The discussion in Finn's office continued for some time.
In the end, a clear conclusion was reached.
Revis would be sent to the basement.
Deep beneath the Twilight Manor, she would be confined to a reinforced cell and shackled from head to toe in pure adamantite shackles.
The metal, nearly indestructible even by first-class adventurers, left no room for escape or resistance.
Judas had already begun the painstaking process of whittling down the spell that guarded her memories.
If nothing went wrong, he would be able to finish the extraction first thing in the morning.
For extra precaution, Finn decided to place Gareth in charge of guarding her cell personally.
With that, the discussion inside Finn's office finally came to a close.
"Making an old man like me do extra work... you really are one heartless pallum."
Gareth crossed his arms and let out a gruff chuckle.
Despite the complaint, there was no real bitterness in his voice... he merely spoken those words in jest.
Finn smiled faintly.
"Hm... hidden organizations operating in the shadows, our upcoming expedition, and the aftermath of today's incident..."
He leaned back in his chair, fingers interlaced, his eyes staring up at the ceiling.
"Because one of their members was murdered, the Ganesha Familia may demand that we hand Revis over to them as well."
"Looks like we're going to get busy in the near future."
Riveria said, shaking her head lightly as she rose from her seat.
...
In the bath area of the Twilight Manor...
Ais sat silently in the bathtub, her knees drawn up to her chest, arms wrapped tightly around her legs.
Steam rose gently from the water, but she barely felt its warmth.
Her expression was twisted into a faint grimace, her golden eyes unfocused.
Her thoughts drifted back to what happened on the 18th floor.
Revis' figure stood vividly in her mind.
'She was strong... really strong.'
Ais' fingers curled beneath the surface of the water.
'And yet Judas was able to defeat her...'
Her chest tightened.
'While I lost.'
The realization lingered heavily, not as jealousy... but as frustration at her own weakness.
Then another memory surfaced.
Words spoken with cruel certainty.
'Aria.'
Her breath caught.
'She knew about Aria.'
The water trembled as Ais clenched her fist.
'My mother...'
Ais clenched her fist until her knuckles whitened, her nails digging into her palm as she bit down on her lip.
Silence stretched for a few seconds.
Then... her expression changed.
As if a decision had finally settled in her heart.
She stood abruptly, water cascading from her body and splashing softly against the tiled floor.
Wrapping herself in a towel, she headed towards her room and quickly dressed herself up.
Moments later, she left her room, her footsteps echoing quietly through the halls of the manor as she headed toward a very specific destination.
...
It was midnight, and the night sky above the manor was unusually clouded.
'It's been a while since I've been to the basement.'
Ais thought as she descended the narrow flight of stairs, the faint glow of the mana lamps casting elongated shadows along the corridor.
"Oh? Ais? What are you doing here?"
The first person she saw was Gareth, standing guard in front of a heavy metal door.
Ais didn't need to ask.
She already knew this was where Revis was being kept.
"Gareth... can you let me through?"
The Sword Princess asked quietly.
"Hm? And what for, lass?"
Gareth replied, one brow lifting.
"I... I have questions I want to ask."
Ais hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Hmmm..."
Gareth didn't agree right away. His gaze lingered on her expression, sharp and assessing.
"I can see that something's weighing on you."
"Did losing to that Revis woman hit you that hard?"
Though dwarves weren't known for their sensitivity, Gareth was one of the few who had watched Ais grow up. Not as closely as Riveria... but close enough to be something of an uncle to her.
At his words, Ais lowered her head and remained silent.
"Aye... figures."
Gareth let out a sigh, resting a large hand against the door.
"If you want it that badly, I suppose there's no stopping you."
He paused, then added in a warning tone,
"Just don't cause too much of a ruckus. Judas set up some kind of magic circle... something meant to weaken the defenses around her memories."
"If you mess with it, then by the time the Ganesha Familia comes to collect her, we won't be able to squeeze any information out of her."
With that, the sound of metal scraping echoed through the corridor as the door slowly opened.
Revis lay completely restrained, bound in adamantite shackles imbued with some enchantments... restraints so strong that even Gareth would have difficulty breaking them.
A rotating magic circle glowed faintly on the floor beneath her.
She lifted her head when she sensed movement.
Ais approached with slow, measured steps.
Neither of them spoke.
Silence stretched between them, heavy and tense.
After a moment, Ais closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
When she opened them again, her voice was steady.
"You called me Aria."
She didn't bother with pleasantries.
"Tell me. How do you know that name? Who are you?"
"Heh..."
Revis didn't answer.
Instead, she spat at Ais's boots.
"Aria..."
Revis snarled.
"I swear, when I get out of here, the first thing I'll do is drag you—and that cursed mage—straight to hell."
Her glare radiated pure bloodlust, enough to make an ordinary person freeze in place.
But Ais didn't flinch.
Her grip tightened around the hilt of her sword.
"Hmph! And what exactly are you planning to do with that little toy?"
Revis mocked her, fearlessly... almost inviting her to strike.
Ais closed her eyes once more, drawing in several steady breaths.
'No... it's not worth it.'
She loosened her grip.
Turning away, she began to walk back toward the door.
'Riveria said Judas would get answers out of her first thing in the morning.'
'By then... I'll have what I'm looking for.'
This time, Ais chose patience.
...
Yawn.
Judas let out a tired breath as he wandered through the manor's quiet halls.
"I can't wait to finally sleep in my bed..."
He muttered under his breath, scratching the back of his neck as he approached his room.
Just as his hand reached for the doorknob...
His instincts exploded.
A sudden wave of overwhelming danger washed over him.
---
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