Sara was troubled, trying to find a way to repair the garment, completely unaware that Sara’s gaze had already fallen upon this strange piece of clothing.
Sara’s pupils contracted slightly.
The material of this clothing was far too similar to the fragment of unburnt fabric she had just picked up at the edge of the explosion site. Moreover, both bore marks of being scorched.
An extremely far-fetched yet logically sound thought surfaced in her mind:
‘Could Yize be the mysterious shadow that saved us and killed Horn?’
The shock from this thought made her breath hitch.
But then, her reason quickly returned.
‘No, that’s not right… The voice from that shadow was clearly female.’
‘Perhaps Yize knows that Senior? Are these clothes hers? Or… does Yize have a way to change his voice?’
Regardless of the truth, there was almost certainly a very close connection between Yize and that mysterious shadow!
At this moment, Yize was completely unaware that he had revealed a massive flaw.
Hearing Sara’s question, he was startled internally, but the emergency response developed from long-term “caution cultivation” kept his expression calm. With a hint of pain in his voice, he naturally hid the damaged shadow clothing behind his back and explained:
“Oh, this… earlier, while practicing fire Magic, I didn’t control the intensity well and accidentally burned my robe. Sigh, talk about bad luck… but it’s nothing important anyway. If it’s ruined, it’s ruined.”
To Sara, this was an obvious lie.
If Yize wasn’t the shadow himself, his reaction now seemed more like he was trying to hide something to avoid trouble.
However, there was another possibility — Yize was the shadow.
If it really was Yize…
Sara couldn’t help but carefully observe her seemingly harmless, always cautious Junior once again.
How did he escape that terrifying explosion unscathed?
And what method did he use to kill that Level 4 Blood Pillar, which had given even Dio such a hard time, without taking any damage?
Just how many secrets was he hiding?
An uncontrollable urge to explore quietly sprouted in Sara’s heart.
She decided to keep quiet for now, but she would definitely find an opportunity to properly “test” this deep-seated Junior later.
Meanwhile, Emma was still excitedly describing the harrowing encounter, completely oblivious to the subtle atmosphere between Sara and Yize.
“Yize, you have no idea how cunning that Horn was! To pass as a human, he even turned Miss Rose into a member of the Blood Race! His strength was terrifying; Senior Dio was completely outmatched later on!”
Her small face was flushed from excitement and lingering fear.
“Fortunately, at the critical moment, a super powerful sister appeared and saved us! I really didn’t expect the Empire to hide so many reclusive experts. Yize, just like the Old Man you met who gave you that magical Potion Formula Blueprint, this big sister is one too!”
Yize felt a bit awkward from Emma’s jumping thoughts and accidental “assist.” He coughed twice and bluntly changed the subject:
“Anyway… what happened to Miss Rose afterward?”
Mentioning Rose caused the atmosphere in the room to turn heavy.
Emma sighed and replied, “Senior Dio took her to the city. The Guild Master will make the final decision.”
Immediately, she put on a look of worship, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Yize.
“But Yize, your ability to perceive danger is truly amazing! You were right again! Kyle and Miss Rose really did have problems! By the way… Yize, do you have some hidden Talent that lets you foresee danger? If you do, just tell us. We’ll definitely listen to you from now on!”
Although Sara didn’t speak, her eyes showed the same questioning intent.
She was also becoming more inclined to believe that Yize possessed some extraordinary danger-sensing ability, which allowed him to issue warnings before crises erupted time and again.
Yize smiled bitterly in his heart. The difficulty judgment of the System options was, in a sense, a top-tier danger-sensing Talent.
But on the surface, he could only wave his hands repeatedly, trying hard to maintain his “cautious mortal” persona:
“Senior Sister Emma, you’re giving me too much credit.”
“I don’t have any danger-sensing Talent. It’s just that I’m naturally timid and like to think a few steps ahead. I’ve been cautious my whole life, that’s all.”
