Reincarnated in the Astral World

"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."

"But…" Arthur hesitates. He wants to believe Eliza wouldn't expose Nyx, but they've only known each other for a day. Even after facing a life-or-death situation together, he can't so easily entrust his family's safety to her.

Aria observes Arthur's silence, interpreting it as him preparing to do whatever is necessary to protect their family. However, her gaze softens as she looks at Eliza, her expression shifting to one of warmth.

"There is a way to resolve this… a demonstration of honesty and commitment," she says in a mysterious tone.

"Anything!" Eliza immediately expresses her willingness. "I'll do anything, Lady Aria…" She steps closer, extending her arm. "A pact will ensure you don't doubt me. I'll swear never to reveal any of your family's secrets!"

Aria nods, her smile becoming even more encouraging. She glances at Arthur before returning her attention to Eliza. "You seem like a good girl, my dear, but a silence pact isn't enough… Do you realize how significant this is? I can't risk a powerful mage extracting this information from your mind."

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"But…" Eliza's emotions swirl—hope flashes and fades before her eyes. She tries to think of something quickly. "You're such a powerful mage! You could place a barrier in my mind to prevent—"

"Barriers can be weakened and destroyed," Aria interrupts, making Eliza lower her head in sadness.

"Yet…" Aria pauses, prompting Eliza to lift her gaze, anticipation gleaming in her eyes. Arthur, too, looks on expectantly. Aria smiles confidently as she continues, "I believe there's a solution."

"I'll do anything, just tell me!" Eliza struggles to contain her eagerness to prove her loyalty to Arthur.

"Not so fast," Aria says, her expression turning nostalgic for a moment. "Have you ever heard of the Letter of Cereon Valis?"

At the mention of the name, Arthur looks confused, and Eliza curious. But Lis's reaction is the most telling—her puzzled expression betrays her, even though she quickly tries to mask it, failing to escape Aria's sharp notice.

"I've heard of the ancient archmage Cereon Valis," Eliza quickly replies, "but what is this letter?"

Aria glances at Lis, noting her reaction but pretending not to notice. She then shifts her focus back to Eliza with a friendly expression. "Cereon Valis is one of the most renowned mages in history for his mastery of time and thought spells. But what many don't know are some of his darker, more secretive works…"

Eliza's eyes light up with the excitement any mage would feel at hearing of a secret spell, her lips almost trembling with anticipation. She glances shyly at Arthur, her cheeks reddening as she tries to appear composed.

"Calm down, kid," Aria says with a chuckle. "The Letter of Cereon Valis is a very dangerous spell. He discovered it while copying his own thoughts onto letters, intending to send them to others who would read his words and see right into his thoughts…"

"I've never heard of such a thing," Eliza says, her mouth agape. "It sounds like a more primitive version of memory storage crystals…"

"Indeed," Aria nods. "But Cereon's spell required only a small amount of mana and any writable surface. However, another mage showed Cereon its true value…"

"Stealing thoughts…" Lis murmurs instinctively, confident no one heard her. But Aria does and watches Lis with heightened interest.

"Stealing thoughts," Aria repeats aloud, directing her explanation to Eliza. "With a slight change in the chant, Cereon realized that the memories he wrote would vanish from his mind. But when he re-read them, the words disappeared from the page and returned to their original place—his mind."

"Amazing!" Eliza exclaims, awestruck. Arthur and Nyx share her astonishment.

But Eliza's expression quickly turns concerned. "It's a solution… but also… dark magic, I suppose."

Aria carefully evaluates every reaction and word from Eliza. The girl's cautious nature only makes her seem more trustworthy. "Yes, it is dark magic, but I am fully capable of managing this spell on you and your siblings without any harmful side effects. I would remove only the memories of Nyx from your mind and store them in a letter for Arthur to return to you in the future… or not."

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~"