The candlelight flickered unsteadily, and a trace of chill still lingered in the air.
The ruby necklace lay quietly in the small black box like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, silently watching the three people present.
The gemstone of the pendant glowed with a dark red luster, like eyes condensed from blood, giving off an indescribable sense of unease.
Cedric’s brow furrowed, and his low voice rang out in the silence: “Helos, get back a bit.”
The girl was staring at the necklace with eyes full of curiosity. Hearing this, she obediently took a few steps back. Although she was somewhat unwilling, she still did as she was told.
After all, being too close would indeed affect others’ performance.
Seeing her step away, Cedric raised his hand. Brilliant white Holy Light gathered at his fingertips, and a heavy, divine Aura instantly filled the entire room.
“【Holy Purification】!”
The light poured down like a scorching sun, directly enveloping the necklace.
The black gas that had originally surrounded it suddenly surged, letting out a piercing shriek as if countless resentful souls were wailing.
However, this struggle lasted only for a few short breaths before it dissipated as quickly as bubbles.
Helos held her breath, her eyes wide as she stared fixedly at the necklace.
Once the last trace of black gas completely vanished, the necklace returned to its original silent state. The ruby still shimmered with a faint light, but it no longer caused palpitations.
Cedric slowly withdrew his hand, his expression still solemn.
He leaned over and carefully inspected the necklace again, examining everything from the gemstone to the links. He scrutinized every detail to confirm there was no remaining black gas before he finally felt relieved.
“Phew…”
He exhaled softly, his voice low and steady. “It is fine now. It was likely just an ordinary funerary object that was contaminated by Resentment.”
As he spoke, he casually tossed the necklace to Julius.
“Dispose of it yourselves.”
“Eh?”
Julius froze for a moment, instinctively reaching out to catch the necklace.
The cold sensation spread from his palm, causing the Squire’s brow to twitch slightly.
He looked at the object in his hand and then instinctively looked back at Helos behind him.
“That… should we bury it back?” He spoke hesitantly, his tone carrying a hint of uncertainty.
Helos immediately shook her head, her silver-white long hair swaying gently with her movements: “That definitely won’t work. It gathered this level of Resentment while in the grave.”
“If you bury it back, won’t it just start gathering Resentment all over again? At that time, wouldn’t we have to dig up the grave again? What are you trying to do?”
“Uh…”
Julius opened his mouth, but found himself speechless.
What this girl said did not seem wrong.
Cedric did not interject; he just watched the two of them quietly, seemingly intending to let them make their own decision.
***
Time passed in silence. Finally, Julius sighed, and his expression became resolute: “In that case, let’s destroy it. It is just a funerary object anyway; there is no need to keep it.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Helos immediately jumped out, her eyes rounding: “Hey! Wait a minute! Why destroy it? This is valuable research material!”
Julius frowned: “Research? Are you joking? You saw what it almost turned the graveyard area into. If it hadn’t been purified, the consequences would have been unimaginable after a bit more time.”
“That was because no one was looking after it,” Helos muttered dissatisfiedly, reaching out to snatch the necklace.
“Besides, I am not someone who acts recklessly. I just want to study why an ordinary funerary object like this can accumulate Resentment!”
“Maybe I can discover something useful!”
“You—”
Julius was stunned by her sudden snatch. Before he could tighten his grip on the necklace, the girl had already grabbed it away.
Helos held the necklace, her eyes sparkling as if she had picked up some extraordinary treasure.
“Don’t worry!”
She looked full of confidence, patting her chest as she guaranteed, “This thing has been purified now; it is absolutely fine. I will be careful. If anything goes wrong, you can just scold me then.”
“Can scolding you solve the problem?”
Julius looked helpless, rubbing his brow as if trying to suppress his anger. “Miss Helos, I am serious. This kind of thing should not stay by your side.”
“I am even more serious than you!”
Helos curled her lip, looking completely unyielding. “You bunch of country bumpkins! You would ruin every good thing!”
The two were at a standoff, and the air momentarily fell into an awkward silence.
Until Cedric finally spoke: “Let her try. I have already purified it anyway.”
Julius was stunned and suddenly looked up: “Teacher?”
Cedric’s gaze fell upon Helos, a flash of deep meaning crossing his eyes: “She is right. This matter is indeed worth studying. Resentment does not condense to this degree without cause.”
“If we can truly find the reason, it might not be a bad thing for us.”
Helos’s eyes immediately lit up. She gave Cedric a big smile and then glared fiercely at Julius: “See how much more strategic vision our teacher has!”
Julius opened his mouth to retort, but was suppressed by a look from Cedric.
In the end, he could only sigh, his gaze falling on the little girl still clutching the necklace: “Fine. But remember, don’t act recklessly. If something happens, I won’t clean up your mess for you.”
Helos raised her chin triumphantly: “Fine, fine, fine, I promise you.”
She carefully tucked the necklace into her traveling bag. Her treasure-hoarding manner made Julius shake his head.
The atmosphere finally relaxed. Cedric closed the Holy Tome and said in a steady voice: “You completed this mission well. Both of you go back and rest; there will be more training later.”
“Yes! Teacher!”
Julius nodded in agreement, pulling the still-giggling Helos along to signal her to follow.
The two left the room one after the other, their footsteps gradually fading into the night-shrouded Corridor.
Cedric sat quietly in the center of the room. The glow of the candlelight reflected on his resolute face, and shadows flickered on the wall.
After a long silence, his gaze shifted slightly toward the shadow-crossed corner by the door. He said in a low voice: “Come out, Werner.”
The candlelight suddenly wavered, casting a tall dark shadow.
As footsteps sounded, a familiar figure slowly stepped out from the shadows.
Werner’s brown eyes shimmered with a cold light in the dim candlelight. His expression was as indifferent as ever, as if he had been standing in those shadows from the very beginning and had never left.
“You followed them on the trip,” Cedric’s gaze fell upon him, and he asked in a low voice, “How do you find their level?”
“Their skills are far from ready.”
Werner shook his head slightly, his tone carrying unshielded judgment.
After a slight pause, he looked up at Cedric. “However, I did not expect you would be willing to personally teach the Second Young Lady Swordsmanship.”
“Given her situation, not learning some Swordsmanship would be a true waste.”
Cedric smiled faintly. Changing the subject, his gaze became meaningful. “On the other hand, that boy Julius has changed quite a bit after spending this time with your Duke’s Daughter.”
“Mm.”
Werner nodded, his expression still cold, yet he did not hide his approval. “At least he finally looks like a Squire.”
Cedric gave a low laugh, his hearty voice echoing slightly among the candles: “Haha, do you also think that boy was too serious before?”
Werner pursed his lips and said calmly: “To some extent.”
“Well—”
Cedric’s smile gradually faded as he looked out the window. “This can be considered a good thing.”
“At least before we leave, he can live a truly relaxed life here for a while.”
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oh dear.