classifiedscript Chapter 281 281: The Professional Villain
Chapter 281 281: The Professional Villain
"Nunu! Where are you?"
The blizzard grew heavier, and Layka's worry sharpened. She held a hatchet in one hand and raised her other arm in front of her face to shield herself from the wind and snow, panic in her eyes as she shouted.
A moment later, Layka felt the wind and snow weaken. She opened her narrowed eyes and tried to make out her surroundings, and at the same time, she heard a gentle voice.
"Hello, Layka."
Someone had called her name in Valoran's common tongue. As a member of a nomadic people, and a minstrel as well, Layka naturally knew Valoran's common tongue. She immediately looked toward the source of the voice and saw a clean-faced young man with black hair watching her gently.
With just one glance, he gave Layka an inexplicable sense of goodwill, but that also made her tense. In the stories she knew, many gods possessed the power to make humans feel fond of them, to beguile and manipulate them. Add to that the fact that he had appeared here out of nowhere, and of course Layka was wary.
"Don't be nervous. I mean you no harm," the newcomer said.
"I know where your son is. He isn't in danger right now. I can take you to him, but I also have a request. I hope you'll hear me out."
"No. I don't need your help. He is my son. I'll find him myself," Layka said at once.
Other than Anivia, Ornn, and the Seal Sister, the other gods of the Freljord had no good reputations. Naturally, Layka was unwilling to trust the person in front of her.
Logan froze, just about to explain himself to Layka, when a cool, clear voice sounded beside him.
"You have no right to refuse."
Lissandra walked out, her white hair spilling loose. Her coldly beautiful face was filled with indifference as she gazed at Layka with a pair of pale eyes.
In an instant, Layka felt her body stiffen under a deeper, more bone-piercing chill. It was as though her blood was about to freeze solid. Her breathing grew ragged, and she suddenly raised her head to look at Lissandra. With just one glance, Layka had already recognized who she was.
Although her appearance was different from how the old songs described her, Layka still recognized her from her eyes and the wounds around them.
The moment she saw her, an ancient verse surfaced in Layka's mind: Flesh and blood forged into thunderous fire, the wrath of the Old Ways made manifest, scars covering the face, taboo and secrecy dwelling as one.
"Lissandra." Layka's teeth chattered, and the hatchet in her hand trembled uncontrollably. But she lightly bit the tip of her tongue, forcing herself to stay calm, and gripped the hatchet tightly again.
"You really are different." Hearing her words, Lissandra raised a brow, a little surprised.
Her true face was no secret to those who knew her well, but in front of strangers, she should have been impossible to recognize. After all, she was now using her real face, not the image of the witch renowned throughout the Freljord.
And yet Layka had recognized her.
That troubled Lissandra. As expected, there was no such thing as an airtight secret in this world. No matter how deeply a secret was buried, one day it would always be dug up.
There was a saying Logan had once used that fit perfectly, if you don't want anyone to know, don't do it in the first place.
"What are you trying to do?" Layka did her best to straighten her body, gripping the hatchet with both hands and raising it toward Lissandra and Logan.
"Layka, we really don't mean you any harm. Your son, Nunu, there is something we need him to do. This matter…"
Before Logan could finish, Layka furiously cut him off. Her voice carried a slight tremble as she shouted, "Nunu? He's just a child! What could he possibly understand? What could he help you with? Help you…? To be honest, you mean use him, don't you?"
"You plan to use a little boy? Just as history says, witch, you truly are rotten to the bone! You betrayed your own sisters, and now you plan to use a child only a few years old to satisfy your selfish desires?"
Layka rebuked her loudly.
Lissandra did not care about Layka's scolding at all. Countless people had cursed her before. In the past, after one night of Dreamwalking, at least a third of the Freljord feared her, hated her, loathed her, and insulted her. But so what?
"Your son Nunu is not an ordinary child. We need his power. This isn't exploitation. It's guidance and borrowing. Something major is about to happen in the Freljord, something that concerns the survival of the entire land. I know this is sudden to you, but please believe me. We won't hurt Nunu, and we won't put him in danger. He can save the world."
Logan did his best to release Ahri's innate gift, sending his own goodwill toward Layka.
But it was obvious that telling a mother they needed to borrow her son was not something that could be solved even with the affinity Ahri had granted him.
