Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Capital Star, the Medici Estate.

In the grand and magnificent corridor, classical stone pillars stood at perfectly spaced intervals, their proportions flawless. Specially cultivated clematis vines twined around the undulating reliefs, their lustrous, jade-like petals unfurling towards the sun.

Sunlight streamed through the arched eaves, casting stark, cold-white lines across the jade tiles.

Grace and Dick walked side by side towards the Patriarch’s office within the residential palace. Both wore intricate and elegant uniforms, their faces shedding their youthful innocence, beginning to reveal a mature grace.

Since the practical project, the Medici family had undergone significant changes.

Foremost among them was the execution of the Fourth Steward for treason.

During the trial, the Third Steward attempted to plead for his brother, but was intercepted by the Second Steward.

Sandro, ever the impeccably dressed gentleman, from head to toe, blocked his colleague’s path with a silver-headed cane, his expression a half-smile: "Eamon, cease trying to provoke the Patriarch. Edgar’s disposition is only partly due to this incident. As for the other reasons… surely you are not unaware?"

"......"

"If you have no desire to die alongside your brother," Sandro said, patting his shoulder and shaking his head, "then leave at once. He is beyond saving."

At these words, the Third Steward’s already pale face turned even more ashen. In the brightly lit hall, he glared in frustrated exasperation at his kneeling brother, then, with a dark expression, flung his sleeve and stormed away.

However, the position of Fourth Steward remained unfilled thereafter.

The Fifth Steward, a former subordinate of the deceased Matriarch, succeeded Edgar in assisting and serving Miss Lorrain Medici. She was immensely pleased by the true strength Lorrain had displayed during the practical project. Her enthusiasm for the role far surpassed that of the former Fourth Steward, and gradually, the matter was considered closed with the Fourth Steward’s demise.

Next came the sudden tension in the relationship between the main family’s young master and miss.

On the night of their return from Purton 1103, the Medici Patriarch, having received advance notice, invited a Four-Star Grand Alchemist from the headquarters of the Alchemist Association to re-evaluate Lorrain.

The results were immediate: Lorrain’s psychic power level had advanced to S-class, and her Spiritual State had transformed into Mist Cloud Vine, one of the "Three Sacred Moonlit Illusions."

For a time, the main house buzzed with speculation. The young lady’s secondary evolution subtly shifted the balance of power, and everyone began taking sides, wondering who would ultimately control the family’s future.

Though the Patriarch made no explicit statements, his increased regard for Lorrain was evident in his actions—at the very least, the ambiguous marriage alliance with the Oliver Family subtly showed signs of shifting towards her. Coincidentally, the Oliver family seemed to be experiencing some issues recently and had not yet reacted to the Medici family’s change of plans.

Most of the former Matriarch’s subordinates leaned towards supporting Lorrain, who had perfectly inherited her mother’s talents. Those retainers who supported Cecil naturally grew increasingly anxious. Meanwhile, the young master at the center of the storm seemed to have other ideas, turning a blind eye to his sister’s rising influence and showing no urgency in rallying the new generation of prospective retainers.

These past few days, classes had been suspended to deal with the aftermath of the practical project incident. Cecil had locked himself in his room, refusing to see anyone except when summoned by the Patriarch.

What made Grace uneasy was that the only "keepsake" Eve had left behind—Hecate’s Spatial Ring—remained in his possession.

From around the corner of the corridor came the sound of footsteps—the crisp click of hard-soled, low-heeled boots against jade tiles. A figure slowly emerged from behind a pillar. His slightly long, pure silver hair was tied back with a ribbon, and he wore a uniform of higher rank than others. Tall boots tightly encased his straight, long legs. As he approached, his stunningly handsome face showed no expression.

Since this was the Patriarch’s residential palace, basic courtesy was essential. Dick tugged at Grace, and they quickly halted their steps, bowing in greeting: "Good day, Young Master."

It was unclear whether he heard them or not. Cecil showed no reaction, walking right past them with an indifferent expression. As he passed, the faint golden and silvery Spatial Rings on his left middle and ring fingers reflected a cold, sharp glint.

After he left, the two looked at each other, puzzled.

Grace couldn’t quite understand: "What’s been up with him lately? It’s like he’s lost his soul. Who upset him? It can’t really be that Eve’s death affected him that deeply... Since when is he so deeply devoted?"

"Definitely not because of the young lady," Dick said. "He won’t see anyone and doesn’t seem interested in the power struggles."

"It’s weird and kind of scary."

Grace frowned. "He’s so odd. I don’t get him. Anyway, let’s go see the Patriarch first."

