Chapter 34: Lineage

With the spoils of war in hand, the party from the Lord’s Manor departed the deep, subterranean mines and returned to the surface.

The sunlight was pale yet blinding. Eric squinted at the sky, realizing they had only been underground for half a day. Many villagers were busy in the mining area or watching the commotion, and soon, they noticed that the group emerging was not the labor force hauling away corpses, but the ones who had eliminated them. Eyes began to converge upon them.

Leslie, carrying the corpse of the elderly necromancer, had the guards fashion a long and a short piece of wood into a cross. He then hung the body upon it, erecting it high in the most prominent spot in the center of the mining area. Once enough villagers had gathered, at a signal from his young master, the captain of the guards cleared his throat and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"The mastermind, the creator of the undead, the root of all this disaster—the evil necromancer Fland—has been slain by us!"

The cheers of the villagers rang throughout the mines. Eric stood to the side, wearing an expression of relief.

It was finally over... No, there was still one small thing left.

Glancing up at the azure sky, Eric took a breath and turned to walk out of the mining grounds. Leslie steadied the cross, telling his men to dig a pit to secure it. Some of the bolder villagers gathered around, staring at the corpse hanging high above.

"He won't come back to life, will he? I heard that evil mages regain their vitality after a long slumber and return to do evil."

"He's dead through and through, and he won't have a chance to slumber. The young master said that once the rest of those rotting corpses are burned, he’ll be thrown into the fire to be turned to ash as well."

"Are all the undead really cleared out?"

"Would I lie to you?"

Leslie answered casually, glancing toward the exit of the mine, where the young master and the guards carrying the chests had already arrived. Per the young master’s instructions, they were to return to the Lord’s Manor first.

"It’s not convenient or safe to leave these things here. I have to take them back."

By the camp, watching the chests being loaded onto the carriage, Eric turned to the two nuns. "Will Mother Superior Alaina and Miss Sophie be returning to the city with us?"

Sophie looked at the busy villagers in the camp and hesitated. "Are we just leaving like this? They said there would be a banquet tonight..."

Eric smiled. "I wouldn't want to miss the victory banquet either. I’ll be back before dark."

"Really? Then I’m going! ...Uh, Mother Superior, are you returning?" Sophie looked at the Mother Superior with anticipation.

"I will not be returning," Alaina shook her head. "The chaos here is over, but I wish to speak with the local clergy regarding subsequent arrangements. The villagers still need comfort, too."

"Alright..." Sophie wasn't too disappointed; at least the Mother Superior didn't insist on her staying.

Since he would be back by nightfall, Eric didn't say much more. He nodded to the Mother Superior and went to check on the items in the carriage. Besides the large chest of gold coins and several magical artifacts, he was bringing back the skill books and magical journals for Irene, as well as several dozen vials of high-concentration plague toxin. The latter was the most dangerous; it could not be left behind, but Eric didn't know how to dispose of it, so he had to bring it back for his uncle to decide.

With everything loaded, Eric and Sophie boarded the carriage and left the small town of Valais, where they had stayed for several days. The road was empty, and carriages were a rare sight. Their pace was neither fast nor slow; because of the dangerous cargo, Eric had specifically instructed the driver not to speed.

"Does Miss Sophie have any plans after we return?"

"Ah... I don't have any."

The two sat opposite each other in the cabin, with the cargo between them. Sophie realized this wasn't quite what she had expected before setting out. At the very least, the atmosphere was completely devoid of the ambiguity she had hoped for. Eric had been staring blankly at the items between them since getting into the carriage, ignoring her entirely, and had only just managed to blurt out that question.

"Then please feel free, Miss Sophie. You may stay at the Lord’s Manor or go to the monastery; the carriage is at your disposal. I have matters to discuss with my uncle, so I won't be able to keep you company."

"..."

Sophie felt a wave of disappointment but didn't know what to say. "I understand."

The carriage ride was smooth, and it didn't take long to return to Orey City. To avoid any accidents, they slowed down considerably after entering the city gates. When they arrived at the Lord’s Manor, Eric finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Take this chest to the Count's study. As for these books... never mind, I’ll deliver them myself. Keep a close watch on this plague toxin; I’ll give you a gold coin as a reward when I return."

"A... a gold coin?! Yes, Young Master!"

After giving the excited guard a few more instructions and telling Sophie she was free to roam the manor, Eric turned to look for his sister. He ran into a furry tiger-kin maid and asked, finding that Irene was indeed in her room.

"Is my uncle busy right now?"

"The Count... is meeting... guests." The tiger-kin had her own language, and her Common tongue was not very fluid, but Eric was used to it by now.

"Very well. When he is free, tell him I will find him in the study."

"Yes, Young Master." The tiger-kin maid spoke this sentence fluently.