After hearing Logan's words, Layka's expression became even angrier, and there was now a trace of mockery toward Logan on her face as she shouted, "Save the world? Nunu can save the world? I believe my child will be outstanding in the future. He'll become a great minstrel, or perhaps a great hero, but that is not now!"
"What kind of world has fallen so low that it needs a child who isn't even five years old to save it?"
"She's right." Before Logan could speak, Nilah muttered from the side. Her eyes shone as she added, "I also think your plan is ridiculous. In my opinion, we should just charge in and fight the Void head-on. Fighting is what I'm good at. I really don't know what use there is in spending all this effort on a little kid."
Logan was silent.
Lissandra quietly looked toward Nilah, and as her pale eyes shifted, a faint blue glow flickered through them.
"I was wrong." In the next instant, Nilah raised both hands high and surrendered to Lissandra.
Logan was speechless beside them.
In truth, Nilah's thinking was not strange, and Layka's reaction as a mother was even less strange.
Nunu was indeed a child. The problem was that Nunu really was not an ordinary child.
What kind of child could interact with beings like Ornn, Volibear, the ice-sculpture demigod, and Lissandra before even reaching ten years old?
More importantly, Nunu could also inherit Anivia's power. That was Anivia, one of Runeterra's demigods, second only to Ornn and Volibear.
Logan looked at Lissandra, hesitated, then said, "How about you go bring Ashe over? I feel like having you show up was a mistake."
"What do you mean by that?" Lissandra narrowed her eyes.
Logan shrugged.
Lissandra sensed Layka's direction, and that only made her more displeased.
Because after hearing Ashe's name, the hatchet in Layka's hand had actually lowered.
Nilah, who did not understand what was going on and was only there to watch the drama, went, "?"
A few minutes later, Layka lowered the hatchet she had raised. She looked at the beautiful woman with white hair, dressed in a long gown, a True Ice bow on her back, and confusion on her face, and respect appeared in her eyes.
As for Nilah, who had not understood the truth at first, she looked at Lissandra, then at Ashe. Even she now understood what was going on.
"Are you really that unpopular…" she subconsciously muttered under her breath. The next moment, Nilah suddenly began making muffled noises. Frost appeared on her curved lips, and panic filled her eyes. Lissandra's cold, clear voice also rang inside her mind.
"Say one more word, and you won't speak again for the rest of your life."
Nilah shook her head hard.
On the other side, Logan explained to Ashe, who had been invited over, what was going on. After Ashe finished listening, she looked at Layka with a trace of hesitation in her eyes.
To be honest, she trusted Logan. After all, Ashe had personally witnessed the demigod war in the Freljord, and the Avarosans were now allies of the Twin Cities, so of course Ashe would stand with Logan.
But as a woman, and as the warmother of a tribe, Ashe did not entirely agree with what Logan was doing.
To tell a mother that they needed her child, a child not yet five years old, and then say the child could save the world…
Wasn't that a joke?
If it had not been Logan saying this, if anyone else had said those words, Ashe would already have shot an arrow at them.
What kind of idiot kidnapper could say something like that?
But looking at Logan's serious expression, Ashe sighed.
Logan had no reason to joke with her about something like this. So Ashe could only admit that, in this world, anything really could happen.
She knew that her own understanding and experience were not as broad as Logan's, so she would not doubt him over something like this.
So Ashe looked at Layka and said, "I can vouch for him."
"In Avarosa's name, I will vouch for him." Ashe raised her True Ice bow and spoke solemnly to Layka.
And on Layka's side, the moment Ashe stepped forward, her hostility visibly faded by more than half.
"Even so, I can't hand Nunu over to them," Layka said seriously.
"Then let's do this. When the time comes, we can bring you along. You'll see and witness everything that happens to Nunu during that period with your own eyes. Would that be acceptable? You can stay by Nunu's side the whole time. Besides, Layka, we aren't really going to make Nunu face danger. Every danger Nunu encounters on this journey will be created by us. In truth, this is all a performance."
"A performance?"
"Yes. Lissandra, Ashe, the Frostguard, the Avarosans, and the Winter's Claw will all play roles in this performance. Everything he experiences will be created by us."
Layka instantly understood what Logan meant. If that was the case…
Thinking of this, Layka glanced at Ashe.
This was a guarantee made by Avarosa. Compared to gods, Layka was more willing to trust a mortal leader. Avarosa was the beacon of hope recognized by every tribe in the Freljord, and Ashe's personal guarantee, made in Avarosa's name, was the most solemn and dignified oath possible.
