Melisa 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 me... he believed the Shadow Mages were involved in crimes 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 Melisa, her expression somber. "That’s why I need someone from the outside to help me, even if it means trusting someone I still can’t fully trust."
Melisa 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 me, 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, Melisa, even now, you’re using your pheromones to manipulate me. You think I don’t feel it?"
Melisa blinked, her brow arching in genuine confusion.
[Wait a second...]
That time before, when Melisa 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 me," she said, her voice hard. "You know it does. It lit up before, when you tried."
Melisa frowned, staring at the rune.
She remembered that moment clearly—yes, she had tried to use her pheromones on Aria, and the rune had reacted. But something about the way it was glowing now seemed... 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 me now? Just standing here?" Melisa shook her head. "Something 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 Melisa carefully. Melisa 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 experiment!" Melisa argued. "Besides, I don’t have enough Essence to make the effect potent enough. Just... Just trust me for a second, alright? Hold on."
Before Aria could say anything else, Melisa walked away. Far enough to where the rune stopped glowing entirely.
"Okay," Melisa 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, Melisa 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, come on, Aria. You literally saw that woman try to murder me just because I mildly annoyed her. You still think she’s a trustworthy source on literally anything?"
Melisa 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.
Melisa smirked.
"Looks like Belstadt played you, Your Majesty. The rune doesn’t detect manipulation—it just lights up anytime 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 me. All this time, I thought I was being careful..."
Melisa 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, Melisa. This only makes me more suspicious of how far Belstadt’s influence really went."
Melisa raised her hands in mock surrender, still smirking.
"Alright, alright. But at least now we know it wasn’t me. It’s that stupid rune."
Aria sighed, the weight of the realization settling heavily on her shoulders. She looked at Melisa, 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." Melisa clapped her hands together. "So, what do you have in mind?"
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Later, in one of Syux’s dungeons, Melisa and Aria stood side-by-side.
"Bring her in. It’s time we had a chat with Lady Belstadt."
Moments 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 gleamed 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 came out. "Judging by the way you’re looking at me... 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 merely chuckled.
"Do you honestly think threats will work on me, Princess? I’ve faced worse than anything you could conjure." She lifted her chin, her eyes flashing with contempt. "If you’re expecting me to break because of a little bit of pain, you’re sorely mistaken."
Aria’s jaw tightened, her frustration evident. She glanced back at Melisa, a silent question, just to see if she had any ideas.
Melisa 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," Melisa called out, her voice deceptively casual. Belstadt’s eyes narrowed in suspicion as she turned her gaze toward Melisa.
"What... are you doing?" Belstadt asked, her tone dripping with disdain.
Melisa smiled mischievously.
"Just showing you something."
Without warning, she crushed the roach between her fingers, the small body falling limp.
[Ugh,] she almost gagged. [Gross. But, bear with it, Mel. 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...?"
Melisa nodded, her smile never wavering.
"Yep, it’s back to life. Handy little trick, isn’t it?" She crushed the roach again, this time slowly, her eyes locked on Belstadt’s. "And you know what’s interesting? I can do this as many times 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 seemed caught off guard by Melisa’s approach, her eyes flicking between Melisa and Belstadt. For the first time, the Shadow Mage’s composure cracked. Her eyes darted nervously to the roach, previously dead but now clearly moving, then back to Melisa.
"You wouldn’t dare," Belstadt hissed, though her voice lacked the confidence it held before.
Melisa’s smirk vanished, replaced by a cold sneer.
"You think I feel any hint of compassion for a Shadow Mage? Come 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?" Melisa shook her head. "You’ve already seen what I’m capable of. I’ve got all the time 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," Melisa 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 Melisa, 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."
Melisa 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."