Blade and Crown
She then turned to face him, eyes darting over the bloodied carnage behind them.
"…Remind me not to anger you," Nova murmured half-serious, half-stunned.
Leon shrugged dryly, dusting off his sleeves. "You'd have to try fairly hard."
Nova looked down at Natasha's unconscious form, still tied by the shining chains of the slave seal. Her brow furrowed.
"By the way… why did you enslave her?" she demanded, voice low.
Leon stood up from his seat, exhaling as he stared down at the water mage. "If we kill her," he started, tone measured, "her kingdom may attack us back. But if we control her… she may assist us instead. We turn a threat into a tool."
Nova raised an eyebrow, impressed but wary. Her eyes stayed on Natasha for a moment, then moved back to Leon.
"That's ruthless."
He didn't disagree. "That's politics."
