CHAPTER 33: CHAPTER 033: SECRET DASH TO THE FERRIS WHEEL! MAGIC-COMPELLED DRIVER!

Even Lorien hadn’t expected this.

Wanda actually wanted to sneak off and have fun behind Gwen’s back!

No, seriously—where did she learn this? Or did she figure it out on her own?

Inwardly, Lorien sternly condemned her behavior. Outwardly, he kept quiet and simply followed along.

Right now, Wanda was pulling him by the hand, running across the same bridge where they’d just been fighting. Scattered cars stood idle on both sides, and in the middle of that strange yet oddly romantic scene, she dragged him from one end to the other.

When they reached the far side, she flagged down a car.

"Wait, Wanda, that’s not a taxi."

Seeing her stop an ordinary sedan, Lorien quickly tried to talk her out of it.

"We’re in a hurry. If we get back late, Gwen will notice. We can just give him some extra dollars to make up for it."

Before he could say more, Wanda waved a hand in front of the driver.

Scarlet magical energy seeped into the man’s mind. His grip tightened on the wheel, eyes fixed straight ahead.

Without hesitation, Wanda pulled Lorien into the back seat.

"Go to the Ferris wheel."

The driver didn’t say a word—just stepped on the gas and sped off.

Lorien stared, baffled.

"You can use magic like that?"

This was advanced mental magic. Wanda had only ever been able to interfere before, but this... this was outright hypnotic control.

The difference was massive. The first was like conjuring a small fireball; the second was like summoning a full-blown fire dragon. Worlds apart in difficulty.

"I don’t know either."

Wanda shook her head, looked at her own hands, then met Lorien’s eyes.

"I just wanted to do it—really wanted to. Then I used my magic, and it worked!"

Lorien: ...

Damn genius! Always relying on talent. And besides talent, what else do you even have?

Well... aside from those curves, long legs, long hair...

Fine. He gave up on that thought.

As expected, "emergencies" have a way of unlocking hidden potential. It’s just that the meaning of "emergency" depends entirely on the person.

Still, with the car almost at their destination, Lorien couldn’t help but wonder why Wanda was in such a rush today.

"Wanda, why are you in such a hurry today?"

At his question, Wanda sighed and explained.

"Tomorrow night, we have to head out on an overseas mission.

Someone’s been modifying weapons left behind by the Chitauri Civilization and shipping them to a battlefield abroad.

We have to stop them.

Steve is determined not to let those weapons reach the front lines."

So, in other words, she was going on a trip. She had no idea how many days it would be before she saw Lorien again, so she wanted to make good on their promise from a few days ago while she still could. Otherwise, who knew how long they’d have to wait.

Lorien couldn’t help but mutter,

"All those foreign wars were secretly stirred up by the U.S. president.

There’s no regulation on domestic weapons, and now that the fighting overseas is heating up, he suddenly wants to interfere again.

In the end, he just wants the war to drag on, not for one side to crush the other and end it quickly."

Wanda nodded in agreement. She held no fondness for the country—or for arms dealers.

Her home had been destroyed by weapons. Her parents had been killed by them. Her younger brother too. Her entire country had been reduced to ruins because of them.

How could she possibly have any goodwill toward it? She didn’t even feel much for the Avengers.

To put it bluntly, if she had to choose between the Avengers and Lorien, she’d pick Lorien without hesitation. It wasn’t even a choice—it was a freebie.

...

A little over ten minutes later, the taxi pulled up near the Ferris wheel. Wanda quickly took some bills from her pocket and placed them on the passenger seat. Lorien, seeing this, added a little more.

"Let’s go!" Wanda said excitedly, pulling Lorien along. "Once we leave, he’ll go back to normal."

"Alright." Lorien followed her out of the car, letting her tug him toward the Ferris wheel at a brisk pace.

As soon as they were gone, the driver snapped out of the daze. He glanced around the car, then spotted a small stack of hundred-dollar bills on the passenger seat.

"Whoa!"

He snatched them up and started counting.

"One, two, three... ten! One thousand dollars!

My God! My child! We can extend our medical loan! Our car won’t be auctioned off!"

...

While the driver was overjoyed, Wanda was already pulling Lorien to the Ferris wheel ticket booth.

"How much? We want two tickets!"

In sharp contrast to her excitement, the ticket seller shook his head.

"Today’s maintenance day. The Ferris wheel can turn, but no passengers are allowed."

In an instant, Wanda’s once-bright eyes dimmed. A wave of disappointment and loneliness washed over her.

Sensing it, Lorien smiled and leaned close to whisper in her ear.

"I have a way."

Wanda: !!!

...

(80 Chapters Ahead)

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