“It might be impudent of me, but may I borrow any books or research you have on abominations, Lady Solana?” Vaan stated his purpose.
“Oh?” Lady Solana furrowed her brows and said, “Books, I have. But what makes you think I have any research on abominations?”
“For starters, you did not outright deny it, my Lady,” Vaan stated.
“This is proof that you do indeed have some research on abominations. However, you are in doubt why I know or even suspect it. That is why you chose to ask me first. Thanks to that, your curiosity let me know for certain, my Lady.”
“Secondly, Lady Aeliana is still alive, thanks to you sparing her life even though she turned into an abomination. This shows you hold great love for your daughter and can’t bear to end her life. Now, if you tell me that you aren’t interested in finding a way to return abominations back to their former appearances after I know all that, I find it hard to believe.”
“Should I continue, Lady Solana?” Vaan asked with a smile shortly after.
However, rather than being astonished, Lady Solana was alarmed and weary. Her eyes flashed with killing intent.
“No need to be alarmed, Lady Solana. I understand your feeling, but you don’t need to worry. I am not interested in spreading news of Lady Aeliana’s survival,” Vaan calmly assured.
“And why should I believe what you are saying is true?” Lady Solana asked sharply.
“Because you and I are the same. We are both people who have experienced a loved one turning into an abomination and want nothing more than to turn them back,” Vaan said seriously. “Don’t you think you will have a better chance if you have someone aiding your research, my Lady?”
Lady Solana was astonished by Vaan’s words before she uttered, “The Wyvern-type Abomination is…”
“My woman,” Vaan firmly asserted.
Lady Solana’s eyes flickered.
“Interesting,” Lady Solana smiled shortly after and said, “If what you said is true, then I can indeed trust you to keep the secret about my daughter’s life status.”
“I can even let you borrow all the books and research I have on abominations. However, are you sure you have enough to read them all? Are you not leaving town tomorrow?”
“Indeed I am, my Lady,” Vaan nodded.
“However, you don’t have to worry about when I can read everything in time or not, my Lady. Unless you have entire bookshelves on the subject, I believe I have time. I absorb information unlike anyone else.”
“Is that so?” Lady Solana wore a contemplating look before she said, “Before I bring the materials, I have a question that I want your honest opinion on.”
“Do you think Lady Helia has anything to do with my daughter’s berserk transformation?” Lady Solana asked seriously. “You can answer freely. There is no one eavesdropping on us.”
Vaan nodded.
If there were eavesdroppers, he wouldn’t have waited until now to speak with Lady Solana, let alone speak so much personal information that could be used to trace his identity back to Blackmoon City.
Nevertheless, he believed that much honesty was needed to gain Lady Solana’s trust and cooperation.
“There’s a 70% probability that Lady Helia orchestrated Lady Aeliana’s berserk transformation to happen, my Lady,” Vaan stated.
“Oh?” Only a 70% probability? Why only a 70% probability?” Lady Solana frowned.
She was quite certain Lord Helia of Redpine City was involved in the matter.
“That’s right, my Lady,” Vaan affirmed with a nod before saying, “Everything I heard from you is your side of the story. I have not heard everything there is to the story, every detail that may have been missed, and coupled with a lack of information, I have to consider the factor of human error.”
“But in all honesty, I am of the same opinion as you, my Lady. I believe Lord Helia schemed against Lady Aeliana,” Vaan added his personal opinion.
Without understanding Lord Helia’s motive behind such a scheme, Vaan could not offer 100% certainty.
“I see. Given how meticulous and thorough you are, a 70% probability from you might as well be 100%,” Lady Solana thought before saying, “Wait here. I will be back shortly.”
Lady Solana left for several minutes before returning with a stack of books and papers.
“This is all the books and research I have on abominations,” Lady Solana stated.
“All the other books in Sunpeak Academy had been handed over to Redpine Academy since Sunpeak Town had practically become a deserted town,” Lady Solana added.
“Oh?” Vaan was slightly surprised before adding, “In that case, the probability just went up by another 10%. I am starting to understand Lady Helia’s true motive now.”
Lady Solana’s eyes flashed with sharpness and attention after hearing that.
“What motive could she have? She doesn’t have her eyes on Sunpeak Town, does she?” Lady Solana thought with ridicule.
However, Vaan confirmed it, “That is the most likely possibility, given the present information I have.”
“That’s impossible,” Lady Solana denied.
“By Her Majesty, the Witch of Black Rose’s orders, all territorial wars between lords are prohibited in her holy witch kingdom. Even if Lord Helia wants to expand her territory, she cannot.”
“Changes in the borders between territories will not be recognized by Her Majesty. And those found disordering Her Majesty’s law will be stripped of their lord status,” Lady Solana stated.
“That’s true,” Vaan acknowledged what Lady Solana said with a nod.
“However, there is a way around these set laws. That is when the lord of a territory passes away without assigning a successor. You might have been the previous Lord of Sunpeak Town in the past, but even you cannot reclaim the lord status without Lady Aeliana’s will or Her Majesty’s approval, my Lady.”
“This is why the current Sunpeak Town is without a lord. Even so, it is only a matter of time before Her Majesty assigns a new lord to Sunpeak Town. And when that happens, your chances of being reinstated as the lord are not very high. After all, you are considered retired, my Lady.”
“Comparatively, if Lord Helia has any outstanding Senior Witches in her household, they would all be potential candidates for the lord position due to the wealth of knowledge Lord Helia’s territory holds, ” Vaan stated.
After hearing that, Lady Solana’s mood became dark and gloomy.