Chapter 248: Left On His Own
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Since he having an impromptu discourse on the tricks and tips of make-up with the Scholar, Baiyi had not started talking with the two ladies in reality. The d.u.c.h.ess, however, quickly came up with a topic
“So, what’s your power level, Master Hope? Immortal-level? Holy-level?”
“Huh… Well, just Master-level,” Baiyi replied simply.
Quite unexpectedly, the belle who was well on her way towards becoming a widow covered her mouth lightly as she chuckled heartily, “Master Hope has such penchants for jests! You just haven’t gotten the chance to sit for a Strength Level Exam, have you?”
‘That exam isn’t the point! The point is — why would someone still be able to smile so joyfully when her own beloved husband’s life was hanging by a thread?’
Baiyi had not seen Vidomina smile this happily before.
‘Has she found herself another man already? But with this Blood Curse looming — which idiot would throw away their healthy life to enjoy her; thus, contracting the curse? Unless…’
A thought flashed through his mind, and he acted on it immediately, “Lady d.u.c.h.ess, you mentioned that you’re also inflicted with this curse, right? May I examine it as well?”
His psychic energy had already begun moving towards her before he asked.
Suddenly, the d.u.c.h.ess’s expression darkened. She expelled his jolt of energy, and with a slight annoyance and dread, she said, “Master Hope, I urge you to show more respect. Many female physicians have conducted similar examinations multiple times, and the curse really exists within me, too.”
She emphasized on “respect” and “female” with her tone — a hint of the fact that she had considered Baiyi’s suggestion a mockery.
He caught on and apologized, “I understand. I’m sorry for my boorishness.”
That was an inevitable minefield. To ask a woman to be subjected to a thorough psychic scanning as a man was no different from forcefully stripping someone and gawking at them. Vidomina only allowed him to do it previously becauseshe was his student 1 , but obviously, he could not pull that off with her mom!
The ambiance had really taken a downturn.
After the meal, the three returned to the Duke’s room. Upon entering, d.u.c.h.ess Harllotte noticed the unique formation that Baiyi set up. She crept close to it curiously and asked, “What is this, Master Hope?”
“A formation that will detect the source of the curse. I re-invented it,” Baiyi replied simply; his focus was directed at the minor changes that the formation displayed, while the d.u.c.h.ess came closer. He further explained, “My intention is to find the original source of the curse, a.n.a.lyze the components and structures of it, and then find the perfect solution to it.”
“I see…” She replied quietly, stepping back a little, and placed her arms behind her back. “Many had done the same, for the same purpose. But they have found nothing — tell me, are you different?”
“Nothing at the moment,” Baiyi answered truthfully.
“Then, explain why you removed all of the life-supporting runes and formation around my husband.”
Her voice was dangerously edging on hostility. “Are you trying to kill him?”
Unlike the impressionable Vidomina, the d.u.c.h.ess could see just exactly what had changed in the room.
“Please calm down, my lady. I’ll quickly revert it back to its previous state,” Baiyi lied.
“If you can, please do so right now.”
Her face was already cold, losing all semblance of warmth and welcome. To her, Baiyi’s action was no different than a medical student coming into the ICU to forcefully remove the patient’s oxygen supply. The only reason why she had not yet commanded her subjects to take him away this instant was because of the rumors of his powers!
First, he sought to sully her, and then when she was not paying attention, he sought to speed up the Duke’s death. If it was someone else other than Baiyi doing this, it would not have been a surprise to find her shredding him to pieces, right?
Vidomina could hear the fury in her mother’s voice, and she also became reasonably suspicious of Baiyi’s action. Facing doubts, the Fifth Walker could only stop the formation that he had spent precious resources on, and he started recovering the destroyed life-supporting systems.
The only good thing that had come from this was — that the formation had done its job.
After the d.u.c.h.ess left, Vidomina stayed behind to watch. Baiyi pondered for a while before he signaled the two maids to leave them alone.
After closing the door, he asked the girl a very odd question: “Does your mother… treat you alright?”
“Of course! She’s the best person in the world, and she’s the person I love the most!” Vidomina replied without any hesitation.
As he continued his restoration work, Baiyi continued asking Vidomina a little of this and a little of that — all centered around her mother. He finally managed to garner new pieces of information that the maids had withheld from him.
