Chapter 46: The Mother’s Secret

“They were, moreover, researchers for the Abyssal Church.”

The words struck Liyang’s heart like a heavy hammer.

When Nabel had previously claimed he was a colleague of her parents, Liyang had dismissed it as slander against her family.

Yet, Grandma Fulin would never lie.

Her words, therefore, signified an irrefutable truth.

“Then… did my parents join willingly, or were they coerced? Did they… also harm many innocent people?”

Liyang’s voice trembled as she spoke.

“Whether they joined voluntarily or were forced, I cannot say. However, you should be well aware of the atrocities the Church committed.”

Fulin shook her head, a trace of regret lacing her tone.

Liyang fell silent, appearing as though her very soul had been wrenched away, her gaze fixed vacantly on the coffee table.

The Abyssal Church—a notorious criminal organization infamous throughout the kingdom.

In their fervent pursuit of welcoming the ‘True God’ they so often invoked, those fanatics had willingly cast aside their humanity.

They had perpetrated countless deranged human experiments, their savagery so profound that merely hearing the descriptions could induce nausea.

Indeed, the hands of every single member were stained with accumulated sins and the blood of innocents.

She found it utterly inconceivable that her once gentle father and mother could have secretly partaken in such vile deeds.

“Liyang, from an objective standpoint, your parents truly cannot be considered good people. Even as their former teacher, I cannot bring myself to show them any partiality.”

Fulin sighed softly.

“However, this has no bearing on you. Therefore, you needn’t feel any self-reproach, nor should you harbor excessive resentment towards your parents.”

“For they loved you dearly. It was precisely because of you that, in their final moments, they had a sudden epiphany, resolutely fled the Church, and entrusted you to my care.”

A shiver ran through Liyang’s body as the scene from that fateful day resurfaced vividly in her mind.

A somber sky, a relentless drizzle.

Seated within the carriage, she watched her mother, drenched to the bone, stand on the muddy path, clutching her hand tightly.

“I’m sorry, Liyang… Please, you must live.”

Too young and naive at the time, Liyang had no grasp of the unfolding situation.

Believing it to be merely a brief separation, she deliberately feigned a mature demeanor.

“Mother, you needn’t worry. I will certainly take good care of myself.”

Subsequently, the carriage gradually moved into the distance, her mother’s figure blurring and eventually vanishing into the rain-shrouded horizon, never to reappear in Liyang’s life again.

The carriage was driven by a mysterious woman Liyang had never seen before. She traveled extensively with Liyang for several months before finally delivering her to Fulin’s home.

Afterward, she departed without a backward glance, as if having merely completed a simple task.

The unfamiliar surroundings made Liyang profoundly uneasy. Fortunately, Fulin was kind and gentle, showering her with the same meticulous care she would her own child.

Nurtured by Fulin’s devoted care, Liyang blossomed into adulthood and gained admission to the Magic Academy with outstanding academic achievements.

Yet, the matter of her parents had always weighed upon her heart like a colossal, lingering stone.

She couldn’t recall how many times she had pressed Fulin for answers, but each inquiry had only ever met with an evasive reply.

“I’ll tell you when you’re a little older.”

She had never anticipated that the truth, when it finally arrived, would prove so utterly brutal.

“Father, Mother… are they still alive?”

Fulin remained silent for a moment before letting out a slow sigh. “That year, to cover your escape, they single-handedly held back the Church’s pursuers. So, I’m afraid…”

She did not elaborate further, yet the implication was painfully clear.

A tide of complex emotions surged through Liyang’s heart.

She yearned to speak, but her throat felt impossibly parched, rendering her utterly speechless.

“I have now told you everything about the events of that year. I imagine, however, that you may not be able to process it all at once. Perhaps you should return upstairs and rest for a while now,” Fulin suggested gently.

“Mm.”

After a long silence, Liyang managed to stiffly utter a single word.

She rose, utterly dejected, and slowly ascended to the second floor. After shutting herself inside her room, no further sound emerged.

Silence descended upon the living room.

Fulin refilled her now-empty teacup, then cast her gaze across at Yalin, who remained utterly silent.

“What do you think? Would you care for another cup?”

Yalin shook his head. “I’ll pass, thank you for your kind offer, Professor.”

‘Damn it! After such a heavy conversation, who could possibly be in the mood for more tea?’

“Heh heh, I do apologize for having you overhear such unpleasant matters.”

Having spoken at such length, Fulin appeared somewhat weary.

She lifted her teacup, took a sip, and only then let out a soft sigh of relief.

“However, speaking of which, you’d never guess that the story I just recounted actually involves your own mother.”

“My mother?”

This revelation left Yalin utterly stunned.

He had been listening to the narrative purely from an observer’s perspective, never once imagining that Liyang’s past could possibly intertwine with his own family.

“Precisely, your mother.That year, it was none other than your mother, Livia, who accepted Lishuang’s request and personally escorted Liyang all the way to my home.”

Fulin set down her teacup, her gaze unhurried as she met Yalin’s eyes.

“You seem rather unresponsive?”

“No, I’m simply too stunned at the moment to articulate anything.”

A sudden thought struck Yalin. “Wait, could my mother also have been a member of the Abyssal Church?”

“Who can say? Livia was always an enigmatic child; she vanished without a trace after graduating from the Academy.

To be frank, I’ve always been curious how Lishuang managed to contact her back then.”

Fulin narrowed her eyes, seemingly lost in recollections of the past.

It had been a long time ago. Livia had been Lishuang’s senior, and the two had shared a remarkably close bond.

Yet, time had flowed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, even their children had grown to adulthood.

“I never imagined my mother had been involved in such an undertaking; I was completely unaware.”

Yalin murmured, a note of wonder in his voice.

“Unfortunately, however, my parents also met with an accident several years ago. They…”

“The Ravenster couple tragically perished, having accidentally fallen from a cliff.”

Fulin interrupted him smoothly.

“It’s rather shameful to admit, but I only learned of this quite recently.

When I saw your name listed in the transfer student handbook, I immediately suspected you might be her child.

However, knowing Livia’s temperament, she surely wouldn’t have sent you to the Academy herself.

Driven by curiosity, I conducted some inquiries, and was quite surprised by what I uncovered.”

Fulin paused, her gaze steady.

“Regarding your parents’ unfortunate demise, I am truly sorry, but—”

Her tone shifted abruptly, her voice suddenly chilling by several degrees.

“I find it highly improbable that your mother would simply perish in such a straightforward manner.”

Yalin’s brow furrowed involuntarily.

“Professor, forgive my bluntness, but what exactly do you mean by that statement?”

“Livia was my most exceptional student, her talent in alchemy utterly unparalleled.

She was destined to remain at the Academy as a professor, yet her personality subsequently grew increasingly peculiar… In any case, I simply refuse to believe she would perish in a mere accident.”

“I see.”

Yalin abruptly rose to his feet.

“Professor Fulin, thank you for sharing so much with me. I would like some time to properly collect my thoughts.

However, someone is currently waiting for me at home, so I must take my leave now.”

A potent sense of unease abruptly stirred within him.

For some inexplicable reason, he had felt subtly manipulated by Fulin ever since the conversation began.

“Having come all this way, there’s no need to be so hasty, is there?”

Fulin offered no obstruction, merely smiling faintly.

“What if I were to tell you that the secret you carry is, in all likelihood, intimately connected to your mother?”