"It's over!" Nyx leaps into Arthur's arms, kissing his cheek enthusiastically.
Arthur finally exhales, relieved, but as the adrenaline subsides, the weight of everything that happened begins to settle. The consequences of his actions—especially the need for Nyx's help, which exposed her—loom heavily in his mind.
He first turns his gaze to Eliza, who is looking at him and Nyx with an expression that's curious yet friendly, even affectionate. Her soft smile makes Arthur return one, and her cheeks flush as she quickly looks away.
But Arthur's mood shifts abruptly when his eyes meet the gleaming, dangerous look in Lady Lis's. Instincts honed from his past life as Liam flare to life.
'Something inside me just knows what she is...'
Arthur mentally comments to Nyx.
'Vile and dangerous...'
His hostility is evident as he grips the hilt of his sword tightly, staring at Lis. Her response surprises him:
"Ara ara~" Lis lets out a confident laugh, a wide smile spreading across her face. "You can't even hide your desire to kill me to protect your little secret?" She glances at Nyx, making it clear what she's referring to.
The atmosphere grows tense instantly, the hostile exchange between Lis and Arthur thickening the air. Nyx steps beside him, her expression serious, and Eliza instinctively mirrors her, stepping forward and gripping her magical staff defensively.
A faint smile flickers across Aria's serene face, but she quickly masks it with a calm, neutral expression. "It's fine, darling," she says to Arthur gently. "The situation is under our control."
"Without a doubt, kukuku..." Lis giggles, her gaze darting between Nyx and Arthur. "After all, how could a mage as powerful and intelligent as you allow such a secret to slip? A demoness as an Astral Beast? That would shake Eldoria to its roots!"
"No!" Lis's voice betrays her excitement. "The world may not even be prepared for such a thing. Well, at least, I've never heard of anything like it... not even in the Demonic Lands."
"You know a lot about the Demonic Lands?" Aria asks smoothly, her tone both curious and sharp, while Arthur and Nyx look equally intrigued.
"Not really, you know. Kukuku..." Lis giggles again, her cheeks flushing faintly.
The mysterious member of the League of Assassins demonstrates impressive emotional flexibility, but both Aria and Arthur can see the dangerous glint in her eyes.
Still, Aria shifts her attention to Eliza. "What about you, Miss Whittlee? I'm sure you have many questions about this matter."
"Me? No... I mean, yes, I..." Eliza stammers, panicking under Aria's piercing gaze, which suddenly feels suffocating.
Desperate, she instinctively looks to Arthur for help. "You saved my life and my brothers'... that's a debt I'll carry forever. I would never think to—"
Eliza's voice falters as she notices both Arthur and Aria's expressions grow more serious. Her heart begins to race, but the strongest emotion isn't fear—it's deep sadness. She realizes that the man she already admires so much cannot simply trust her.
Arthur wants to protect his family above all else, but the thought of harming Eliza feels unimaginable. Conflicted, he looks to his mother with a confused expression. "Mother..."
Aria remains composed, her voice warm but tinged with curiosity. "It's still too early for this secret to spread... If it does, we'll become targets for the entire continent within months."
Eliza glances at Arthur, her expression resolute once again. "The gaps from the battle wouldn't be too much of a problem, right?"
"You're sharp, so your mind would naturally fill in the blanks," Aria explains calmly. "You'd likely deduce he used some clever trick or received assistance to perform so well. You wouldn't miss the details anyway."
"I accept!" Eliza nods without hesitation, her gaze steady on Arthur before turning to Aria. "I trust you, Lady Aria."
Aria nods back and then looks at Nyx. "Time to go, dear."
"Mm." Nyx gives Arthur a kiss on the cheek before dissolving into a cloud of purple dust, and returning to his Nexus.
"Let's proceed." Aria wastes no time, summoning three aged, yellowed sheets of parchment that float before her with a snap of her fingers. Raising her right hand, she begins to swirl her finger, chanting softly:
"
Memoriae Furtivae! Secretum Mentis, Epistulae Vincite... Memoriae Furtivae...
" As she chants in the ancient tongue, Eliza feels a light fog clouding her mind, her eyes closing instinctively.
Arthur watches closely as a faint gray glow emerges from Eliza's forehead, floating in the air like a tangible thread. The same happens to her brothers, still unconscious on the ground.
These strands of energy carry Nyx's memories from their minds, weaving into the parchments floating before Aria. As the spell concludes, Aria finishes the chant with a commanding voice: "
Epistulae Vincite... Epistulamemor!
"
With a snap of her fingers, the three sheets fold themselves into sealed letters.
The Whittlee siblings remain still, but Eliza emerges from the trance, her gaze shifting to Aria and the letters with curious awe. "So... that's it? The..." She trails off, realizing she cannot recall what she was trying to remember. "It feels like the secret is safely stored... in those letters, right?"
Aria nods, and Eliza extends her hand. "Can I have them?"
"Hmmm..." Aria tilts her head curiously but then glances at Arthur. He looks equally intrigued but nods, his confident smile encouraging her.
Aria makes the letters float toward Eliza, who grabs them firmly but doesn't even glance at them before chanting a spell with determined resolve: "
Glaciflammis!
" Her ice magic ignites a white flame on her fingers, reducing the letters to ash before everyone's eyes.
The swiftness and decisiveness of her action make Arthur smile, and Aria's eyes gleam with approval. "Smart girl."
With the Whittlee siblings no longer posing any threat to Arthur's secret, all eyes shift toward the mysterious Lady Lis.
She stands calmly, her gaze locked onto Aria, her smile growing even friendlier. "That trick won't work on me. But that's a good thing, after all. It means you will have to trust me, kukuku~"