Volume 8, Chapter 19 – Shadows Flowing on the Surface

The euphoria lasted for a quarter of an hour. Only after all the dishes had been served did the Wozwahl family gradually compose themselves. However, the atmosphere at the dining table was completely different from when Yisi had first arrived. If, a quarter of an hour ago, Yisi had been merely a guest of high status, now she was an honored guest. Everyone in the Wozwahl family, including Cynthia, looked at Yisi with exceptional sincerity.

Feeling a little embarrassed by the warm gazes, Yisi was slightly bashful. Duke Wozwahl, noticing this, smiled and raised his wine glass to toast Yisi, his whole body overflowing with joy, as if he were sitting in front of an old friend he had known for a long time.

“Thank you for your gift, Your Eminence. The House of Wozwahl will not forget your kindness today.”

“It’s just a small—”

Before Yisi could finish, Duke Wozwahl unhappily held up his palm to her.

“How can you say that? Everyone in the kingdom knows that the Tears of God are very difficult to obtain. Ever since we learned about them, Cynthia and I have been searching, hoping to get a bottle. But most of what we found were fakes from swindlers. It’s not that I didn’t ask the High Priest of the Royal Capital’s temple; he told me frankly that only those approved by the Pope can obtain them. I am certain that no more than a handful of the real thing has flowed into the kingdom. For such a rare item, Your Eminence should not be so modest. In the future, if there is anything I can help with, I will surely lend my aid.”

“Ahaha…”

Duke Wozwahl’s enthusiasm made Yisi give a wry smile. She raised her wine glass. Although she did have a favor to ask of Duke Wozwahl, to bring it up immediately after giving a gift would make her intentions too obvious. Yisi glanced at the happy Alice, then turned her gaze back to Duke Wozwahl.

“Speaking of which, Alice is still very young. Even if she is one of the Fallen, the markings shouldn’t be spreading so quickly. Could it be a very special ability? I have no intention of using Alice, but the Tears of God do not turn the Fallen back into normal people, they only remove the mark. If she continues to use her ability, the markings will reappear.”

With no surprise on his face, Duke Wozwahl drained his wine in one gulp, a heavy sigh rumbling in his throat.

“Before searching for the Tears of God, I did some research on them. I know that Alice’s safety is only temporary. But as long as the markings are gone, it is enough to get through the current difficulties. We can talk about the future later. As for Alice’s ability as one of the Fallen…”

Duke Wozwahl hesitated for a moment. Cynthia, at his side, quickly tried to dissuade him.

“Father, this concerns Alice’s…”

“Rest assured, the Ymir Church no longer considers the Fallen as heretics. And I am something of an anomaly in the Church myself.”

To put Cynthia and Duke Wozwahl at ease, Yisi gestured with her eyes to Edith, who was nonchalantly tasting blood with an elegant posture—the blood was a spare stored in Yisi’s inventory. In any case, she couldn’t let Pepe directly treat the servants of the Wozwahl household as food.

Of course, Yisi also suspected that Pepe might have disdain to drink the blood of these servants. After all, Pepe was not as adventurous as her. Only those who could be classified as beautiful girls could arouse Pepe’s interest, and the servants of the ducal estate were not in that category.

Her face full of reproach, the Duchess’s tone was filled with dissatisfaction.

“Cynthia, His Eminence has already given us the Tears of God, and we will have to trouble her again in the future. It is not right to hide things any longer.”

Duke Wozwahl let out a light breath.

“Cynthia, His Eminence is Alice’s benefactor. We should not hide things from her,” Duke Wozwahl turned his gaze to Yisi. “As you said, Your Eminence, if she were an ordinary Fallen, the markings would not have covered her entire body by the age of twelve. The reason she is like this today is because she has two different abilities at the same time. The first is that anyone who sees Alice will be detected by her. Even if the person is far away, Alice can still discover them.”

