X
Join our Discord server and get release updates for every novel you follow.
Join the ServerUpon hearing this, Gern’s eyes widened, staring at the pearl with utter disbelief. She suspected her ears had deceived her. How could anything in this world be worth a thousand gold pieces? It must be a hallucination after a night of travel, she thought.
Seeing Gern’s reaction, Mina’s eyes also brightened.
Indeed, this pearlite could fetch a price of a thousand gold outside, but only if it could actually be sold.
Due to the war, the Fox race’s trade routes were cut off, making it impossible to transport such goods to the outside world.
Within the Beastman territories, it wouldn’t command much value. Trading it for information, then, was a far more sensible exchange.
“Mr. Gern, if you desire it, you may take this item now.”
“I want it! I want it!”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Gern took the pearlite, examining it carefully in her palm.
Its price was indeed steep in human society, where nobles specifically used it to adorn their homes and furniture.
Moreover, its high hardness made it an excellent alchemy material.
Clutching the spherical white stone, Gern felt as if she held the entire world in her grasp, chuckling incessantly.
“So, you’re agreeing to my request?”
Mina watched the grinning Gern, her voice tentative.
“Ahem, consider it handled.”
Gern patted her chest, a look of utter seriousness on her face.
Upon hearing this, Mina’s heart swelled with joy. She performed an elegant noble’s curtsy to Gern.
Yet, the silver armor she wore seemed ever so slightly incongruous with her graceful movements.
“Thank you for your assistance. In six days, the Serpentmen will have another confrontation with us. The winner of that contest will earn the chance to enter a secret realm.”
“This is our secret signal. Our people will then ensure your entry into the secret realm.”
Gern took the slip of paper Mina offered, committing its contents firmly to memory.
“Mm, rest assured. Just try not to be too startled when the time comes.”
Gern offered a roguish smile, her expression brimming with confidence.
Mina observed her, a flicker of doubt in her heart. ‘Why did Gern seem so unreliable?’ she wondered.
Still, she reasoned, anyone admitted to Theoviga Academy must possess some remarkable abilities.
****
Time flowed onward, and two days had already passed, leaving four until the secret realm’s opening.
Gern, once again disguised as Quade, finally arrived before a magnificent mansion after making inquiries.
This was the Quade family’s estate, Quade’s own home. She gently knocked on the door, and before long, someone opened it.
Upon seeing that the visitor was Quade, the Serpentman butler visibly brightened with excitement.
“Master! The young master has returned! The young master has returned!”
The old butler, dragging his large tail, swiftly scurried towards the inner depths of the courtyard.
Gern was left alone at the entrance, staring blankly at the scene unfolding before her.
‘Hmm…’ she thought, ‘It seems Quade is quite popular within his family.’
It made sense; Quade had once been a student at Theoviga Academy. Those who could gain admission to Theoviga Academy were exceptionally rare.
Given this, his family’s high regard for him was entirely understandable.
Soon after, the old Serpentman butler returned, accompanied by a middle-aged Serpentman.
This was Quade’s father, Kaled Turner, who also served as the current head of the Turner family.
Before arriving, Gern had made extensive preparations, and gathering intelligence was naturally a crucial part of it.
Kaled was a rather mild-mannered individual, whose innate strength hovered around that of a Sixth-tier Knight. In his younger days, he had earned military merits on the battlefield, but sustained injuries that limited his combat prowess to that of a Fifth-tier Knight at its peak.
This level of strength was not particularly remarkable among the Serpentmen. Were it not for the ancestral tradition of family intermarriage, the Turner family would never have attained its current standing.
It was precisely because of this ancestral decree that, within the Serpentmen territories, one could disparage the Royal Serpents, but never, ever provoke the Turner family.
Otherwise, terrifying incidents might occur, where trees outside and shrubs on the ground would suddenly open their mouths and laugh.
After learning these facts, Gern’s little heart pounded wildly in her chest.
She had never imagined that the obnoxious man she had killed was backed by such an enormous power.
However, this was not necessarily a bad thing. No one would ever suspect that someone would dare impersonate a young master of the Turner family—especially one on the verge of adulthood and an inter-racial marriage.
As the saying went, “the darkest place is under the lamp,” and for her, this presented an excellent opportunity.
“Father, I’m back.”
Gern spoke, and from her demeanor and appearance alone, there was little discernible difference from Quade.
Kaled’s gaze met Gern’s, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, causing Gern’s heart to clench.
‘Could my disguise be exposed?’ she worried. ‘This was Quade’s father, after all. Even with Gern’s masterful disguise, I couldn’t be absolutely certain Quade’s parents wouldn’t notice anything amiss.’
“Hmm?”
“Quade, have you lost weight?”
“Why do I feel like you’ve become much more refined?”
Gern broke into a cold sweat. Truly, this was Quade’s father, who had spotted such a detail with a single glance.
Gern’s true form was that of a Serpentwoman, inherently delicate and sweet in appearance. Her natural temperament simply couldn’t compare to Quade’s.
Her eyes darted, and then she spoke.
“Father, you have no idea how miserable my life has been lately. The other day, that Evelyn utterly swindled me.
“I laid low for a few days, and when I tried to rejoin my unit, I found them gone. I haven’t been able to eat or sleep properly since.”
‘Well, in a sense, those words were also the truth,’ she mused.
Kaled clearly had no intention of delving deeper. Just as Gern let out a sigh of relief, Kaled suddenly seemed to notice something and spoke again.
“Oh? Son, what’s happened to your cultivation realm? Why do I feel like you’re no longer a Fourth-tier Knight?”
Gern had already anticipated this question, and a reasonably plausible explanation had formed in her mind.
“Father, on my way back, I encountered an army of the Fox race—a force nearly ten thousand strong. If it weren’t for your remarkably gifted son, you probably wouldn’t be seeing me right now.”
As Gern uttered these words, Kaled’s entire face darkened.
“These damnable Fox folk! Quade, after the secret realm closes in four days, your father will surely get justice for you!”
Gern’s excuse was simply too perfect, perhaps even a bit *too* good. Kaled harbored no suspicion towards her whatsoever.
This allowed Gern to secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
“By the way, Father, why must we wait four days for the secret realm to open? Can’t we go confront the Fox race now?”
“Alas, you don’t know. Recently, that secret realm on the battlefield has spawned numerous man-eating monsters. Both our sides were forced into a temporary ceasefire because of it.
“The next opening of the secret realm is in four days, and it’s expected to remain open for about five days. At that time, both we and the Fox race will enter the realm together to investigate the situation.”
“Man-eating monsters? Are they entirely black?”
“Son, you know about them?”
“Chaos creatures!”
…
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read Looking For My Child's Father! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : Looking For My Child's Father
