"What makes you reach such conclusion?" Augustus smiled, leaning forward with his elbows rested on the desk and his fingers crossed. He stared at Lily, his gaze calm and icy.
His blade was strapped on his waist. Lily stood beside him, her hands crossed in front of her chest, and her daggers remained hidden from sight. Her brows knitted tight.
"That you think I am the spy? Uh…" Lily blinked, completely stumped. She cleared her throat, forcing a serious expression, "I am the one who brought the information to you—"
There, right there. A light flashed through Augustus's eyes as he dropped his hands, an icy sigh escaping his lips as he lay back in the chair, 'Why expose their hand? Impossible.'
'Lily is the bait used to attract me to their trap. I don't know how, but someone in this village is trying to poke at my own hand.' Augustus scoffed, "Lily, go complete my quest."
"What? I am supposed to clear my name first! How can I get the rewards if you think that I am a spy?" Lily shouted, feeling like Augustus was trying to cheat her, "and how do you know about Esmeralda? You are trying to deceive me!"
"If you were the spy, then they would not have needed that trap. You are more likely a disposable pawn than a source of desired intel." Augustus answered calmly, standing from his seat, then turning to the door, "They want to pressure me into being foolish."
"Who is trying to pressure you? Esmeralda and her knights are preparing to wage war against the moon palace." Lily slammed his palm on the table, "They have no time to play games with a weak twig like you! Sooner or later, the northern cities will be invaded."
"That's what they want you to believe." Augustus stepped out of his room, pocketing his hands and smirking. Lily followed him, slamming the door shut behind them, leaving the pieces of paper to scatter into the air before raining back to the ground.
As the pieces of paper lay at rest, a small figure by the window took off into the air, a reflection cast on the mirror cast by Augustus's bird— directly in his line of sight from the desk he'd sat on. A final light flashed on the mirror, then it grew dull.
Augustus on the other hand, walked the upper floors' corridor with Lily. The building was Melissa's, and she'd kept him there for the meantime. Well, since her own room was a few metres across his, it allowed her to keep a very close eye on him.
"Are you playing with me, Augustus?" Lily frowned, staring at Augustus's back. He did not pay her attention, until they reached the end of the corridor and she grabbed, "Are you not listening to what I am saying? Stop thinking that they are connected!"
"But, you are the spy Celina sent here to watch me, aren't you?" Augustus turned with the smirk on his face maintained, staring Lily in the eye, "You forced my hand this turn. If I do not go, then they will know how much data I've gathered, and try to stop me."
Outplay your opponents means not getting outplayed. Even though they did not know the skill he was given, they knew how he would react to situations just as much as he did them. If he's snowballing in strength, then he needs to be stopped, isn't that correct?
"You said it yourself, sister." Augustus shrugged off her grip, pocketing his left hand, and holding the hilt of his sheathed blade with his right hand, "Just complete your quest, and I assure your rewards would be granted."
Lily withdrew her hand, watching Augustus take the stairs down, her furrowed brows loosening up. She sighed, placing her hands on her hips, then took the stairs. She kept her distance, "I just hope that he isn't planning to do something really stupid."
"As a matter of fact, I am." Augustus muttered under his breath as he reached the end of the stairs, taking the bottom floor's corridor down to the exit. Augustus caught her take the opposite door out of the corner of his eyes, narrowing them.
——
"Fuck…" Aaron cursed, swinging his blade hard and clashing with that of a massive armoured humanoid— its entire body wrapped in a dark cloak. He staggered back as the demon chased, its speed inhuman, "…Where did these things come from?"
Two-Hit Combo! Aaron swung his blade, splitting the demon in two separate halves with a vertical cleave, and watching it tumble over. As it created a pool of blood, a cold gleam flashed in Aaron's eyes, "Arlene! Get back!"
«Blade Euphony», Aaron slashed with his blade, vanishing deep into the cave as the flashes of light spread forth into the darkness, slashing through them and revealing the positions, then, «Light Symphony» was used, slashing them to shreds.
Some tried to counter with their blades, but with their positions revealed, he quickly outmanoeuvred them and severed them to pieces. Once all the demons in sight was dead, he turned to Aurora, "Are you mad?! How could you lead us into this death trap?"
"I didn't know that these monsters were hiding here!" Aurora quickly raised defence, her widened eyes darting from left to right. She bit her lower lip, muttering incoherent nonsense to herself, "This place was supposed to be empty! I double checked!"
"We got played by someone?" Arlene frowned, giving Aurora a disappointed glance, a coldness creeping into her heart. She turned to the enraged Aaron, "We can't stay here for too long. The monsters inside must be attracted to the noise, and they'll come pouring."
"Well, no one told us that the entrance was one way! We can try clearing this place on our own and risking death, or hiding somewhere and waiting for help." Aaron heaved, "At this rate, we have to pray to god for some sort of miracle."
"I-It can't be that hopeless?" Aurora stammered. She, much like Arlene, was only here for support and had weak battle strength. In a fight or die situation, there was no hope to live with her strength, "N-no, we can't go in there! We have to wait!"
"I was such a fool for coming here without more damage dealers." Aaron glared at the nerve-stricken Aurora and sighed. He did not know where she got that information, but he knew that it was a trap, "Just stand down, I'll handle the monsters."