Chapter 51: Sylvasta: Where are my high heels?

"Rustle, rustle..."

A bright yellow magic lamp was lit in the study, and Mevis sat at the desk carefully writing a letter.

Large patches of shadows were cast on the nearby table.

At a certain moment, she suddenly stopped writing, furrowed her brow, and uncomfortably shrugged her shoulders.

Whether it was an illusion or not, in that instant, she felt a cold and slippery sensation spread throughout her body, giving her goosebumps.

At the level of a divine magician, inspiration was extremely high, and sometimes she did indeed experience some inexplicable revelations.

Perhaps she should do a divination later?

Mevis silently contemplated.

After a while, the letter reached its conclusion. After signing her name and sealing it with her stamp at the end, she took out an envelope and stuffed the letter inside.

After applying the sealing wax, she placed the letter on the table and picked up the bell beside her, giving it a shake.

Moments later, the study door was pushed open.

An old man with the appearance of a butler, who rarely smiled, bowed and then walked in. "My lady, is there anything you need me to do?"

"Deliver this letter to the Inquisition of Heresy at the Holy See and hand it to Grand Inquisitor Nidro. He will surely be interested," Mevis said calmly, leaning back in the plush chair.

The content of the letter naturally concerned Char.

"Yes."

"By the way, how is Angelica doing now? What were the results of the investigation I asked you to conduct last time?"

Mevis asked proactively.

The old butler bowed once again. "Miss Angelica does indeed appear to have been subjected to some form of mental imprint, which aligns perfectly with the description you provided."

"Hehe." Mevis smiled slightly as if she had thought of something. "It seems that the young lad named Char has a deep connection with the 'Red Moon.' Mansfield even taught him such magic."

Others might not be aware, but the unassuming butler by her side understood very well.

Mansfield was the leader of the cult who caused the "Blood Moon Tragedy," and he ranked high on the Empire's most wanted list. The Holy See held deep hatred for him.

In that tragedy, he relentlessly pursued and killed high-ranking clergy members from various dioceses, even sacrificing tens of thousands of devout followers of the Goddess. This greatly weakened the Holy See's power.

Although within the Hiren Empire, the authority of the royal and noble families already surpassed that of the divine power, after that incident, the influence of the Holy See diminished even further.

Thus, over the years, the Holy See never ceased its pursuit and pursuit of the Red Moon cult.

Unfortunately, the members of that cult were exceptionally cunning, hiding in three different places, and investigations yielded few leads, at most capturing peripheral members of little significance.

"I remember that in the past decade, the Inquisition of Heresy has dealt with no fewer than three major cases involving the Red Moon cult, all of which involved core members," Mevis said with a pensive expression.

"Yes, those three Red Moon members finally faced the judgment of the Holy Light before the Faith Pillar in the square of the Holy See," the old butler replied.

Put it subtly, in reality, they were directly annihilated by the Holy Light after their public trial.

Upon hearing the butler's response, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Mevis's lips.

"To become a transcendent knight at the age of 16, to comprehend the rudiments of a force field, and possess the core abilities of ancient knights—such an unprecedented genius must have been anticipated by many, right?"

"But if, in the end, they discover that it was all just a lie from a cult, and that so-called 'genius' is ultimately burned to death on the Faith Pillar in front of everyone's eyes, consumed by the fury of the masses... how interesting that would be."

The old butler remained silent.

"By the way, how is Nia doing these days?"

"No abnormalities, just as you anticipated. She is gradually transforming into the 'Vessel of Birth.'"

"I've said it before, let's not use that title for now. We'll discuss these matters... later."

"Yes."

After the butler left the study with the letter, Mevis stared at the flickering candlelight in the magic lamp, gently squinting her eyes.

In truth, for the sake of that plan, she had deliberately suppressed Nia's progress in her training. Otherwise, with the abundant resources provided to her, Nia might have already advanced to the rank of a mage.

"However, is it just a coincidence that a rural viscount family has produced such monstrous offspring?"

"Or... is there another hidden agenda?"

........

After Char left the realm of consciousness with a comfortable expression on his face, he found his body still peacefully lying on the bed.

Glancing outside the window, he noticed it was already nearing noon.

It seemed that time flowed differently in the Sea of Consciousness compared to the outside world. It was similar to the experience of sleeping and dreaming—although it felt like only a short while had passed, the annoying alarm clock rang right on time.

Recalling the scene just now, Char couldn't help but chuckle.

The process was unbearable to witness. In the end, the formless demon's eyes rolled back, drool dripping from its mouth, unable to speak coherently.

After forcing It to sign a series of unequal treaties, Char left with a sense of satisfaction.

Though compared to the group of evil gods lurking outside the Abyssal Palace at that time, the foul-smelling mud was not quite presentable. But at least It was a near-divine entity with ancient existence, possessing profound knowledge and experiences that were a valuable treasure.

By the way, Incinerate was Its name.

Entering the living room, Char saw Dahlia cleaning. After a moment of contemplation, he earnestly advised, "In the coming months, try not to leave the academy without a particular reason. If you need anything, I will bring it back for you when I go out."

