Ivan waved his hand, manipulating a whiff of Water-type energy particles into mist, sweeping over the lights and plunging the room back into darkness.
He did not speak, curious to see how long this person could keep talking to themselves.
“Ahem, young man.” The voice on the other side finally noticed something amiss and hurriedly changed its tone, “Haha, I was just joking to lighten the mood. You can speak now.”
Ivan asked, “Who are you?”
“Pearney, I should be your senior. And you are?”
“So it’s you, we’ve met before.”
Inside a sealed room in the castle, Pearney stood up involuntarily.
She realized who it was on the other side and inwardly cursed her luck; she remembered that this person seemed to have a decent relationship with Lahr. If he betrayed her, it would be troublesome to find another Secret Method Seal Bead.
“That impolite young fellow, your name’s ‘Ivan,’ right?”
Another silence ensued on the other side; she cursed under her breath and altered her approach, “Just kidding, you’re not impolite. Your name is Ivan, correct?”
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At last, a response. Pearney, irked by his pettiness, felt her teeth itch with annoyance.
After a moment of silence, she said, “Don’t you have anything to ask? I wasn’t lying when I said I was your senior. I’m an apprentice from the previous cohort that came to the castle. I never expected to be duped so badly.”
Ivan declared, “I know you, you are Earl Hobson’s niece.”
Pearney was not surprised by this; her reputation in the vicinity of Flying Fish City wasn’t small, especially among noble youths.
But she remembered the name ‘Ivan’, “I don’t seem to recall hearing about you.”
Ivan announced, “I’m a commoner. Let’s cut to the chase, I’ve heard about you from Justine. It’s evident she looks up to you somewhat.”
Pearney replied, “Justine from the Glatton family, I know her. I can’t believe she’s also ended up on this island. Can you tell me who else is with you?”
Ivan did not refuse and promptly listed off eight names.
Hearing this, Pearney was greatly disappointed. She hardly knew these non-mainline noble youths, some of whose names she hadn’t even heard before.
“Now it’s my turn to ask questions.”
“Go ahead.”
While pondering, Ivan casually asked the first question, “Was this originally your room? I mean, the one where the bead was hidden. It’s my dormitory now.”
“It wasn’t, but do you want me to tell you about the fate of the apprentice who used to live there?”
“Go ahead.”
“Remember, you asked for it. The person who used to stay in your room was named Aaron. Aaron wasn’t very talented or strong. Influenced by that force, one day his body suddenly swelled and burst, leaving nothing but flesh and blood spattered across the room when we checked. The scene was unforgettable, coupled with the heavy stench of blood.”
In the enclosed room, a glint of mischief flitted across Pearney’s eyes—let’s see her not get frustrated, I’ll give her a scare.
Just as she predicted, Ivan felt completely uneasy, glaring around with disgust as if suddenly comprehending why there was always a strange odor.
Suppressing her urge to laugh, Pearney reassured, “Don’t worry, after the Cloud Fog servants cleaned it inside and out, there would not be a single stain left. You must trust in the power of the elements.”
Ivan asked again, “What’s that force you mentioned?”
“Let’s form an alliance.”
“What?”
“We form an alliance, and when necessary, you’ll have to rescue me so we can escape together. My strength is not too shabby; partnering with me will definitely be to your benefit.”
Pearney, of course, would not answer such a critical question directly and used it to present her own motives instead.
Ivan, surprised, inquired, “Escape? Where to? I don’t believe we can defeat Sorcerer Toyennes and Lahr, not to mention all the Cloud Fog servants and followers.”
“There will be an opportunity,” Pearney assured, “someone will hold Toyennes and the others at bay when the time comes, and we’ll just need to make our escape.” She was confident that Billerie would take action; that madman would surely not fear Sorcerer Toyennes.
“Who?”
“After we form an alliance, I will tell you everything.”
“How do you wish to form this alliance?”
“You must swear by your full name, calling upon the great Mother of Earth Core as a witness, to say that you will surely come and rescue me.”
“That simple?”
“Just that simple. To speak truthfully, such an oath must be abided by, or else one will incur a great misfortune.”
“What if you manage to escape on your own?”
“The oath becomes void.”
The other party clearly wouldn’t give up until achieving their goal, leaving Ivan with no alternative. He already had plenty of troubles and didn’t care about adding one more or less.
He needed to know more about the castle and the sorcerer to come up with a plan, instead of just waiting for death.
According to the other party’s request and considering his own concerns, he took a more detailed oath with the Mother of Earth Core as a witness. He didn’t know if it was an illusion, but he felt like something extra had been added to him.
“Now it’s your turn.”
“It was a strange power, probably some kind of curse power, originating from Toyennes himself. He transformed those powers into marks and implanted them into us, and then everything changed, misfortune befell us.
How should I put it, that power causes our body’s flesh and blood to mutate and transform. If one cannot withstand it, their body will undergo complete mutation; some even explode, just like Aaron did.” Pearney didn’t break her promise and began talking about the dangerous origin.
A curse? Ivan felt numb.
How could this be resolved?
He couldn’t overpower it, had nowhere to escape to, and didn’t understand curses at all.
“Wrong, you look like you have no trouble at all.”
“Hmph! I am not like them. Who am I? I’m the most beloved family member of Earl Hobson, I have plenty of good things on me.” Hearing his questioning, Pearney bluntly pointed out the differences between them, afraid that he would not believe her and then added a piece of information:
“Did you know, I secretly sent messages to the Flying Fish Port authorities multiple times, informing them of many deaths.”
Her original intention was to ask for help, to have someone come and rescue them, but she had underestimated the deterrent effect of a single sorcerer.
Ivan had an epiphany.
So that was it. Given the millennium-long heritage of the Hobson family, it was indeed possible, and he now understood that the source of Flying Fish Port’s frequent news was here.
“What did you use to suppress it?”
“Stop thinking about it. I can’t even save myself now, damn thief.” When it came to this point, Pearney, who was in another room, was grinding her teeth with rage. If it weren’t for that despicable thief who stole all the valuable items she had, she wouldn’t have walked into the trap herself.
“What?”
“Not you, I’m cursing the thief who looted all the valuables from me, damn thief. If it weren’t for that, I would never have been foolish enough to attack the ship.”
Despite the Secret Method Seal between them, Ivan could feel the bitterness from the other side. He speculated to himself that it couldn’t be that same person again, could it? Having robbed Eckerz and now Pearney, the style was not that of thievery, but more like raiding a house.
Full of resentment, Pearney cursed, “Just let me find out who it was. I won’t let them off easily.”
Ivan said, “I might know something.”
“Spit it out! I want to lock him up in Flying Fish Port’s water prison, and let the bloodsucking leeches punish him.”
“If I’m not mistaken, it was a creature with a severed arm, and it had looted me too.”
“You mean—not a human, how could that be?”
On the other side, Pearney fell silent after hearing his words, not speaking for a long time.
Ivan had to interrupt her, “Now is not the time to discuss this. If too much time passes, we may be discovered, and we both could be in danger.”
Pearney came back to her senses, “You’re right. Let me tell you several important pieces of news. Lately, Billerie might be planning to do something big—”