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No wonder Alice was able to spot me immediately yesterday, even though I was standing in an inconspicuous position. Although I saw from the [Omniscient Map] at the time that Alice was one of the Fallen, I never imagined it would be such a transcendent ability. It could be said that as long as one keeps Alice by their side, they need not worry about being ambushed by assassins. As long as an assassin catches a glimpse of Alice, their assassination has failed.

Similarly, this also explained why the markings had covered her entire body by the age of twelve. She had a passive ability, just like Pepe, but Alice’s was more troublesome, because as long as someone looked at her, her ability would activate, completely beyond her control.

After a brief pause, Duke Wozwahl continued his explanation.

“As for the second ability, it is what Cynthia wanted me to hide just now…”

“Father!”

“Cynthia, that’s enough. Say another word and you’re out.”

Having been interrupted twice by his own daughter in front of a guest, the prideful Duke Wozwahl frowned heavily, his stern expression warning Cynthia that if she said one more word, he would unceremoniously drive her out of the living room.

“Hmph.”

But Cynthia was not intimidated by Duke Wozwahl. Instead, she puffed out her cheeks, pushed her tableware forward, stood up, and pulled Alice away.

Thump.

The sound of a fist hitting the dining table.

Duke Wozwahl’s angular face flushed, his anger palpable.

“Cynthia, don’t go too far! You are nothing without me!”

The Duchess quickly tried to placate him.

“Hermann… we still have a guest.”

“Tsk.” Taking a deep breath to compose himself, Duke Hermann Wozwahl panted heavily. After a while, he turned to Yisi with an apologetic smile. “Your Eminence, please forgive the scene. Cynthia is just too doting on Alice. She does not mean to dislike you.”

“Ah, I know.”

“Tch.”

In contrast to Yisi’s wry smile, Edith curled her lip in disdain.

“If she were my daughter, I would make her regret being born into the House of Pescia.”

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Eh?

Is Pepe the type to be very strict with her daughter?

I thought Pepe would be a very protective mother.

“Er…” Duke Wozwahl wiped his sweat and continued where he had left off. “Alice’s second ability is to release a pure and large amount of magic power in a short period of time. When Alice was born, she released a burst of magic power that nearly blew the roof off. Everything in the room at the time was blown away by this power. Later, I took Alice to the court magic chanters to have her aptitude assessed, and it was then that I learned that there was a strange power in Alice’s body. Although Alice can release this magic power, she cannot convert it into her own to use. And because of this power, she has never leveled up like other children her age.”

It sounded a bit difficult to understand, but with a little time, one could grasp what Duke Wozwahl was trying to say. Alice was merely a vessel for magic power. She could release the magic power within her, but as a vessel, she could not process this magic power into something of her own.

Is that why Alice is only level 1, but her magic power is close to four digits?

Yisi nodded to herself.

“Every time Alice releases her magic power, new magic power quickly replenishes it. There is no one in the world with a faster magic power recovery rate than Alice, not even a magic furnace. Therefore, even though I was unwilling, I had to let Alice join the army when she was ten. She is more efficient than any magic furnace and can quickly fill the magic power needed for magic cannons and large-scale magic barriers. But this comes at a price. Each time she uses this ability, the markings of the Fallen spread a little further. Compared to her first ability, 2/3 of the markings on Alice’s body are because she joined the army…”

Perhaps because he also felt guilty towards Alice, Wozwahl poured himself a full glass of wine as he spoke and drank it in one gulp. The strength of the Margaret made his cheeks flush quickly.

The reason Duke Wozwahl had indulged Cynthia just now was because he felt guilty towards Alice. Cynthia had been thinking of Alice from the very beginning, so Duke Wozwahl couldn’t do anything to her. Yisi nodded to herself.

“I can understand sending your own daughter into the army, but why make her use her Fallen ability? That’s treating the girl as a tool. You can’t even be called a father.”

