Logan wandered the streets of Noxus, killing time. Whether the plan he'd pitched to Swain could actually work… Swain thought the odds were low, because he refused to believe LeBlanc could be that stupid.
But Logan thought it was absolutely possible—because as long as LeBlanc didn't suddenly act wildly out of character compared to how she was usually portrayed, then in Logan's mind she was a woman who was very smart and very strong… but also smug, arrogant, prone to overthinking, and seemingly born with a built-in bad-luck curse.
So yeah, the plan was simple—so simple it was almost like putting a net right in front of a fish and waiting for it to swim in.
Normally, even a dumb fish would avoid it. But LeBlanc was different. If she saw a net, her first instinct wasn't to flee.
It was more like—
"Huh? What's this thing?"
"What is it? Let me squeeze in and see."
"Oh, it's a net. Let's test if it's sturdy."
"Oh crap—I'm trapped!"
That was the vibe LeBlanc gave him.
Being paranoid was one thing. Being paranoid and unlucky was a whole different problem.
Sometimes Logan even wondered if "the Deceiver" part of LeBlanc's title was itself the real trick—like everyone assumed she was some terrifying shadow villain, a mastermind drowning the world in schemes… and then the truth came out and surprise, she was actually a decent woman, and the "deception" was that she fooled everyone into thinking she was the final boss.
Logan yawned. He was getting bored, but he couldn't go see Swain—because outwardly, he and Swain were supposed to be at each other's throats. Even if LeBlanc could probably tell it was an act, appearances still mattered.
With that in mind, Logan found a tree and sat down. He chose a spot not far from the inn, because the moment Janna sent word, he needed to reach the scene immediately.
As for whether using Jinx as bait was dangerous…
Please. If even Janna couldn't handle LeBlanc, then Jinx would be just as unsafe standing beside Logan anyway. So Logan wasn't worried about Jinx's safety at all.
At the same time—about forty minutes after Logan left the inn—a small figure draped in an oversized cloak appeared outside, silent as a ghost.
"My lady, she's upstairs."
At the end of the alley, a tall woman stepped out. She was cloaked as well. As she spoke, she lifted a hand, revealing a strip of unbelievably pale forearm beneath the cloak, and addressed the small figure ahead of her with respectful deference.
LeBlanc looked up and released her power, sensing the area.
First, she felt Swain's presence.
Then, the scattered magical energies throughout the city.
Finally, she detected a fresh, windlike power not far from here—Logan's.
But on the third floor ahead, where Elise said Jinx was, LeBlanc didn't sense any energy at all. For a moment, she was confused—then she shook her head.
Right. The blue-haired girl was just an ordinary human. Of course she wouldn't radiate any magical energy.
Seeing LeBlanc remain silent, Elise offered, "My lady, do you need me to go up first?"
"No."
LeBlanc refused and turned to look at Elise. She raised her chin, the cute face peeking from her hood looking impossibly composed, eyes brimming with intelligence as she declared with confident flair, "I'll go up myself."
"Otherwise you people will just mess it up again."
Elise nodded at once, then retreated while facing LeBlanc the entire time. In moments, she vanished into the alley.
LeBlanc turned and looked up. She lifted a hand and cast a concealment spell, then walked into the inn.
As she climbed toward the third floor, her body gradually grew larger with each step.
By the time she reached the door, she had already become an adult—beautiful purple hair spilling over her shoulders, gothic makeup framing her face. An exquisite staff hung in her right hand, and she strode on long legs in glittering crystal heels.
With a faint smile curving her lips, LeBlanc extended her left hand and tapped the lock with long, elegant fingers.
As if she'd ever do this in anything but her true body.
Logan mattered too much.
Over a thousand years, LeBlanc had sought countless people and tried countless methods. She had traveled to every corner of Runeterra, yet still failed to find a sure way to completely subdue Mordekaiser.
The one time she'd felt a sliver of hope was when her people found a girl who wielded metal magic. Even then, LeBlanc never truly believed controlling that girl would be enough to deal with Mordekaiser.
