Chapter 291

Chapter 77 – No Ravens

When I woke up in the morning, the beauty by my side was already gone.

Yawning, I stretched out widely, rubbed my eyes, and sat up. I reached out to tousle my messy black hair and pulled up the collar that had slipped off my shoulder. Sitting there, I stared blankly ahead for a moment.

My feet fidgeted restlessly, and my eyes were fixed on the flat bedside cabinet in front of me. On top of it lay a neatly folded set of undergarments.

… My bottom feels a bit itchy.

I reached out to scratch it, only to feel a smooth, soft skin as smooth as congealed fat. Suddenly, a shock ran through my mind, and my brain caught up.

Last night, I was stark naked…

Did Victoria do anything to me while I was asleep?

I immediately started frantically searching my body, reaching into my nightgown to check. Everything felt fine; there was no strange or unclear pain or discomfort.

But how could such things be confirmed with just a few touches…

So, flustered, I climbed down from the large bed and walked barefoot on the carpet. After hesitating for a moment, I cautiously took a step forward, then two more.

… Everything’s fine.

My courage grew, and I took wider steps, pacing around the bed in the bedroom. I lifted my skirt and hopped a few times.

Everything was normal.

I was still a manly man today, no doubt about it.

“Huh—”

I let out a light sigh.

But immediately after, an inexplicable emotion slowly crept into my heart. I suddenly felt a disdain for that woman.

An honest person…

Last night, you thought you could get away with it. But when it came down to it, you didn’t dare do anything at all…

Are you the protagonist of some harem novel?

Or am I not pretty enough? I’m clearly so adorable… why can you bear it?

It’s quite embarrassing, at least give it a try…

… Why do I even care about this? I should be scared of it…

My complex emotions were hard to put into words.

But at this moment, I truly felt a sense of relief as if I had put down a heavy burden.

After a simple wash-up, a young maid brought me new clothes. This time, of course, they included undergarments, lace-trimmed pumpkin pants. I wondered if this was Victoria’s preference.

“Where is she?” I asked the maid.

“The Queen has gone to the southern wall for surveillance,” the maid replied respectfully.

“Oh…”

I declined the maid’s offer to help me dress and told her to leave. I dressed myself, put on my shoes, and went downstairs. The dining room was already prepared with steaming breakfast, looking quite delicate but unappetizing—a clear soup with only vegetables, lacking flavor. Only Victoria would enjoy such a meal.

But I still cleaned my plate.

After finishing, I didn’t linger and left the house to head home. As I stepped out of the big iron gate, I stopped suddenly, turning back with a puzzled look.

It feels like I’ve forgotten something…

I tilted my head, thinking for a long time, but couldn’t recall what.

Forget it…

I scratched my cheek, frowned, and walked back home barefoot.

Since I didn’t bring the key last night, I had to climb the wall today. I arrived at the side wall, looked around, and found no guards or patrols. I jumped down into the courtyard, ran a few steps, and activated my Moon Step. My figure soared again, leaping onto the balcony in an instant.

I flexed my wrists and ankles, twisted my neck, and exhaled deeply.

My control over my body was becoming more precise, and both speed and strength had improved significantly… It might be due to practice or perhaps because of consuming the Teresa monster…

Most likely because of eating the monster.

Although I experienced several nights of fear after that, so far, the results have been positive. Although the chaotic power of the Abyss has grown stronger, it remains obedient as long as it’s fed. And I remain unchanged.

So…

Should I consume more monsters?

The Abyss or the Door of Truth. Eliminate them, consume them. This will stabilize my state and grant me more power, allowing me to consume even more monsters…

I’ll just consume them all.

I don’t need to constantly hold back and suffer. It’s unnecessary.

While my mind wandered, I tiptoed into the house.

I glanced around. Compared to yesterday, there was no significant change in the balcony or upstairs. The candles in the hallway were still lit, though they were nearly burned out, having been lit all night. Everything else seemed normal.

I stood at the edge of the hallway railing, peering down.

Below was silent.

I closed my eyes and listened intently for any unusual sounds. Hearing nothing, I turned and walked back to my bedroom. I checked everywhere, carefully examining the drawers of the vanity table, and rummaged through the wardrobe. After a thorough search, I found nothing missing.

I sat on the edge of the bed, propping my chin up with one hand, and frowned, thinking hard.

… Last night, I must have been standing on the balcony, eating a bird, and then falling asleep.

After sleeping, I had a nightmare and entered a strange dream. That dream seemed to convey some message to me.

A sickbed, a syringe, an operating table, strange meat in a container.

An empty book of poetry, a black cloak with thorn flowers.

And finally, that moment when fear and sorrow erupted from deep within me… What does it mean?

I don’t know.

I have no recollection.

But somehow, it seems someone is telling me that it’s related to my past.

Maybe I need some time to calm down and think it through…

… But first, let’s go eat?

I was barely satisfied with what I ate at Victoria’s place. Fortunately, there’s what I bought with Elly yesterday—

Just as I was about to stand up, I suddenly noticed the black leather box containing Captain Gray, which I had left at my feet. I froze in shock.

