章 82: [Bonus chapter] The riddle

He hovered around it for hours. He wasn't in Revampirina and wasn't near Valtrar. If he counted the days before the death race, it would mean that he had to be between those two. However, he wasn't anywhere there. There was everything in his head; memories of his silhouette walking down the road and looking for the main; he had never lied anywhere. They were going straight because he was hurried. He wanted to finish everything fast so he bore the pain of his tiredness and kept going ahead.

Nevertheless, he wasn't anywhere where he should remember. There was something; something that changed since he resumed the test. There was also the system; it meant that it was working before and now it wasn't. Because of what and because of who… She said Him as in enigmatic; someone was pulling the strings. She also mentioned the Acting Lord of the Dimitruicasten castle. What if she was the acting Lord?

'No, it didn't seem like it.'

It was simple. Her system was banished and blocked, which meant it was a form of her magic. She created it after all. There was that weird voice he head when he choked. It had to be the acting Lord. Since the system wasn't there anymore, could it mean Gilbert wasn't there either?

'Hey, skeleton head,' he thought. 'Gilbert, skeleton guide, mister Gilbert, scare orbs…' he kept calling him names in his head but the guide didn't answer. The reply was always there when he asked and yet, now, he didn't receive any.

"The system isn't there anymore. I am cut off. Was the time-limit extended? Or simply forfeited?"

If it was the case then he didn't have to rush everything. He could do things and think more rationally. Hurrying things was a synonym of ruining them. But nothing of this inspired safety to his mind, when things appeared easier, they were more likely dangers ahead. He had to find more scapegoats.

Stephan threw a glance at the three people around him; Gillibrian, still having that trustworthy look in his eyes, Agandaur, as stupid as ever and Soprana, as charming and seductive as ever. No wonder she was always charming, she kept her eyes on potential preys.

"Hey witch, give me the cloth you stole from me. I need it right now."

Soprana wrapped her arms around her torso. "I expected you to call me by my name. What changed?" she said when she noticed his stare. She let her hair fall into her face and turned around, looking at the trees, so tall, the lush green, so tall as well, they stomped on it to create where to sit. She was silent for a moment before she pushed her hand between the valley of her breasts and pulled out the garment she took from him. She thought of it like borrowing instead of stealing; she was working on the magic that wrapped it. There was a spell hiding things in it. "Here you go!"

She sat in front of him, her dress hiding her legs. She didn't look charming or seductive. Her face had a hint of seriousness that was hard to recognize her with. She spread the garment in front of him and pointed at the key. The real game started at the moment she put her finger on it and chanted something in a gibberish language.

He suddenly remembered the pendant he took from her. Borrowing calling it. He borrowed it from her. He put it on and looked at the garment. There were some drawing, strange shapes in all forms, like a language. Soprana didn't look like someone who could understand them but on the other hand, he felt as if he saw them before. Rubbing his chest and sweeping his hair back, he remembered. They were symbols of Legend of the Past. Symbols Aurora came up with and used continuously in the game.

"This is something I would recognize her with," he smirked. "This is a riddle."

"Riddles need words and these do not look like words to me."

"But they do to me."

The pendant on his neck seemed to be able to work properly unlike what Soprana thought. For her, it was a broken object she didn't use but was left by one of her witches' friends who died painfully in the witch hunt led by Valtrar.

(In my being, I hold all solution. In my name, I get all answers. Whenever I am needed, I shall be lost. Wherever I shall be, I can be support. Whatever shape I am, I shall be the beginning of your quest. Without me in your hand, you shall be a guest. All portals shall stand aside at the sight of my circumvolution.)

Those were the words he could see with his eyes using the pendant special ability. It worked on truth and liars. The garment was a lie to hide the truth of the riddle, but what did the riddle truly mean?

Something had to be found in order to keep on with the quest, which meant he wouldn't be able to get ahead with it if he wasn't able to know what the thing he had to look for was. 'In my being, I hold all solution,' he repeated in his mind. Then what was the point of the drawing? When he borrowed it from the master of the tower of darkness, he was confident it was needed to bargain with the witch. However, looking at it, it wasn't meant for the witch exactly.

"Did she expect I would go to her?" he whispered. "She must have calculated all this. I need to do an experiment."

He jumped on his legs and looked at each face for a while before moving to the other. There was a theory he wanted to verify. If she knew he would be getting to the tower and getting the garment then it would probably mean the others would stuck with him till the end of the quest.

"I want you all to go each one of his own direction. I won't tell you where we will meet but let the crossroads and the one holding fate in her hands speaks when we will."