For example, this beautiful d.u.c.h.ess was actually the Duke’s third wife. His previous two spouses were normal girls with not a single power. After the Duke’s second wife bore him his third son and succ.u.mbed to age, growing older, the Duke abandoned her. His longest relations.h.i.+p was the one he had with his current wife — the belle with a considerable amount of cultivation.
Great, the situation had gotten even more complicated. There were now even more possibilities surrounding the source of the curse because any family member would be capable of spreading the curse. The Duke had three wives and four children, and Vidomina’s three elder brothers all had their own families already. The sons of the two eldest brothers were also married. The Wrights was a big family, and any member could be the problem. If anyone of them managed to tell a lie, it could easily complicate the whole investigation.
It was fortunate that Baiyi had had a reliable conjecture regarding this problem. He went over to the Duke’s side and re-examined his status carefully. Then, he asked Vidomina to come over again. When she did, he said, “Let me check your body again, okay?”
Her face was fl.u.s.tered, but she nodded very hesitantly. She swallowed the shame of having her body thoroughly scanned and examined.
When the examination was over, Vidomina released the grip on her own chest and asked very timidly, “Mentor, how was it? Was it serious?”
“It’s good. There are no signs that suggest that your curse has been activated. However, your mother’s—”
“Sir! My father isn’t dead yet!”
Baiyi was taken aback at her sudden burst of anger.
“Do… Do you only care about my mother? You keep asking about her!” Vidomina vented in fury, with tears rolling in her eyes. She found it hard to see Baiyi so obsessed with her own mother. “I have met a lot of people who just wanted to be my father, but you are supposed to be different. I respect you a lot, so I don’t want you to go as low as they did!”
With that, she angrily shoved open the door and slammed it shut, leaving Biayi alone.
Bang!
Baiyi could only helplessly mutter, “f.u.c.k. Do I really look like that sort of person?”
“Now what?” He said, this time in the Void. “My student now hates me.”
His entire evening was spent alone in the room. When dusk fell, Vidomina slowly opened the door again.
She stared at her father, who was furrowing his eyebrows with a pained expression, then she turned to a helpless Baiyi with an expression of disappointment.
“Mentor, are you done? If you really can’t do anything more… Maybe we should return first.”
“I’m so sorry, Vidomina,” Baiyi replied in a low voice.
“It’s okay.” A bitter smile flashed in her face. “I…I’m already used to this…”
She walked to the side of the bed and gripped the Duke’s dried hand like she was holding a withered tree branch. Tears started streaming down her face, and when she spoke again, her speech was mired by a lump in her throat. “The entire family… has gotten used to this… F-father has already written his last will, a-a-and Big Brother has a-a-already prepared himself to in-in-inherit the t.i.tle… B-b-but, I… I still…”
She could not even finish her own sentence, as she laid her head on the bed, before bursting into a fit of sobs. Baiyi was her last hope — and now, even the man who was named Hope had no way of solving this. All she could do was to endure this desperation.
“I’m really sorry,” Baiyi said as he walked past Vidomina’s side. “I’ll go back alone. You stay here, and keep him company as long as possible.”
In the end, he walked to the coach alone. As he prepared to depart, only the d.u.c.h.ess had come to see him off. She bowed deeply before him, seemingly calm despite their previous tension. She said courteously, “Please help me keep an eye on Vidomina.”
Baiyi nodded quietly and closed the coach door.
When the coach dropped him off at the door of the Sorcerer’s a.s.sociation building, he produced the communicating slab.
On its surface, Tisdale’s face quickly appeared, followed by Mia’s, who appeared to be peering curiously, and then Nota’s witch hat, which was rocking from side to side.
“I’m not coming home tonight, girls. Take care of yourself, and be careful while on your own,” Baiyi said.
“Huh? Trouble, sir? Something that even you can’t handle, sir?” Tisdale furrowed her eyebrows. They all knew that Baiyi’s official business involved going to Vidomina’s place.
“Yea… Quite a heap of trouble.” Baiyi scratched his head. “Whatever it is, take care of yourselves!”
“You too, sir! Please be careful!”
Baiyi put the slab away and looked at the direction of the Wright’s country estate. He muttered, “Today, it looks like I’m fated to do something my student would never forgive me for.”
( )
The moon was bright and beautiful, and its light dispelled the darkness and gloominess of the sky. It also illuminated a black silhouette that had crept into the Wright family’s country estate. The security was not tight, seeing as the shadow evaded the sleeping guards very easily.
And finally, he entered the d.u.c.h.ess’s room.