Once they were dressed and ready to go, the duo of Becky and Ruby headed toward the garage. As a professional bodyguard and assistant to Becky, Ruby had already taken care of everything.
A luxury car was already waiting for them, ready to leave at any moment. Beside the car, the Head Maid of the mansion, Annie, was also waiting for them.
Annie was a middle-aged woman with deep black hair and was wearing the classic black and white maid uniform. The only difference was the golden pin on her chest, indicating her elevated status.
She was also like a mother figure to Becky, so she respected and loved her deeply, making their relationship quite different from a usual maid-and-mistress dynamic.
She bowed before Becky and said in a calm, respectful tone, "Everything necessary for the academy has been packed and sent to Neo City already, Mistress."
"Thanks, Aunt," Becky smiled at her. "I'll be away for a while, so please take care of the mansion until then."
Becky was quite thankful that her personality matched with the real Becky's, so she didn't need to pretend or act around anyone.
It was only after meeting Arthur that the real Becky began to change. But that wouldn't happen this time.
The Head Maid hesitated for a second before saying, "Mistress, is there a problem? Why are you leaving so early?"
"You're worrying too much, Aunt," Becky shook her head. "I just have a few matters to handle in Neo City, and I'm also curious about the Academy."
Annie seemed to accept the explanation, as Becky was a curious person, so it matched with her usual behavior. She nodded and said, "I'll inform Ayame so she can transfer to the Academy at once."
"She can come whenever she graduates," Becky said as she made herself comfortable in the car's front seat. "I'll wait for her."
Ruby also took her seat as the driver, and after exchanging a few more words with Annie, they set out for their destination.
As the car sped up on the road, Becky asked, "How long will it take us to reach Neo City?"
"If we go at our pace, then it should take around four hours. We should reach the hotel before midnight," Ruby said after lingering for a while.
It was already dark outside, as the gentle moonlight shone on the shifting trees around them, and only the sound of the car's engine roaring filled the atmosphere.
A mischievous glint passed through Becky's eyes as she grinned, slowly placing her hand on Ruby's thighs, and said in a low voice,
"A long ride alone with me in this silent forest..."
Ruby felt a chill hearing her low and seductive voice, and it took all her focus to remain concentrated on the driving.
"...do you want to do something with me?"
Ruby gripped the steering wheel tightly, feeling Becky's fingers making circles on her upper thighs. Just a little more, and her hand would touch her trigger.
"Miss Becky, only continue your actions if you want to be late for your matters."
Becky looked at her side profile and chuckled softly, "Fine! I'll stop teasing you. I'm taking a short nap, so wake me up when we reach the city."
Ruby sighed in relief and nodded.
Beside her, Becky leaned back on the seat and closed her eyes, feeling the cold wind hitting her face. It felt surreal.
However, she wasn't sleeping. She just needed some time alone to think about the plan for killing Arthur. The hunt would be easy with Ruby assisting her, but she still wanted to ensure she didn't make any mistakes.
There was no way she wanted to let Arthur escape, as that would only create a problem for the future. Letting the protagonist—a person blessed by the heavens—go was a mistake that many made, and they suffered because of it.
'Let's first think about the power system. Because of Becky's memories and my own understanding of the novel, I am well-versed with the power system, but I'm not quite used to it.'
The power system of this world was a pretty simple one. Everyone could awaken their Sea of Consciousness by touching the God's Statue after they turned 18 years old.
The Sea of Consciousness was the base of all powers, as it served as the medium to bring mana into the Physical World from the Astral World.
Once one had their Sea of Consciousness awakened, they could form Rune Spheres corresponding to a particular ability or skill to bring it into existence, and it used mana from the Astral World.
Sometimes, in rare cases, people would awaken innate Rune Spheres along with their Sea of Consciousness. These would be permanent and also much easier to use.
'Arthur definitely awakened a Rune Sphere related to Mind Control, but he shouldn't have crossed even E-Rank yet, so I have high chances of winning.'
Becky was one of the strongest prodigies of the Phoenix Kingdom because she had awakened a total of three Rune Spheres at the awakening ceremony. Not only that, but she had also advanced to C-Rank in just over a year, which was simply unheard of.
And that wasn't even the main reason she was called a prodigy. It was because she could add more runes into an already established sphere without creating another layer, which made it much more efficient and powerful without raising its rank.
That was why Becky never lost a battle against those of the same rank... until Arthur came into her life.
'I really don't see any chances of me losing, but I'll need to be careful—just in case. He did get an ability to copy others' Rune Spheres, but that shouldn't be the case for now.'
The ranks were divided based on the number and quality of Rune Spheres one could make simultaneously, so it was clear that Arthur was no match for Becky—let alone Ruby, who was a true A-Rank Runemaster.
While thinking of all the plans, Becky didn't even realize when she had fallen asleep amidst the cold winds. She only woke up to Ruby's nudging.
"Becky, Becky! We have arrived."
However, she only gave a glance at the red-haired beauty and said, "I'm tired from the trip. Just carry me and throw me on the bed. We'll talk tomorrow."
Ruby looked at her lazy mistress and sighed in defeat, yet there was a small smile playing on her lips. She liked this spoiled side of her mistress, and she was willing to indulge her.
For her, Becky deserved all the love in the world.
"I'll take you to the room, but don't blame me when I take my reward."
Becky was too sleepy and simply nodded in her half-asleep state, not realizing what she had agreed upon.