Chapter 442 The Conspiracy Behind Erika's Past

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After Erika received her gift, I was left thinking about many things, and slowly connected the dots together.

Ellergest knew about Erika being a doll, and also that there was some sort of possibility of her becoming something like a human.

He also knew about Eric's family and his treasure, the staff made from the branches of Yggdrasil, the Spirit Tree.

And he left Erika with a Dryad Spirit Orb, an incredibly compatible material for alchemy with Erika…

There must be something else I am missing though, I am sure he left something somewhere, connecting all the dots together completely, and leaving the clue I need…

And that clue might be in the very box of Erika.

So, after everything was done, I decided to bring my friends to Erika's house to discuss what I had in mind. Elizabeth and Erdrich insisted on coming, although they didn't knew of Erika's secret.

Ultimately, I ended accepting them to join. I remembered that Ellergest asked me to trust people more, especially those closer to me. I entrusted Elizabeth and Erdrich, and we told them the truth about Erika's past, from what I learned myself and everything else.

"So that's… why there are so many weird rumors around?" Elizabeth asked.

"Erika… you're like me!" Erdrich said.

"Eh?" Erika felt slightly surprised how easy they got it. None of the two seemed bothered by Erika's situation.

"We were not going to get mad at you or something." Said Elizabeth. "We are friends, right?"

"Yeah! You kind of remind me of myself, you're also a non-human, but also human…" Erdrich said.

"I mean if we accepted Erdrich it wouldn't be hard to accept you." Said Elizabeth.

"R-Right…" Erika was still rather shocked. "Thank you for being so comprehensive."

"So, let me explain my conjecture." I said.

I quickly explained to everyone present what I had in mind.

"So it all connects together?" Asked Eric. "My family's past with Erika?!"

"Not completely, but there seems to be dots that are connected together by Ellergest's doing, it feels as if he saw these things and tried to make them come together with his last gift." I said.

"The Dryad's Spirit Orb…" Erika said, touching the jewel.

"But there's a lot of info missing though…" Said Erdrich.

"Yeah, that's why… Erika, can you let me handle that box?" I asked.

"Huh? Sure." Erika gave me the small wooden box, as I looked at it around.

"Hmm, ah, this…"

I quickly used my raw natural strength to break open the box.

CRASH!

"Uwaaah! My box!" Erika cried.

However, she suddenly realized something flew out of it, a paper wrapped looking like a scroll, a small bottle with red liquid inside.

I caught them both swiftly without letting them fall into the ground.

"Here…" I said, putting the small bottle, not bigger than my thumb, over the table. The red liquid inside looked like blood, but it had a distinctive golden glow.

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[Dryad's Blood (Mythic Grade)]

A small droplet of blood from a Dryad. Spirits that are like Dryads are the border between human-like races such as elves and the embodiment of nature itself, all while being trees and spirits at the same time. Their very blood is said to be able to create incredible elixirs, and a single drop of blood might be able to create enough Elixir to heal thousands.

However, with the right ingredients, something else can be created…

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And taking a look again at the jewel, both have some weird, implied message too.

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[Broken Dryad's Spirit Orb (Mythic Grade)]

Dryads are Spirits of the Forest, special entities that inhabit large forests, protecting nature with their magic and power. They are said to be trees themselves, who take upon Spirit Form when they grow old enough to develop a Spirit Orb. Once they fall in love with someone, they are able to forbid their Spirit Orbs to the one they love, to accompany them anywhere they go.

This Spirit Orb, however, is broken, losing its Spiritual Soul in the process. However, it still holds a remnant within, which might be used for high level alchemy, if the right materials are used, incredible things could happen.

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These materials also had amazing quantities of spiritual energy.

"This is Dryad's Blood!" I said in surprise. "And this small scroll…!"

I quickly opened it, reading its content as everyone looked at me with intrigue.

"I leave this secret scroll to the one that finds it first. However, this is a gift meant for my old friend, Gustav."

"Gustav…?" Asked Eric.

"Wait, isn't that…?" Chris wondered.

"My dad?!" Erika asked in surprise.

"I've wandered across the world my whole life, I've meet many people, and made many companions, but Gustav, you were a good friend of mine. I am sorry for what has happened to you, and even when we have stopped talking due to being busy with our lives, or perhaps because you don't want to bother me anymore, I've never stopped thinking about you and… what has happened to your family." I read, as everyone seemed tense.

"The incident that happened so many years ago involving the death of your daughter right after you were thrown out from the Kingdom's capital with your wife, and having your Noble Status revoked… I've researched enough to tell you the truth about this incident…"

"It was all orchestrated."

As I said such words, Erika seemed to grow more restless.

I kept reading, too intrigued to stop.

"This was all orchestrated to take away the possibility of your daughter to become the new Princess of the Kingdom, as the first daughter of the children of the King, she had the advantage over all future children, and could have become even the Queen, if she was taught well. To take her away from their priority, some of the corrupt members of this Kingdom decided to destroy her family and completely shatter any hope of her growing up, at all… And of course, they did it with the help of the Cultists."

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