“But I’m also quite cautious,” Emma pouted and muttered softly. “How come I didn’t notice anything wrong with Kyle and Miss Rose at all…?”
Looking at her simple and aggrieved appearance, Yize couldn’t help but laugh. He teased, “Senior Sister Emma, as for you… forget it. I think you’re better suited for focusing on Potion research. Come, come, I’ll brew some Walnut Milk for you to drink. To nourish your… spirit.”
Upon hearing about her favorite Walnut Milk, Emma immediately threw her slight grievance to the back of her mind and nodded happily.
Even Iguneel, who had been low-spirited and listless within Swan’s body because he could not be resurrected, was instantly activated by the words “Walnut Milk.”
‘Swan! Swan! I want to drink it too! Quickly, ask for a bowl for me!!!’
The Dragon soul clamored in his mind, seemingly forgetting the sadness of a moment ago. Sara watched the warm and harmonious scene in the room before quietly exiting.
As soon as she left the room, the gentleness on Sara’s face vanished, replaced by the calm and meticulous nature of the Academy’s Chief Student.
She immediately found the family guard on duty and asked seemingly casually:
“Excuse me, regarding Mr. Yize who returned with us earlier — what time did he arrive back at his residence?”
The guard recalled for a moment and answered respectfully, “Miss Sara, Mr. Yize returned about 1.5 hours before you all did.”
1.5 hours?
Sara quickly calculated in her mind.
It took them about 2 hours to rush from the Commercial Street area, where they separated from Yize, to the location outside the city where Horn was. The battle and subsequent cleanup took a considerable amount of time. Returning to the Inner City from the explosion site took nearly another 2 hours.
Added together, they had been separated from Yize for over 6 hours.
And their battle with Horn broke out about 2.5 hours ago.
If Yize was that mysterious shadow, then after killing Horn and causing the explosion, he returned to the residence from the distant battlefield outside the city in less than 30 minutes!
Unless he mastered teleportation Magic, such Speed was absolutely impossible.
But if the shadow wasn’t Yize, then according to a normal walking speed, Yize should have returned to his room 3 or 4 hours after they separated.
Where did Yize go for those extra 2 hours? What did he do?
In either case, there were points on Yize’s timeline that needed explanation.
Sara became even more convinced that Yize was definitely involved in tonight’s events.
She suppressed the urge to immediately confront Yize and decided to bury these suspicions and clues in her heart for now, waiting for a more suitable time to verify them.
—
Inside the room, Yize was focused on brewing Walnut Milk, completely unaware that he was repeatedly hovering on the edge of revealing his Secret. His every move had already been placed on the high-priority observation list of his meticulous Senior Sister.
On the other side, Dio escorted Rose to the door of his father’s bedroom — Lord Betty.
He knew well that family scandals should not be publicized, so he deliberately avoided other servants and guards.
Awakened by the noise, Lord Betty threw on a cloak and opened the door. Seeing Dio bringing Rose before him as if she were a major criminal, his face was instantly filled with anger:
“Dio! What are you doing?! She’s your sister!”
Rose immediately seized the opportunity, putting on a look of extreme grievance as she choked out:
“Father… I don’t know why my brother has such a huge misunderstanding of me… He seems… he seems determined to believe I’ve done something unforgivable…”
“Could you let me go first?”
As she spoke, she used the corner of her eye to survey the surroundings, quickly calculating the possibility of escape.
Dio snorted coldly, unmoved. He recounted the entire sequence of tonight’s events clearly and calmly, without omitting any key details.
As Lord Betty listened to his son’s narrative, the anger on his face was gradually replaced by shock and disbelief. When he heard “Rose has joined the Blood Race, voluntarily converted, and is no longer human,” he was struck as if by lightning. He stepped back sharply, his voice trembling:
“What… what did you say? Rose… she turned into a member of the Blood Race?”
“Father! He’s slandering me!” Rose shouted in defense, trying to make a final struggle. “I had no idea that Kyle was a member of the Blood Race! I am a victim too!”
Lord Betty stared fixedly at Rose, trying to find a flaw in her face.
Indeed, judging by appearance alone, the current Rose looked no different from her usual self.
Deep down, he was unwilling to believe this cruel truth; it was harder to accept than facing an approaching army of the Blood Race.
With a final sliver of hope, he asked Dio in a raspy voice, “Dio… you… what evidence do you have?”
“All the schoolmates I was with can testify! Miss Sara, Miss Emma, and Swan — they all saw it with their own eyes! And Dini too!” Dio answered.
Lord Betty’s gaze immediately turned to Dini, who stood nearby with a pale face and sadness in her eyes. His voice naturally softened, yet carried an undetectable hint of pleading:
“Dini… my child, tell Father. Did you… did you really see your sister… turn into that kind of monster?”
Rose also immediately looked at Dini, her eyes containing a warning and an undetectable plea. She said softly:
“Dini, your sister is usually so good to you… you… you can’t follow their nonsense and hurt your sister…”
Dini’s small hands tightly gripped the hem of her clothes, her knuckles turning white from the effort.
She looked at the sister who had once pampered her, then looked at her father’s face full of pain and expectation. Her heart went through a brief moment of struggle and agony.
In the end, her insistence on the truth and concern for her family’s safety won out.
She raised her head and bravely met her father’s gaze. Her voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally clear:
“Father… Sister… Sister really seems to have turned into one of the Blood Race.”
“I… I saw her eyes turn red with my own eyes. She grew fangs… and there was red energy on her body…”
“She… she even said… the Blood Race is a more perfect species, and wanted… wanted to invite me to join her…”
Hearing his youngest daughter’s personal confirmation, Lord Betty’s last bit of luck was completely shattered.
In an instant, he seemed to have all his strength drained away. His legs gave out, and he staggered, collapsing to the floor. The color drained from his face, leaving only immense sorrow and confusion.
He pointed a trembling finger at Rose, his voice broken and shattered. “Why? Rose… tell me… the reason?!”
At this point, Rose knew that further pretense was futile.
The feigned grievance and weakness on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a cold smile that was a mix of mockery, resentment, and madness.
She stood up straight, looking down at her father slumped on the floor, her tone sharp and filled with indignation:
“The reason? Does there need to be any more reason? Humans are so fragile; their lives are as short as ants! I want to pursue eternal life, never-fading youth and beauty, and the powerful strength to control everything. Is that wrong?!”
“In this hypocritical aristocratic circle, what could I eventually get?”
“Everything in the family will eventually be inherited by Dio! And what about me? I’m sent out like a beautiful object! Why can’t women inherit the family business? Why can’t women hold power? Why can’t a female king appear on this continent?!”
Lord Betty was rendered speechless by his daughter’s deviant, yet subtly stinging remarks about reality.
He never thought that the daughter he always considered well-behaved and excellent would harbor such deep-seated dissatisfaction and such rebellious ambition in her heart.
In this male-dominated world, her thoughts were undoubtedly shocking.
Seeing her father’s silence, Rose’s cold laugh grew even harsher. “Since the matter has been exposed, I have nothing left to say. My dear father, what do you plan to do now? Just like executing those lowly Blood Race members… will you kill your daughter with your own hands?”
Lord Betty ignored Rose’s words and looked at Dio. “Is there any way to turn Rose back into a human?”
Dio shook his head. If there were a way, Dini wouldn’t have had such a tragic ending in his previous life.
Lord Betty closed his eyes in pain.
No matter what, this was his daughter, connected by blood!
To make him do it himself… how could he bring himself to do it?
After a long time, as if he had used up all his strength, he waved a hand at Dio, looking exhausted. His voice sounded old and raspy:
“First… take Rose down… put her under strict watch… No one is to approach her without my order.”
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