The only way to stop her when she was doing a scam was to call out her true identity.
That was the way Reinhardt did it when he had found her out, she had been humbled pretty quick too, so he hoped for a similar effect too.
Azel didn’t like scams, but he could understand.
The woman wasn’t a thief out of greed — she came from a struggling family.
Their parents had left them when they were young, abandoning both sisters.
Now she lived with her younger sister, the same girl who had called them into this place just minutes ago.
They were doing what they had to do to survive.
"Ah." The woman took a deep breath.
Her face didn’t show fear or guilt.
She looked calm, too calm too as though nothing had been revealed.
She was still going to hold onto her act to the very end.
"You dare accuse Madame Estesse of fraud?" she said, lifting her chin. "You can ask my customers. I don’t scam."
Inside, however, her thoughts were anything but calm.
’Good thing this room is soundproof.’
No one outside could hear their talk or anything that happened in here.
If her identity was revealed in public, if even one customer heard it, her business would crumble. She would lose everything.
But still... how did he know?
He had spoken her true name.
Was he bluffing?
She looked at him again.
No.
His expression didn’t belong to someone who bluffed. He already knew a lot about her... she could see it in his eyes, he was looking at her like the same way she was looking at Lorraine just now.
"Illusion magic," he said flatly.
Her heart sank.
So he wasn��t bluffing.
He knew.
Still, she wasn’t going to give up.
Then something appeared in his hand... a small spray bottle, shining faintly. Before she could react, he sprayed its contents onto her.
At once, the body of Madame Estesse shimmered, wavered, and melted. The illusion broke apart like broken glass.
The tall, curvy woman shrank down to her real form. Her makeup and powder dissolved away.
Now standing in her place was a girl around Azel’s age, with unkempt pink hair and tired violet eyes.
Charlotte.
Her lips trembled, but she forced an awkward smile.
"Uhm... You’re not planning to rat me out, are you?" she asked.
Her hand reached up quickly, smoothing her messy hair.
He was handsome and handsome men always wanted something.
Always.
She tilted her head and put on a softer look.
"A handsome young man like you wouldn’t want to ruin a maiden like me, right?"
Azel raised one eyebrow.
She was really going to use the maiden card?
"Well, that depends," he said.
His voice was calm, his eyes never leaving hers. "I don’t want to spread it around that Madame Estesse is just a girl using illusions. So... how about you work for me? I’ll pay you well."
Charlotte’s heart skipped.
Then her eyes widened in alarm.
"As a... personal toy?" she blurted.
She already knew what men in power were like. She knew how they treated women. She knew what they demanded.
Was he the same?
Her body tensed. Her throat went dry. She thought about Esther. She couldn’t let him use her like that.
"I’d rather take my chances," Charlotte snapped. Her eyes hardened. "Esther, do it!"
The shadows moved.
From a corner of the room, long black tendrils erupted like snakes.
They lashed out at Azel from every side aiming to bind him at the very least.
Charlotte smirked for a moment.
’He’s a strong swordsman but her shadows have sedatives so that should hold him...’
Her thought soon froze.
Azel didn’t move.
The shadows slammed into him and bounced off.
The tendrils that had the power to crush stone, simply rebounded as though striking iron walls.
Azel’s skin didn’t even dent.
Charlotte’s smirk vanished. A bead of cold sweat slid down her face.
"...No way," she whispered.
Azel moved.
He caught one of the shadow tentacles in his hand. His grip was like a vice. Then, with one pull, he yanked it hard.
The tendril screamed as if alive and then Esther, Charlotte’s younger sister, was ripped free from the shadows themselves.
"Ahhh!" Esther cried as her small body flew across the room.
Azel caught her with one hand, lifting her easily. She twisted and struggled, but he held her like she weighed nothing.
His crimson eyes turned back to Charlotte.
Charlotte’s chest tightened with fear.
She had made a terrible mistake.
"Uhhh..." Charlotte stammered, her voice breaking. "You mentioned... something about pay?"
She couldn’t let him hurt Esther.
She couldn’t... she was the only thing good thing she had left in this world... apart from money of course.
"But Sir Azel," she said quickly, forcing a nervous smile, "I don’t want to work as a pros—"
"Save it."
He didn’t even let her finish.
"You think I’m offering you this chance because I need someone to warm my bed?" His tone was full of disdain. "I already have women who would do that without asking. For free."
His eyes narrowed. "And I wouldn’t want you anyway."
Charlotte froze.
She should have been relieved. She should have been glad he wasn’t trying to use her body.
But her heart twisted strangely.
’Am I not attractive enough?’
Her face heated.
Her chest wasn’t the biggest, but still — she wasn’t ugly, she could compete with these so called campus beauties on any day.
She shook the thought away.
Now wasn’t the time.
Azel dropped Esther onto the floor without ceremony.
The younger girl stumbled but quickly ran to Charlotte, clutching her arm.
Charlotte wrapped an arm around her protectively, holding her close.
Her violet eyes locked on Azel, filled with frustration and fear.
"...What do you want from me, then?" she asked.
"I need you to get some information for me," Azel said. His tone was calm again, as if the fight had never happened.
"I’ll make it worth your while."
Charlotte took a deep breath.
This was what he wanted?
Information?
"...What kind of information?" she asked at last, steadying her voice.
Azel leaned forward slightly.
"Get me all the information you can on Professor Xebli Abron."
Why would he want information on this random? This was the man who would trigger the first minor calamity.