The second female lead Dual Cultivates

The fire and the heat faded into the familiar surroundings of the holding cell Naria had been in. The more Maria tried to hold onto the vision, the more it slipped away and even she knew there was no point in trying to get back to the vision.

Besides, the most important parts of her vision had been already recorded by her system at that point. If there was time to waste, it would be better to spend it on reviewing the recording than to try and relive it.

Maria commanded her legs to move, despite the shakiness she felt, and they hesitantly obeyed to take Maroa toward the hoard of people she saw on her map. She quickly established a vantage point as she watched Kagemori argue with the guards.

Maria had a limited vision and audible hearing from the group and she knew she needed to get closer in order to be able to listen better to the conversation. That was why she decided to plant a bug instead and maintain her distance.

"-and they cannot wait around. We are tasked to bring you to another holding cell. Apparently, an intruder had broken in here." The guard said and Maria took in a sharp breath. Had her betrayal been discovered?

Maria had counted on Lucas's superiority complex in helping suppress this talk but maybe she had miscalculated in this regard. Maybe Lucas had more of a brain than she had initially anticipated.

Or had someone else figured it out?

"An intruder? And you think they'll come here? Isn't this place under a glamour?" Kagemori asked with a confident voice. She made it seem like she knew nothing and Maria would have believed her if she had been in the guard's position. But Maria also had not known Kagenori for long and had no idea if this was her usual behavior or not.

"Don't be so haughty with us, princess. Most of us are in this position because of you and your family. You even allow yourself to get corrupted with a demon so you have the authority to tell us what to do" a guard snapped rudely but Kagemori did not even flinch.

However, those words did give Maria a clearer picture of what was going around here. And Maria was not sure how much of what she saw she actually liked.

"It's not my fault that you all are insecure about your life and position in this new world. It is not me but the guilt that is affecting you so. Killing me off would not solve anything" Kagemori replied back and Maria saw the soldier getting pissed off even more.

It was even to the point where it looked like the guard would raise his hand to slap the princess's shadow. But the other guards around him had better control and sense than him. They manage to stop him in time and even cover the princess in case something did happen.

"Do not be hasty, Pablo. President asked us to see Princess Trisha to her new room without any harm" the other guard informed as he held the engraved soldier back. There was an actual fire in those eyes but it finally seemed to be dimming down quite a bit.

However, even as that happened, no one actually lowered their guard and Maria debated her odds of being able to steal Kagemori successfully. It seemed as if those fools could not tell the difference between Kagemori and Trisha, which gave Maria a chance to be able to help her by attempting a rescue.

But somehow, despite all the odds, Kagemori's eyes met her own and the other shook her head in a 'no' motion. Was she asking Maria not to save her?

"I don't care what you all plan but I'll come with you willingly. I don't know what you are planning for Imu next but I cannot allow you all to destroy it anytime soon" Maria's next breath came in sharp and painful as she considered the implications of what was happening.

It also helped match some of the scenes in her vision with the current happenings.

The setting she had likely seen must be from the execution of Kagemori and the other party must have also been fooled to save Kagemori. And it also explained the unstable Trisha in her memories.

The best way to prevent this outcome would be to save Kagemori here and now. It would prevent future events from happening but it would not guarantee a happy outcome.

Though, the warning her system had given her also played a key role in holding Maria back from taking action. She was not sure what to do since it had been the first time her system had portrayed such a warning to her.

Maria's hesitation gave the opposition enough time to snag away Kagemori and when Maria finally made her move, it had been too late for her. She could have blamed it all as a part of the plan but Maria was aware that it had been her indecisiveness that had caused them to end up in this situation.

So, Maria decided to let Kagemori go while she went back to Trisha. From her vision, she knew that Kagemori would not die or even be harmed for two more days. That was enough time for them to plan a few things or even break her out.

But to do all that, Maria needed assistance first. She also needed Princess Trisha to come back and fight.

But most importantly, she needed the node key from her.

Saving Kagemori would be important but it failed in front of the colossal task that was to save Imu. It was going to fall with or without Trisha's intervention. Lady Elma needed to know this and Maria also needed to prepare something for Suna's treatment as well. As the other was, she was a liability to her.

"Where is Kagemori? Did she take things badly?" Trisha asked as Maria returned. She looked amused but also worried.

The princess had not recovered fully, as was visible by her pale complexion and pain-filled eyes. But she would likely be alright. She was stronger than she appeared and Maria's vision had been clear over this fact as well.

"She decided to take your place for the beheading since the guards seemed unaware of your existence and took her as the princess. We don't have time to waste here any longer" maybe the princess was shocked, maybe she was lost but Maria did not give her the luxury to gather herself.

Time was a luxury they did not have and it was also ticking down for Imu. They needed to do something and they needed to do it fast.