Chapitre 121: The Final Memories
"Markus Luna is dead."
—No, he isn't. But, don't tell her and just ask for some time alone. We'll have a talk.
"I… I need some time."
"Understood…"
Martha bowed and closed the door. She was supposed to clean Sebastian's room but since Sebastian was already here, she was going to do it later instead.
—I'll tell you everything I know.
…
"That's hard to believe… But, you wouldn't lie to me."
—Glad to see that your mind is still functioning normally.
"Still, why would they erase my memories if they already know that you're with me?"
—I don't know. The person that erased your memories and put me to sleep could've easily killed or abducted you. If neither of those were their goals, what was the need to erase your memory?
Sebastian frowned. Not knowing the motive of the other party was even more dangerous than being subjected to a plot.
"Balanos, we can't be complacent anymore. The enemies know about your existence and worse than that, they also have a way to stop you from contacting me. We don't know what else they're able to do."
At first, Sebastian and Balanos had thought that the reason Ptelea was turned into an enemy was because of the orb in the principal's office but currently, the orb was in Jonathan's hands. They should only just be preparing to leave by now so it was impossible for the orb to make its way here.
—The Sage and the principal are on opposing parties. Each of them hold an item able to manipulate the hamadryads.
"..."
It turned into a three-way battle. The Sages, Sebastian, and the principal. The Walt House and a part of the House of Sol was working under the sage but Sebastian didn't know who was working under the principal or what his motives were.
"Could it be that the principal was the one who wiped my memories?"
—It's possible. Then, what for? A warning, perhaps?
"That's one twisted warning… Either way, it shows how vulnerable we are when we're out of a battle."
Sebastian sat down on the side of the bed and looked down on his intertwined fingers.
"I need an ability that can protect us even if I'm not conscious."
—In the past, there was a fortress sieged by beasts. It was said that the fortress lasted 3 days and 3 nights without a single casualty because of a single Inheritor's ability.
"What is it?"
—A defensive ability, Barrier. It allows the user to create translucent barriers whose strength is proportionate to the amount of energy stored inside it. And, if trained sufficiently, it can even block attacks directed at the mind.
"That's exactly what I need!"
—Unfortunately, I don't know the whereabouts of the lineage. Why don't you try creating it yourself? Unlike the shadows, it is a bit more difficult to find this particular ability through my limited senses.
"Ugh…"
Sebastian had tried creating an ability before. With the exception of the natural elements which he could easily replicate, there were quite a few failed attempts.
At first, he tried summoning and even read through books for theory but ended up causing an explosion. Luckily, as he was in the House of Sol's courtyard at the time, it was brushed off as him training his flames.
Then another time, he had tried to empower his clothes to become stronger but ended up ripping them to shreds.
Not having the proper image and knowledge of creating an ability was dangerous. Though it wasn't impossible, it would take quite a bit of time to do.
There was a knock on the door and Sebastian went over to open it.
Clarice was holding Reimfrey with Sana holding onto Clarice's dress.
"Sebastian, you've returned!"
Clarice embraced Sebastian with Reimfrey still in her arms. Sana also hugged Sebastian's thigh as she was only barely tall enough to reach his stomach if she reached for it.
"How did you manage to come back so quickly?"
"I was sent back with teleportation. That aside, mother, I'm sorry but let's save our reunion for later. I will go to Amy's place right now."
"Nn. That's for the best."
Clarice gave Sebastian one last embrace and then left.
If it was the usual Clarice, then she would definitely cling onto him and cry about his return but it looked like the news of Markus' death reached even her.
Sebastian kneeled down to embrace Sana and then stroke her hair.
"Have you been a good girl?"
"Yes, papa."
"Did you cry while we were gone?"
"S-Sana's a big girl now, she wouldn't cry."
"Even big girls can cry. Did you know that mama cries all the time?"
"Mmm…"
Sana sniffled. Then, she began bawling as she tightened her embrace around Sebastian's neck. Though she tried not to show it, Sebastian knew that Sana was giving it her all not to break down.
Her parents had died the same way. They told her that they were going to return but never did. She was afraid that Sebastian would end up the same way. That's why for the past couple of months, she tried her best to suppress her fears.
She had even hid it from Amy.
"Let's go and meet mama, okay?"
"Nn…"
Sebastian lifted Sana and ordered Baritos to get the carriage ready. The three of them rode over to the House of Luna where they were stopped by the gates.
"Let me through."
"Lord Sebastian! If you've returned, does that mean the other houses have as well?"
