lisa took a deep breath, her curiosity piqued.
"Alright, I'm listening. What's going on?"
Aria hesitated, her gaze shifting toward the window as if she were weighing her words carefully.
"Before my father passed," she began, her voice quieter, "he told ... he believed the Shadow Mages were involved in cris against the crown. He had suspicions for a while, but nothing concrete. The truth is, I have no idea how deep their influence runs. It could be anywhere—or anyone." She turned her eyes back to lisa, her expression somber. "That's why I need soone from the outside to help , even if it ans trusting soone I still can't fully trust."
lisa crossed her arms, her brow furrowing.
It was obvious there was probably more to what her father actually said than she let on, but she clearly wanted to keep her cards close to her chest.
[Well, whatever. That's not what I have a problem with.]
"Why is it that you still can't trust , even now? I think I've proven myself enough today. I see the danger of the Shadow Mages as much as you do. Hell, no offense, but probably more than you do."
"You really need to ask that?" Aria let out a small, ironic laugh, her lips curving into a smirk. "Oh, lisa, even now, you're using your pheromones to manipulate . You think I don't feel it?"
lisa blinked, her brow arching in genuine confusion.
[Wait a second...]
That ti before, when lisa had been caught actually using her pheromones, that wasn't like this instance. She literally didn't even have the Essence to cast a spell right now, let alone use her usual trick on Aria.
"Pheromones? Aria, I can't control my natural pheromones, but at this distance, they shouldn't even be affecting you." She gestured vaguely between them, the gap clearly enough to normally prevent any effect.
Aria's gaze narrowed slightly, and her fingers moved to touch the rune pendant around her neck, the one Belstadt had given her.
"This rune lights up whenever a nim tries to use pheromones on ," she said, her voice hard. "You know it does. It lit up before, when you tried."
lisa frowned, staring at the rune.
She rembered that mont clearly—yes, she had tried to use her pheromones on Aria, and the rune had reacted. But sothing about the way it was glowing now seed... off.
[It shouldn't be doing this right now. What's happening here?]
She took a step closer, her eyes fixed on the pendant.
"You think it's now? Just standing here?" lisa shook her head. "Sothing doesn't add up. Let's see what happens if I step even closer."
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Aria hesitated, but nodded, her eyes watching lisa carefully. lisa took another step forward, then another. The rune glowed brighter, pulsing in a steady rhythm.
"T-The intensity of your pheromones has increased," Aria said. "Therefore, the rune has gotten brighter. See?"
"Hold on a second."
[There is one way to prove this theory I've got in my head. But, do I have the Essence for it? Only one way to find out.]
"Okay, how about this? Aria, I'm going to try to push my pheromones onto you, I-"
"What!?" Aria raised a brow and-[yeah, I probably should have seen that reaction coming.]
"It's for an experint!" lisa argued. "Besides, I don't have enough Essence to make the effect potent enough. Just... Just trust for a second, alright? Hold on."
Before Aria could say anything else, lisa walked away. Far enough to where the rune stopped glowing entirely.
"Okay," lisa called out. "See? No effect, right?"
Aria crossed her thin arms.
"Y-Yes. No visible effect."
[Okay... Here goes nothing.]
Drawing whatever fraction of Essence she had left after that twelve-round fistfight with Belstadt, lisa took her natural pheromones and manipulated them so they flew straight to Aria.
And, judging by her expression, Aria instantly noticed.
The princess glanced down at her rune.
Nothing.
"You felt it, didn't you?"
"B-But..." Aria's eyes widened. "Belstadt..."
"Oh, co on, Aria. You literally saw that woman try to murder just because I mildly annoyed her. You still think she's a trustworthy source on literally anything?"
lisa raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile spreading across her face.
"Aria, just face it. It glows because I'm near you. Not because I'm doing anything. My pheromones have no effect on it."
Aria's eyes widened slightly, and she stared at the pendant in disbelief.
lisa smirked.
"Looks like Belstadt played you, Your Majesty. The rune doesn't detect manipulation—it just lights up anyti a nim is close." She crossed her arms, her tone playful but edged with satisfaction. "It was just a coincidence that it lit up back then."
Aria's face fell into her palm, a groan escaping her lips.
"You've got to be kidding . All this ti, I thought I was being careful..."
lisa chuckled, shaking her head.
"No no, it made sense, I'm sure. After all, we dirty nims can't be trusted, right?"
Aria glared at her, though the corners of her lips twitched upward.
"Don't push your luck, lisa. This only makes more suspicious of how far Belstadt's influence really went."
lisa raised her hands in mock surrender, still smirking.