Because of that, the scales in Layka's heart began to tilt.
"Then first let me see how you plan to do this," Layka said seriously after taking a deep breath.
Nunu was a naturally kind child. If he knew he could help others, then… he would definitely agree. As his mother, just as Ashe had said, Layka should not obstruct Nunu's growth.
Seeing that Layka had relented, Logan smiled. "Good. Then let's set out now."
Lissandra watched Logan's back from the side. In truth, if this had been the old her, then she would have directly hidden Layka and every member of the Notai tribe away, or even… simply killed them all.
Why would she need to do so many troublesome things?
With the adults gone, Nunu would be nothing more than a child. Once manipulated, how things proceeded would hardly be up to him, would it?
Lissandra shook her head, then lowered it as the corner of her mouth curved faintly.
Yes, that was the old her.
The current her no longer needed to take such extreme measures.
For a difficult, pivotal matter that could decide the future, there were often not only two choices. Usually, there was a third as well. But that choice required us to look carefully and find it with our hearts. Those were words Logan had once spoken.
Lissandra felt that he was very right.
The heavy snow stopped, though the wind still blew. Beneath a massive boulder, the little fellow who had been hiding from the storm suddenly poked his head out. First he opened his mouth and revealed a gap-toothed grin, then his clever green eyes turned, and he shouted loudly,
"It's time to set out!"
"The little hero Nunu is about to begin his journey to find the greatest hero in the Freljord! I'm definitely going to find Braum!"
He was talking to himself. These words were entirely for his own benefit.
He shook the snow off his body, then put on his thick felt hat. The little fellow, whose understanding was still incomplete and who had no idea that his actions had already made his mother frantic with worry, once again walked forward into the depths of the forest.
Behind him in the air, several figures were concealed within the wind and snow.
Layka's eyes were filled with shock as she looked at the small black dot below. She recognized him as her child, but this… this distance. How could she hear Nunu's voice?
They had to be two or three hundred meters away, right?
Turning sideways, Layka looked at Logan, who was speaking.
Logan noticed Layka's gaze, thought for a moment, then raised his hand. Magic flowed, and a mirror made of wind appeared.
Layka looked into it and saw Nunu's little face.
This… what kind of magic was this?
"Let's get ready to start. First, I'll explain the story that's going to happen next. We need to create a scene, to give the impression that the Notai tribe was wiped out… no, that's too cruel. Let's create a scene where the people of the Notai tribe have all left this place, and Nunu and Layka have been separated."
Logan continued, "Therefore, we need Nunu to get lost in the forest. Lissandra, this is where you come in."
"Why do I have to do something like this?" Lissandra took a deep breath and said coldly.
"Because you're the professional villain!" Logan answered without hesitation.
Lissandra's lifeless pale eyes stared at Logan.
"Do you still want to deal with the Frozen Watchers or not? I'm cleaning up your mess here, understood?" Logan rolled his eyes as he met Lissandra's gaze.
Lissandra said nothing.
"Hah…" Lissandra closed her eyes, and dark ice appeared over her body, covering her face. Beneath her, black drift ice began to flow.
"No, no, no, I'm not telling you to show up now. You're the final boss. For now, just create some ice animals to chase Nunu, then pull him into your domain, make him forget the passage of time, and create an illusion in your domain of the Notai tribe leaving to mislead him."
Layka listened from the side, completely unable to understand what any of that meant.
Logan had already reached out to pat Lissandra on the shoulder and said, "Go on."
Lissandra's body flickered and disappeared in an instant. When she reappeared, she was already beside Layka, far from Logan, not letting him touch her shoulder.
But in response to Logan's directions, she still raised both hands and lightly pointed downward.
Countless wolves made of ice instantly appeared around Lissandra. Although the wolves had been created from ice, they were vivid and lifelike. The expressions on their faces were rich, and their pupils shone with a vicious light.
The next moment, the wolf pack flew toward the ground and appeared in the forest.
Seeing this, Layka felt as though her heart had been seized, and she instantly grew nervous.
Watching from the side, Logan clapped his hands and shouted,
"Nilah, you just stay there and behave. No causing trouble. You'll have your turn later. Now then, Act One, Evil Woman Lissandra and Good Man Logan, officially begins!"
Hearing Logan's voice, the ice flowing over Lissandra's body grew even colder.
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