The current situation was that the "sun" was in the dark, while he was in the light.

If he were alone, it wouldn't be much of an issue. However, Dahlia was a physically weak girl with no means to defend herself.

Within the central Norton Academy of the royal capital, her safety could be best ensured.

Seeing Char's appearance, Dahlia didn't ask further and obediently nodded. Then she pointed to the letter on the table and said, "Young master, Saint Frey Publishing House sent a letter."

Publishing house?

Char felt puzzled.

The royalties for the third installment had just arrived not long ago, and they had discussed the matter of submitting manuscripts in the previous letter. What could it be this time?

With a hint of doubt, he picked up the slightly thick envelope.

As soon as he opened it, he saw an exquisitely designed invitation card, adorned with a gold-embossed violet flower.

Oh, interesting.

Char immediately understood and took out another piece of paper to read.

[Dear Lord "Cain"],

[As we were unable to find your personal information, our publishing house received a commission from Count Lautossos yesterday to deliver this invitation letter to you. We hope you can attend the masquerade ball held at the Violet Manor on the 23rd at 8 PM.]

[According to Count Lautossos, there is a fan who wishes to meet you.]

The letter was stamped with the seal of Saint Frey Publishing House.

In the royal capital, professions such as bestselling authors, pianists, or top-level artists often receive attention and hold higher social status among the upper class.

Char was one of them.

In the past, similar invitations to masquerade balls would frequently arrive at his apartment.

"Young master, should we decline?" Dahlia, who was sweeping the floor, approached and glanced at the letter.

Based on their previous encounters with such situations, Char would usually choose to decline, which led her to ask subconsciously.

"No, I will go."

Char shook his head gently.

Although he had already agreed to Sally's invitation, Char planned to play both sides.

The invitation letter had given him inspiration.

Sally hadn't explicitly mentioned that it was an entertainment masquerade ball; Char learned about it from the invitation itself.

In other words, all the guests attending would be wearing masks to conceal their identities.

This provided ample opportunity for maneuvering.

He intended to infiltrate the event using his dual identity.

With these thoughts in mind, Char put the invitation back into the envelope.

"Knock, knock—"

At that moment, there was a soft knock on the apartment door.

Dahlia took the initiative to walk over and, upon opening the door, looked surprised at the visitor standing there.

"Miss Sylvasta?"

"Dahlia, is Char in? May I speak with him?"

"He's here, in the living room. Please come in!"

"Ah, thank you, but it's not necessary. My carriage is downstairs, and I have to leave soon... um, if it's convenient, could you call him for me? I just need to say a few words and then leave."

Char overheard their conversation.

He walked to the door and said to Dahlia, "You can go about your business."

"Okay."

Dahlia gave him a meaningful look and then left the doorway.

Sylvasta was wearing a pure white dress today, her long golden wavy hair was tied into an exquisite braided bun on her shoulder. She wore a silk sun hat, which made her look less noble and more like a fresh girl next door.

At the first glance, Char thought of the scene in the Abyss Palace where he helped Lady Agnes put on her shoes.

He subconsciously glanced at Sylvasta's slender legs and imagined them in black stockings with delicate strapped high-heeled sandals.

Indeed, this kind of artificially sexy style didn't suit her very well.

By the way, does Sylvasta have such a hobby?

However, Char's facial expressions were all caught by Sylvasta's eyes. She, who was already somewhat shy, instantly blushed deeply.

He really noticed it!

Sylvasta pulled her feet, clad in wedge sandals, back slightly. With a red face, she lowered her head deeply.

After a long while, in a soft, almost inaudible voice, she timidly said, "C-Can you give it back to me?"

"The Dimensional Ring? Oh, I can give it back to you right now—"

"N-No, not that. It's the box."

Summoning all her courage, Sylvasta raised her head, blushing, and spoke with a slightly indignant tone.

"I lost it, and I'm really sorry." He thought for a moment and said sincerely, "As compensation, can I buy you a similar one as a replacement?"

Lost it?

How could something in the ring be lost?

Sylvasta glanced at him with some doubt.

She had read in some books that some boys at this age were particularly interested in that kind of thing and would secretly collect the scent of girls.

But... she hadn't even worn those high heels and stockings yet?

With this in mind, Sylvasta took a deep breath.

In fact, this matter wasn't her main purpose for coming today. However, since Char mentioned compensation, it conveniently provided an opportunity to bring it up.

She lightly bit her lower lip and then casually twisted a strand of hair on her shoulder, saying, seemingly unintentionally, "Then, I'll leave it to you, Char. During the next vacation, I'll go with you."

"Eh?"

.....

After seeing off Sylvasta, Char didn't stay in the apartment. Instead, he went out and took a carriage to the streets to buy two sets of different styled evening gowns.

Soon, the evening arrived.

People were coming and going in front of the Violet's mansion, and one luxurious carriage after another was guided by servants into the estate.

The dinner began, marking the opening.