"The Lord's half? The Key?"
"Lord Norton, I do not understand what you mean."
Shiayar aptly voiced his confusion, adopting the expected demeanor of someone completely uninformed.
"Heh."
"The vast majority of the ignorant common folk in the entire dukedom only think that my niece is the culprit behind the disaster that struck sixteen years ago, the embodiment of calamity.
Yet, how could they possibly understand that if it were not for her, these people would never be able to live the peaceful lives they have now?"
As expected, Elder Norton also took the opportunity to divulge a few pieces of information. However, the information he revealed remained enigmatic.
"The water here runs deep. You don't need to know too much; just do as I say."
"A great change is about to come to the Azure Garden Dukedom. When the time comes for you to know, you will naturally learn everything."
So, could the riddler just hurry up and drop dead?
Shiayar inwardly sneered, but his outward appearance did not betray a fraction of his thoughts. He respectfully acknowledged the elder and took his leave.
Gathering intelligence was, naturally, not something to be rushed.
In Norton's eyes, Shiayar—an orphan with no parents, and one over whom Norton had leverage—was already considered one of them. When the plan eventually unfolded, he would learn the secrets within.
Shiayar walked and observed as he went.
Only after leaving the Duke's Manor and reaching the bustling streets of the Azure Garden Royal Capital did he quietly summon Silver and Shiny.
"Silvia Brunestadt..."
It was finally time to meet his mission's target, the future Gray-Silver Witch.
...
"Get out! You are not welcome here!"
"His Grace the Duke lived a life of wisdom, but the name of the Brunestadt family has been completely tarnished by you!"
"If it weren't for you, my brother and father would never have died! Countless citizens of the Azure Garden Dukedom would not have been displaced!"
"Your mother died because of you! A calamitous daughter like you should never have existed in this world!"
Silvia walked along the steep cliffs, a precipice tens of meters high beside her, the roaring surge of the waves echoing in her ears.
The cold wind brushed her cheeks, chilling her to the bone.
Even though she forced herself not to dwell on them, those harsh words still echoed in her ears whenever she dreamt at midnight.
If that were all, it might have been bearable.
Being scolded, being berated—at least that would mean her existence held some significance.
At least, there were people willing to spend their thoughts on her.
Even if those thoughts were pure hatred and annoyance.
But what was even harder to accept was being ignored.
The atmosphere at the once bustling and lively family gatherings would transform the moment she arrived, growing cold and distant, leaving only countless strange eyes fixed on her.
Peers her age, laughing and playing in the garden, would instantly retract their smiles and depart in silence the moment they noticed her arrival.
Even when she managed to make friends by concealing her identity, the moment their elders discovered the truth, all that awaited her was a cold letter severing all ties.
After all, she was the Duke's only daughter; not everyone dared to slight her openly.
Quite the contrary, most people in the Duke's Manor, at least, appeared perfectly polite and courteous when facing her.
But beneath that impeccably respectful exterior—
It was the unspoken coldness and estrangement that wounded her most deeply.
Why is it like this? Could it be that I am really what they say... that embodiment of calamity that should not exist in this world?
During countless starless, sleepless nights, Silvia had asked herself these questions.
Perhaps it was because of that thing residing deep within her heart...
It was a twisted, dark shadow nailed to a great Bronze Crucifix, a presence that had existed deep within her since her earliest memories.
Usually, it seemed dormant, only occasionally uttering incomprehensible murmurs.
But—
Whenever Silvia experienced intense emotional turmoil, or her willpower wavered, that twisted darkness would stealthily encroach, consuming her consciousness.
Then, when Silvia's consciousness returned, she would be greeted by a crimson liquid that tasted of rust, and by the gazes of the family elders, now even colder, a complex mixture of interwoven disgust and fear.
Those gazes were so heart-piercing that, after the first time, Silvia's every night became a companion to nightmares and dread.
She lived in dread that upon waking, her eyes would open to the sight of cold bodies sprawled on the ground.
"But I don't want this either..."
The girl's whisper vanished into the evening breeze, unheard.
Evening had fallen, and the great sun touched the sea's surface.
Tens of millions of tons of seawater surged below the cliff, waves shattering into white foam against the black rocks.
Silvia stared at the dark tide, lost in a profound silence.
After a long pause, as if she had finally made a decision, Silvia bit her lips, which were turning purple from the cold wind, took a small step forward, and leaned half her body out over the cliff edge.
One more step, and she would plunge into the icy Grant Sea.
The Grant Sea was miles from the Azure Garden Royal Capital and rarely frequented. Especially at sunset, when most of the capital's residents had already returned home to enjoy a warm dinner with their families around the hearth and the glow of magictech lamps.
If she fell into the water now, being rescued was out of the question; even being found would be too much to hope for.
But that was precisely Silvia's intent.
She wished for death.
Ever since she could remember, she had been walking on thin ice, never daring to relax her guard for even a moment.
Yet even so, under the influence of the murmuring, indistinct figure on the Bronze Crucifix, Silvia had nearly lost control several times, harming many innocent people.
Her most severe loss of control had flattened half a street.
She was weary of this dark, lightless existence, and even more weary of the part of herself that periodically harmed innocents.
Thus, on this wintry evening, she had secretly left the Duke's Manor and come to this place.
Perhaps what those people said wasn't wrong. A calamitous girl like me should never have existed in this world from the very beginning.
The evening wind was bone-chilling, numbing Silvia's limbs and making her consciousness drift.
"God Almighty..."
Silvia's chapped lips parted slightly, a silent scoff forming.
In her younger days, Silvia too had secretly prayed to the Deities. She had fantasized that someone, bathed in light like a hero from a wandering poet's tale, would rescue her from this dark, lightless mire.
But she knew in her heart it was merely a fantasy. Deities might truly exist in this world. And the Holy See, reigning supreme in the Holy Creed Kingdom on the western continent, even proclaimed itself the mortal agent of divine will. But if they were to sense what resided deep within her, she would undoubtedly become a target for the Holy See's condemnation—a heretic to be purged without exception.
She was waiting for no one. No one would come.
Silvia closed her eyes, her delicate body trembling slightly.
The moment before she could fall from the cliff, Silvia heard a voice by her ear.
"What a coincidence. Are you also here to jump into the sea?"
The voice held none of the reverence, caution, or disgust Silvia was so accustomed to hearing. Instead, it carried only a hint of curiosity.
She turned her head toward the source of the sound and saw a slender figure standing not far away.
The pale golden afterglow of the sunset illuminated the stranger's profile, revealing sharp, profound features.