Chapter 65: A Trip Home

To get clearer information, Elias decided it was better to meet Alistair in person.

He walked to the edge of the training ground to pick up his shirt before putting it on.

"Where is the Head Butler right now, Lady?"

"He’s in Rudia’s study."

Elias tilted his head slightly when Evelyn said that.

’I feel like I’ve heard that name before.’

While straightening his clothes, Elias asked the two girls to show him where Rudia’s study was.

Of course, Evelyn and Elysia didn’t mind. They walked ahead first, while Elias followed from behind.

While the three of them were still on their way, Elysia, who had been walking near Evelyn, began to slow down until she ended up walking beside Elias.

"Elias, do you still remember your promise?"

Elias’s body twitched slightly when he heard Elysia bring up a promise he had made.

He glanced at Elysia walking beside him, his face a little sweaty.

"Of course... I still remember."

That was a lie. With so many things happening lately, Elias had completely forgotten what he had promised Elysia.

If he said he didn’t remember, a few things would probably happen before he eventually died. Elysia would get sad, then upset. Evelyn, seeing her younger sister sad, would feel sad too and get upset with him.

Then, as revenge, the two of them would kidnap Elias and take him to a terrifying "torture" room.

And what do people usually do in a torture room? Of course, they torture you to death while asking all kinds of questions!

Imagining himself being brutally tortured by the two girls made the hairs on Elias’s neck stand up.

’Please, I hope I didn’t make some promise that’s too heavy!’

"Good. I want to collect on it tomorrow."

’W-what? Tomorrow?! What do I do... Should I just say I don’t remember? No, that’s the same as walking through death’s door. Then what!?’

"A-alright..."

Elias could only give a bitter smile and a short answer.

After hearing Elias’s answer, Elysia picked up her pace again and walked beside her sister.

Elias watched Elysia for a moment before turning his eyes to Evelyn, who was walking ahead of them.

’Ah, right! Evelyn should know about that promise. I’d better ask her later.’

Realizing he still had a chance to find out about the promise and prepare himself, Elias let out a sigh of relief while wiping his forehead.

* * *

The moment they arrived in front of the door to Rudia’s study, it opened by itself.

*Click... Creak...

As he stepped inside, Elias was shocked when he saw the state of the room beyond.

Papers lay scattered everywhere and books were stacked up all over the place. Dust had even piled up in some corners, while cobwebs decorated the upper part of the room.

From any angle, this room clearly looked like it had never been cleaned or even used.

Even his little house in the village was way cleaner than this room.

’Is this really his study?’

When Elias turned his gaze toward the big desk with the tallest stack of papers, he saw a man writing something on a sheet of paper.

"Rudia, where’s Alistair?"

"Ah, he’s over there."

’He’s the one named Rudia?’

Rudia pointed in a certain direction after Evelyn asked him.

What puzzled Elias a little was Rudia’s attitude toward the two girls. He acted like it was nothing, as if they were nobody. He didn’t even stand up or greet Evelyn and Elysia when they arrived.

Elias was actually curious about the reason behind that attitude and wanted to scold him. But seeing that Evelyn and Elysia’s reactions stayed perfectly normal, as if Rudia’s attitude was just ordinary, Elias ended up choosing to stay quiet.

’Actually, it’s fine that I don’t have to ask or scold him.’

Elias then turned toward the direction Rudia had pointed. But he raised an eyebrow instead, since he didn’t see Alistair there.

Noticing Elias’s confusion, Elysia started talking with her arms folded across her chest.

"Alistair, come out. We’ve brought Elias."

"Ah! Please wait a moment!"

Suddenly, Alistair’s voice came from behind a bookshelf. A few moments later, the shelf swung open like a door. The dust piled on top of it fell down all at once and landed on Alistair.

*Creak...

*Cough! Cough!

"Ugh! Clean your room once in a while!"

Elias was clearly shocked to learn there was a secret room behind that worn-out bookshelf.

’It’s not a secret anymore.’

Rudia just sighed lazily when he heard Alistair’s complaint.

"I don’t have time. If you want it clean, do it yourself."

Alistair clicked his tongue softly while brushing the dust off his clothes.

"This is why you’re still not married."

After he finished dusting off his clothes, Alistair walked straight over to the three of them.

"Thank you for calling Elias, my ladies."

Alistair bowed with one hand in front of his chest. His movements looked so professional.

"No problem. Besides, you must be tired from handling the mansion’s affairs and the war Father is running."

"Yup. We can do small things like this any time."

Alistair immediately covered his mouth with his palm. He looked at Evelyn and Elysia with teary eyes.

"I never imagined you two would grow this much, my ladies. I’m moved, and sad at the same time."

Seeing Alistair suddenly shed tears and immediately wipe them with a handkerchief, Elias could only give a sour smile.

"Elias, how’s your body?"

"I’m better than before, Head Butler."

Alistair stroked his beard with a slight smile.

"Thank goodness. Do you know why I called you?"

