NOVEL WEB Chapter 289: Not That Kind of Thing!
After the red Pal Ball gently shook three times, with a soft "click," the capture progress encircling the ball finally hit 100%, signaling a successful capture.
"Yes!"
Seeing the Pal Ball land on the ground, Artoria—who had been hiding in the corner of an alley—rushed over and triumphantly held it high above her head:
"I caught Guinevere!"
"Ugh... You beat me to it..."
Watching Artoria celebrate with such glee, Bavanshi emerged from the other end of the alley, pouting in frustration at the sight of her elation.
The plan had been a joint effort. Bavanshi had gathered intel while Artoria crafted Pal Balls at home. Once they confirmed Guinevere was still brawling with those northern fairies all afternoon, they found a time when his strength should be waning, lured him out, and ambushed him on his path, intending to use a Pal Ball to subdue him.
As for why they had to deceive him instead of explaining everything honestly... According to Artoria, there was a chance Nochnare had issued a command like, "If anyone tries to break my control over you, stop them." Just to be safe, the whole operation had to be kept secret from Guinevere.
Bavanshi had found that reasoning sound.
When it came to who would throw the Pal Ball, they had agreed both would carry several Supreme Pal Balls and it would be up to chance.
What Bavanshi hadn't expected was for Artoria's luck to be that absurd. She had just been thinking about whether they had brought enough Pal Balls when Artoria caught Guinevere in one throw—with only a 3% success rate.
How can someone get that lucky?!
"Alright! That means we've finally saved Guinevere from Nochnare's grip!"
Hearing Artoria's exuberant voice, Bavanshi paused for a moment, then patted her chest, slightly relieved.
Right, they had both agreed—the use of the Pal Ball was solely to free Guinevere from Nochnare's control. There were absolutely no ulterior motives, and they wouldn't use the Pal contract to force Guinevere to do anything against his will. Just a rescue.
Thankfully, they had set those ground rules beforehand.
—Though honestly, if Bavanshi had succeeded, she likely wouldn't have stuck to that agreement... No, wait.
Is it possible... Artoria thought the same way?
At that thought, Bavanshi's breath caught.
Watching Artoria cheer with joy, an unsettling feeling grew in her chest.
"I'm sorry, Bavanshi, but Artoria gave me a command. From now on, I can only be with her. Please stay away—we must never see each other again."
Just imagining that scene made Bavanshi's chest ache.
Worse yet, what if Artoria took it even further? What if she commanded Guinevere to flirt with her right in front of Bavanshi, forbidding any contact at all?
Would she even go as far as to force Guinevere to... do that kind of thing with her?
Though Bavanshi used to be completely ignorant of such things, after learning about marriage, she had been investigating what married couples do. As she tracked Guinevere's movements, she also learned more about... the spicy stuff.
Now, her imagination ran wild.
Would Artoria really do that with Guinevere in front of her, then come strutting over, declaring:
"I've always wanted to see that look on your face—that look of jealousy."
Would she really be left there, crying in despair?
No. No way. That must never happen!
Just picturing it made Bavanshi grit her teeth so hard she nearly cracked them.
No. Absolutely not. That kind of thing—she would never allow it!
Even in the Blood Tyrant simulation, where she had married Guinevere, they never did anything like that!
She had to find a way to take Guinevere back from Artoria... or at least get a verbal promise that she would honor their agreement and not force Guinevere into anything.
With that thought, Bavanshi walked straight toward Artoria:
"Um... Artoria, you've overwritten Nochnare's control of Guinevere, right?"
"Of course!" Artoria, still blissfully unaware of Bavanshi's wild inner monologue, beamed and nodded. "Just like we planned! We did it!"
No, only you did it...
Bavanshi mentally grumbled.
"A-anyway," she said, cautiously probing, "why don't you let Guinevere out now? Don't you think he'd be happy to hear the news too?"
That suggestion made Artoria's smile falter.
——
The truth was, Artoria had her own hidden concerns.
No, not the kind Bavanshi, now awash in forbidden knowledge, imagined. Rather, she was afraid.
They had gone through all this under the premise of saving Guinevere—but how would he feel about it?
Had Nochnare done something to him while he was under control?
What was Guinevere thinking now\... Would he still want to travel with them?
She'd had a similar experience before. In the Blood Tyrant simulation, Guinevere had been coerced into fighting and then brought to New Darlington. Within days, he'd sided with Bavanshi, and even turned his sword on her.