The girl's magic worked against metal—she was born able to command it—and Mordekaiser's body was essentially a massive suit of metal armor. But the idea that the girl could actually control Mordekaiser?
That was laughable.
At best, the girl would be support—something that could interfere a little once Mordekaiser fully returned.
But what was the situation now?
The girl had escaped.
And when the time came, would she help LeBlanc… or Mordekaiser?
LeBlanc genuinely couldn't be sure.
The thought made her furious and exhausted at the same time.
How many enemies had she created for herself over the centuries, for no reason at all?
And Logan—LeBlanc absolutely could not let him slip away.
In a thousand years, Logan was the only human LeBlanc had ever found who could freely cross between two realms without paying a price. Crossing between realms—something even she could not do!
So if Logan joined her side, then dealing with Mordekaiser… LeBlanc could already see too many possibilities.
The moment she imagined Logan helping her suppress Mordekaiser within the death realm, LeBlanc's body trembled uncontrollably with excitement.
She murmured a single syllable. The door clicked open by itself, and LeBlanc stepped inside.
Wearing a mysterious smile, she immediately spotted a girl sprawled on the bed. Pale, long legs kicked lazily behind her; small feet hooked and swayed restlessly. When the door opened, the girl looked over.
On her pale little face, those big blue eyes flashed with excitement—then shifted into confusion when she saw LeBlanc.
"Who are you?" Jinx demanded.
LeBlanc didn't answer. She extended her hand.
Two golden chains shot from her sleeve, whipping forward as she moved to seize Jinx and take her away.
But in the next second—when the girl sat up—something nestled in her hands made LeBlanc's pupils contract.
In the blue-haired girl's palms sat a plump little bird, a beautiful chubby blue-green thing. It rested comfortably in her hands, its bright bird eyes staring straight at LeBlanc.
"You finally came." The bird sighed, looking at LeBlanc as it spoke softly.
Jinx sat cross-legged, baring her teeth at the cloaked woman. "Who the hell are you?"
The two golden chains froze in midair—then swayed left and right, almost like they were performing for Jinx.
Jinx stared at the chains, then at the woman hidden beneath the cloak, and it was like something clicked. Her eyes suddenly lit up.
LeBlanc: "…"
"Isn't this room 301?" Jinx blurted.
"Oh—sorry." LeBlanc spoke as if to herself, then turned toward the door. "I think I walked into the wrong—"
But in the next instant, a gale gathered.
The little blue-green bird spread its wings in Jinx's hands. In a flash of azure light, a tall, radiant woman manifested in the room, holy and breathtaking as she floated above the floor.
She lifted a white staff and pointed it at LeBlanc.
Zaun's wind goddess struck without another word.
"Damn it!"
—
Elise remained hidden in the alley, waiting for Lady LeBlanc to emerge.
Toward LeBlanc, Elise only felt fear and awe. She didn't truly respect her—because after being transformed by Vilemaw, Elise had become a devoted follower of the Spider God.
But having Vilemaw as her backing didn't mean Elise was arrogant enough to think she could oppose LeBlanc.
The god she worshiped was cruel and vicious, demanding offerings every year—and those offerings were usually provided by LeBlanc. Without LeBlanc's help, Elise could still travel the world, use her beauty to ensnare hearts, and bring sacrifices to Vilemaw.
But… what if LeBlanc decided Elise was being disobedient, and stepped in to stop her?
Then Elise would be trapped on the Shadow Isles forever—because LeBlanc was simply too powerful.
Compared to the god Elise served, LeBlanc wasn't inferior by much at all.
So even after being spoken to with such blatant disrespect, Elise still obeyed.
While Elise's thoughts drifted, she suddenly looked up, toward the mouth of the alley.
"Run."
A voice echoed inside her mind—Vilemaw.
Elise hadn't even processed it before visible wind appeared across the sky behind her, rushing in like a tide and smothering the area for miles.
Elise stared upward in horror as the teal wind twisted into an enormous cage.