Could it be…

With a mix of curiosity, I approached the box, knelt down, and reached out to touch it.

In the corner, it was as if the darkness absorbed all the surrounding light. The material was specially made leather from Schentel Fort, sturdy and durable, not easily scratched. I opened the box and saw Captain Gray’s folded three-part figure lying quietly inside, the sharp scythe blade gleaming coldly in the dim light.

Strange…

Wasn’t the box leaning against the wall before? Why did it fall over… And why is it in this position?

Could it be that someone moved it last night?

!

Did someone break in, trying to take the box but unable to move it, only managing to drag it to this spot before giving up and leaving?!

With this thought, I immediately got up and ran out of the bedroom, my steps not stopping as I rushed to the terrace. I bent my knees and jumped onto the roof, steadied myself, then looked around. I cupped my hands to my mouth to amplify my voice: “Forgive me!”

“Reckert!”

“No one answered me.”

I tilted my head and thought for a moment, then shouted again: “Sword of Canri!”

“Is anyone there?!”

“I have something to ask you!”

Tap.

A light sound came from behind the mansion, near a dark alley across the street. I turned back immediately at the sound, only to see the bushes below shaking slightly, and a man with a sword emblem on his shoulder stood up and walked out.

“Miss Silvija, what is it?”

He stood on the other side of the high wall in the backyard, looking up at me and asking.

I instinctively pressed down on my skirt.

Someone I don’t know…

But since he called out my name, he must know who I am, so I didn’t need to be polite. I asked directly: “Excuse me, were you here last night?”

“Yes,” the man replied.

“Did you see any suspicious people?”

The man was taken aback by my question, then shook his head: “No.”

“Really?” I frowned.

This clearly skeptical question seemed to make him feel annoyed.

“Miss Silvija, I watched the entire night last night, and besides me, there were five others. They are all nearby. Not even a mouse could escape the perception of the Sword of Canri. Both the 2nd and 3rd mansions are under our surveillance. I know you were with Her Majesty last night. If you suspect someone sneaked into the 3rd mansion, I assure you, apart from our captain, no one else could do it, not even someone as powerful as you.”

He wasn’t exaggerating.

Because the first time I broke into the 2nd mansion, these people noticed me right away.

…But what could it be?

Could it be that I’m mistaken? Was the box always placed like that?

The man waited for a while, seeing I hadn’t spoken further, continued: “I say this without any disrespect, just to ask you to trust the capabilities of the Sword of Canri. Miss Silvija, did something happen?”

“It’s nothing, thank you,” I shook my head at him.

The man bowed lightly: “If you need any help, please sound the bugle whistle at once. The captain gave it to you, didn’t he? We will rush over at the first sound of the bugle whistle… I know you are very strong, but protecting you is an order from Her Majesty.”

The bugle whistle…

Reckert indeed gave me one when I went to Katarama, but it seemed to have been burned later…

But I still nodded at him: “Yes, thank you.”

The Sword of Canri didn’t notice anything, so it must be that I was being overly sensitive… Perhaps the box had already fallen over, and I just hadn’t noticed it.

Forget it, let’s go back…

Seeing the man about to disappear again in the dark alley, I suddenly remembered something, my scalp tingling. I hurriedly shouted: “Wait!”

The man turned back.

“You last night…”

I hesitated for a moment, my mind racing, and asked softly: “Did you see me… doing something on the terrace?”

My body tensed, my eyes fixed on him, my fists clenched, heart pounding.

It was too late to regret. I had overlooked this detail, thinking that the houses on Rondor Street were far apart and it was nighttime, so no one would see each other, and I was foolish… I used dead smoke, but forgot about the Sword of Canri.

What if he saw me… What should I do?

Should I kill him… But he said there were five others… Were they all there?

My eyes started darting around, trying to search for signs of the others.

Next moment, however, I saw a flash of anger in the man’s eyes. He seemed to be struggling to control himself: “Miss Silvija, are you questioning my warrior’s integrity or the honor of the Sword of Canri? Our duty is to protect! The Sword of Canri would never pry into the privacy of the target. I don’t know what you were doing on the terrace, we only pay attention to movements outside the mansion. Please stop joking like this.”

I stared seriously into his eyes, and after a moment, I felt relieved and smiled apologetically.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

I picked up my skirt and gave him a slight bow from afar.

“I just have a question. Last night, just before I left, did you see any crows flying?”

The man frowned: “Crows?”

“Yes. Because I keep crows. But it hasn’t come back for days. Last night on the terrace… I think I saw one. Did you see it?”

I lied instinctively.

The Sword of Canri lowered his head in thought.

But he soon raised his head: “Between dusk and night yesterday, until you suddenly left to find Her Majesty, nine birds flew over the mansion, none of which were crows. You must have seen wrong.”

My heart suddenly skipped a beat.

“Just before I left, you…”

After some thought, I decided not to ask the doubt-filled question: ‘Did you misremember?’

“Just before you left, only two white birds flew by, but they disappeared quickly. If you were on the terrace then, you should have seen them.”

The man said: “Miss Silvija, I think you must miss your crow very much.”

“…Yes,” I answered softly.