MIDNIGHT PRINCE: Empire of Sin



Medusa savored the drink she was served on her lonesome for a while, clearly enjoying the taste of alcohol, which made her momentarily stop her lecture.

"Kuh~ I must say, one of the best things humans have ever been able to create and develop is surely alcohol."

"Does this even affect you?"

Adam knew that high-ranked hunters could regulate their metabolism to eliminate any foreign substances that could be harmful to their bodies. Adam sadly could not do the same, at least not yet, that is. He had already learned this lesson many times now after getting dead drunk. The good thing, at least, was that he could detect if his drink had been doused in poison or any other foreign substance thanks to the use of his extensive observational abilities.

"Well… Yes and no. I can physically get drunk and enjoy the effects of alcohol to the fullest but my mind is always sober. This is the problem with one of my innate powers and there's no two ways around it, unfortunately."

She didn't explain anymore and Adam did not try to pry further. He had many secrets of his as well and he didn't think Medusa would share hers if she didn't deem it necessary to share. So, he was not going to go out of his way to ask just to get denied. More than that, however, he just respected her privacy.

"Well now, let's continue the lesson, shall we? I did some research and I know that you are working with that child called Yui in some underworld gang or something. Now, don't worry… Your aunt, Theresa, made sure to hide most of the information about you so this is only something I know. Anyways, let's talk a bit about women for now…"

She grinned, "Take the purse for instance. In a relationship, a woman's purse is like her heart in a way. When she meets someone for the first time, she usually puts it far away from the other person. But as they get closer, the position progressively changes, going closer and closer to their partners. The same rules apply to phones or even personal computers. Be it men and women, there are always clues that tell you some aspects about the person of observation."

Medusa continued her lesson in a soft tone, using the people in the cafe as a way to illustrate her words and teachings.

The way she taught was very enjoyable, showing her experience with giving such lectures. Millennia of living and walking in this world seemed to have equipped her with phenomenal skills to teach others and make the teachings enjoyable for them.

"Do you know what happens when people lie? There are many aspects to observe. Their pupils, shoulders, neck, and many, many more cue spots. But the most important and easiest to observe is the mouth."

She put a finger on her lips and formed a smile, "Unless they are trained, when people lie, they will feel at least the slightest amount of guilt. So, they will subconsciously try to cover their mouth when lying. They may touch their chin or nose. This is born from a subconscious desire to cover their mouth when they lie. This is an innate instinct and it takes some training to get your way around that habit.

"Since you have the power of illusions and dreams, you should learn how to create a fake face and use it to cover your actual expressions. I am sure this would work wonderfully for you. In fact, by covering yourself entirely in glamor, you would not even need another skill to become the best liar in the world."

She nodded to herself as she spoke those words… As though she was proud to come up with a wonderful usage of his abilities.

"For the same reason, when people hear something they don't want to hear they subconsciously try to cover their ears. They may scratch their ears or their earlobes, well, long story short, their hands will be in the vicinity of their ears. Finally, the most important aspect to observe is… The eyes."

She looked at Adam from the side, her slit pupil and green-colored eyes giving off an eerie atmosphere.

"The eyes are the window to the soul. This is a common expression but it's extremely accurate as it's hard to control. Even when someone smiles, you can see if the smile is genuine or not by observing their eyes."

The lesson continued on as Medusa went on to teach different unconscious body languages that could help in discerning what a person was feeling or thinking.

"Of course, all of this is, in the end, 40% guesswork and 60% experience. Even the greatest psychologist may be wrong in some aspects and make some errors. This is not an exact science after all… Heh… Though that is only for normal humans."

"Once you learn how to decipher all those cues, the human mind will have no more secrets that are hidden from you. You will be able to obtain so much information from just one look that you won't even be able to fathom it right now."

Adam closed his mouth and reassessed the person sitting in front of him. He realized once again that scary people didn't necessarily need to be powerful to be intimidating. Some people could show just how scary they can be simply by showing their personality and skills.

Medusa ignored his assessing gaze as she called the waitress and asked for the bill. In the end, she paid for everything and after a rather generous tip, the two of them walked out of the cafe and started drifting the alleyways with seemingly no purpose.

"I think this will be all for today's lecture. What do you think?"

"I must say. I may have been skeptical at first, but now I realize I shouldn't have. This is simply phenomenal."

Adam felt like his control over the power of Dreams had already become a little better just by hearing that lecture alone. He would have never thought that studying illusions and dreams by following the path of psychology could wield such magnificent results.

Medusa grinned from ear to ear, seemingly happy by his compliment, "Of course, after learning how to read people through cues, you need to learn how to manipulate people through them as well. This is something most humans do unconsciously from their very childhood. But by mastering it, you can control the flow of any discussion in any way you want. You already have a very handsome and charming appearance. You need to make use of them as much as you can to ensnare your targets to do your bidding. That is another application of standard manipulation techniques."

"Does this mean you used those skills on me?"

"What do you think?"

She gave a small grin at him before laughing slyly. "Well, then… I think I have given you enough time to come to a decision. Will you take that mission? You will need to move on the 10th of December."

"So in two weeks' time, huh…"

"Indeed."

Adam had thought deeply about the possible risks and rewards while he was discussing with Genesis and the decision had been clear all along.

"As you may already know, I will indeed take on this mission."

"Good."

She nodded and put her hand in her pocket before taking out a small vial filled with a crimson liquid of unknown origins.

"This is your reward for today."

"What is it?"

She gave a small look full of longing toward the vile, "This is diluted Gorgon blood. Perhaps one of the rarest and most expensive medicines in the entire world. Give it to your mother. While it won't heal her completely, it can make her feel far better than she does now and give her back some of the strength she has lost over the years.

"You may not know about it… But the blood of Gorgons has many versatile properties. The blood from our right side can bring the life back of those who have died very recently. [1] The blood on our left side is one of the deadliest poisons in existence. Sadly, I cannot access my full form so this is only a diluted version of the elixir I am able to give to you."

She shook the vial quietly and Adam took it with trepidation, "How may I… How can I repay you for this?"

Medusa smirked seeing such an appearance on Adam for the very first time, "I am the last and unique Gorgon on earth, Adam… There's nothing you can do for me that can repay this debt…"

She waved her hand and began to leave.

Watching her back, Adam clenched his fist before gently putting the vial in his pocket.

Medusa's words had been clear.

There was no way he could repay her in any conventional way. This vial was simply priceless.

This was another bribe. Another way to show him just how much advantage having her on his side would be to him.

Adam finally understood why some said that the most expensive things in this world were the things one received for free. You can't sell favors and goodwill with price now, after all…

———

[1]: So technically, in the myths, there is no mention of "Fresh or Recent". It can bring the dead back. Easy. No limitations. I can't accept such a cheat. At least not yet. So I added recently deceased so that would be like died a few minutes ago to an hour at most, I guess.