Aurora had lost the duel. In truth, she never stood a chance of leaving this place alive. Had Fairy Tristan lost, Morgan would have immediately stepped in.
"Now, let the performance begin. To ensure you remain grounded, please tear off your wings."
Such additional conditions would normally be forbidden in a Shadow Game. However, Aurora had imposed numerous restrictions herself earlier, so the Shadow Game accepted this order.
Aurora finally understood why Melusine obeyed Jiang You so unquestioningly. He must have used a similar tactic to defeat Melusine in a Shadow Game, sealing off her only path to escape.
"You are despicable!" Aurora hissed through clenched teeth. Melusine was a useless creature, unable to defeat even a frail human, and had gotten herself ensnared as well.
"I won't let you get away with this!"
"You're truly terrifying, aren't you?"
Fairy Tristan wasn't worried about letting a tiger return to its mountain lair. The rules of the Shadow Game were absolute; even if Aurora managed to break through them, her resistance would be futile.
"You don't actually think you still have a chance, do you? Try defying the Shadow Game."
Aurora watched in horror as her own hand gripped the base of her wing in a grotesque pose. Her body seemed to have a mind of its own, completely ignoring her commands. An immense force, defying the limits of her physical endurance and pain tolerance, brutally tore her wing from its socket.
"Aaaaaaaah!"
Aurora screamed in agony. These radiant, beautiful wings were proof of her status as Clan Leader of the Wind Clan, proof of her very identity as Aurora. In all her millennia, she had never endured such pain, and her tear ducts instantly overflowed.
"No! My wings! My wings!"
Unlike Melusine in the original story, Fairy Tristan had no intention of letting Aurora die painlessly. Under the excruciating agony, Aurora's face twisted into a grotesque mask, but the ordeal continued. With brutal determination, she tore off her other wing.
"Uwaah, they're still glowing."
Fairy Tristan, momentarily abandoning her aloof demeanor as the Child of Prophecy, picked up Aurora's severed wings. As the highest-ranking Wind Fairy, Aurora's wings contained a considerable amount of magical power. Tristan figured Medea could probably make some pretty useful things with them.
"Why do you Wind Fairies only have two pairs of wings...?"
"Ahem!"
Jiang You cleared his throat, reminding Fairy Tristan that she still needed to maintain the righteous image of the Child of Prophecy. Right now, she was sounding more like a villain.
"Tch."
Playing this role is such a pain, Fairy Tristan thought to herself. She reluctantly stopped her verbal assault, though most Fairies wouldn't have cared—their sense of morality was shockingly low to begin with. Jiang You was still treating them too much like humans.
Melusine averted her gaze, her heart aching. She regretted not agreeing to Jiang You's terms immediately; if she had been the one to do it, she would never have let Aurora suffer so much. Now, Aurora had lost both her reputation and her beauty beyond repair.
"Spare me that 'woe is me, my love is lost' expression. Though I know you won't listen, I still have to say it: she's not worth it."
Jiang You kept his gaze fixed on Melusine. Now that she had lost the anchor that sustained her existence, the Calamity aura of Albion within her began to manifest, though it hadn't yet erupted, as Morgan remained stable.
"Moreover, I won't allow it."
The moment these words fell, Melusine's transformation was abruptly halted. The absolute obedience to orders proved its weight in gold, demanding compliance even with such a directive. Melusine had indeed taken a considerable gamble.
"Then, let's find someone to toss her into that swamp."
Fairy Tristan scanned the group, her target already chosen.
"Melusine! You were born from that swamp, so no one knows the paths better than you, right? Besides, you're the fastest among us. I heard her call you 'rotten flesh' back then—you must be furious, right? So, this task falls to you!"
Fairy Tristan was well aware of Melusine's loyalty to Aurora. If Jiang You hadn't restrained her, Melusine would have revealed every detail she knew to Aurora without hesitation, making it far more difficult for Fairy Tristan to eliminate her two forms. By assigning this task to Melusine, Fairy Tristan hoped to provoke her rebellion, thus justifying her execution.
There were two benefits to this plan. First, as Aurora's Knight, Melusine naturally needed to eliminate all threats to her mistress, root and stem. Second, while Fairy Gawain was one thing, why was Jiang You getting so close to Melusine? Did he think the Fairy Knights were stamps to collect? Unable to vent her anger on Jiang You, Fairy Tristan decided to deal with Melusine instead.
Melusine wanted to refuse. If Aurora were doomed to a living hell, Melusine couldn't bear to survive either. This was also her way of repaying Aurora for granting her new life and giving her a name.
But someone was definitely not going to agree. He had two reasons of his own: first, his personal preferences; second, he had only obtained Melusine's Card through combat victory. The rest of her rewards lay in the Affection Rewards. Among the Fairy Knights, he was only missing Morgan and Melusine. He couldn't possibly give up now.
"I agree on her behalf. Let's get to work, Melusine."
Aurora had already revealed Melusine's True Name, which every fairy present clearly heard. With her true form exposed, there was no need for further concealment.
"You bastard... just as I thought!"
Fairy Tristan ground her molars, muttering under her breath. That womanizer! No sense of decency! Did he really need me to spell it out for him?!
Since Jiang You had spoken so decisively, Melusine had no choice but to comply. However, as merely a Knight serving a criminal, she was naturally disadvantaged and posed little threat. The real concern remained Fairy Gawain, a staunch loyalist to the Queen (at least in Fairy Tristan's eyes, for now). It was crucial to make Gawain recognize her true allegiance—her possessions, her rights—and understand that no one could steal them from her!
"I... understand," Melusine replied, unable to refuse. She scooped up Aurora, who was curled up on the ground, her consciousness fading from severe blood loss, into a princess carry. Death from blood loss would have been a merciful end for Aurora, but the Fairy's vitality proved too resilient; allowing her to die so easily was virtually impossible.
"Before we proceed, Scribe Jiang You, I hereby bestow upon you the title of Lord of Salisbury."
Morgan had planned this long ago. In this world, Jiang You needed a proper status. To secure his loyalty, she had to offer him something tangible, preferably something that would foster a sense of belonging.
"Ah? Me?" Jiang You pointed at himself, utterly bewildered.