Mahil had no choice but to agree to talk in private, he dreaded the very thought of making Aron an enemy at this point. So, he, Aron, and the woman beside him went upstairs to a smaller private dining area.
However, just before entering, Aron beckoned Mahil to stop. "I want to speak with her first, she is your spokesperson after all. You wait out here." This sudden development took both the woman and the man by surprise, it was no exaggeration to say they thought Aron was doing this because he was lustful of the woman, so he wanted privacy.
"Oh, ah, yes, yes indeed, I shall wait here please take your time." Whatever the case may have been, Mahil took a submissive stance much like how his brother Tukmar did. He didn't even bother saying more and left the woman completely in Aron's hands, if her body could save his life and prestige then that was simply good news to him.
Inside the room, Aron took the lead and walked over to a round table that had several seats around it and sat down before gesturing for the woman to do the same.
Even now her demeanor remained relaxed, she couldn't predict what Aron was thinking but if she indeed had to pay with her body, then it would be a small price to pay. "Let's not waste any more time, tell me who you really are." Aron didn't mince his words and directly cut to the chase; he had his own reasons for being in a hurry.
"...Khalifa is my name; I am one of the twelve heads of the Aramil Alsahra. What will it take for you to drop this matter and forget about it?" The woman's exotic voice was truly quite alluring even as she spoke so seriously. She'd concluded Aron was no fool and if she kept trying to deny the existence of the Aramil Alsahra then the results may be disastrous.
"That will depend on your answers, why do you serve the fourth imperial prince?" Aron asked curiously, he had his own thoughts on the matter, but he needed to hear it directly from her to be sure. "Our organization isn't as great as it once was, so to grow efficiently, I along with the other heads have ties to many important figures of noble households, we help fulfill their ambition and in turn, they help us grow and operate more smoothly." After she spoke she looked at Aron and found he was smiling at her answer. 'Does he think I'm lying?' she thought with worry but that wasn't the case.
"By ties you mean you control certain members in noble households. Why else would you serve that fool of a fourth prince? I can only assume the other heads do the same, target a noble in desperate need of assistance and help them rise while manipulating them to benefit you most. Isn't that the case?" he asked with a brow raised and Khalifa nodded her head in response. She couldn't deny his words at all, it was easy to deduce for anyone who thought about it properly, so she wasn't surprised.
"Interesting." Aron muttered before turning his gaze to the door. "Mahil! Enter!" he commanded and almost instantly, the fourth prince rushed in with a cold sweat on his forehead. 'Is he displeased? Did she refuse? Dammit, this isn't good...' Mahil only held worries when he was suddenly called in by Aron, however, he didn't jump to conclusions and simply lowered his head a bit while facing Aron.
"I've decided to let this matter drop and I won't pursue trouble for you again. In turn, I keep her." Aron's voice reverberated in the small room, to use her for one night was one thing but he wanted to keep her. This was a far bigger price than what Mahil expected, Khalifa was also surprised by this move, but she didn't utter a word of complaint.
Seeing Mahil's hesitation, Aron continued to speak. "She's already helped you climb so far, why not enjoy your current position and wealth? Or you can keep her and watch together as I destroy everything valuable in your lives." Aron's tone turned dark and serious, all the doubts Mahil had completely vanished and he nodded his head vigorously while cupping his fists.
"No! No! This one doesn't dare to have any complaints, if you want her then she's yours, Lord Aron." Mahil laughed nervously but the pain he felt was great, Khalifa and her organization was the reason he had risen in power and was so successful this far, losing her would be a fatal wound to his power but that was better than being destroyed.
Unbeknownst to both, Aron was once again bluffing.There was no way he would forget about his sole purpose at the moment and expend extra effort to destroy some nobody. He just happened to come across a possible useful asset and wanted to try and take it, if he failed then so be it and move on.
"Good, but just to be sure, I need you to swear an oath with me. You are to never disclose what happened here today and will act like you've never met Khalifa or heard of her organization. Should you break this oath you will die a painful death. Do you agree?" Aron stood from his seat and walked over to Mahil and extended his hand to shake.
Mahil was a bit puzzled, he thought maybe he'd want him to sign a contract of sorts or maybe even have a Runic Life Seal placed. An oath of words was fickle, so Mahil didn't hesitate in shaking Aron's hand. "I agree! I wholeheartedly agree!" he declared with much vigor, causing Aron to curve his mouth into a devilish smile.
[Binding Art: Heart's Oath]
"Invoke..." When Aron muttered this, Mahil felt his heart squeeze and his hand burn. A seal of sorts burned onto his hand for a moment before vanishing as if it were not even there.
'A simple but firm sixth tier runic oath that'll ensure he never speaks of this.' Aron thought as he pulled away his hand in a satisfied manner, if one looked closely they could see a set of faint fine lines drawn on his palm that soon faded into nothingness. "You're free to leave now and remember, break the oath and you will certainly die."
After Mahil left looking like he had just lost everything precious in his life, Aron turned to Khalifa who furrowed her brows towards him in worry. "Will I need to swear an oath as well?" she asked curiously, but Aron shook his head and approached her slowly.
"You and I will have a contract. You serve me and in turn your organization gets ties to the youngest Harbinger in Galos Academy history who just so happens to have a Grand Mage for an ally." Aron offered, and Khalifa looked at him with cautious eyes, a Harbinger was one thing but they'd also get ties to a Grand Mage!
Aron could only offer this as he wasn't sure about the heart's oath yet. Being the tier that it was the oath took quite some time to draw and Aron couldn't be sure it was perfect so he had planned to test it on Tukmar as he wouldn't lose out if that person died but Mahil worked fine as well.
The only other option left for Khalifa was destruction, so she didn't hesitate to nod her head in agreement. Seeing as she was in a state of excitement, Aron didn't waste time and began the same ritual he had used on Anastasia.
"Let my blood be the ink, my body the paper, and my soul the signature as I invoke this contract of servitude. I swear on this day that I, Aron, along with my ally a Grand Mage, shall have ties to Khalifa and her Organization. Do you, Khalifa, in turn swear servitude to me and only me?" Khalifa stood and took a bow towards Aron, if her organization could create ties with Galos Academy then she'd no longer need to worry for their safety. They could rise once more to an organization that struck fear and terror into the hearts of even kings.
"I swear!" she declared with excitement and a crest appeared in both her and Aron's eyes for a moment before growing dim and fading, with that the ritual had come to an end.
Aron couldn't help but look satisfied as well, the contract was very strict with the words used. So, Khalifa, who had been caught up in the moment, had just sworn servitude to Aron and would in turn receive ties to them. This meant Aron held no obligation to help or protect her and her organization, he simply couldn't deny having ties to them.
As for his rush in doing this and making the fourth prince swear an oath, once the other factions began to arrive, it would be known that Aron had left the academy without permission. Although it wasn't a big offense, it would be impossible for him to use the academy's name from there on against them.
'I wonder how she'll react when she learns the truth and realizes the true meaning behind our contract.' Aron smiled and Khalifa, who was oblivious to his thoughts, just smiled back.
[A/N: Another one falls to the pits, he's not a master manipulator but when the conditions are right, he's no slouch either. Thoughts so far?]
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