Chapter 200: Pressure Points
Several weeks later.
"Hahahahaha! That was pretty easy, right? I don’t know why the Sentinels can’t clear it. I an, we didn’t even use magic that much." Julian says excitedly.
The rest of Rhaenas are smiling and nodding.
For the past few weeks, Rhaenas have been clearing dungeons one after another. Because they are fast and efficient, clients are left in awe and quickly turn into almost worshippers. They tell their friends about Rhaenas, who then tell their own friends, and the na spreads rapidly.
Claudia is barely keeping up with the incoming calls. She’s been pushing Arthur to let her hire another staff mber, but he’s been hesitating because of their secret. Claudia pouts, but she can’t argue with that logic. Still, she’s been on edge for the past few days, which prompts Maeve to volunteer to help her.
Theo imdiately agrees. He can see that Maeve has been distracted lately. However easy the dungeons are, being distracted inside one is still very dangerous.
Arthur exhales. "I’m going to take a shower, then sleep. It’s been dungeons nonstop."
He heads to his bedroom.
Liam yawns. "Damn. He’s right. I’ve never felt this tired, even when I was clearing dungeons as a Sentinel. I’ll take a shower and sleep too."
"Wait!" Julian tries to stop them.
Then he turns to Theo. "Why are both of them tired? They didn’t do that much."
Theo steps away and crosses his arms. "Maybe because you didn’t do much. They’re our offensive units, after all."
Julian scratches his head. "I guess so. Well then, I should go back to my lab."
Julian has set up a lab in the building, an extension of his lab back at the Montrose Estate.
Theo watches him leave and lets out a quiet sigh.
There’s a nagging feeling inside him, one he hasn’t been able to shake for a while now.
Theo is worried about Rhaenas.
On the surface, they look perfect. Powerful. Almost unstoppable. But every now and then, Theo catches glimpses of sothing beneath that surface.
Arthur is on the verge of leveling up. And yet, he hasn’t.
That alone tells Theo there’s sothing holding him back.
Leveling up in magic isn’t like leveling up in a ga. There is no automatic trigger once enough experience is accumulated. In magic, it’s called advancent. Getting stronger.
It can happen the mont a magus truly realizes that they are capable of wielding stronger magic.
The key is the magus’ heart.
Wielding magic is about synchronizing with one’s heart.
And Arthur’s heart...
Theo is certain Arthur is holding sothing back.
Then there’s Liam.
Liam always looks cheerful, always ready to act. But he is water. Not just any water, but ocean water.
The ocean is deep. That’s where the saying a heart is as deep as the ocean cos from. No one truly knows what lies beneath.
It’s exactly the sa with Liam.
He may look like he has no problems, but Theo knows no human ever lived without them. Liam should be able to level up soon.
Julian isn’t any different.
Among the n, he’s the loudest. But the loudest people usually carry the heaviest burdens.
And then there’s Maeve.
Theo exhales slowly.
Do I even need to say more?
Theo knows he has to do sothing.
And he has to do it fast.
Otherwise, Rhaenas won’t be able to take the next step forward.
Theo takes a deep breath and exhales slowly.
He heads to the office on the first floor to help Claudia and Maeve.
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"I really can’t do that. It’s our policy to—" Claudia pauses, listening to the other party ramble on.
"Sir, please. I’m not finished yet. I need you to—" She’s cut off again.
Theo steps inside and instantly reads the room. Claudia is at the edge. Barely holding it together.
"Sir, I—"
"For the love of god, would you LISTEN?!" Claudia finally explodes.
There it is.
Theo smiles faintly and shifts his attention to Maeve.
Maeve is frowning at the monitor, muttering under her breath while scrolling through schedules.
"How the hell am I supposed to fit this dungeon in? Like where?" Maeve says quietly. "Looking at the current schedule, I doubt we’ll even have ti to pee, let alone eat and sleep."
She shakes her head. "Focus, Maeve. Focus."
"Well, screw you too!" Claudia snaps and slams the call shut with more force than necessary.
Then she screams.
"AARRGGHHH! Those bastards! They all want their dungeons cleared but don’t want to pay our price! Then go clear them yourselves! Don’t bother !"
The phone in her hand vibrates again.
Claudia stares at it like it personally betrayed her. Defeated, she exhales sharply, straightens her posture, and answers anyway.
"Rhaenas Office. This is Claudia. How can we help you today?"
Theo chuckles quietly to himself.
Maybe I should check her resonance, he thinks. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s wind.
He approaches Maeve, who notices him and greets him with a smile.
"Hey, Thea. You’re back. Any trouble?" she asks, clearly grateful for the distraction.
Then she adds in a lower voice, ant only for the two of them, "Hah. What trouble? With you there, no trouble." She winks.
Theo smiles, unbothered. "How about you? You okay?" He gestures vaguely at the room, the ringing phones, the tension hanging in the air.
Maeve sighs and rolls her eyes. "How can I be okay? I know I used to work at the Library, but this is not the Library, and Claudia is definitely not a librarian."
Theo chuckles. "That bad, huh?"
"Did you not hear Claudia on the phone?" Maeve says, her words picking up speed. "About half the clients are like that. They don’t want to pay. They keep saying our price is too high."
She crosses her arms, frustration spilling out.
"Hey, do they even know that it’s our lives that are on the line? Or do they think clearing a dungeon is like hiring soone to clean their house?" Her voice sharpens. "Does that an they think our lives aren’t worth that much?"
Maeve exhales hard, clearly working herself up.
"Whoa, calm down," Theo says instinctively.
"Don’t tell
to calm down!" Maeve snaps imdiately. "You n always tell won to calm down! How are we supposed to calm down when you keep doing stupid things!"
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