Edith frowned. In the eyes of this eldest daughter of a count who was deeply doted on by her father, Duke Wozwahl’s actions were simply unbearable, completely unworthy of being called a father. If Yisi hadn’t been sitting next to her, she would have already left the table without a word, just like Cynthia.

“Hah…” Not angered by Edith’s words, Duke Wozwahl let out a long, bitter sigh. “I am both Alice’s father and His Majesty the King’s subject. In recent years, disasters have been frequent. Dragons, lesser dragons, and other monsters that haven’t been seen in decades have frequently attacked our towns. In order to fight against these beasts and protect His Majesty’s country, I agreed to the proposals of those nobles and let Alice join the army. The most I could do was to send my personal guards to protect her safety and keep her from the front lines.”

“Is that even considered an effort? If you truly had the resolve of a father, you would have protected Alice at all costs. Even if the king ordered you to do so, you should have considered Alice’s safety. At least my father is not as incompetent as you. Hmph. I’ll leave this to you. I’m going to the garden.”

Her delicate features were filled with coldness. Edith stood up, gave Yisi a nod, and walked out of the living room.

Just a moment ago, she was saying she would make her daughter regret being born into the House of Pescia, and now she’s making a doting declaration. Yisi couldn’t help but give a wry smile. Pepe is really the protective type.

“I’m sorry, Your Grace. My Pepe is too willful.”

“Alas, I know what she means. It is indeed my failure. But I do not regret it. If I had not let Alice join the army at that time, the kingdom would be in chaos now. Your Eminence should know about the fall of the Demon Lord Ouranos two years ago, right?”

Hearing the word that caught her interest, Yisi immediately perked up.

“Mm, I know.”

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If not for the fall of Ouranos, she would not have entered Pepe’s body. It was because Pepe had forcibly absorbed Ouranos’s corpse that she had lost consciousness and been captured by the Church.

“If the kingdom had not been busy dealing with the monsters within its borders at that time, we would have also joined the scramble for Ouranos’s corpse. Unfortunately, the Blood Clan got to it in the end.”

“So has Alice left the army now?”

“Alice’s condition is not suitable for her to remain in the army. A year ago, I noticed that the markings had spread to her waist, so I requested His Majesty to allow her to leave the army. His Majesty granted my request, but now…” at this point, as if hating something, Duke Wozwahl clenched his fists, his black eyes filled with a life or death resolve. “…No matter who it is, I will never hand Alice over again.”

It was more like he was talking to himself than to Yisi.

With a worried expression, the Duchess timely placed her hand on Duke Wozwahl’s clenched fist.

“Hermann…”

“…I know my limits. In any case, I must thank Your Eminence for giving me this opportunity. If you had not given Alice the Tears of God today, she probably wouldn’t have survived until the end of the year.”

I gave Alice a chance to live, so why did he say I gave him an opportunity? Is he referring to his responsibility as a father?

Vaguely, Yisi felt a sense of foreboding. The hatred in Duke Wozwahl’s eyes just now was definitely not something that could be casually overlooked. That resolve could even be compared to Pepe’s determination to take back the position of the count’s eldest daughter from Hetty.

To ease the heavy atmosphere that had solidified in the living room, the countess, with her gentle air, said with a smile.

“By the way, does Your Eminence have someone you like? You look like a fifteen year old girl. In the kingdom, girls of this age are already married. If you are interested, I can act as a matchmaker for you. With your beauty and personality, you would surely charm the noble young men into a daze, hehehe. They would surely be breaking down the door to get a glimpse of you. At that time, Cynthia’s title of ‘Flower of the Kingdom’ would have to be passed on to you.”

Although Yisi was a member of the Church, the vow of chastity only applied to the Pope. The teachings left by the Goddess specifically stated that members of the Church were free to love. Originally, this rule also applied to the Pope, but a certain Pope in the middle of a generation had changed the rules.

