The secret wasn't deeply disguised, but with danger here being commonplace, it was easy to overlook. Or, perhaps, the ones who noticed the pattern were simply too afraid to speak up.

After more investigating, Elena found that the Harvesters were always rising stars in elemental manipulation, the ones who showed the most potential. They were celebrated, revered, and then—after their time in the spotlight—they all met untimely ends.

The circumstances of their deaths varied: some were killed by vampires, others died in accidents. But one thing was common—they all died within a year of becoming the Harvester.

'Ah. Fuck…'

Going off of logic that—if it truly were a conspiracy—she must be safe until the Harvesting Ritual, even at night, Elena broke into Amanda's office. There was only one last piece of information she wanted to learn before she made her decision.

Who was the next in line if she backed down?

She rummaged through the drawers until she found what she needed—evaluation reports.

She sighed… It was Maya.

'And of course. If you want to save yourself, you have to sacrifice your only friend. You knew that before you got here.'

Elena ignored the voice and tried to think of something.

'Come on, not so long ago, you would've done it in a heartbeat,' it was persistent.

'She's the one who can save this world—and I live in it!'

'You can't tamper with it. Amanda will notice. And that girl is foolish enough to want it even if she knew of the danger.'

Elena knew it was true.

Although Amanda would certainly know someone was in her office, it was best if she left no definitive clues it was her. Elena absentmindedly looked through other drawers as she faced her internal struggles, hoping something that would give her an idea would appear.

Something did appear, or rather, she found a false bottom in a drawer.

Now, she was intrigued.

'What could Amanda have to hide? Hmm…'

She opened it to find some kind of fancy amulet. It looked old and valuable. Although having no use for it, her kleptomaniac nature made her steal it. If for anything, just to piss Amanda off.

It was time to bail. The school was guarded during the night, and the guard was just about to circle back on his patrol. She noticed a light at the end of the hall and realized her miscalculation. She needed to hide quickly, or she would get seen.

Taking a turn, she darted through a door she had never found unlocked before. They must have been left open due to some renovations in progress.

At this moment, she saw it as her saving grace.

It led her to a stripped, unfinished service corridor with exposed brick walls. This corridor served as a shortcut connecting the faculty wing to the main hall, but at this level, it led directly to a large dance hall in the main wing of the building.

She knew she could navigate quickly through here. However, there was a significant risk of the door being locked. The dance hall was always locked unless there was an event. She just hoped she could pick the lock quickly enough.

After picking the lock to enter the hall, she found herself at a dead end. Inside the hall were no locks she could pick from that side, and she had to backtrack. To her dismay, the guard was not in the faculty wing as anticipated but in the main hall, visible through the glass walls of the dance area.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

Spotting the guard, she froze, quickly devising a plan to retreat unnoticed.

Dressed in her usual black, she relied on the cover of darkness. She hoped the guard's flashlight would reflect off the glass when he inevitably shone it in her direction. Carefully, she began to back away, avoiding sudden movements that could draw attention.

Despite her efforts, her plan failed. The guard turned his flashlight, illuminating her figure and revealing her presence.

He yelled after her as she ran.

Locked doors hindered him just as they did her, preventing him from reaching her directly. The only available route was that rarely visited corridor. She dashed into it, knowing she was in trouble. Getting there well before him, she knew she was on the verge of being caught.

She had to hide the fancy necklace.

There was a loose brick slightly jutting from the wall that she had noticed earlier. Given the age of the walls, the mortar likely lost some structural integrity, enabling her to wiggle the brick free. This proved adequate for her needs.

She hid the amulet inside, then replaced the brick, ensuring it blended in with the rest of the wall before stepping further from it.

The guard reached the corridor. He yelled out from the entrance point and rushed toward her. There was nothing she could do now. At least she won't be found with something stolen.

"What are you doing here?" the guard demanded.

He was a burly man, like most guards were. He wasn't among the youngest, but not too old either. Nothing about him stood out in particular, and she wouldn't give him a second glance. However, with the way her mind worked, and this being a small town, she was already familiar with most of the guards around and the subtle things they didn't know were written on their faces.

An idea came to her. A disgusting, insane idea… It could get her out of trouble, or make it so much worse.

"Waiting for you," she said and absentmindedly touched his arm and puckered her lips.

He stood dumbstruck by her answer and by how she effortlessly entered his personal space. "Wh—what?"

"I saw you before, patrolling the academy grounds…"

Elena intensified her approach, pressing herself against his arm and clinging to it firmly.

"I knew I'd find you here alone…" Her fingers playfully traced a deliberate path down his chest. "…I couldn't stop thinking about you…"

The guard stood transfixed, making no attempt to establish professional boundaries or call out her inappropriate behaviour.

"Boys my age aren't this…" she leaned closer, her breath warm against his ear, "…commanding."

While this was the only tactic she could use now, part of her wished it failed miserably. But she knew it wouldn't. Only one man had surprised her by rejecting her advances so far. Perhaps he, too, would have accepted if he knew he wouldn't have to see her again afterwards. But then again, for some men, even regular interaction didn't deter them…

His resistance crumbled visibly—first in his eyes, then in the slight parting of his lips, and finally in the tentative movement of his hands toward her waist.

Elena continued speaking nonsense, telling him how strong and manly he was. Her blatant words, her breathing pattern, and her enchanting gaze speaking of desire, pushed all the right buttons.

In this enforced matriarchy, men felt so oppressed that they became easy to manipulate. By giving them some semblance of power over you and making them feel significant, they would quickly fall to their knees.

'…Give them a taste of what they think they would have in the old world, and they would eagerly suck it all up.'

"That—that's nice." For a moment, he seemed to come to his senses. "But there were a million better ways of getting my attention."

He was already ensnared.

"I know," she whispered. "But I needed you alone." She maintained unwavering eye contact as she continued, "I couldn't risk your career by getting involved with a student."

As the words left her lips, Elena gracefully sank lower. Her fingertips traced a path down his uniform—feeling every button, every fold of fabric. Seeing his eyes grow hungrier in anticipation, she continued lower and lower…

The depths she would sink to for leverage no longer fazed her. Elena proceeded. She was adept at selling sweet lies and weaving an illusion of desire that left him breathless. She could give him an experience he would only ever dream of.

It was difficult to control her expression not to reveal the utter disgust she felt. Elena needed the watchman to keep her secret—that she was here, in the dead of night—and she needed to create a secret to keep in return. It was the only way she knew to assure it.

That's how she'd learned men worked. They use her, and she responds in kind. Equal in guilt, equal in depravity. And to hell, they all go.

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.