmingly so.
However, Will seemed to enjoy it. Wasn’t it fun to see a woman jealous over him?
“What about it?”
“Y-you really want me to praise my love rival so clearly…?”
“Yes. It’s interesting, and isn’t Liya saying this very cute?”
“And the time you spent with her is the longest… Hmm, anyway, this point is also disadvantageous. Your habits will likely completely control you.”
“That makes sense… But in a way, when I used to go to school every day, I also spent the most time with Teacher Liya.”
“You…”
Liya wanted to say something, but facing Will’s smiling face, she couldn’t say anything.
She sighed and switched to a serious tone, as if “discussing academia.”
“Look, Iaar is your ‘pet.’ She’s canine by nature, a wolf, but her fur is orange like a golden hound’s…”
“Canine, huh…”
“So, no matter how much you twist and turn, how much you play games, how much you act… perhaps, before your traps and schemes are fully set, before you can deceive her…”
Liya paused.
“She only needs to… just need to look at you with longing, just like before, say she trusts you, say it’s her true feelings, say she still needs you…”
“At that time, you might not be able to sit still and will want to fall into that…”
“Return to her side, return to the old trap. And completely forget that you are still in a pre-arranged play.”
“Only wanting to become that peerless hero who ‘saves her’.”
“So, Will, the hardest part here is you. Can you truly… act like someone who just waits, has no goals, and can only sit and await doom?”
Bang bang bang bang bang.
Will’s heartbeat was still accelerating, but when he uttered that sentence, it slowed down considerably.
He couldn’t accept Iaar.
He couldn’t let Iaar “depend” on him any longer, couldn’t let Iaar feel that she could do nothing without him.
Otherwise… it would all go back to the way it was.
“Iaar… I’m sorry, I… I can’t remember anything.”
Will held his forehead with his hand.
“I… have disappointed you.”
“Is Young Master feeling unwell? It’s okay, Iaar can wait. Would you like Iaar to get you a cup of black tea? Iaar can, can go make it right away.”
Will listened to Iaar’s anxious voice, he could even feel…
Just a slight uncomfortable movement from him and Iaar became even more anxious.
She pulled Will’s hand away from his chest and placed it on her own –
Will could feel her heartbeat was even faster than his, almost instantly accelerating.
– She is the most difficult for you to overcome.
– She is very easy to counter you.
– Even if she’s not thinking of anything, not doing anything.
– She can make you unable to continue acting with just a few simple actions.
“It’s fine. Let go of my hand first.”
“Okay.”
Iaar was very obedient, without any suspicion or unnecessary questions, she immediately let go.
Will understood.
As a love rival, and as an observer of their relationship, Liya was, in a sense, indeed clearer-headed.
Iaar indeed “trusted” him immensely – perhaps even the word “like,” used for lovers, wouldn’t be enough to describe this “blind” obedience.
However, this didn’t mean that Will’s construction of a lie would be easy – even though he knew this well-intentioned lie was for Iaar’s own good.
In this tug-of-war of “who is sicker” between Iaar and himself, Iaar could often respond with her “sincerity,” without a trace of “falseness.”
And it was precisely this kind of response that made it difficult for Will, who had spent a long time by her side, to maintain this “lie.”
As soon as she showed a little concern and sincerity…
Will would follow her lead, returning to the “past” she desired.
“No need to make tea. I really can’t remember, I can’t remember anything.”
Will’s forehead beaded with sweat – though it was him thinking about how to make Iaar stop prying, how to make Iaar understand that he could no longer help her…
“I don’t know what ‘Ice Array’ should look like in the end. And I can’t know, because both the magic and this book reject me.”
His finger rubbed repeatedly on the curled page corners.
“I can’t see the layout of the text, nor can I invoke magic to feel and try to understand its meaning. I even need your help to touch this book.”
He withdrew his hand from the book.
“Young Master… you’re not like this, you remembered just now, right?”
“Iaar, Iaar saw it, just now Young Master was so dazzling, just like before –”
“If you try, you’ll surely be able to…”
Iaar spoke very rapidly, three sentences.
Will noticed that she was very sensitive; her sensitivity to his emotions was as keen as her sense of smell.
He couldn’t follow her lead. Will directly interrupted her.
“Just like before? Heh…”
He laughed self-mockingly.
Perhaps, if she insisted on responding with such sincerity, then his best counter-method would be something equally “real.”
He hadn’t said these words before…
But here, he had to expose the current Iaar.
“You must be thinking this, that the old me was very powerful, very omnipotent… I could do anything you wished for, right?”
“You simply don’t want to admit what the current Will is like.”
“He can’t see, and he knows nothing. He can’t stand, and he can’t help you…”
“You truly just miss the past, never look forward, and never realized things have changed.”
As Iaar listened to these words, her heart seemed to beat even slower.
She remained silent, her eyes wide, her ears perked up, listening to every word.
“So, you never intended to…”
“Save the current me, right?”
“Iaar wouldn’t! Even the current Young Master… he also…”
Iaar stopped halfway through her sentence, cutting herself off.
She truly couldn’t lie at all.
She looked at Will before her with wide eyes.
Beneath the sunglasses, Will’s once azure eyes were no longer visible.
His legs, seated in the wheelchair, would no longer lead her on morning runs.
And…
His magic, her favorite, would no longer appear.
Everything would no longer be… no longer be like those afternoons in the Hysterm family garden, when it was just the two of them.
Faced with an accusation that struck directly at her thoughts, she could not utter a lie.
“…I’m sorry. Iaar perhaps does want to… want to miss the Young Master… from before.”
