Next morning.
Lina's POV:
I hope Master could depend on me more... But, what could I even do for him...
Mm, Master sure loves his mother dearly...
He spent the entire night staying with the unfortunate Mistress and didn't even eat anything...
Sigh...
...The only thing I could do was... pray for Mistress to get better, as I didn't have any knowledge regarding Magicians...
That aside, Master had ordered me to come into his room tonight, I wonder what it was about... Perhaps he wants to do naughty things again, ahh... I... I want to do it too...
I may not have much to offer Master, but I will dedicate myself to serving him to the best of my abilities throughout the night...
...
Cassandra's POV:
There was no response back... Is there something wrong with them in the Academy?
Why is everything going shit as soon as I had gotten rid of my virginity?
First, the Dungeon break... Then Mistress' current state and now Young Misses aren't answering back...
"I need to check up on Luke..." I couldn't help but say out loud.
He is still young, though I know he has matured a lot out of the blue, but I don't want him to experience what I went through in my life.
The feeling of being alone all of a sudden...
Sigh...
Pacing back to the Mansion after the inquiries of those shitty Royal Magicians, I arrived outside the Mistress' room.
Seriously, I didn't want to mess up my mind with thoughts of those clowns but... I had no choice.
At least they are gone now...
I was about to knock on the door to let Luke know, but it seemed unnecessary after all. "Come in, I need to talk," Luke's voice reached my ears.
How did he know I was outside? I didn't even feel his spiritual sense just now... Something is strange about him recently, I just don't know what it is...
With a quick push, I opened the door and stepped inside, only to see Luke still cultivating Mana while hovering in mid-air.
"..." I knew it was in their blood, but this was a completely different matter now. How was he doing that? No... How in the Saintess' name was he absorbing Mana in that condition?
And then there were those eyes... What was that? He told me it was something related to his high Spirituality... Which I highly doubt is true!
But it's not like I can do anything about it. If he doesn't feel comfortable telling me, then there's nothing I can do to force him... I'm just a servant... Why do I feel bad? Ah... This isn't the right time for this...
"What happened? Did they ask anything about me? Or my mother?" Luke inquired as his body gradually returned to the couch.
I shook my head and answered honestly, "No, Master... They didn't mention you or Mistress. I doubt they'll stay in Gluanna City for long. All they asked me about was the details of my fight with the Goblin leader."
Well, it's not like they would find anything wrong here...
The being who assisted us on the battlefield didn't even show himself, so why would he stay in the city when he knew that Royal investigators would arrive... Simply because that force didn't affect me, those Royal investigators saw fit to inquire about my fight...
Whatever the case may be...
I gazed at Mistress, still unconscious like yesterday, and couldn't help but sigh in frustration...
Why has such a curse befallen us?
...
At the moment Cassandra entered, Luke had his eyes closed. However, when he opened them, his expression changed drastically.
"Come out, what are you trying to achieve here?" he said in an oppressive voice.
Cassandra wanted to ask what he was talking about, but a long shadow soon separated from her and materialized into the shape of a womanly figure.
"Impressive... You found out, huh?" The shadow giggled in an unrecognizable voice.
As soon as Cassandra grasped the situation, she prepared herself to attack the intruder, but it wasn't necessary as a sweet voice entered both Luke and Cassandra's ears.
"Hold on, I'm here just to check on my daughter and grandson," the voice said.
Luke and Cassandra heard the voice, especially the mention of "daughter," and stopped their actions completely.
Despite doing so, they remained on guard.
The black shadow-like figure soon morphed into a stunning beauty with matching silver hair and eyes. She wore a noble shirt, skirt, and coat, her aura exuding an unmistakable air of nobility.
The instant Cassandra caught a glimpse of her, she bowed her head and calmed herself down. She knew the identity of Alicia's mother but hadn't anticipated her sudden appearance without any prior notice. "It's a pleasure to meet the Lady again," Cassandra greeted respectfully.
Ursula, the head of the Royal Investigators, gazed at the two people in the room with her silver eyes, focusing particularly on Luke for some time, before she started to speak with a smile on her face. "It's indeed a pleasure, Cassie... Although it's rude for me to ask, would you mind giving us some time alone... I want to have a nice conversation with my grandson."
Cassandra widened her eyes. "As you wish, my Lady!" she replied respectfully, and then, in an instant, vanished.
However, a thought consumed her mind: She must have been lurking in the darkness while I was being questioned by the investigators... And I didn't even notice... How frightening... She is indeed worthy of being at the peak of the Fifth Star...
...
Luke remained silent throughout, knowing the identity of the woman from his memories.
She was his maternal grandmother, Ursula Silvernoon, also known as one of the most talented individuals of her time. Now famous by the nickname "The Witch of Darkness," she was a formidable figure in both reputation and ability.
As Cassandra disappeared, Luke's gaze remained fixed on the hourglass-shaped lady. Despite his natural instinct to dominate her on the bed, he suppressed it, recognizing the gravity of the situation.
She is even stronger than that old man, Napoleon...
Like a ghost, she appeared beside Alicia and gently touched her forehead, her actions mirroring those of an overly attached mother to her child. "Her Spirituality is half gone, her Chamber is on the verge of breaking, and there is no ounce of Mana in her..." Her voice turned meek as she uttered the finishing words.
"...At this rate, she will probably die in a month or so..."
W-What? Luke's expression darkened the moment he heard what his grandmother had just said.