Chapter 197
“What does the young master wish to accomplish? Please tell me. With my influence here, it would be completed instantly,” she spoke up. Of course, she did not mean to boast about her influence in front of an heir, but since the said heir was in disguise right now, she was suggesting using her reputation to have his work done quickly.
“After that, I will personally escort the young master back to the central area,” she said in a serious voice.
Oliver inwardly shook his head. This woman was quite persistent. She was insistent on sending him back no matter what, for some reason. It was as if her sense of duty was etched into her very soul, overriding any consideration for his autonomy.
What sort of unreasonable loyalty was this?
‘Come to think of it, she must have already been brainwashed by the clan.’
As if he remembered something, his gaze turned subtle. The clan was infamous for employing the cruelest of means to achieve what they wanted for the sake of humanity, even if those actions included forsaking the very thing they sought to protect.
A bitter irony that was not lost on him.
The methods of the clan were among the worst. All the official exorcists and members of the clan were deeply loyal, their hearts and minds engraved with devotion to the clan—even if it meant sacrificing their lives.
The severe principles and training they underwent were all intended to completely brainwash the members into being solely devoted to the clan’s prosperity and progress.
The cost of such loyalty was a terrifying efficiency, coupled with a complete disregard for personal freedom.
“I have already said that it is a private matter. I do not need your assistance, and I believe you will keep this matter under wraps,” he said in a firm tone.
The woman didn’t even flinch under Oliver’s gaze and calmly closed her eyes.
Her composure was unnerving, as if she were a stone statue, unyielding and cold.
“I understand, young master.”
She nodded once and got up, leaving him alone shortly after.
‘Damn, now I need to hurry up. She’s definitely going to snitch on me.’
Oliver’s eyelids twitched as he watched her fading back. He knew for sure that she was going to inform the elders from the clan as soon as possible.
The elders would naturally not let a young heir accept any missions or requests easily, no matter how much he insisted. Plus, there was a risk that they would let Ophelia know about it too.
He dared not imagine what she would do after that, given how she reacted after the demon hunt just by seeing his espera.
She was crazy.
“Now, where in the world is that person supposed to be?” He glanced around and moved in a certain direction to inquire about him.
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Meanwhile, back at the mountains:
Alison was deep in thought as she looked at the terrain before her.
“It doesn’t make sense.” Her voice was a soft murmur, almost drowned out by the silence of the wilderness.
Ever since the heretic attack, she had been seriously investigating the traces and remains of the battle that transpired.
As Oliver had told her, there was a masked man who had jumped in to help them.
It could very well be a secret guardian from one of the clans responsible for protecting the heirs.
She had been trying to uncover the truth, knowing there was more than what met the eye.
Even if it was a guardian, there was no reason for them not to meet her and then disappear.
Plus, there was something even more suspicious in this case: Oliver’s nonchalant behavior, the confusion among the children, and more.
“It’s a fairly dangerous poison…” Her fingers traced the charred ground, feeling the residual energy still clinging to the earth.
She bent down and traced her finger on the charred ground.
This was the place where Oliver fought with the old man who was using poison.
She could detect faint traces of dark espera and poison still lingering from the aftermath of the battle.
Alison’s senses were sharpened to the extreme, especially when it came to tracing such espera outputs.
Her eyes narrowed, focusing intently on the faint remnants, piecing together the scene in her mind.
“But…” She frowned as she looked ahead.
“Why are there traces of Oliver’s espera only here?”
She looked at the destruction ahead with a dazed expression. The ground was literally obliterated as if someone had forcefully destroyed it, and there were no visible signs of corrosion from the poison either.
It was as if a concentrated blast had wiped out everything, leaving no trace of the poison’s typical lingering effects.
“Oliver had the water element as far as I know, but clearly, from the charred state of the ground, a variant of the fire element was used in this.”
She pondered, “But as he said, there was a masked man helping them out. Then he should have left some espera traces, and there’s no way I would miss them. However, there’s absolutely nothing other than Oliver’s faint espera signature.”
“Hmm…” Her brow furrowed deeper, the mystery gnawing at her.
“How can there be no traces of the heretic’s espera? It’s as if they have vanished out of existence itself!”
The thought sent a chill down her spine, the implications unsettling.
She narrowed her eyes and made a bold guess.
‘Could it be that Oliver was lying…?’
Her heart raced at that possibility, since if what she thought was true, then there was only one possible scenario that could have happened when the heretics attacked.
‘He defeated them alone!’
This was an absurd statement that even she herself would never believe if someone said that to her.
Oliver had just entered Rank-1, and the heretics who attacked were clearly Rank-2 by all means.
Especially Jetia, one of the saints, who was strong enough to be categorized as Rank-3.
She did find the traces of two heretics out of the four who attacked, but she could not understand why the traces of the other two had disappeared like that.