"Yes, I more or less understand. But... Is this just a leave? Not a dismissal, right?"

’Dismissal?!’

Evelyn’s eyes shot wide when she heard Elias’s words.

"Tell me, Alistair. Elias isn’t being fired, right? If Father or you went and fired him, I’ll make sure neither of you can sleep for seven days and seven nights."

Unlike Evelyn, Elysia immediately asked Alistair the same thing, though her tone carried a bit of pressure.

Alistair took a step back with both hands raised as Elysia moved toward him.

Cold sweat started to form at his temples. He then answered Elysia’s question with a sour smile.

"Of course not, my lady. This really is just a leave. The Marquis thinks Elias should at least take time off to visit his family in the village."

After hearing Alistair’s explanation that Elias was only taking a leave, Evelyn and Elysia let out sighs of relief.

Elias could only laugh bitterly when he saw Alistair, who had been so frightened facing Elysia a moment ago.

"By the way, what’s the additional evidence the Marquis used to start the war?"

When Elias asked that, everyone in the room, except Rudia, turned to look at him.

"Didn’t the ladies already tell you?"

"Did you tell him, Elysia?"

"I thought you told him, Big Sis."

So why didn’t Elias know about the additional evidence that triggered the war?

Well, because nobody had told him.

They’d assumed Elias already knew. So why would they explain the same thing again?

But in reality, Elias had no idea about the evidence that made the war break out.

Alistair cleared his throat before beginning to explain the evidence that triggered the war.

"Do you remember the Orb you brought?"

"Yes...? What about it?"

"That’s the evidence. After it healed Madam Valeria, the Orb suddenly displayed an image showing someone performing a curse ritual on Madam Valeria."

Elias’s brow furrowed slightly when he heard that someone had cursed Valeria.

"You mean, what nearly killed Madam wasn’t an illness, but a curse?"

"Exactly."

Now everything made sense. No wonder the Heartbloom preparation given to Valeria had no effect at all.

If it had been Mana Decay, one bottle of Heartbloom should have been enough to restore her condition within a few days. But if the cause was a curse, even a rare elixir like Heartbloom would be useless.

’Did Baekhyun already know about this? Is that why he gave me the Cursed Orb as a gift? I’m really grateful to him, but why would he help me, someone he doesn’t even know?’

It was confusing. Ever since he woke up in this world a few months ago, a lot of things hadn’t matched Elias’s memories.

Maybe this was what they call the Butterfly Effect. But Elias felt he hadn’t done anything that could change the storyline. Besides, Evelyn and Elysia’s main story hadn’t even started yet.

After thinking it over, Elias started to suspect that some of the things he’d discovered might be the variables that caused Evelyn and Elysia to turn into Villainesses.

"At first, we didn’t know who the fool was that dared to curse Madam. But suddenly, the image changed and showed Count Everhart’s face.

The Marquis immediately told me to record it with a communication stone. Once the recording was done, the Orb shattered on its own. Luckily, we managed to record the most important part."

Elias nodded several times as if he now understood what had really happened.

It was truly lucky that Alistair had managed to record it before the Orb broke. Elias immediately thought of Count Everhart, who was being attacked relentlessly by Arhan and Aurelle.

’Cursing his wife, nearly killing his daughters. Count Everhart, your life is over.’

"Ah, I forgot! Where’s Buka?!"

"Why are you looking for me?"

Suddenly, a girl’s voice came from the entrance. Elias turned and found a girl with short white hair, violet eyes with black irises, and curled eyelashes.

"Buka? Y-you’re... Buka?" Elias’s voice trembled slightly. His eyes stared at the girl in disbelief.

"Who else? Why are you so shocked? Didn’t Miss Venatrix already tell you I can turn into a human?"

"W-well... Back then she said you didn’t want to transform because you were chubby. But from what I can see, you’re not chubby."

’She looks exactly like what I imagined before. "Japanese Beam" is truly amazing!’

Buka snorted lazily when she heard Elias’s words.

"I’m not chubby anymore. So forget about it. Anyway, why were you looking for me?"

"Ah, I wanted to invite you to my village. Do you want to come?"

*Crack...

Suddenly, Evelyn and Elysia’s hearts felt like they cracked when they heard Elias invite Buka like that.

"Elias? Why are you inviting her? I-I mean, I don’t mind if you invite her, b-b-but..."

Elias raised an eyebrow in confusion as he looked at Evelyn, who was stammering.

"I’m just worried she’ll get bored. So I thought it would be better to invite her too."

"B-but..."

"Besides, you two said you wanted to come too, right?"

"Eh?"

Evelyn and Elysia stared at Elias for a moment with confused expressions.

"You mean... we’re really allowed to come?"

Elias scratched the back of his head when Elysia asked that. It only made him more confused.

"Why not? Besides, it’s not a trip to anywhere dangerous."

Hearing Elias’s words, both girls’ smiles bloomed like children who had just been bought candy by their parents.

’A-are they really that happy?’

* * *