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墨書 Inktalez
Asher's death was gruesome, even bizarre.
When Garen saw the body of young Novice, it was already covered with a white cloth, but he could still discern some details, such as the twisted features, the blood beneath the fingernails, and the hollow eyes that radiated despair. It was easy to imagine that Asher had likely seen something terrifying and had struggled in vain before ultimately succumbing.
What had he experienced?
After questioning Asher's relatives, the truth became even stranger. That weary mother told Garen that Asher's day yesterday had been quite ordinary; after dinner, he went to his room to rest, and nothing unusual happened throughout the night. But when she went to wake Asher the next morning… all she found was her son's cold corpse!
Asher's room was at the far end of the house. If someone had broken in, his parents would have surely noticed.
Poisoned? Attacked by an unknown creature? Garen examined young Novice's body but found no signs of injury. The only blood under his nails was from scratching at the bed…
No matter how he looked at it, it seemed as if he had been…
Scared to death.
The sky was overcast, and rain fell in a gentle drizzle.
Due to Garen's identity, he had to remain in young Novice's home to see him off one last time. Yasthia noticed Garen's troubled mood and chose not to disturb him, returning early to Roland Street.
She stood by the window watching the rainy day, her pretty face showing a hint of confusion and uncertainty.
"It was a nightmare." A magnetic voice emerged from the shadows.
From within the gloom, Tifet stepped forward, his iron boots thudding against the floor as he slowly approached Yasthia.
"A nightmare?" Yasthia snapped out of her daze, vaguely recalling something that sparked her curiosity. "How is that possible? The Nightmare clan can only survive in sub-zero temperatures; any normal temperature could burn them alive!"
"There are always exceptions," Tifet replied calmly.
Yasthia was momentarily stunned, still struggling to believe it. Could it be that in the frozen realm at the edge of the continent, a nightmare capable of adapting to normal temperatures had escaped, traversed half the land, arrived at the remote Blackstone Town, and then taken a life in exchange for a young boy's?
Even though the Nightmare Clan lacked intelligence and ultimately faced a fate of parasitism and death within dreams, Yasthia still found it too absurd.
Tifet did not look at Yasthia; he slowly raised his head, gazing at the layer of ominous clouds that had enveloped the town without anyone noticing. He then furrowed his brow for a fleeting moment.
“It’s time to go back. I’ll come to pick you up tomorrow morning,” Tifet said slowly.
“Go back? You just told me this is the work of nightmares, and now you want to turn a blind eye and leave?” Yasthia frowned, questioning him.
As an assistant instructor for the Rookie Class, Yasthia shared a deep bond with these children. Even though Asher was now dead, they should at least uncover the truth behind the events!
Yet Tifet, as an elite of the Empire, showed indifference to this matter, which Yasthia found hard to comprehend.
“My mission is to ensure your safe passage before His Majesty. Your life is far more precious than those commoners,” Tifet said calmly. “I cannot leave you in this dangerous place.”
“Precious?” Yasthia was taken aback and scoffed. “Even if it’s just a child who has died?”
Tifet looked at Yasthia and after a moment of silence replied, “Yes.”
“Why?” Yasthia felt that Tifet’s gaze was disturbingly calm at that moment.
“I didn’t expect you would ask such a foolish question…” Tifet sneered lightly and continued flatly, “In this world, people die every moment. Good people, evil people, the old, the young… Some die from illness, some from hunger, some are murdered, and some take their own lives. But not everyone can be fortunate enough to be saved.”
“To save more people, one must stand in a higher position. Wasting precious time trying to save unrelated individuals or even putting oneself in danger is the most foolish act I have ever witnessed.”
“So even if many people die, you won’t feel pity?” Yasthia trembled with anger upon hearing this.
“Yes. As long as you return safely to the capital, I can tolerate all the townsfolk being killed,” Tifet revealed a charming smile.
“You weren’t like this before… What have you been through?” Yasthia looked at Tifet with a complex expression.
"Is it important?" Tifet's smile suddenly faded as he said lightly, "People will become increasingly excellent as they see their own path clearly."
Yasthia looked at Tifet, whose gaze was not only indifferent but also carried a hint of loneliness, and suddenly felt he was very unfamiliar.
Or rather, this sense of unfamiliarity had existed since the very beginning of their reunion.
Back then, during the competition at Eagle Academy, that strong and assertive boy had pounded his chest and told everyone that one day he would become a true knight, trampling all evil creatures' hearts beneath his iron hooves, bringing light and justice to everyone's eyes.
But now, looking at Tifet, who had already become a Left Knight, Yasthia could not reconcile the two figures in her mind.
Yasthia gritted her teeth and said with a determined tone, "I need to get to the bottom of this; otherwise, I won't go back!"
However, this time, Tifet did not voice any objections.
He looked at Yasthia with a pitying gaze and shook his head softly. "Naive."
After saying that, Tifet turned and walked out of the room.
...
As Garen stepped out of the Asher Family residence, dawn had already broken. The sky was dimly lit, and a light rain continued to fall. Garen dragged his weary body not back to the Rental Apartment for rest but headed towards the playground in the Southern Suburbs.
The moment he saw Asher's lifeless body, Garen was certain that it was no accident. Yet even so, he found himself at a loss for what to do next, unable to find even a single clue.
When little Novice was cremated, what surfaced in Garen's mind was the unconditional trust and obedience of twelve children back at the academy, who had carelessly placed their most beautiful and weighty youth into his hands.
The light rain soaked his dark hair as Garen sat alone on the playground for a full four hours.
At eight o'clock sharp, Newbies began to arrive at the playground one after another. They noticed Garen's heavy mood and refrained from making noise or causing a commotion. Instead, they lined up neatly and waited quietly for their instructor to issue training orders.
However, today's lineup was noticeably shorter than usual.
"Where are the others?" Garen looked at the empty spots in the lineup, a bad premonition suddenly surfacing in his mind.
The newbies exchanged glances, their expressions filled with confusion.
"Layton Roddy, you lead the training!" After throwing down this command, Garen quickly ran toward the town.
His first target was the chubby Lanya.
In Garen's memory, although Lanya often slacked off, he had never been late in the mornings. Moreover, he showed considerable talent in training and had long since surpassed the level where one could fall ill...
When Garen arrived at Lanya's doorstep, he immediately heard a scream from inside.
With a "bang!" Garen easily vaulted over the wall and landed heavily in the garden before storming into the mansion.
Following the sound, after about two minutes, Garen found Lanya's parents in a room on the second floor, along with Lanya lying on the bed!
"Garen? You..." Lanya's father looked anxious and was momentarily stunned upon seeing Garen.
Without wasting any words, Garen strode to the bedside and was met with a horrifying sight!
Lanya was trembling violently on the beige blanket!
He was flailing his arms as if trying to ward off something...
His face was extremely pale, and dark circles were visible around his eyes...
More importantly,
His eyes were tightly shut...
He was still sound asleep!
...
...
A few minutes later, Garen sprinted towards Roland Street with all his might!
Lanya looked almost identical to the deceased Asher, indicating that they must have encountered the same thing! The most crucial point was that Lanya was still alive!
He had to find someone knowledgeable; he needed to uncover the truth behind their unending slumber!
The first person that came to Garen's mind was Yasthia. In this town, there was probably no one who could match her royal education and knowledge!
Just as Garen rounded the first corner, a figure blocked his path.
"Want to know the truth?"
Tifet looked at Garen with a half-smile, "I can tell you."
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