"I want to know your real identity."
'Well that sounds about fair. She is going to sign an enslavement contract after all…'
"Alright."
Nadya was surprised. She didn't expect this man to suddenly reveal his identity so easily.
She narrowed her eyes as she looked at him
"You know I can cancel the enslavement contract after this and still retain the memory of your face?"
"And?"
"…I don't know, what if I report your identity to the association?"
"You should do it then."
Nadya widened her eyes. She didn't know how this man was being so fearless. She accepted that he was strong, but compared to their vice leader? She didn't think he stood a chance.
Ray was never a coward. If she went ahead and revealed his identity, he would just have to fast forward his plan, and he would definitely kill her.
And besides, he knew how to read people. She would never reveal his identity. He was her only attempt at a proper revenge.
*Snap*
Ray snapped his fingers and slowly his appearance began to change.
The amethyst eyes changed to deep black, and the tiny wrinkles in the face of 'Aerich' started smoothening out.
He grew in height and soon shiny silver hair covered his scalp.
He undid the disguise spell and stood there looking at Nadya with a smile on his face.
Nadya's expression however was something to look at.
The moment she saw the silver hair she had an instinctive feeling to kneel. Only rulers of Celestial emperor ever had silver hair.
At the next moment when she saw the almost perfect and charming face smiling down at her she had no doubt in her mind about his identity.
He was exactly the same as she remembered during the banquet.
Without wasting another moment, she kneeled down and lowered her head and looked at the ground.
Her mind almost stopped working.
'How can it be the prince? How is this possible!'
She felt like going mad.
'I don't know what is going on anymore…'
She thought the association was hidden enough and would easily succeed in taking over the empire. What she didn't expect was that the prince himself to be a few steps ahead and make moves himself.
"I greet your highness, the royal prince!"
Ray who noticed this didn't know what to say.
"Isn't it already too late for that?"
Nadya felt extremely awkward. She had been completely wrong about the palace being behind the killings of her parents, she had plotted against the empire with a bunch of maniacs, and finally she had tried to assassinate the future emperor.
She really didn't know how she should feel. Her head felt like exploding.
"So, do you accept the conditions now?"
"May I ask how you…"
'Reverence'
Nadya felt a wave of pressure hit her as she strangely felt that the person in front of her was too high to talk with her and shut up immediately.
"Don't ask things you shouldn't. The conditions are set. You do what I want and get what you want. Accept the contract if you want to, otherwise you can just leave."
Nadya shuddered immediately.
'This pressure… it feels similar to the vice leader but also different…'
Nadya made her decision. She removed the mask and cloak and revealed herself to Ray.
The moment the enchanted mask and cloak came off, Ray saw a brown haired beautiful woman kneeling in front of him. She had moderate curves, however in the position she was in, those assets appeared highly amplified.
"I accept!"
'Enslavement.'
Immediately a bright purple magic circle formed under Nadya's feet and she felt her mind getting connected to the prince.
She widened her eyes at this phenomenon.
'How does the prince have a enslavement spell? Shouldn't he have a pride system as it was declared?'
But she didn't ask him anything as she remembered what he had just said.
Within a few seconds, the light disappeared and Ray could feel another person beside Claire in his mind if he wanted to.
At this moment a quest window popped up, but he saved for later.
Looking at Nadya, he smiled devilishly.
"Now here's what I want you to do. You should know who cast the spell on the Duke's second wife right?"
"Yes, the person who cast the spell on Yei works under Number 1…"
"And you know what they were planning…"
She nodded her head.
Slowly she reiterated everything she knew about this, and Ray listened, verifying everything with the memories he had just watched.
The Duke of the North was not really the most intelligent. In fact, he was pretty dumb, but he was an extremely experienced fighter. According to the association, if someone controlled him, he could become an extremely durable pawn.
While his first wife mostly looked after the problems in the various marquis and baron territories, his second wife looked after the matters of the duchy. She was the real brain behind the various things that happened. Resources, taxes, negotiations, foreign affairs, everything.
And Nadya herself overlooked the security and the people that entered and exited the mansion.
The Duke trusted all three unconditionally and let them do whatever they wanted.
Taking advantage of this, she had brought the caster in, disguised as someone who had to discuss something about the resources that year, and with that he cast a spell on her.
She did not know what the spell did, but it took effect after she slept the next time and not immediately to avoid suspicion.
Just like that, she went to sleep that night and didn't wake up again.
Soon, they would send another person to negotiate with him.
The plan was to cure Yei if the Duke assisted them in attacking the palace during the coronation.
While she was saying this, she fearfully looked at the prince, but he had the same smile on his face and showed no change in expression.
"Continue."
And she continued speaking.
