บท 288: With no theatrics

I looked at the group of people that emerged from the woods. Their numbers were small, only reaching ten... or rather nine, given how the only one that I could recognize, Ackhart, appeared to be covered in sealing formations. 

I pulled Mia closer into my embrace, looking at the newcomers with a small smirk. 

"Before we start killing each other," I said, "how about you guys sit down and listen to what the fuck is actually going on right now?" I suggested, feeling proud for never dropping my Mage's Tower. 

The fact that I never lowered this spell of mine came from a simple and perverted wish to feel Mia even more, even if it meant doing so strictly on the mana level. Yet, as it turned out, this slight perversion and longing of mine made me fully prepared for an attack even before it came. 

For a moment, the elders of the sect were frozen in place, stunned by my unexpected suggestion.