Chương 59: 1st Recursion: Hamlin County (11)

As she pulled out her hand, a spherical object could be seen in the Lady's grip. Ilya brought it closer to her eyes, hissing once she had identified the object.

It was an eyeball, but not that of a human's. It was a goat's eyeball.

Ilya swung her hand down as strong as she could. However, the Countess' blood seemed to be stuck on her skin and the organ. Hence, she used the edge of her sleeve to clean the eyeball to get a good view of the iris.

"Marquis Benedict, look for another foreign object inside the Countess' body. I guarantee that you will find one." Ilya said as she was scrutinizing the eyeball.

Without a second thought, the Marquis moved towards the side of the bed. He first glanced at the knights and motioned for a couple of them to come closer. The knights at the very middle of the line stepped up, taking their place on the other side in no time.

"Can one of you bring Leahmir Dantalion here? Inform her that I will need a few basic surgical tools. Also, tell Duchess Simargl to gather the maids in the far end of the opposite wing."

"Understood, My Lord." The taller of the two knights said before turning around.

He jogged his way to the door and relayed the order to the other knights. Two of his comrades quickly followed the order and went outside of the room. Thereafter, the aforementioned knight went back to his place by the bed.

"Open up the hole carefully. Make sure that you won't tear anything. Are you both able to conjure a light sphere? A small one will suffice."

"I can manage that much, My Lord. Should I place it inside the wound?"

"Conjure one that can hover."

"Yes, My Lord."

Right off the bat, the knight muttered the incantation for the spell. A light orb the size of a fingernail appeared an inch above the hole on the Countess' body.

Despite its small size, the light being emitted by the orb was powerful enough to illuminate an entire hall. Withal, it would only last for at most an hour, provided that the caster would be constantly supplying it with Manna.

While the three were busy digging up the wound, Ilya seemed to have made no progress. Since the facade indicated nothing, Ilya changed her approach. Without batting an eye, she burrowed her nail through the iris. She didn't stop until she was halfway inside the organ.

Ilya took her nail out and proceeded to separate the eyeball into two. As she did so, she saw something sticking out of one of the halves.

"Count Schatten, please lend me your hand."

The Count raised his palm in front of Ilya right away. The Lady placed the entire eyeball on the man's palm prior to taking out the foreign item.

"A rolled parchment?" She muttered to herself before unveiling its content.

Written using black ink, the words 'Virite ar aleis' occupied the whole parchment. Ilya's hands trembled as she fell to the ground. Her breathing began to quicken, shaking her head as she was whispering.

Count Schatten hurriedly knelt beside Ilya and snatched the parchment away from her tight hold. He read what was written on the parchment and immediately understood why Ilya had that reaction.

In Arphielian -- a language that died before the beginning of the Bacharoth Script -- Virite ar aleis meant 'Welcome Back'.

"It's them," Ilya mumbled breathlessly, "It's definitely them."

The Count knew who Ilya was pertaining to by 'them'. After all, they both arrived at the same conclusion.

"Ilya, calm down first, hmm? Nothing is going to happen. It's probably only a warning."

"No, no, this is not a warning. It's a declaration."

Ilya kept her head down, her hands clutching the skirt of her dress. The Count was at a loss on what to do, knowing that Ilya wouldn't listen to him. He peered at the Marquis to ask for help, but refrained when he saw that the man was concentrating on his task.

On the spur of the moment, he grabbed Ilya's shoulders and shook her gently.

"Ilya, this is not the time to act like this. You can't be this distraught whenever the criminal is toying wi-."

Interrupting the Count was Ilya's exasperated sigh. She raised her head and stared at Count Schatten.

"Distraught? No, I am not distraught, Count Schatten."

The Count believed Ilya's words in every respect. He could see the glints on her eyes dancing in a fit of temper. He scoffed inwardly, feeling foolish for thinking that Ilya was having a breakdown.

He took his hold off of her and sat on his rear. He closed his eyes as he gazed at the ceiling. After a few seconds or so, he returned his attention to Ilya. The tension in his shoulders dissipated when he saw that Ilya was wearing a nonchalant expression once again.

"It seems that you're not proficient in controlling your anger yet, Lady Gertrude. You better return to how you once were. Nothing could ever make you waver back then."

Before responding to the man, Ilya stood up. She lent her hand out to the man and helped him be on his feet.

"Don't worry. I will return to my former self soon enough. But before anything else, we have something to do."

"You're planning to go visit the Hamlin Estate, right?"

"Yes, there's something there that we need to check. It might give us a clue. Additionally, we have to find the Hamlin family members that are in hiding."

Hearing their conversation, Marquis Benedict stopped moving his hands and turned his head towards them.

"The both of you can go. Ask Sir Kretov to contact Commander Halkias so he can be of assistance."

The Count met the man's eyes and asked, "Are you alright with that arrangement? Don't you want to go to the estate?"

"No, searching the Countess' body is as important as searching the estate. Count Schatten, make it your priority to protect Ilya while she still can't protect herself."

"Understood."

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