The night sky was tranquil.
As Leon slowly pushed open the door, the gentle moonlight streamed through the gap and spilled into the courtyard.
Leon stepped into the yard, his gaze falling on the table not far away.
The cold moonlight shone down on the sleeping girl.
She hadn’t waited for the person she was supposed to wait for.
The dinner on the table had long since lost its warmth.
Leon could tell that Elvie must have waited for a long time. He could imagine the girl, after preparing the meal, sitting here expectantly, waiting for him to return so that he could eat the hot food right away.
But she didn’t get to wait, and the girl was stubbornly unwilling to give up.
The cool night breeze rustled the leaves, and the girl instinctively hugged her arms tighter.
Leon turned and went inside the room to get a blanket, gently covering the girl with it before sitting down at the table to slowly eat the now cold dinner.
He swallowed the cold food bite by bite with care, finishing the meal the girl had made completely.
The girl’s cute nostrils twitched slightly, as if she dreamt something.
She murmured softly, “Father… I will avenge you…”
Leon’s expression grew distant.
Yes, in a way, he was the man who killed her father.
If Elvie ever found out this truth, she would probably hate him, but she wouldn’t kill him.
That was why Leon had to make himself worse—more despicable—to earn that disdain.
Leon looked up at the bright moonlight silently.
Sometimes, he felt this simulation was almost too real.
After putting down his fork, Leon slowly stood and walked toward the door.
Behind him, the sleeping girl suddenly muttered, “Master… you’ll be okay…”
Leon’s footsteps faltered for a moment before he gently pushed the door open and vanished into the night.
After this, he probably wouldn’t have the chance to return to this home again.
***
“Hmm?”
Elvie rose from the table and immediately felt something slip off her shoulder and fall to the ground.
She bent down and picked it up, puzzled.
“A blanket?”
Had she fallen asleep waiting for Master last night?
Then this blanket was…
The girl suddenly realized and stood up, looking around.
No one was there.
She dashed into Master’s room, which was still empty.
Had he left again?
Feeling a little downhearted, Elvie walked back into the yard and noticed the plates on the table were already spotless.
She realized something and puffed her cheeks in complaint.
“Master really is something else. Not even a word of warning.”
After tidying the dishes, she was about to go out when the door was knocked on.
Master?
No, Master never knocked when he came back.
For a moment, the recent strange disappearance cases flashed through her mind.
Elvie gripped her sword hilt tightly, then looked toward the door and said, “Please come in.”
The door opened, and Elvie’s expression immediately turned cold upon seeing the visitor.
“Chris? What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to talk to Miss Elvie about something.”
Chris chuckled darkly.
“I have nothing to talk to you about.”
Elvie snorted coldly, clearly still holding a grudge from earlier.
In her eyes, this man was unworthy of being called a knight.
“Don’t be so quick to refuse… What if the matter I want to discuss is related to your so-called cult father?”
Chris said in a low voice.
At his words, Elvie immediately drew the sword at her waist.
A surge of magic rippled out, an invisible cyclone swirling around her, and then she vanished from where she stood.
Chris’s face changed abruptly.
Instinctively, he drew his longsword and blocked her path.
Clang!
The swords clashed sharply.
Elvie’s figure suddenly appeared before Chris.
He quickly stepped back, cursing loudly, “You’re insane! Do you even know the crime of openly attacking a knight?”
“I’ll say it again—my father is not a cultist.”
Elvie frowned. She wouldn’t allow anyone to slander her father.
“Tsk.”
Chris clicked his tongue.
If it weren’t for Leon, he would have taught her a lesson already.
Did she think his rank as a 6th-tier was just for show?
“Do you want to know who killed your father?”
At this, Elvie’s pupils constricted.
She gripped her sword tightly and demanded, “You know who?”
“Of course. I recently uncovered some interesting stories.”
Chris raised an eyebrow.
“Do you remember the year your father disappeared? He was originally the most promising contender for the Royal Capital’s Guard Knights, but then he suddenly vanished.”
“As far as I know, he was deliberately planted as a single-line undercover agent inside the cult, just so another deputy captain could inherit the captain’s position without any pressure.”
“Actually, your father’s only handler was killed that very day. They never intended for your father to come back alive. To make it look like he betrayed them, they even sent someone to kill your mother.”
Chris watched as Elvie’s expression grew colder.
He continued, “But what they didn’t expect was that three years later your father was still alive and had completed the mission—finding that forbidden book.”
“Of course, they didn’t want to see that, so they ordered the deputy captain to kill him and seize the book. That deputy captain… is your current Master, Leon!”
“W-what?”
Elvie felt as if struck by lightning. She instinctively gripped her sword and shouted, “That’s impossible!”
“But it’s the truth. Your Master chose to silence your father to save himself. If it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t be living as a beggar. You should know his adoptive father is the bishop of the Royal Capital Church!”
“He destroyed your entire life for his own selfish desires! He’s a hypocrite!”
Chris seized the moment to press his point.
“You’re lying to me!”
Elvie snapped her head up sharply.
Her mind was blank.
She dared not think about it, let alone believe what Chris said.
“It’s all true. If you don’t believe me, you can check for yourself… What the hell! Are you crazy?”
Chris narrowly dodged Elvie’s slash, cursing loudly.
This whole line of reasoning was taught by Leon himself.
According to Leon, you first plant a seed of doubt.
Elvie definitely wouldn’t believe it outright, but she would investigate.
The guy was supposed to be a knight, but he talked like a scholar, going around in circles.
Seeing Elvie on the verge of losing control, Chris quickly vanished into the street.
After all, his mission was complete.
Why stay and get beaten?
Without a target, Elvie let her sword arm drop, her eyes blank as she murmured, “He’s lying to me. Master isn’t that kind of person…”
The girl kept convincing herself, and her confused gaze soon cleared.
That guy’s story had zero credibility!
And there were so many holes in it!
But Master has been acting strange lately…
No! Master is not that kind of person.
Yes… definitely not!
Elvie gripped her sword tightly, took a deep breath, and stepped out of the yard.
As long as she could prove that Chris was lying…
She would find Master.