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“Is it… you? Lord Serol?”
When Rona finally posed the question, she wasn’t even sure what aspect of the situation she was truly asking about.
Was she questioning if the Serol before her was real? Or was she accusing him of orchestrating everything? Rona herself couldn’t say.
Yet, one thing was clear: the moment Serol uttered a simple “Yes,” something within her heart irrevocably shifted.
“Why?”
This time, Rona’s question met no answer. Serol merely gazed at her with a tranquil expression.
“Rona,” Serol eventually spoke, shaking his head. His eyes held an unreadable mix of regret and sorrow. “You, of all people, are the one I wished to keep from this truth.”
“I tried so hard to stop you. Why did you insist on pursuing this investigation?”
“Because…”
Rona parted her lips, seemingly unprepared for Serol to turn the question back on her.
“Because… one must never abandon the pursuit of truth, nor forsake the protection of the weak…”
The light in Rona’s eyes suddenly dimmed slightly.
“Do you still remember the Kross family motto? I heard you recite it with my own ears.”
“…”
Serol, of course, remembered. He knew the Kross family motto very well. Despite living in Kana City for years, he always made time to return for important family gatherings.
It was during the coming-of-age ceremony for the new generation of the Kross family that Serol had led the younger members in reciting their ancestral motto.
At that time, he was on the stage, and Rona was in the audience. They weren’t even particularly close then; the Kross family was vast, and their blood relation was not especially direct.
Rona’s response plunged Serol into silence once more. He seemed reluctant to face her words, and after a moment of quiet, he let out a sigh.
“You are indeed very capable, Rona. To have investigated this far is beyond what I expected.”
“Red is dead, isn’t he? When did you realize there was something wrong with him?”
“What?” Rona blinked, not understanding Serol’s last statement. Red was dead? When had this happened?
Seeing Rona’s lack of a direct answer, Serol shook his head and moved past the topic, apparently unwilling to dwell further on such matters.
“Never mind. Let’s leave it at that.”
“Rona, you wish to know the truth, don’t you? Very well, I will give you the truth.”
Serol pulled over a chair and sat down, seemingly unconcerned with wasting more time with Rona.
“Everything you wish to know, I will tell you, from beginning to end, without omission.”
Rona had never imagined that the truth she had so arduously sought for so long would suddenly be laid bare before her in such a manner.
****
It did not take Xiluo’er long to travel from the Adventurers’ Guild to the Lord’s Mansion.
Once Eve was sound asleep and everything was arranged, Xiluo’er rushed to the mansion with her utmost speed.
Under the cloak of the dark night, the mansion’s garden was eerily quiet, not even a cricket’s chirp disturbing the stillness.
However, Xiluo’er did not let her guard down. The garden might appear normal on the surface, but she knew the problematic basement was beyond her current observation.
In any case, her first priority was to check the storeroom.
With her vigilance at its peak, Xiluo’er did not immediately charge into the storeroom. Instead, she meticulously inspected her surroundings.
What if there was danger lurking nearby? She needed to be prepared.
Xiluo’er’s inspection was incredibly thorough, so discovering an anomaly was hardly surprising. Thus, when she found Shadow hidden among the flowerbeds near the storeroom, she felt no great shock.
A fleeting expression of surprise crossed her face, but fortunately, her mask concealed it. Shadow merely watched Xiluo’er stand silently before them for a moment.
Indeed, Shadow had constantly spoken of a “plan.” While Xiluo’er didn’t care about the Chaos Cult’s schemes, Shadow’s presence here, with the Lord’s Mansion potentially compromised, seemed entirely logical.
The real question was, how should she explain her own presence to Shadow?
Shadow had always been reluctant for her to learn about the Chaos Cult’s so-called plan, yet here she was, coincidentally appearing at this very place.
Her life was still in Shadow’s hands. What if she misplayed her cards and they refused to give her the antidote?
No, tonight might actually present a good opportunity…
A flash of inspiration struck Xiluo’er. After a moment of hesitation, she made a decision in her heart.
“Cat Tail? What are you doing here?”
Seeing Xiluo’er remain silent for so long, Shadow finally stood up.
“I’ve been investigating in the city recently, and it’s hard not to get involved with matters concerning this area.”
“I merely had a rough guess about what happened and came to check things out tonight.”
Xiluo’er employed a tactic: the enigma! It was an incredibly effective approach. While some enigmas arose from a failure to articulate clearly, hers was purely a bluff. She herself had no idea what “matter” she was even referring to.
Shadow stood motionless and silent, seemingly pondering the veracity of Xiluo’er’s words.
“Cat Tail, your abilities are indeed formidable.”
Finally, Shadow cast a meaningful glance at Xiluo’er, then said nothing more.
Normally, Xiluo’er couldn’t discern the face hidden beneath Shadow’s voluminous clothes, but she had keenly felt Shadow’s gaze sweep over her just now.
Speaking of which, Xiluo’er had always had this feeling. Although she and Shadow had never met before, they were both, ultimately, members of the Chaos Cult—colleagues, so to speak. Yet, why did she always feel that Shadow harbored such strong vigilance towards her?
This contact in Kana City had never truly trusted her, it seemed.
However, she shouldn’t have exposed any issues in front of Shadow, given that they only met once a week.
“Very well, since you’re already here, you may stand by.”
“Originally, you shouldn’t have gotten involved in this, especially since you so quickly established a connection with Eve.”
Fortunately, Shadow didn’t seem to intend to make things overly difficult for Xiluo’er. If Shadow had truly ordered her to leave, she wouldn’t have known what to do.
After all, Shadow likely believed that since Cat Tail’s mission was to infiltrate Eve’s side, it was normal for her to have some contact with Rona through Eve and thus deduce certain things.
Shadow seemed disinclined to further concern themselves with Xiluo’er’s affairs and once again concealed their form. Although Xiluo’er was anxious, she silently followed suit, hiding herself to the side.
“Hmm, it’s good you came after all. If Rona really used that thing, I might not be able to handle it alone.”
As if letting out a breath, Shadow spoke casually, facing the direction of the storeroom.
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read Ignition! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : Ignition
