Chapter 73 – A Helpless Counterattack

As the voices drew closer, I saw them—two familiar figures behind the massive boulder.

My former teammates: Laini, and Cole.

There were also two others in the group whom I didn’t recognize.

After leaving me, Laini and Cole had apparently stayed on the same team—but things didn’t seem to be going well for them.

For instance, right now, their conversation was unusually heated, clearly a quarrel. Laini, her head slightly lowered and pressed against the boulder, clearly wasn’t the one in control. Her mouth opened as if to say something—but was immediately met with scornful ridicule from her teammates.

With my enhanced hearing, I caught their words clearly.

“You couldn’t even manage a simple offensive cover, and almost let the enemy escape. Miss Laini, have you ever considered how much you’ve contributed to the team since joining us?” said a refined, well-dressed young man in a fine velvet robe and pointed boots—elegant in appearance, but razor-sharp in speech.

“All this time, Cole’s been our frontline fighter. We thought having a knight-type Divine Princess would help ease his burden. But you can’t even manage that. How are we supposed to continue carrying dead weight like you?” the mage added coldly, his voice full of blame.

“Come on, don’t say that.” Cole finally spoke, feigning mediation. “We’re all teammates. Maybe Laini just didn’t react fast enough this time—next time, she’ll remember what to do. Besides, I don’t really need anyone to take pressure off me.” His words, on the surface conciliatory, were actually just more fuel on the fire—subtly belittling Laini to elevate himself.

“I’m sorry...” Laini’s response was meek. All she could do was keep apologizing under her teammates’ reproach.

“‘Sorry’ doesn’t fix anything,” the elegant young man said icily. “You nearly caused a disaster just now. Do you understand what that means for the team, Laini?”

“I... But my Divine Authority was never designed for offense...” Laini said weakly.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying it’s my fault now?” The well-dressed youth raised his brows, voice rising.

“No! That’s not what I meant!” Laini stammered, overwhelmed by his aggressive tone.

“You’d better not have meant that,” he sneered. “Let me ask you one thing—are you, or are you not, a knight-class Divine Princess?”

“I am...”

“Then there you have it. As a knight, your role is to charge or support the attack. Or do you think you should stand at the back like the rest of us? Then what use are you at all?” the mage snapped.

“I’m sorry...”

The mage and the Divine Child were throwing barbs at Laini nonstop. Cole, pretending to mediate, neither defended her nor stayed neutral. Rather than cooling tempers, he was clearly stoking the fire.

So Laini’s situation really had turned out like this.

I sighed lightly, though I wasn’t surprised.

Laini had always been on the softer side. Once she joined a team with noble-born Divine Children, the disparity in status only widened. Being bullied—or even used as a punching bag—was all too predictable. This whole scenario was unfortunate, yes, but not unexpected.

As for the Divine Child’s capabilities, I had no comment. But his lavish attire screamed privilege—not your average background. Likely the son of a magnate. As for the mage—well, if your family didn’t own a mine, good luck affording a magical or alchemical education.

As for Cole, who came from the same humble origins as I did—his Divine Authority was far more practical and impactful than mine. The Divine Child and mage might have secretly looked down on him, but they couldn’t show it outwardly. So instead, they all turned their attention toward the easiest target: Laini.

I could pretty much imagine how often the three of them vented their frustrations on her, bossing her around at every turn.

But why endure this?

Wouldn’t it be better to join a team of similar backgrounds—find a decent, kind Divine Child to partner with—than become everyone’s emotional punching bag?

Having seen enough, I withdrew my gaze and prepared to leave.

In the end, it wasn’t my concern. Whether it was Cole or Laini, I could forgive them for abandoning me to curry favor with nobles—but that was as far as it went.

We no longer had anything to do with each other. I wasn’t obligated to get involved in their mess.

As far as I was concerned, I’d already shown them mercy by sparing them today.

Smack! Just as I turned around, a sharp slap rang out.

I turned back—Laini was clutching her reddened cheek, teeth clenched, her expression pitiful.

“If you screw up like that again, I won’t be so lenient,” the elegant youth withdrew his hand, his voice cold. “Next time, I’ll kick you out of the team. Understood?”

“Yes... Thank you, Divine Child, for your mercy...”

“Hmph. This is why unqualified Divine Princesses are nothing but dead weight.” As he turned, he suddenly noticed a figure standing atop the boulder—and froze.

“Who’s there?!” All of them immediately turned and assumed defensive stances.

“I’ve been squatting here for nearly ten minutes, Divine Child. You’re just now noticing me?” My long, silken hair fluttered in the wind. “As for what it means to be ‘qualified’—I’d say you’re falling a bit short yourself.”

“Who are you?!” the richly dressed Divine Child demanded. As he spoke, he activated [Divine Appraisal] and [Shared Vision], transmitting my data to the rest of the team.

And then—

“AHHH!”

“My eyes!”

“AAAAH!”

I looked down, puzzled, as the four of them writhed and screamed in pain—exactly the same as that Divine Child Pick, whom I’d eliminated earlier.

But I didn’t take advantage of their helplessness to strike.

“What is this?!” the elegant Divine Child groaned, clutching his head, stunned as he stared at me.

Just now, that intense golden glow on my profile had reacted the moment they tried to read it—searing their retinas.

My revealing myself like this was deliberate. I wanted them to notice me.

After all, my original intent was to spare them, not eliminate them. So I wouldn’t attack.

“Apologies, gentlemen. I didn’t mean to disturb. I’ll take my leave now.” I bowed slightly, ignored the stunned stares of the three men, and turned to go.

“You think you can just leave?”

“Magician, stop her! Use ice magic to trap her!” the Divine Child barked. “I don’t know what kind of illusion she used to interfere with my appraisal—but I’m sure of one thing. There’s no one else nearby. She’s alone!”

“Leave it to me.” The mage pulled out a frost crystal–inlaid staff and began chanting.

Frost bloomed across the boulder, forming an ice wall that blocked my path.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.