Previously, Yisi had heard Evelyn complain that she wanted to change this rule back. At that time, Yisi had even teased Evelyn for abusing her authority and gossipingly asked her which noble’s son she had her eye on. But Evelyn had jokingly replied that she had fallen in love with Yisi. Yisi naturally did not believe her. One had to know that before Evelyn became Pope, she had always stressed that her sexual orientation was normal. Therefore, Evelyn was also the only one among Yisi’s many female friends with whom Yisi dared to joke with lines like “Have you fallen for me?” or “I love you, Evelyn~”.

Faced with the countess’s enthusiastic suggestion, Yisi felt a sense of helplessness. Thankfully, Pepe had gone to the garden. Otherwise, Pepe would surely be hugging her and declaring her sovereignty right now, making the situation awkward.

“Thank you for your concern. I already have a promise with the person I like.”

“Is that so? Hehehe, as I thought. I was just saying, how could a girl as beautiful and understanding as you not have a fiancé? Unlike our Cynthia, who is already twenty-four and still not married.”

“Miss Cynthia will surely find someone she likes. You can rest assured, my lady,” Yisi secretly glanced at Duke Wozwahl, who had been frowning as if in deep thought since just now. “Your Grace, I have a favor to ask of you.”

…

“Not staying a little longer? You seemed quite interested in that blonde twin-tailed girl named Alice.”

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When Yisi left the Wozwahl ducal estate and found Edith admiring the flowers in the garden, the latter teased her with a slightly dissatisfied expression.

Yisi, who was so excited she was about to jump, first straightened her blue skirt, then reached out and took one of Edith’s white twin tails in her hand, brought it to her nose, and sniffed lightly, saying with a smile.

“Nowhere near as cute as Pepe’s white twin tails—mm, still that nice red wine scent.”

Letting Yisi twirl her white twin tail, Edith raised an eyebrow with interest.

“Hoh. You’re being quite forward today.”

“Of course, I suddenly discovered Pepe’s cute side, so I’m completely smitten.”

“Hoh~hoh~hoh~” while making a mischievous sound, Edith hugged Yisi from the front. Before Yisi could feel the fragrant breeze, she suddenly felt a tug on the ribbon at her waist. Then, Edith deliberately blew a hot breath in Yisi’s ear. “So, shall we do it here?”

“Eh?”

She had originally wanted to tease Pepe, but she had never expected Pepe to be so direct. Yisi’s body instantly stiffened. Although the usual solution was to go along with the other person and say “alright,” which would then make the other person flustered, but this ‘other person’ was Pepe, who was capable of anything. If she agreed, it was very likely that they would really do it in this garden…

Tensing her body, Yisi stammered in response.

“N-no.”

“Hmph,” gently pushing Yisi away, Edith’s azure eyes looked straight into Yisi’s. Her cold fingertips slid down Yisi’s cheek to her chin, finally stopping at her lips. Her confident smile carried a hint of madness. “It’s too early for you to play with me, Yisi. At least wait until I’ve played with you a hundred times. Then you’ll be qualified to challenge me. Well, by then you’ll already be devoted to me. Mmm… turning you into a pet wouldn’t be so bad either.”

“Cough, ahem, we’re still at the Wozwahl ducal estate,” the tickling sensation of her fingertips on her cheek made Yisi’s heart tremble. Then, because of Pepe’s direct gaze, she awkwardly and shyly looked away. “There’s a carriage coming from behind.”

“This defeated look is very delicious. I like it. I’ll let you go for now.”

Sticking out the tip of her red tongue to lick the index finger that had just touched Yisi’s lips, Edith’s lips curved up. She turned and walked away. Yisi quickly followed.

It was at this moment that two carriages with noble crests passed by them. Yisi tilted her head slightly.

If I’m not mistaken, those are the crests of the other two great dukes.

What are they doing at the Wozwahl ducal estate?

Recalling her conversation with Duke Wozwahl just now, a bad premonition arose in Yisi’s heart. She looked up at the sky, which was still covered with dark clouds.

I hope the weather doesn’t change.