What was happening?
"Run. Run—"
The voice in her mind kept screaming.
Elise obeyed. Several spider legs erupted from her back, and she shot out of the alley—only to halt the moment she reached the street.
She tilted her head up, dumbfounded, her mouth twitching.
Run?
How?
Centered on that inn, several miles in every direction had been sealed off by walls of wind.
They rose to the sky and sank into the earth, forming a gigantic hemispherical prison.
As Elise tried to understand what was happening—and realized this wasn't LeBlanc's magic—the third floor of the inn suddenly exploded.
A slender figure was blasted backward and hurled into the air, hovering above the wreckage.
Elise's eyes widened as she recognized her.
It was… LeBlanc!!!
"Damn it!" LeBlanc cursed midair. She snapped her staff toward the wind goddess as hundreds of small spell circles bloomed behind her—then countless chains surged out of those circles and stabbed toward Zaun's wind goddess.
The wind goddess simply swung her staff, conjuring countless blades of wind to block the chains while the gale itself tried to seize LeBlanc and lock her down.
"I said I walked into the wrong room!"
"Grab her, Janna—grab her! This is the one Logan wants!" two voices shouted at once.
One was LeBlanc's.
The other—Elise searched for it and saw, amid the third-floor rubble, the blue-haired girl leaning out and waving her arms wildly.
Jinx looked thrilled, shouting at the top of her lungs.
She didn't fully understand what was happening, but she knew one thing: she could score a win here.
If they caught this woman, Logan would definitely reward her!
Wasn't this what Logan and Noxus's commander wanted—this exact person?
Seeing that, Elise immediately turned and ran back toward the alley, trying to hide.
You've got to be kidding me—Zaun's god was protecting Jinx?!
No—what kind of god does that?
A god is supposed to be distant. Untouchable. Like Vilemaw.
Why was Janna here?!
And whether LeBlanc could handle Janna—Elise didn't care.
Because Elise sure as hell couldn't.
"Damn it!"
Facing Janna head-on, LeBlanc struggled.
She was powerful—how could a mage who'd lived for over a thousand years not be?
Runeterra didn't have many mages who survived that long.
But even so… LeBlanc was not a match for a demigod.
Not her—hell, not even that blue-skinned bald man she'd met, the one who'd taken the World Runes. Even after he secured them, his true body still wasn't a match for a demigod.
And so LeBlanc felt one thing above all else:
Regret.
She should've listened to Elise. She should've sent Elise to grab Jinx.
Why in the world would a powerful god like Janna stay beside a young girl… and obey the girl's words?
You've lived so long. You're so strong. Why would you willingly take orders from humans?
LeBlanc regretted it.
She truly regretted it.
—
"You know," Draven said in Swain's study, "this Zaun-style chili pot is actually really good."
He lifted a slice of meat with small metal tongs, let it cool in his bowl for a moment, then ate it with the broth still clinging to it.
Chewing through the spicy bite, he glanced at Swain—only to find Swain sitting there with his eyes closed, ignoring him.
"What now?" Draven said irritably.
He was used to this side of Swain.
Swain always went quiet out of nowhere, staring into space, and when he did that he could stay like that for ages.
But just as Draven assumed it would be the same as always, Swain suddenly stood up.
"So he really was right…" Swain's expression turned strange as he reached for a black coat nearby.
"You're going out?" Draven asked, watching him.
Swain looked at Draven, then at the pot. He extended an arm formed from demonic power and snuffed the coals with blood-red lightning.
"Gather the soldiers," Swain ordered. "Surround Lenk Street."
"Huh?" Draven didn't get it. Weren't they still eating?
But Swain didn't explain.
He threw on his coat and snapped his arm outward.
Black-and-crimson wings burst from his back.
Right there in the study, he took off, flying straight for the upper window. He left Draven with only one sentence.
"Do as I said."
"The rat's come out, Draven."
"It's time we catch it."
And with those words, Swain flew out of the castle.
Draven scratched his head, sighed, and put the lid on the pot.
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