Only Sparti and the First Steward were in the office. He was seated at his desk attending to paperwork, while the First Steward stood behind him, her face mostly hidden by a cloak as always, silent and spectral.

Grace and Dick pushed the door open and knelt simultaneously on one knee, right hands pressed to their left chests, respectfully saying, "Good day, Lord Patriarch."

"Rise, young ones." Sparti set down his documents and looked at them with a kind smile.

He was no longer young, but his appearance remained refined and distinguished. When he smiled, he exuded the comforting aura of an approachable elder.

"Grace, how is your health?" Sparti asked her first, concern in his voice. "I heard you experienced a Spiritual State rampage during the practical project and that Lorrain helped stabilize you."

"Yes, thank you for your concern, Lord Patriarch, and thank the young lady for her help. I’ve recovered now, and it seems my psychic abilities have improved somewhat."

Sparti nodded. "A blessing in disguise, then."

"The reason I called you here today is this: both of you are outstanding talents of the Medici family. After discussions with the elders, the family unanimously believes it is time for you to be introduced to Mythological Mecha."

He signaled to the First Steward, who stepped down from the platform and produced a silver box from her sleeve, opening it before the two. Inside were two ring-shaped Spatial Rings.

"These are two Mythological Mecha selected by the responsible elders, deemed most compatible with your temperaments. The deep blue one, Medusa, is given to Grace. The black one, Charon, is given to Dick," Sparti said with a smile. "If you have any questions about their use, you may consult your mecha instructors or even come to me. You are both the future hope of the family. Make the most of this opportunity, work harder, and contribute to the family. Understood?"

"......"

Grace and Dick had not expected this turn of events at all. They had thought the Patriarch summoned them to assist in the investigation of the practical project incident and were stunned.

The First Steward’s hand, holding the silver box, extended forward slightly, urging them to take the rings and express their gratitude. Grace recovered first, taking her Mythological Mecha and kneeling again on one knee. "Thank you for your recognition, Lord Patriarch."

Dick hurriedly followed suit, accepting his mecha and thanking him.

"Very well," Sparti waved a hand. "That’s all. You may both return and rest now."

"Yes!"

As the door closed, the First Steward returned to her position behind the Medici Patriarch. A low, raspy female voice emerged from beneath the cloak: "Why not ask them about Eve?"

"Ask what? Grace already experienced a Spiritual State rampage. Asking her would be cruel," Sparti casually turned a page of a document, his tone mild. "Besides, they likely truly don’t know. Otherwise, their reactions would have been different."

"Or they could be exceptionally good actors."

"I’ve watched these children for two months now. I have a sense of their capabilities. Not everyone is like Eve—ruthless toward others and even more so toward herself."

The First Steward was silent for a moment. "Shall we bring her back then?"

"Unnecessary. The more fledged the bird, the more it desires to fly far. Just ensure she returns before university. Still, I’m curious why she worked so hard to run away. What could the family not provide her?"

Sparti rested his chin on his hand, eyes full of interest, and sighed softly. "Such a determined child. That fool Edgar actually thought she would replace Catherine. Couldn’t he see they are completely different at their core? I can no longer tolerate his slander against Catherine."

"Actually, I don’t understand why you told the young master about this and deliberately made it sound so... exaggerated."

"Because competition requires fairness. Lorrain has an excellent teacher, and Frank is improving rapidly. But Cecil has remained arrogantly complacent all these years. Don’t you think Eve’s escape is a chance to give him a push? It’s time that boy woke up."

The First Steward glanced up from the shadows of her hood. Sparti sat relaxed in his chair, a gentle smile still on his lips, yet his words treated his own children as mere materials in a crucible of competition.

—But so what? As long as he never betrays the family’s interests, it is enough.

She indifferently lowered her gaze again. "I understand."

-

Meanwhile, as soon as Grace and Dick returned to Cloud Residence, they immediately retrieved the communication device Eve had left them.

After discussing for a while, they still couldn’t quite figure out the Patriarch’s intentions.

"But I don't think it's that simple."

Grace said, "The main thing is, the family head is always like a ball of yarn—any blades, guns, or weapons are hidden inside, so it’s tough to figure out what he's up to, you know?"

Dick nodded vigorously in agreement and asked, "So what should we do next?"

"Nothing. Since he hasn't made a move now, it means he doesn’t plan to cause trouble for us."

Shortly after returning, Grace secretly told Dick the truth about the faked death, so both had been feeling uneasy. When they received the summons to meet the family head, they thought they were done for. Unexpectedly, not only were they safe and sound, but they also received Mythological Mechas.