She knew he had his reasons, and that their time together had been short, but... if you asked whether she trusted Guinevere's loyalty—
The answer was absolutely not.
So, in planning all this, Artoria had assumed the worst—that Guinevere had become Nochnare's puppet.
If they let him out now, he might condemn them, demand to go back to Nochnare, or even call the guards.
At that point, if she tried to forcibly capture him again, it would be humiliating. Everything she'd done would be for nothing.
But if she didn't act, and he called the guards—everything would fall apart.
Worse yet, imagining her former best friend Nochnare sneering at her, while Guinevere coldly said, "Artoria, I'm so disappointed in you," made her heart ache.
She couldn't let that happen.
So, Artoria decided—they needed to leave Edinburgh first. Once they were away from Nochnare's influence and everything was settled, she could slowly work on Guinevere's mindset... She had the Pal Ball, after all. Surely she could win him over eventually.
That was why she had no intention of agreeing to Bavanshi's suggestion.
"...No. We can't release Guinevere yet,"
Artoria said gravely.
"If we let him out now, Nochnare might notice her control has broken... No, she might've noticed already. We don't have time. We need to leave Edinburgh immediately. Letting him out can wait until we're safely away."
——
Bavanshi's eyes widened.
Oh no. This girl... she really is planning to monopolize Guinevere!
That look on Artoria's face—so conflicted—Bavanshi saw it clearly. That look... was one of a guilty conscience!
She's going back on the deal!
Thinking of that, and the awful scenarios she had imagined, tears welled in Bavanshi's eyes.
No. She had to stop her!
"What do you mean, Artoria?"
Bavanshi questioned coldly.
"Didn't we agree from the start? This was all to save Guinevere! So why won't you release him?"
"Even if we're running, shouldn't we at least ask Guinevere's opinion on how to escape? He's always been smarter than us, right?"
"Artoria... do you have something to hide?"
Those words struck Artoria like an arrow.
Because... she did have something to hide. Though not what Bavanshi thought.
So she averted her gaze, flustered:
"D-don't say that. Anyway, we need to get moving—"
"Artoria!"
Seeing her avoid the topic, Bavanshi grabbed her shoulder:
"Not until you give me a clear answer! You're not going anywhere!"
"Can you stop already?!" Artoria snapped, slapping Bavanshi's hand away. "Do you realize how urgent this is?! We don't have time for this! We need to get off Nochnare's turf, now!"
"Off her turf? Where to? Somewhere you can have Guinevere all to yourself?!" Bavanshi shouted. "You just want to break our deal and keep him, don't you?!"
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Artoria's head throbbed with frustration. "Who wants to keep him?! I just—" But she stopped mid-sentence.
"Just what?!" Bavanshi pressed. "Say it! What's so hard to admit?! That you want to kick me out and keep Guinevere for yourself?!"
"That's enough! Stop making stuff up!" Artoria snapped. "So what, you've been doubting me this whole time?!"
"Yes! With how you've been acting, how could I not?!" Bavanshi shouted, jabbing a finger at her. "I can see it—you're hiding something!"
"So you don't trust me at all?" Artoria stared at her in disbelief. "What don't you trust? If I wanted to ditch you and take Guinevere for myself, why even work with you? I could've done it alone!"
"Oh, so you admit it!" Bavanshi, now fully heated, was no longer listening to reason. She only heard the last part. "You wanted to ditch me all along!"
"Is your comprehension broken or what?!"
As the two shouted at each other, inside the red Pal Ball in Artoria's hand, Guinevere fell silent.
"...Do these idiots seriously not know I can see outside from in here?"
Slumped inside the Pal Ball, Guinevere sighed deeply.
He'd rushed over in a panic after getting their urgent message, thinking they were in danger. He hadn't even stopped to think—only to get ambushed.
Now, after listening to their whole argument from inside, the situation was perfectly clear.
At this point, what could he even say?
"I'm tired,"
Guinevere muttered, lying flat in the ball.
"Let it all burn."
Meanwhile, as the quarrel outside reached a boiling point, another voice suddenly called out from the street:
"You little thieves... is this a fight over spoils?"
Upon hearing that voice, Artoria and Bavanshi—who were practically locked in a tug-of-war—froze.
Then, as they turned and saw Nochnare standing there, having arrived unnoticed, both their hearts sank like stones.