If the Duke succeeded in killing the Prince, they would have accomplished their task. However if he failed and was killed or captured instead, they would just wake his second wife up, and then Nadya would convince her that the palace captured him without reason.
This would forever pit the northern duchy against the palace.
Ray nodded his head.
'Exactly as her memories showed me.'
Even if he wanted to destroy this association, he had to commend the person who made this plan. It was pretty well made.
"Alright, now you will go back and inform Number 1 that you have managed to kill the oracle."
Nadya nodded and listened intently.
"However, in your story, before you stabbed the oracle to death, he almost 'predicted' his death like an oracle would, and shouted the following words… 'The three will rule all once again!'"
At this Nadya tilted her head in confusion. She didn't know what this meant or how any this affected the plan ultimately.
However, she planned to listen to him and see where it got her.
"And finally, let the person who arrives to negotiate with the Duke do his job. Convince the Duke to agree with him on the spot. In front of the negotiator of the association, make the Duke agree with him however you can."
Nadya was once again confused.
"Shouldn't we convince Kazuo against attacking the palace and you?"
"Did you even hear what I said? You will convince the Duke in front of the person sent by the association. That person will then act as your alibi and inform others that you have done your job."
"…"
"And when he leaves, you will tell the Duke that this person was too suspicious and you will secretly start investigate him. Tell him to go with the plan of the oracle and forget about this person."
"…"
"I'm pretty sure you can pull off some sympathy play. Like how you want him to only focus on his second wife and let you handle the difficult task of finding who harmed her."
Nadya was slowly getting the picture of what was about to happen.
Ray who saw her expression clearing up laughed once again.
"Imagine this… the association knows the Duke will make a move on me during the ceremony and make a whole new set of plans, but he doesn't even move."
"Hmm…"
"And even better, you will tell him that your investigation has succeeded and give out the name of some of the people who would attack me during the ceremony to him."
Nadya didn't know herself but a smile had crawled onto her face.
"And instead of going after me, the Duke, their 'pawn' would turn on them!"
Nadya's smile widened. Just imagining the expression of their vice leader and probably Zero, she wanted to laugh.
However she had a question.
"Wouldn't the association question how the Duke got the information about the people? They would suspect and kill me …"
"You remember that line 'Aerich' said before he died to you? That will take care of it. Trust me."
Nadya didn't know what it was, but she strangely wanted to trust this plan. It sounded extremely good to her ears.
"Alright!"
Unknowingly, the SS ranked enslavement spell and Ray's S+ ranked charm had already started slowly increasing Nadya's trust towards him.
In no time she would believe him completely.
As Nadya was about to leave, Ray stopped her.
"You… you have the Shadow Assassin System right?"
"How! How di-"
"Just answer my question."
She didn't know what to even make out of the prince anymore. He seemed to know almost everything.
"Yes…"
"What is the strongest skill in your system shop?"
"Hmm… lets see…"
"…"
Nadya began scrolling her system and found what she was looking for.
"SSS ranked passive skill 'One with the Shadow' and SSS ranked active skill 'Shadow Manipulation'."
Ray nodded his head.
He definitely had to take one of her skills, but shadow systems were rare to find and he had one under his control, so he didn't really need to hurry and take her 'Shadow Leap' skill. It was a good skill, but he knew better hiding and assassination skills.
However those SSS ranked skills were a different matter.
'One With the Shadow' could almost make him ethereal and stay in shadows, making him immune to physical stacks. However as a side effect he could not have other ethereal skills like 'One With the Light' or 'One With the Darkness'.
'Shadow Manipulation' was more like a movement, short distance teleportation and a recon skill at once, however one with a long cool down, not favorable in battles but almost at the top as a support skill.
To Ray who could steal skills though, even if he had 'One With the Shadow' he could learn other ethereal skills.
"Alright, take your time, investigate people who are committing crimes in the duchy, work with Yei if you have to, and assassinate them. Collect points and learn the Shadow Manipulation skill. I don't know how you will do it, but do it within three months."
"It'll take just two weeks. I was already collecting points, but it was to get 'One With the Shadow'…"
"Just do what I say; it's the best for you."
"Alright."
And with that, they separated and went their own ways.
Even if Ray could easily learn multiple ethereal skills, they had a fatal weakness for him especially. Every ethereal skill reduced your mana output capacity and your overall mana capacity. It was just not suitable for him.
However, if he had Shadow Manipulation, he knew the perfect skill he could synthesize it with.
Having done most his work and achieved more than he expected, he disguised himself once again and after hiding properly, reached back to his room.
After coming in, he used mana to clean his body and lay down on the bed looking at a quest screen that had popped up before but he ignored.