Chapter 171

The Aurora Sanctuary definitely needs to be inspected; we can't keep getting stuck because of that angel.

But Herbert doesn't plan to go there right away.

He still needs to prepare more.

After all, the impression left by his last "glance" was far too profound.

That enormous eye, like the Primordial Angel described in the scriptures, was simply too shocking.

Moreover, that mad hymn was incredibly earwormy; it took a long time to purge the melody from his mind.

Yet Herbert chose not to seek help from others—he didn't ask the abbey's elders to purify his soul—he feared they might purge something else too.

Herbert opted for the crude method of counter-poison: replaying even more earwormy music from his past life in his mind until it completely drowned out the hymn.

Fortunately, there's no exam now; otherwise, his mind would be stuck in a frantic loop of divine pop medleys during the test…

After leaving the Deepwater Prison, Herbert detoured to the Darkless Prison and opened a portal directly into Svanney's treehouse.

When he appeared without warning, the Dark Elf Archmage merely lifted her gaze for a fleeting glance, then looked away.

Svanney kept her eyes on the test tube in front of her and said without turning around:

"Lord Herbert, I think you should knock next time before arriving—otherwise, if something dangerous happens, I fear you'll blame me."

She spoke calmly, as if concerned for his safety, but Herbert heard the subtext:

"This time I'll let it slide, but next time you don't use the front door, don't blame me if I 'accidentally' blow you up!"

"You understand—when you're doing forbidden experiments, accidents are only normal, aren't they?"

Fine.

That's pure intimidation!

This is backwards.

These prisoners—they've all turned against their jailer!

Do you still remember I'm the warden and you're the prisoners?

Fuming inside, Herbert didn't indulge her nonsense—he replied bluntly: "Understood."

"Hmm, thank you for your understanding."

Svanney nodded, finally setting down her test tube, turning to face Herbert, and studying him with a flicker of surprise in her gaze.

"Lord Herbert, you returned sooner than I expected, but the things you've experienced…I'm afraid exceed what I imagined."

Watching Svanney's expression, Herbert suddenly felt she had changed—her face now carried a livelier spark.

"Oh? You can tell that?"

Herbert laughed, settling into his usual wicker chair and idly plucking a leaf to toy with.

"Yes."

Svanney sat across from him, studying him closely.

As Svanney observed Herbert, Herbert observed her.

He raised an eyebrow, curious: "You seem different?"

Her coldness had lessened slightly; her expression had grown softer… though only a little.

"So have you."

Svanney didn't elaborate, but fixed her gaze on Herbert: "You've lost some of your confusion, gained some pressure—but the latter doesn't seem to trouble you."

To be honest, Svanney was somewhat disappointed by Herbert's current demeanor.

Not because he had acquired something—but because he had withstood the pressure.

She longed to see Herbert's vulnerability.

In Svanney's expectation, after this journey, Herbert would return here covered in wounds.

For instance—killing a blood relative.

She knew well that not all races treated kinship as coldly as Dark Elves did.

If Herbert truly had killed his kin, as he previously implied… he would carry scars within.

And that scar would be her key to striking.

Had Herbert not released some pressure at Fu Leimei's, he might have indeed followed Svanney's prediction.

After settling some enemies, he would have returned here, lost and broken.

Exposing that vulnerability before Svanney might have allowed her to exploit it.

"Your father…"

"I didn't kill him, nor did I go to see him."

Herbert spoke calmly, casually: "After all, he's his offspring—he needs time to process it."

Regarding the Silverwing Duke, Herbert's attitude was calm.

Though being sent to the abbey seemed shameful at the time, it was in fact the fastest way for Herbert to escape the chaos within Wang Cheng and gain the abbey's protection.

It was a form of protection.

This point cannot be ignored.

After arriving at the abbey, though Herbert was still secretly targeted, he faced no more overt threats.

But the fact that the Silverwing Duke said nothing and abandoned him there cannot be excused.

In that old father's heart, he likely felt disappointed by Herbert's weakness.

As others mocked, as a scion of the Silverwing family, such a soft disposition was unfit to inherit the title.

So let him stay away from intrigues—spend some time at the abbey, then send him to an estate for quiet life.

Besides, to claim Herbert felt no resentment toward the Silverwing Duke at all would be impossible.

The Silverwing Duke's personality was far too indecisive.

Although the main fault lay with Koldi's greed and madness,

in this blood-relative tragedy, the Silver-Winged Grand Duke must also bear at least thirty percent of the responsibility.

If the Silver-Winged Grand Duke had been able to cut off Koldi's ideas from the very beginning, or had made the decision at the start to let Herbert give up his title... none of what followed would have happened.

The three of them might still have been a model family of a loving father and filial children, elder brother caring and younger brother respectful.

But there are no ifs.

It was his indecisiveness that made Koldi suspicious, made him endure torment day after day in the waiting, little by little growing twisted, and ultimately arrive at such a decision.

The Silver-Winged Grand Duke could not be called a sinner, but he was by no means innocent.

Herbert would not deliberately seek revenge against him, but neither would he do nothing.

Let this grief of losing a son become the Silver-Winged Grand Duke's torment for the rest of his life.

Whenever he can walk out of it on his own, then this punishment shall be considered over.

After briefly recounting his experiences in Frost Crystal, Herbert raised his brow and looked toward the dark elf, arching an eyebrow as he asked:

"What about you? After killing your blood-father and taking him as material to harvest, how do you feel?"

Just as the two of them conversed calmly, a somewhat familiar-looking ghastly-white skull was still bobbing up and down in the vat.

(End of this chapter)