"Alright, alright. But at least now we know it wasn't . It's that stupid rune."
Aria sighed, the weight of the realization settling heavily on her shoulders. She looked at lisa, her expression softening.
"It seems I owe you an apology. In any case, going back to the matter at hand, I need your help dealing with these Shadow Mages."
"And, well, I'm willing to lend a hand." lisa clapped her hands together. "So, what do you have in mind?"
---
Later, in one of Syux's dungeons, lisa and Aria stood side-by-side.
"Bring her in. It's ti we had a chat with Lady Belstadt."
Monts later, the guards re-entered, roughly dragging a bruised and battered Belstadt between them.
Her once immaculate robes were now in tatters, her face pale, but her eyes still glead with defiance. She was unceremoniously dropped into a chair in the middle of the room, bindings holding her in place.
Aria stepped forward, her posture regal and intimidating.
"Well," Belstadt's raspy voice ca out. "Judging by the way you're looking at ... I suppose you figured out my deception. Darn."
"Lady Belstadt," Aria began, her voice cold, "you are going to tell us everything you know about the Shadow Mages. If you value your life, you'll cooperate."
Belstadt rely chuckled.
"Do you honestly think threats will work on , Princess? I've faced worse than anything you could conjure." She lifted her chin, her eyes flashing with contempt. "If you're expecting to break because of a little bit of pain, you're sorely mistaken."
Aria's jaw tightened, her frustration evident. She glanced back at lisa, a silent question, just to see if she had any ideas.
lisa tapped her chin thoughtfully. Then, she smirked.
She walked over to the corner of the room, her gaze sweeping across the floor until she spotted a small insect scuttling across the stone.
She picked up the tiny creature, a rather unimpressive-looking roach, and held it up between her fingers.
"Hey, Belstadt," lisa called out, her voice deceptively casual. Belstadt's eyes narrowed in suspicion as she turned her gaze toward lisa.
"What... are you doing?" Belstadt asked, her tone dripping with disdain.
lisa smiled mischievously.
"Just showing you sothing."
Without warning, she crushed the roach between her fingers, the small body falling limp.
[Ugh,] she almost gagged. [Gross. But, bear with it, l. Bear with it.]
She then extended her hand, a soft glow emanating from her palm, muttering the incantation for her healing spell and drawing the spellsign with the other hand.
Slowly, the roach's body repaired itself. Then, the roach twitched, its legs slowly moving until it sprang back to life, scuttling once more across her hand.
Belstadt's eyes widened, betraying her shock.
"What in the world...?"
lisa nodded, her smile never wavering.
"Yep, it's back to life. Handy little trick, isn't it?" She crushed the roach again, this ti slowly, her eyes locked on Belstadt's. "And you know what's interesting? I can do this as many tis as I want. Bring it back, end it, over and over again." She leaned in, her voice dropping to a chilling whisper. "So here's the deal. Either you tell us what we need to know, or you spend eternity here, just like this roach. Coming back, only to be crushed again and again."
The room went silent.
Even Aria seed caught off guard by lisa's approach, her eyes flicking between lisa and Belstadt. For the first ti, the Shadow Mage's composure cracked. Her eyes darted nervously to the roach, previously dead but now clearly moving, then back to lisa.
"You wouldn't dare," Belstadt hissed, though her voice lacked the confidence it held before.
lisa's smirk vanished, replaced by a cold sneer.
"You think I feel any hint of compassion for a Shadow Mage? Co on. You've surely seen the reports. How many of your assassins have I turned to dust? What, you think I'll hesitate with you, here?" lisa shook her head. "You've already seen what I'm capable of. I've got all the ti in the world, and, frankly, I don't mind spending it watching you squirm."
Belstadt's lips tightened, her defiance faltering as she glanced toward Aria, who stood silently, her expression unreadable. Finally, Belstadt let out a long, shaky breath, her shoulders slumping in resignation.
"Fine," she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. "What the hell do you want to know!?"
"The Shadow Mage headquarters," lisa quickly replied. "Your base of operations. Where is it?"
Aria crossed her arms, clearly interested to know as well.
Belstadt hesitated. She had to know the significance of the question. In confessing that, she'd be giving up everything.
But... A quick reminder from lisa, picking that roach back up, was all it took to get her to crack.
"The headquarters... they're beneath the palace. A network of tunnels. That's where we operate from."
lisa exchanged a glance with Aria, a sense of grim satisfaction passing between them. Aria stepped forward, her eyes locked on Belstadt's.
"You had better not be lying, Belstadt. If we find out you're deceiving us..."
Belstadt shook her head, her gaze dropping to the floor.
"I'm not. I swear it."
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