QT: Against My Will

490 8.07 – Bing Shi’s Hater – Monster Heist

Bing Shi failed to meet the three-month deadline set by her husband. Because she refused to part ways with Silvia’s soul and didn’t learn how to hide her godhood, he restricted her full access to Silvia.

“If I ever notice her soul causing you any harm, I’m removing her from you,” Xuan Mu let Silvia’s broken soul reside in her body. It was now in a similar state to the souls in Bing Shi’s previous missions.

“Yes, sir!” Bing Shi still needed a soul as a cover to disguise her identity. Maybe if she learned how to blend in with the mortal world and avoid detection, maybe, just maybe, her husband would allow her to appear in her true form one day.

· · ────────── · ???· ────────── · ·

When Silvia returned to school, the students and the teachers almost couldn’t recognize her. Whenever they saw her passing by, they would edge away, expecting body odour. No, it was more than that, they would treat her like she was contagious. The students feared ridicule just for associating themselves with Silvia.

One of the students leaned over to his classmate and whispered, “Ha…Look at her, she is still so fat and ugly.”

“Doesn’t she like to flaunt her beauty?” His classmate added in a hushed tone, “Nobody will like her like this. She should have at least done something about her weight.”

Bing Shi touched her round cheeks which were red and swollen like a ripe apple, thinking if she should feel self-conscious about something which was beyond her control. It wasn’t caused by a drug, bad eating habits or an infection. It was caused by a spell, which she didn’t know how to deal with without her husband’s help.

Her husband said magic would usually leave behind an imprint like a fingerprint. If she wanted to find the caster, she could try and track down the traces of the magic first. This man. Who did he think she was? A magician?

.....

‘At least I don’t smell bad.’

‘~Don’t jinx it.’

Bertha approached Silvia with a nervous smile, fidgeting with her hands. “I propose we grab something to eat first before our next lesson.”

“I’m not hungry.” Bing Shi rubbed her tummy, which growled audibly. She went to the vending machine to buy a bottle of water, so she could silence the rumbling.

This world didn’t have a zombie virus which would assist Bing Shi in controlling the magic, and what’s more, she found it incredibly difficult to learn magic that had no affinity with her, “But you can go ahead, I’ll wait for you to grab something.”

Bertha looked disappointed for a moment, then mustered a smile. “I’m not hungry either.”

‘Dai An, could you undo the spell before our graduation day, please?’

‘~I want to find the caster first.’

“...” Bing Shi couldn’t believe that Dai An just turned her into a personal training dummy. Nathaniel’s decision to refuse to undo the spell suggested that he didn’t want to leave behind any evidence of his involvement. This left her with only one option…

Bertha trailed closely behind Bing Shi as they made their way down the stairways, “Are we looking for something?” she asked, glancing around the bustling students.

Bing Shi nodded, determination etched on her face. “Do you know where the LADs in this school usually hide?” she asked, her eyes scanning the faces of those around them.

Bertha furrowed her brow, deep in thought. “I’ve heard they like to hang out in the hidden sections of the school during lunch,” she offered.

Bing Shi nodded, heading towards the library. “That’s a good place to start,” she said, trying to press a tile on the wall, looking for any signs of Ru Quan.

|”Ru Quan, could you undo the spell before my graduation, please?”|

|I thought you wanted to track down the caster first.|

|”Yes, but I didn’t know it would take Dai An so long.”|

Ru Quan wasn’t surprised by that statement, |Bing Shi, I would also have difficulty tracking them down.|

|”Dai An here. Undoing the spell now would mean all of my hard work would go to waste.”|

|”Bing Shi here. I already found the caster. I think Dai An should train a more useful skill, such as getting rid of the spell first.”|

|”Dai An here. Ru Quan. I’m afraid that if we undo the spell, her hater will come up with a worse solution to deal with her.”|

Ru Quan let out a heavy, hopeless sigh, expressing his powerlessness in the situation. These two had been at it since the time they failed to mend Silvia’s soul.

|Sweetie, we don’t even know if your body will survive until graduation. Instead of focusing on your beauty, let’s hope we can keep you in one piece until then.|

Bing Shi’s expression became crestfallen. “Did my man just choose another woman over me? ME?” she muttered dramatically and slumped against the wall, covering her forehead with the back of her hand, “Nathaniel is my only hope now, but why Nathaniel? Why does it have to be Nathaniel? Are there no other guys for Silvia LeClére besides Nathaniel?”

“...” Bertha’s eyes caught a glimpse of Nathaniel strolling with a male student by his side. Despite her attempts to comfort Silvia, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of expectancy, “There are plenty of other guys who would be lucky to have you,” she hesitated for a moment before speaking up, “And who knows, maybe this new look of yours will attract even better guys.”

“Better guys?” A hint of a smile played at the corners of Bing Shi’s lips, “Are you trying to cheer yourself up or cheer me up?” she questioned coyly, “Oh, Nathaniel is coming our way.”

Bertha was taken slightly aback at the mention of that alpha’s name, “Why, no, yes, not yet,” she replied, trying to keep her mind off of him.

“What does he have that makes him ‘better’?” Bing Shi pressed, intrigued by the possibility.

“Not sure exactly...he just seems more mature, I guess? And I think he’s got a lot of charisma.” Bertha covered her mouth abruptly.

“How adorable,” Bing Shi’s cheeks lifted with her grin, “I promise you, I will never fight with you over a man. Nathaniel, despite being entirely committed to me, is no exception.”

“Oh, don’t give me that,” Bertha scoffed dismissively as she walked past the delusional Silvia, hiding her blushing cheeks, “I still want to live my life comfortably,” she added.