Chapter 109 – Hope bittersweet home.

Chapter 109 – Hope bittersweet home.

In the Atasheborg Magocracy-

On the peak floor of a white spire, tall enough to reach the clouds-

A kindly and friendly-looking elder held a token, his creation, as he heard a message.

[Gerhart, the one who killed Ianuarius, listened to reason and peacefully converted to our cause. He is now my Champion, and I am using his identity to travel. I will use him to sow chaos while abusing his identity for infiltration, pretending to be one of his women.]

"Well done, Laverne. Do as you see fit."

[Thank you, White Master. I shall donate him to your research after expending his utility.]

As the communication ended, a smile blossomed on the elder's face.

"Not bad. Not bad at all. Laverne is a good seedling." The White Master stroked his long, snow-white beard.

He was a Truly Ancient Echo, one who lived for many millennia. He had many names and identities, discarding them like a snake shedding its skin. He changed his name to White Master, even forgetting his original name at some point.

With his vast experience, he saw many young Echos die due to rashness and stupidity. While Ianuarius's death was a loss, it also served as a lesson to the other Echos, a reminder of their mortality. With this, the young Echos would be more careful, raising their survival rate.

As for revenge against Gerhart? He had no reason to do it. To begin with, Gerhart didn't hunt down Ianuarius, but Ma Yang, who was causing trouble. That Ianuarius made the stupid decision of attacking due to his pawn getting killed was his fault. He wouldn't blame Gerhart for killing out of self-defense. That would be stupid.

Of course, some punishment was in order. After all, Gerhart killed a valuable Echo, even if a fledgling. Hence, offering him to become a dark servant was still an option. After becoming a dark servant, Gerhart was now their tool under their command, so why should he care what happens to him now? He wasn't so crude as to wantonly kill their tools! That was wasteful! At least let him sow some chaos and become his test subject before that.

The Echos refrained from putting their dark servants in situations where their bodies were hard or impossible to recover. If someone burned the corpse, they couldn't recover the energy, thus wasting months to years of accumulation.

Thus, he didn't demand that Gerhart do something outrageous since it would damage his precious younger Echo. He was very doting on them.

The other Echos shared this view and began ignoring Laverne's movements, letting her do as she pleased. Echos were free-willed and could do as they wished as long as they didn't interfere with one another. That was the consensus all Echos knew. Even Ianuarius, a 60-year-old fledgling, was allowed to roam freely, let alone Laverne.

"Now... Where was I? Ah, yes. Talent Transplantation experiment number 183,712. Subjects 183,712A and 183,712B, I have high hopes for you!" The White Master kindly looked at two horrified slaves he bought for cheap, strapped to two tilted metal tables, standing at 45 degrees.

"MMM! MMM!!!" The two slaves vehemently shook their heads, whimpering with their mouths sutered shut.

"Oh, don't be like that. I am sure you will succeed. Although my progress stagnated at 99.99% for the last 3,958 experiments, you might be lucky to succeed without your bodies breaking down!" The White Master encouraged.

"MMHMM! MMM!!!" The two slaves cried while whimpering.

"Ah... tears of gratitude. Thank you for your contribution to my revolutionary research! I will be sure to remember you for the next 12 hours." The White Master said as he approached with a disarming smile that failed to calm the two terror-stricken slaves.

Without bothering with any anesthesia(Not that it would help), he began a horrific experiment that would send shivers down even the cruelest necromancer's spine, blissfully unaware that one of his younger Echos was now a turncoat.

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After a night of fun and feeding Qold and Stella, Gerhart rode with his now-larger group of dark servants and an Echo, all riding S-rank horses. Such a force was enough to alarm even larger kingdoms, let alone the relatively tiny Youvamore Kingdom.

Following Hope, Gerhart's group arrived at a mansion with a yard and courtyard, one of the three most prominent in the city. At the gate were two armed black mousekin guards in full armor. When Gerhart analyzed them, they were both D-rank Heavy Soldiers. Looking inside, he could also see four crossbowmen on the roof, patrolling, and several soldiers patrolling the outer garden, all being D-rank professionals with experience.

"Seems like they value their security." Gerhart thought.

These guards likely required 8 to 10 thousand Silver Coins as wages. Including their gear, food, and accommodation, these ten-odd guards cost about 100,000 Silver Coins a year.

To most, this was an intimidating force enough to deter most criminals. But to Gerhart, it was as good as having none.

"It seems like my half-brother replaced some of the staff," Hope said, looking at the guards and servants.

She recognized some, but others were unrecognizable. Even without divination, it was likely that some of the staff disagreed with the new head and got fired during the two-odd months Hope was absent.

"We will know the specifics soon," Gerhart said.

Hope then approached the gate, where the two fierce guards barred the gate. "Halt! Show us your invitation."

"Wait... do I know you from somewhere?" Suddenly, one of the two guards narrowed his eyes as he looked at Hope, an incredulous light in his eyes.

"You know her?" The other guard curiously asked.

"I am not sure. This woman resembles the young miss but is too tall and healthy." The first guard said.

"I am glad you still remember me, Yvon. Has Lise recovered from her recent birth?" Hope smiled.

"Y-You... How?" The gatekeeper named Yvon shook.

"Did you investigate him?" The other guard warily asked.

"No, I am not so bored as to do such a thing. I also don't recognize you. Did Armel replace some of the servants? Or was it Marinette? How is the state of the family now?" Hope curiously asked.

Armel was her half-brother, and Marinette was her stepmother.

"... In the dining room twelve years ago, what did you tell me?" Yvon warily asked.

"I remember telling you - 'Go and propose to her.' - When I saw you ogling Lise," Hope amusedly smiled.

"Young Miss!" Yvon immediately bowed.

"She is the Young Miss? Wasn't she traveling to the other continent to find a cure to her sickness?" The other guard was surprised.

"That was what we got told. As for the truth, I didn't dare question it since I was afraid of being fired. Anyone who questioned it or was a hard-liner with the old master got fired." Yvon said.

"It is as you say. My dear half-brother sold me as a slave to the Youvamore Kingdom to acquire my shares in the company. Luckily, I awakened as a late bloomer and obtained freedom after being taken in by a kind master. That is why I am healthy now." Hope explained.

And then, Hope released an intimidating air brought by her strength and talents. With her Pure Divine Bloodline of the Mouse Kin race, just this bloodline pressure was enough to suppress even an A-rank Mouse Kin, let alone these D-rank guards.

As expected, the two guards shook, looking at Hope with fear and awe in their hearts.

"Well? Are you going to open the gate? Or should I do it?" Hope narrowed her eyes.

"Y-Yes! Of course, Young Miss!" The two guards hurriedly opened the gate as Hope led her group inside.