The next day, before Ernesto left the castle, he met Baron Gabriel Miyano at the gate.
The baron rubbed his palms together while looking very pleased. "Young master! Where are you going? Are you having a good time with my son?" He looked around, checking if he was with Ndulou.
"Your son? Which son?" Ernesto became confused.
"My fifth son," the baron instantly responded.
"Isn't he at home?" Gabriel suddenly looked confused at Ernesto's question. Then his confused expression changes to anger. "No, young master, he's not home yet. Is he not here?"
Gabriel becomes frustrated at the sudden absence of his child. He thought that Ndulou was working on his relationship with the Olivas, but he found out that his child was loitering somewhere else. He promised himself to beat him harder when he got home.
"Where did he go?" Ernesto thinks nervously about future events. His mind became chaotic as he felt like he missed something but couldn't point it out. He mumbled, "Will there be any significant events today?" then stomped his feet as he remembered his previous life.
"What did Ndulou tell me before?" In frustration, he grabbed his hair, "ugh! I must remember!"
"AAAAAAAHHH!!" Ernesto subconsciously shouted as he suddenly realized.
"Y-young master?" Baron Miyano was startled by Ernesto's sudden scream.
However, Ernesto hurriedly left Gabriel behind and ran into the peculiar golden lady statue.
"How could I have forgotten about that damn statue!"
Ernesto felt stupid for not immediately remembering the past events when he had already seen the statue yesterday while looking for Ndulou.
"It's the statue that cursed Ndulou!"
He finally reached the garden, breathing heavily. His servants were also breathing heavily from running after him.
"How will I enter?" He brushed his hands against the bushes.
"Young master, did you lose something?" The three servants that had been standing at his back offered their hands. "We will search for you. You might get pricked by the bushes."
"No need. Stand guard outside the garden and don't bother me." He sent his servant away from the statue. He does not want to have another hassle to take care of.
Ernesto ran around the statue and tried to press and pull anything that may have opened the entrance to the underground. He did not know about this statue (which he should have known), but the future Ndulou mentioned that a statue in his castle had an underground labyrinth that he aimlessly walked around for days until he was discovered by Fenrir. A primordial beast that was so powerful that it was hard to kill was chained and isolated.
Ernesto does not want Fenrir to find Ndulou again, which is why the sense of urgency was making his mind more chaotic. He at least wants to supersede the responsibility rather than let Ndulou take it all.
'Child.'
Ernesto was startled to hear a woman's voice. He stopped moving and looked at the statue in front of him.
'god does not bless you, but you manipulate the passage of time?'
His ears are unable to hear the voice as the woman's voice is echoing inside his head.
"Who are you!?" He shouted, then, internally, he thought, 'I thought Fenrir was a male beast. Why am I hearing a woman's voice?'
The woman chuckled before saying, "'Fenrir is down there." which made Ernesto flustered.
"You can read my mind?"
'Who knows?'
The woman playfully responded.
"W-what do you want!?"
Ernesto became wary.
'Do not worry, my child. I did not come to harm you. Originally, that child underground was the only one who would receive god's blessings. It wouldn't bother him if I directed my blessings toward you.'
Ernesto inspects the lady statue. He had the feeling that the lady at the statue was the one talking to him.
"Are you a goddess, madam?"
It was unusual for him to be respectful, but he must be cautious because he does not want to face additional problems while still searching for Ndulou.
'Yes, my child. My brothers are already interested in that child in the underground. I am also interested in him, but now I am more curious about you. I am lucky that I was the only one who noticed you.'
The lady goddess snickered, which made Ernesto feel annoyed at the goddess. He grumbled internally as he forgot that the goddess could read his mind. "Is receiving blessings from the gods a good thing? But Ndulou's life became worse after receiving one. Should I reject the offer? Oh shoot!"
"I'm sorry, my child, but you have no choice but to accept it. I will be giving you my blessings now. Once you figure out what the nature of my blessing is, I will let you enter the underground."
"w‐wait! I need to go there right now!"
Ernesto badly needed to stop Ndulou to meet Fenrir. He could not stay here thinking about gods' blessings.
'Child. The gods have already imprinted the child. But figuring out my blessing will help you lift the curse that child will face.'
"B‐but..." The corners of his lips are slightly shaking. Ernesto is still filled with cynicism. He wanted to ask the woman's voice for information, but no more voices were heard in his head.
He was also unable to move or make a sound. His mind was in a chaotic state.
"At this time, Ndulou received both a curse and a blessing. Both made him suffer. I cannot let the same thing happen again."
He regrets wasting his time yesterday by not looking for Ndulou.
He bit his lip and started to slowly walk toward the exit of the garden. Little by little, his pace became faster, and he ended up running in the direction of his father's office.
"Father!" he yelled after he slammed the door open.
huff huff huff
Ernesto was still catching his breath from running. He knows how to teleport, but he was sustaining his mana. His body is now weaker than his older self, who had already surpassed being a Master Mage. He cannot use magic randomly; he needs to conserve mana just in case something worse happens.
"What is it?" Marquis Oliva threw down the paper and pen he was holding and hurriedly got close to his son.
haaaaaaaa
Ernesto finally caught his breath and faced Jose.
"Tell me everything about that statue in the garden! Information! Past records! I need it now!" He hurriedly asked his father for help.
"I'm sorry, young master, but the Marquis has important things to do. Please do not bother him and return to you—" The butler who interjected was sent flying.
Ernesto formed a small gust of wind in his right hand and carelessly threw it to the butler.
"Don't fucking bother me! I am talking to my father!" he shouted angrily.
He does not know what is happening underground. He needs to hurry.
"Leave us alone." The Marquis asked the butler to leave in a stern voice.
The butler leaves the room crawling because he is still in pain.
"Now, child, what—"
Marquis Oliva blankly stared at his son after he saw him cast noise-cancelation magic and a barrier.
"I'll explain the details later. Ndulou is missing. I need information about that statue to save him." Ernesto walked past his father and reached for the bookshelves at the back of his father's seat.
Clicked!
The shelves split open, revealing a door.
"Is there anything useful here?"