"This time, we really can’t bail her out," Grace said, holding up the ear-clip-shaped communication device with a smile. "Let’s just dump everything on Eve and let her deal with it herself!"

-

Planet Carol-123.

The moment they handed over the dream eater, the money was deposited into their accounts.

Alice accompanied Eve to the hotel to collect her luggage before moving to the Upside Down Wonderland base. She didn’t have much—just a few sets of clothes and some alchemy materials, all tossed into a bag. Eve lifted it easily and said, "All set."

At the hotel front desk, Miss Mary was touching up her lipstick lazily in front of a mirror. Seeing the two come down, she said, "Checking out early? You only get half your room fee back, as agreed when you booked."

"......" Eve held a fidgety Alice back. "Fine."

It’s not like she was broke anyway.

Once outside the hotel, Alice crossed her arms and asked suspiciously, "What’s with you today? You’ve been in a funk since the ear clip lit up this morning. Did you hear some bad news?"

Eve sighed. "The elders found out about me running away from home."

"Will you be hauled back?"

"Probably not."

"Then it’s fine," Alice said, toying with a small pebble under her foot and rolling it around. "Come on, don’t worry. After we move, I’ll treat you to a meal."

Eve was about to say something else when the roar of a motorcycle engine suddenly rushed up from behind. A gleaming knife swiped at her in one fluid motion. She instinctively dodged, but her bag strap was cut.

The hooded biker, having succeeded in one strike, tucked the bag under his arm, spat out a string of curses, and gunned the throttle to make a run for it.

Everything happened in an instant. Alice, having spent a long time on Black Star, reacted faster. The queen bee’s psychic grip abruptly suppressed the biker’s movements. Meanwhile, Eve flicked her sleeve, revealing a cylindrical, deactivated lightsaber hilt, which she aimed and hurled hard at the biker’s head.

Thud!

The thin black cloth did nothing to protect him. Without a helmet, the biker was effectively struck by the flying object, a sharp pain shooting through the back of his head. His eyes rolled back, and he and his bike skidded several yards before crashing spectacularly into the street, knocked out cold.

"What the heck? Mugging someone in broad daylight and still acting all tough?"

Eve looked surprised and puzzled as she walked over to pick up her bag and lightsaber, giving the downed biker a kick.

Alice came over too and suggested, "Let’s leave him here. By tomorrow morning, his motorcycle will probably be stripped down to the frame. Serves him right."

Eve: "......"

Talk about fighting fire with fire. This place really has such a charming sense of justice.

The chase had led them to a small commercial street. Having taken a wrong turn, the two were about to find another way back when they passed a shop with a tattered cloth curtain and heard a somewhat familiar, slow, drawn-out voice.

"The book I ordered last time... You said my sister found out? It’s fine, she won’t bother with it."

The voice sounded familiar, as if they’d heard it not long ago.

"Alright, I’m heading out then."

The slow-speaking male voice finished and parted the curtain to step out. He also had black hair and black eyes, with a young and handsome appearance and a tall figure, but there was a calm demeanor about him that didn’t belong to someone his age.

The young man turned his head and saw two figures from his nightmares standing at the entrance, like they were lying in wait.

The moment he saw their faces, his eyes went wide.

Beside him, Alice exclaimed, "Huh?" and shouted, "Isn’t this..."

Before she could finish, the young man—moving at a speed completely unlike his earlier tone—sprinted away in the opposite direction. In the blink of an eye, he was gone without a trace.

"...that Venom dude who ran away last time?"

A flicker of confusion passed through Alice’s eyes before she finally blurted out the rest: "What’s his hurry?!"

"Maybe he’s really afraid we’ll eat him," Eve said.

The young man had run off in such a hurry that he dropped something. Eve crouched down and reached out, but paused in surprise when she saw the cover.

—It was a collection of an alchemist’s manuscripts.

There were hardly any alchemy textbooks on the market, let alone actual alchemists’ journals.

Could this be the lost work of the Four-Star Grand Alchemist that the female protagonist accidentally picked up in the original novel?

So, what was the background of that guy who just ran off?

While searching her memory for corresponding characters, Eve picked up the alchemy manuscript from the ground and casually stuffed it into Alice’s arms. "Never mind, you hang on to this for now."

"Huh? Really, for me?"

"Didn’t you want to learn alchemy too?"

If this was the book from the plot, it should be quite suitable for Alice to study, Eve thought.

She looked at Alice and said, "Alchemists’ manuscript collections are rare and useful—you can use this as a study guide. If you don’t want to learn, that’s fine too. It must be pretty important to the guy who just ran off, so we can use it as bait."