If Snow White’s actions were driven by her personality—unable to resist competing with any girl whose beauty rivaled her own—then Viviana’s temperament was surely good enough, wasn't it?
To have been treated that way by Faust in the past without exploding, her character was practically that of a saint. Even before arriving in Midwinter, Viviana had intended to give this 【Snow White】 some face so as not to make things difficult for the Prince.
But after actually meeting her, Viviana realized just how poorly they got along. Her desire to ruthlessly shut down the Princess was surging!
In their subconscious, both wanted to eliminate the other, yet neither could explain exactly why.
Was it a desire to kill? There wasn't that much deep-seated hatred; it wasn't nearly at that level.
Was it jealousy over the other's intimate relationship with Faust? That was a factor, but certainly not the main one. In this world, it wasn't an unforgivable sin for a prince to be surrounded by women.
On the contrary, it only proved that the man I chose is incredibly charming!
So, this naturally arising rejection was strange, as if... they had encountered something that shouldn't exist in their lives, filled with an unsettling sense of dissonance.
This dissonance wasn't overwhelmingly strong—not quite like a thorn in the back—but it was certainly irritating.
Fortunately, both Viviana and Selena possessed strong self-control. Even such a primal urge was forcibly suppressed.
The knightly girl said flatly, "I don't intend to waste words with you here. We have more important things to do."
"Agreed. Arguing without proof is truly childish. We'll let the facts speak for themselves once we've rescued Faust," Selena replied, exhaling deeply and smiling as she crossed her arms.
Thus, the conversation finally returned to the right track. This was what they should have discussed from the very beginning, yet they had spent a significant amount of time locked in a war of words.
Snow White led Cinderella to the top floor of the government office to explain the current situation.
"The current state of the war is that the remaining elite of the Midwinter Kingdom and the reinforcements from the vassal states have gathered at the pass fortress ahead. To reach the royal capital, this nail must be pulled out."
Viviana stepped before the sand table. The map, integrated by the computational hub of the frost-walker, was extremely detailed. Having been born into a family of military nobles, the knightly girl grasped the situation with a few simple glances.
She nodded and said, "The enemy forces seem numerous. Our troop strength is completely disproportionate."
Selena sneered with her arms crossed, "With such a meager number, how can they hope to find peace?!"
"While I don't wish to brag, as comrades about to fight side-by-side, it is necessary to explain my unique mystery trait to you. I call it 【Divine Countenance】. Without the protection of rare artifacts or spells that shield the mind, no matter how large the rabble, they must bow before my charm."
As if finding a winning point, Selena brushed back her long black hair and described the effects and achievements of 【Divine Countenance】 to Viviana.
She certainly had reason to be proud. Even looking across the entire world and its many kingdoms, such an exaggerated mystery trait was almost impossible to find.
Through small spells to inspect her own mystery trait and persistent development, Snow White had basically mastered and understood this 'special authority.'
【Divine Countenance】
【Beauty burdened by a curse, a cycle of inherited pain; oh, strong and beautiful Snow White, you deserve kindness and great fortune.】
【Dear child, may you hold happiness in your hands; the more an intelligent lifeform recognizes your charm, the more they shall indulge in this divine-like visage.】
【Walk with glory; your charm shall eventually captivate all.】
【The Eternal Feminine draws us upward.】
Usually, even a powerhouse of the Saint rank couldn't collapse an army with a single song; it was more practical to crush an army head-on than to toy with their minds.
If one had to judge, the mystery level of this 'authority' was nearly on par with a fallen true dragon.
With something so powerful and unique, could it be that my only advantage was being a "foreign dignitary"? Faust's childhood friend, open your eyes and look closely!
There is a pathetic chasm between us!
However, Snow White's demonstration failed to achieve its intended effect.
The pale-blonde girl listened and then calmly replied, "It is indeed impressive, but if we are talking about abilities of that level, I have one too... I call it 【one night's dream】."
As her voice fell, Viviana instantly switched her persona, appearing before Selena in her full 【Cinderella】 form from the first ball.
The overwhelming charm that surged forward made the black-haired girl raise an eyebrow. As a warlock, she could naturally recognize just how staggering this ability was.
It wasn't as simple as changing clothes... it was creation out of nothing?
Cinderella pinched the corners of her skirt, performed an elegant bow, and smiled. "Do you think this ability was born because of you? No, I believe the special one is Faust."
"Only by harboring love for Faust can this authority sprout. The purpose of this power is to obtain him... I believe I realized this sooner than you."
Seeing Cinderella's confident expression, Selena couldn't help but frown in thought.
It seemed... that was indeed the case?
Her beauty had existed since childhood, but it was nothing special compared to the past 【Snow White】. In fact, for over ten years, she had never even been aware of this authority, let alone developed it.
It was only at the moment she met Faust that she gradually became aware of and condensed the 【Divine Countenance】.
"Is that so? Hmph, it seems Faust carries quite a few secrets himself."
Cinderella's magnificent purple eyes seemed to sparkle as she puffed out her chest. "Naturally. Faust is the ultimate answer! He is the meaning of life!"
Regardless of which of Viviana's personas was active, she was a loyal admirer of the Qingxi prince. Such biased love could, to some extent, be called brainless worship.
If Faust knew that the two witches attributed their special traits to him, he would likely find it a complete inversion of the natural order and wouldn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He barely had time to beg the witches to carry him; how could he possibly be seen as the source of their 'cheats'?
Did the wheel of destiny know about this?
But at this moment, both 【Cinderella】 and 【Snow White】 were deeply convinced of this theory.
Because it made things seem more romantic, didn't it? As if Faust was destined to be in love with them.
Having found common ground, Selena didn't find Cinderella quite as eyesore anymore—though they still didn't quite get along.
She spread her hands and said, "Since you have a similar authority, the upcoming battle will be much easier to arrange... The spell barriers protecting the fortress can be wiped out by having the frost-walker set up artillery positions. However, the enemy won't sit idly by; they will surely send people to destroy the positions."
"And those they send will likely include more than one grail knight."
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