He reached Irene’s room. She was lying on the bed, in a half-awake, half-asleep state, still in that listless, dazed condition. Eric touched his sister’s forehead, but she did not wake.

"Irene..."

After sitting for a while, he set down the books and left. When he arrived at his uncle’s study, Edgar was already waiting for him.

"You’re back." Edgar was examining the chest brought to the study. He glanced at his nephew, but his gaze paused. "It seems you have grown quite a bit since this trip."

Edgar was a high-level warrior between the seventh and eighth tiers. Even after years away from battle, his eyes remained sharp, and he immediately noticed the changes in his nephew.

"I’ve just gained a bit of strength," Eric dared not act too arrogant before his uncle, lest he be dragged off for a sparring session.

He took out the key and unlocked the iron padlock. Edgar stepped over and patted his shoulder, squeezing twice, letting out a sigh that sounded both comforted and nostalgic.

"How were things handled over there?"

"The undead inside and outside the mine have been cleared. The mastermind was slain by Leslie and me. There will be no further trouble." After unlocking the chest, Eric opened it. "These are the spoils."

Looking at the chest filled with gold coins, Edgar was momentarily dazed, though not overly surprised. "There is quite a lot here."

"I found them all there." Eric briefly explained the history of the necromancer’s scourge. Hearing that the disaster dated back two hundred years, Edgar seemed more surprised.

"The Gimino family was still in the Marquisate of Gladias back then... No wonder we knew nothing of this."

"Indeed."

Reflecting on the past, the Count sighed for a moment before saying, "Keep these gold coins for yourself."

Eric didn't object; he grabbed a handful of coins to put in his pocket and closed the chest. "Additionally, I found some magic-related items. I sent them to Irene’s room, but she hasn't woken up yet."

At the mention of his niece, the relaxed look on Edgar's face vanished. After a moment of silence, he said, "I need to reconsider sending Irene to study magic."

This matter touched upon his father's final wishes. Eric was silent for a moment before asking, "Can you tell me why now?"

Edgar took a breath, paced a few steps, and suddenly looked toward the door. "Ms. Winnie, close the door. Do not let anyone near."

"Yes."

The study door was shut. Edgar looked at his nephew. "Did you master *The Races of the Continent*, which I had you study thoroughly years ago?"

Eric was startled. To be honest, he hadn't. But his years of gaming experience allowed him to name most of the common races in this world.

"More or less. I know what I need to know."

Edgar looked at him—or more accurately, at his deep blue eyes. "Then tell me, apart from some humans, which other humanoid races have blue pupils?"

Eric was silent. Just as he was about to complain about his uncle's pedantic questioning, he thought carefully and realized he could actually name a few.

"Blue pupils... shallow-sea mermen, some female cat-folk, and the lizardmen of the southern ports seem to have blue eyes as well..." He paused, finally realizing something. "And all Moon Elves."

Edgar spoke in a low voice, "That is the race of you and Irene’s mother. Besides the blood of the Gimino family flowing through your veins, you also possess a portion of elven blood, and Irene inherited more from her mother."

"Mother was a Moon Elf?" Eric was incredulous. "But the portrait she left behind clearly shows someone..."

"—That was a magical disguise. Moon Elves were the royal family of the ancient elves. Their numbers are scarce, perhaps fewer than a hundred left today, and one of the taboos of their race is union with outsiders." Edgar sighed. "I never saw your mother in person. By the time I received your father Elino’s letter and rushed back, she was already dead. Your father was also severely wounded; he entrusted you and Irene to me and then passed away."

"Because of a purge by the Moon Elves?" Eric asked.

"Yes. Because your father ran off with the only precious jewel they had produced in hundreds of years."

"..."

Eric found it hard to describe his current state of mind. As an ancient royal family, the Moon Elves were the most noble of all elves, extremely rare, and usually only found in the Emperor's court or the high towers of the Mages' Association. They were also natural spellcasters. Rumor had it that the controllers behind the two largest magic academies on the continent were a few ancient Moon Elves—he had seen them in the game and could confirm this was true.

So, the talent for elemental magic resistance on his attribute panel was inherited from his elven mother? And Irene had inherited it more completely, which was why she was born with such powerful mental energy.

"Your father left a final wish: the elven blood flowing in Irene’s body is very easy for mages to detect, so she must not come into contact with them." Edgar looked at his nephew. "Because most mages are eyes and ears for the Moon Elves. Once they find out, the Moon Elves will come to hunt you and Irene down and kill you."

Eric, who had never doubted his uncle, found it hard to agree at this moment. Was that really the case?

"Perhaps... there is a possibility of reconciliation between us and the Moon Elves."

If the Moon Elves were truly relentless, how could the Irene of his past life have grown up to become a witch?