The guard asked. They hadn't seen an airship flying over the city so they were bewildered. Besides, it was a couple of months too early.
"I went home ahead of everyone else. I'm here to meet Amy."
"Ah, yes, please go in."
—It appears that they do not know yet.
"It's only a matter of time."
The carriage passed through gates and stopped at the front of the estate. Sebastian got off with Sana and headed straight for Amy's room after asking a passing maid.
"Amy, are you there?"
Sebastian knocked on the door and spoke. When there wasn't any response, Sebastian scanned the room for Amy's energy and found her inside. He reached for the door and could see that it was unlocked.
Sebastian opened the door and walked in with Sana only to see Amy blankly staring at the orb on her desk.
"Amy…"
Sebastian released Sana's hand and approached Amy.
Her face looked haggard and there were bags under her eyes, could she not have slept the whole night after hearing what happened?
"Sebastian… Why are you here?"
Amy asked with a listless smile as she reached out to touch Sebastian's cheek. Sebastian held her hand and bit his lips.
"I was teleported home. The other house heads should be arriving within a couple of months."
"I see…"
Like Clarice, Amy was affected by the news. Though she really was happy that Sebastian was here earlier than planned, she couldn't find it inside her to smile.
—Will you tell her?
Sebastian nodded.
"Amy—"
Before Sebastian could speak, Amy had tapped the orb.
"This is a recording device gifted to us by the royal family. It's capable of recording one scene and it looks like Uncle Bryan had used it during his last moments. It was sent over to us with teleportation as well."
Though her throat was parched and her lips were dry, Amy still explained what the orb was to Sebastian.
"Sebastian, can you… insert your energy into the orb? It should play the memory, you should see it at least once."
Sebastian nodded and did as Amy instructed. He wanted to know who was the one who killed everyone too.
Though he was practically certain that it was the King of the Underworld or his subordinates, he still wanted to see who was capable of doing such a thing.
An image appeared inside the orb, then it began moving.
"Bastard…"
Sebastian could see Bryan curse at the one who had dealt him a fatal wound.
"?!"
—This is…
Following the armored arm of the attacker, Sebastian realized who it was. No, he couldn't be any more familiar with that suit of armor.
After all, it was Balanos' Soul Armor that he had already worn plenty of times.
"Uncle Bryan was pierced through the heart and couldn't say anything else. And father was…"
The attacker wearing Sebastian's armor raised his arm and set someone on the floor on fire. At that same moment, the orb dropped from Bryan's arms enough to see Markus laying down after being burned.
Then, the attacker raised his arm once more.
"Amira..."
Sebastian couldn't bear to look and turned away. He also didn't forget to cover Sana's eyes.
—Someone is impersonating you.
Sebastian opened his mouth but couldn't speak. He wanted to tell Balanos one thing.
His memories were erased, but were Balanos' memories really untampered? What if the two of them truly had killed Markus Luna yesterday but had forgotten because someone had erased their memories?
There were too many thoughts passing through Sebastian's head that he ended up holding a hand to his forehead and stumbling backward.
"The recording ended there and the representatives of the Inheritors and their retainers have already been informed. Someone who has enough power to kill a house head is running rampant and has already claimed a victim. Everyone is to remain on their guards for any further attacks."
Amy tapped the orb and it returned back to its normal state.
Sana approached Amy with tears in her eyes and held her hand.
Tears began building up in Amy's eyes as she held Sana's hand tightly.
Sebastian saw that and quickly came over to embrace her and Sana.
Amy finally broke. She cried out as she weeped into Sebastian's chest. The two could do nothing to comfort her other than to lend their bodies to her as she cried.
"H-he rarely showed me love. I imagined that when he'd die, I wouldn't feel anything, I wouldn't mind it at all…"
Amy spoke between her sniffles and gasps.
"But why does my heart hurt so much?! He didn't act like a father at all! Why should I suffer this much from hearing about his death?!"
Amy couldn't help but let out all of her frustrations as she cried out. She gripped the clothes on Sebastian's chest and couldn't help staining it with her tears.
However, neither Sebastian nor Sana minded. The two of them patiently comforted Amy while shedding tears of their own.
"Aaah!"
Amy let out a cry and continued to weep.
Sebastian and Sana could do nothing.
Any words they could say right now wouldn't do anything.
They could only comfort her with their presence.
To make sure she wasn't alone.
To show her that she still had family.
To hope that one day, her sorrow would fade.
That was all they could do.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone