Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.
âââDestroy the holy grail of Eris.
It was a not very peaceful sentence.
But what in the word was the holy grail of Eris to start with�
Connie had absolutely no clue. For a second, she thought that the secret was actually hidden in the printed words and strained her eyes to see anything, but the fragment of the paper had only information about the climate and topography of her country. Perhaps it was torn from a booklet or something that the city hall had made for tourists. It was, of course, something that could be found anywhere.
âDo you know what this is about?â
ăIâve got no clueă
Scarlet shrugged.
ăHowever, in Farrisian mythology, Eris is a goddess of discord and chaos, said to be an evil deity who has brought a whole country to its ruin. By the way, it was also the alias I assumed whenever I went out to enjoy the nightlife. ă
Connieâs ears properly picked up the last sentence that Scarlet said so nonchalantly. âWhatâs with that, it suits her so well, itâs scary.â
Adelbyde, the kingdom where Connie lived, was once a territory of the Great Faris Empire âââ the huge invading nation which was said to have almost swallowed the whole continent. About a Millennium ago, Adelbyde took advantage of the turbulent times and acquired independence, coming to be known as the Principality of Eastern Faris. After that, capitalizing on the weakening of the Empire, Grand Duke Amadeus, the founder of the country, announced himself as the new King and changed the name of the nation to Adelbyde. It was something that happened several century ago. By the way, this was also the time period when the first Parcival Grail played an active part. Therefore, not only the language, but also the culture and customs are often derived from the late Great Empire. Farrisian mythology was one of those.
ăAnd the Holy Grail is probably one of Godâs works, said to bring prosperity and blessings upon the legendary realm. Originally it was supposed to be the vessel of fertility.ă
Destruction and prosperity. Conflict and healing. When put together, they almost seem like polar opposite concepts.
âIn other wordsâŠitâs a blessing given by an evil Goddess?â
However, what did they mean by asking to destroy it?
Scarlet furrowed her eyebrows, pondering. However, it didnât seem like she had reached a conclusion. She sighed, seeming like she had given up on thinking about it.
ăWhat about the key?ă
Connie powerlessly shook her head. On her palm was a simple, unadorned key with a protruding ward. The ring part was engraved with P10E3, the serial number needed to duplicate the key, but there was no emblem pointing to the manufacturer. It was impossible to find out if the key opened a safe or a warehouse somewhere. They were at the dead end.
âIf you think about it normally,â
Connie carefully chose her words while folding her hands.
âWhatever this key opens is where the Holy Grail of Eris is, and thatâs probably what we have to destroy.â
If you thought about it normally, that is. However,
ăRight. But, unfortunatelyâââ that woman was far from normal.ă
Unable to refute Scarletâs point, Connie held her head in pain.
âââ
Connie overused her head so much that she felt like she would get fever soon. No, maybe she already had fever.\nIt mightâve also been because she was very tired the day before, but when she woke up, it was already past noon. The sunlight stung her eyes. Connie spontaneously checked her forehead for fever, but didnât notice any high temperature. It was incomprehensible.
Since she couldnât do anything about it, Connie went down to the living room and was drinking hot tea when the servants suddenly became noisy. It seemed like they had a sudden guest. After a while, Martha appeared. For some reason, she had a demon-like face and her already <b>imposing physique was bulging with intimidation.\n</b>\nâWhatâs wrong, Martha? You look as if Father has done something ridiculously sincere again.â
âTruth be told, we have a guest.â
She knew that. At this moment, a certain question surfaced in Connieâs mind. Why had Martha come to her? Who wasâŠthis guest? Connie had a bad premonition. Her mouth suddenly felt dry. She put her mouth on the edge of the cup in an effort to calm down.
ââââLord Neil Bronson is here.â
Those words made Connie spit out her tea. Martha gave her a handkerchief from the side.
âNeil?!â
She screamed while wiping her wet collar.
âYes. He says that he wants to apologize, young miss. How shall we deal with him? Do you want to <b>kick out</b> that shameless brat? Do you want to beat him up? Or would you rather we chop off<b> his thing </b>instead?â
âAll those choices are horrible!â
That being said, she Connie still didnât feel comfortable meeting him. Could she really face him after all that had happened? She didnât want to hear his apologies either. No apology could undo whatever he had done.
Making up her mind, Connie opened her mouth to announce that she would refuse to meet him, but unexpected words cut her off.
ăOh, isnât it fine? Go and meet with him.ă
Her tone was nonchalant, almost as if she was asking Connie to go and greet her old friend.
(What<b>!</b>?)
Connie instinctually looked at her with criticism, but Scarlet would never be scared of Connieâs gaze.
ăAfter all, you are still trapped by your thoughts about that cheating man, right? So you should have a proper talk with him at least once. Otherwise, it seems to me, you wonât be able to move on.ă
âUgh.â
Connie couldnât argue with that unexpected sound logic. Scarlet Continued.
ăâââMore importantly, I took a look at your closet earlier, but you donât own a single decent dress even though Emiliaâs evening party is just around the corner. The Bronson Company also deals in clothes, right? This is a wonderful opportunity. Instead of money, you ought to rob him for all his worth.ă