章節 33: The True Aim of Gray Tower
"What do you require?" the Duke of Gray Tower inquired without hesitation. "Kind-hearted little Hydral, what must I do to maintain your neutrality in the Red Frost territory?"
Ansel did not become arrogant due to the Duke's change in attitude; his tone remained gentle and polite. "Firstly, regarding the Baron of Iceberg..."
"His soul will soon return to his body." The Duke of Gray Tower spoke with a friendly expression, as if the person who had just denied any connection with the two barons was not him at all.
"Lor—"
The unfortunate Baron of Howling Wind could only utter a single word before he inexplicably lost the ability to make any sound. Even with his mouth wide open and his neck strained to the point of bulging veins, his cries were nothing more than silent, futile struggles.
Witnessing this scene, Seraphina was both astonished by the Duke's methods and deeply annoyed by the two individuals who casually dismissed the baron as if he were nothing.
"Next, this year's 'harvest' from the Red Frost territory shall belong to me."
"..." The Duke's expression remained unchanged, but he fell silent for a moment before chuckling. "I have no objections to that, but little Hydral..."
He spoke with a meaningful tone, "With only a group of maidservants and a butler, do you have the confidence to consume this year's harvest?"
The Red Frost territory, being contested by two grand dukes, undoubtedly had its unique qualities.
The young Hydral laughed lightly, "Your Grace, I believe you already have the answer in your heart. You orchestrated this farce precisely for this reason, didn't you?"
He turned to look at the infuriated Baron of Howling Wind and sighed, "Poor baron, did you truly think that the grand duke contacted you solely to help you or merely to take revenge on me?"
Ansel shook his head, pityingly and regretfully stripping the Baron of his last shred of dignity and reason: "He merely wanted to use you to probe the seemingly unaided me and uncover the hidden cards I possess—Do you have the answer now, lord duke?"
The youth gazed at the kindly smiling elder in the image, "Is it the head of Wind, the head of Darkness, or the head of Spirit? Which pact head did I borrow from my father?"
"Hehe... Regarding that, little Hydral, one mustn't speak carelessly." The Duke of Gray Tower chuckled like a benevolent elder, "How could I, who so admires outstanding young people like you, inexplicably conduct such a test?"
"You're right; I was merely joking."
Both the elder and the youth burst into hearty laughter, their joyous harmony causing Seraphina to feel physically unwell.
"In that case, I shall not waste any more of your time." Ansel stood up and bowed slightly to the renowned grand duke of the north, "May you advance further on the long road to uncovering the truth, Your Grace."
"You too, little Hydral."
The old man smiled and nodded, ending the communication.
Thus, the farce concluded.
"...Is it over?" Seraphina looked at Ansel with uncertainty, feeling that something was amiss. She felt as if she had overlooked something crucial from the beginning until now... as if something had been neglected.
What was it?
Seraphina didn't figure it out until that evening.
.
"So, all those things were done by the old butler?!"
At the dining table, Seraphina, who had removed her collar, sat facing Ansel incredulously.
"No wonder he disappeared as soon as he arrived here. How did he manage to do everything, like playing the crystal recordings, finding the dungeon beneath the castle, and rescuing those unlucky guys imprisoned and tortured by that pervert noble?!"
"Thus his guards didn't come to save him! That despicable Howling Wind Barcon was perverse enough to employ the victims' relatives and friends! I wondered how a noble could be so kind-hearted... It's one thing for the maids, but even the guards are commoners! If I had known earlier, I would have used my own hands and broken the legs of that beast!"
The young girl angrily waved her knife and fork, stabbing the steak and chewing it vigorously.
"Ansel, who exactly is that old butler?" Seraphina spoke with her mouth full, "What rank is he? And what's the deal with that 'pact head' you mentioned?"
Ansel wiped the corner of his mouth and glanced at the bright-eyed Seraphina, "Swallow your food before you speak."
"…So many rules." The girl grumbled unhappily, taking several more bites of her steak before swallowing. "Can you tell me now?" She leaned forward, eager for an answer.
"You're not yet qualified to know these things," Ansel replied calmly, "You're still far from Saville. Get a good night's sleep tonight and don't think too much."
"Can't do this, can't do that... What did you do to those two barons in the end? You can at least tell me that, right?"
Seraphina crossed her arms, looking displeased, "I don't know what the Baron of Iceberg did, but since he could associate with that scoundrel Howling Wind, he must not be any good either. What did you do to them?"
The young Ansel leaned back in his chair, his fingers interlocked, and asked Seraphina with a smile, "Are you sure you want to know?"
"Of course, I…"
Facing Ansel's somewhat unsettling gaze, Seraphina shuddered slightly and averted her eyes, "Never mind, as long as you didn't cover for them, that's fine. After all, you dared to kill the Count of Red Frost, so those two should be nothing to you."
She put down her knife and fork, picked up the collar from the table, "And, you promised me that after we return, I can look at everything in your study."
Ansel reminded her, "The condition is—"
"The condition is not to damage any book, and to put all the books back in their original place after reading. I got it."
The silver-haired girl stood up, grumbling unhappily, "You make me sound like some wild boar that digs around everywhere."
Indeed, no matter how she looked at it, this guy was utterly annoying.
With these thoughts, Seraphina grabbed her collar and left Ansel's bedroom.
*
"Young lord," Saville appeared like a ghost behind Ansel, "Is it alright? I think it's too dangerous for Miss Seraphina."
"If she can't even pass the test after removing all unstable factors—"
Ansel smiled, "Why would I value her so much?"
"Because you have indeed invested enough effort in her."
For Saville to say these words and advise Ansel, it meant that the loyal and sharp-witted old butler genuinely believed the final test Ansel had prepared for Seraphina was too difficult.
"That means she won't fail, Saville."
Hydral, facing his destiny, gazed at the moonlit night through the window and whispered words that Saville couldn't understand:
"And, if she really dies like this, I would be… overjoyed."
"How nice it would be if it were that simple."
.
Returning to her small room, Seraphina flopped onto the bed, recalling everything that had happened today.
Ansel's lessons had challenged her understanding of the world and herself. She was unaware of the true extraordinary battles and had never imagined that fighting could take such a form.
There was no brutality or savagery, only precise, cold, and flawless calculations.
Seraphina didn't like this approach, but she agreed on one point—she had to understand it. She didn't need to see through everything as easily as Ansel, but at least she needed to know how to deal with all those messy things, instead of standing still like an idiot and taking hits.
"Ah… I have to read so many books, what a hassle."
The girl turned over, her eyes gradually closing, "I'll think about it in a few days… Haah… later…"
As her eyelids fell completely and her eyelashes ceased to tremble —
The second hand of the clock in her room, stopped moving.
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