The bald old man walked with Alia through a long stretch of an underground hall beneath the bar until they arrived in front of a particular room.
The old man put on a wide, greedy grin on his wrinkled face and said with his hands pressed together:
"You'll find a lady nad Minnerva inside this room. She's an exalted soldier of the NDF."
"NDF?" Alia arched an eyebrow in genuine surprise. "You an the Northern Defence Force?"
The old man nodded, his smile growing wider with each passing mont. Alia, on the other hand, found herself even more perplexed.
She furrowed her brow and inquired, "Then what is she doing so far from the Northern Border?"
The old man's smile faltered for a split second. He averted his gaze for a mont before answering, "Ah, she was suspended for a few months due to misconduct… Um, now that I think about it, don't tell her I told you this."
"Right," Alia narrowed her eyes, prompting the old man to put on a wide smile again.
"But you should consider yourself really fortunate!" The old man assured her.
"Why is that?" Alia asked curiously. "And how could she help ?"
"You see, young lady, Private Minerva has eyes and ears everywhere," explained the old man. "Within the army, she's renowned as the greatest information broker and best spy of her generation. Even if she doesn't possess the information you seek, she can extract it within days. This one ti, she infiltrated a vampire stronghold and–"
Alia cut the old man short before he could go on a reverent monologue about this enigmatic woman nad Minerva.
"Okay, okay! I understand!" she exclaid and raised her hands, gesturing to the old man to stop talking. "What's your price for helping ?"
The old man leaned in, bringing his grinning face close to Alia before whispering a number in her ear.
Alia sighed as the old man stepped back with a satisfied smile still plastered on his face.
Tapping on her smart bracelet a few tis, Alia made the paynt to the old man. He checked his phone and nodded in acknowledgnt.
"Thank you, young lady," he said. "You can always find here in the future if you're ever in need of anything else."
With that, the old man turned around and walked away to exit the underground hall.
Watching the receding figure of the old man, Alia sighed one more ti before turning her gaze to the door in front of her and knocking on it.
She waited for a while, but nothing happened.
Receiving no response, she knocked again, but once again, no answer ca. Growing impatient, she twisted the doorknob and found out that the door wasn't locked.
"Huh?" Frowning, she swung the door open and stepped into the room.
Inside, she found a cozy wooden chamber adorned with lavish furniture such as a custom-made bed and a large sofa near the fireplace.
Apartnts? There were underground apartnts below the bar? Alia scrutinized her surroundings with a perplexed gaze.
While she was walking around, exploring, another door within the chamber swung open, and a woman ca out through it.
This woman was strikingly beautiful and tall, with fiery red hair cascading down her back, reaching the length of her waist.
She appeared to be in her late twenties and her angular face exuded an irresistible allure, adorned by a pair of dull gray eyes that sparkled with a glint of playful humor.
However, the most noticeable detail about her was that she was wrapped in nothing but a towel with her hair and shoulders dripping wet!
Did she really just walk out of the shower?!
The woman cast a curious glance at Alia, who was staring back at her in shock with her mouth slightly agape and eyes widened.
A wide grin spread across the woman's face, enhancing her already ethereal beauty.
"Oh, an unexpected guest?" The woman playfully touched her chin. "Tell , why are you here in my room, Alia Black?"
Alia furrowed her brow in confusion and asked, "Ahh, you know ?"
The woman chuckled. "Don't be startled, dear. You are quite famous these days. In fact, most of your class is."
The frown on Alia's face eased a bit, but before she could respond, the beautiful redhead spoke again.
"I'm Private Minerva Hart, by the way," she said before walking over to the sofa and slumping against its soft cushions. "But since you're here, you must already know who I am."
"Right," Alia nodded absentmindedly before continuing, "The owner of the bar upstairs sent here. He said you can help ."
The woman nad Minerva crossed her legs, her towel barely reaching her knees, and her smile widened. "Darling, helping people is what I do. Be more specific."
"Uh, okay. So I need so information on Lucas Morningstar. He used to frequent the bar upstairs," Alia stated, averting her gaze from Minerva, unsure of where to look.
The redhead beauty, still draped in her towel, arched an eyebrow, her smile never fading from her alluring face.
After a mont of contemplation, she comnted, "I see. You didn't need to introduce him, who doesn't know The Fallen Angel of Global Academy these days?"
"Right. So, can you help ?" Alia inquired, prompting Minerva to get up from the sofa and approach her.
Coming face-to-face with the black-haired archeress, Minerva gently tapped Alia's shoulders before walking past her and opening a wardrobe.
Taking out so clothes, she spoke, "I told you, love, helping people is what I do. But what information do you need about him? As I recall, don't you already know him from childhood? Although you two had a falling out a few years back, you should still know more about him than I do."
Alia hesitated for a mont before explaining, "We suspect that soone tampered with his mind and locked away so of his mories."
As if suddenly her interest was piqued, Minerva's eyebrows shot up, and she spun around to face Alia.
"Interesting," she remarked. "So you think soone used Arcane Magic on him?"
Alia furrowed her brow in confusion. "I don't know. What is Arcane Magic?"
Minerva touched her chin, considering for a mont before answering, "Arcane Magic is ancient, long-forgotten magic. It can be used to achieve things that normal magic can't."
Alia's frown deepened. "That's a very vague definition."
Minerva blankly stared at Alia for a mont before bursting into laughter.
"Yes, it is. Just think of it like this – the magic people use in today's world is mostly related to battle. In the old tis, during peaceful periods in the elven world, elves used magic for various purposes, not just combat. That magic is now called Arcane Magic. Tampering with the mind and locking away mories sounds like the use of Arcane Magic."
"So it could be the work of an elf?" Alia deduced.
Minerva shrugged. "It could be, or it could be soone else. Humans can also learn Arcane magic if an elf is knowledgeable enough and willing to teach them."
"I see," Alia said thoughtfully, rubbing her chin. "Can you find out if Arcane Magic was used on him and who did it?"
"Of course, I can!" Minerva exclaid, clapping her hands together with a grin. "But since it's such an old case, it will cost you a fortune."
"Don't worry," Alia smirked. "Money isn't a problem."
Reviews
All reviews (0)