I, Who Came From the Abyss, Will Save Humanity Again Today - Volume 2 Chapter 18

Chapter 18: The Duke and Duchess

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The horse carriage rumbled along swiftly. I sat upright in the carriage, and with a serious expression, took out a piece of cake, held it to my nose for a light sniff, and said earnestly to Carlos: “Carlos, the cake smells so good.”

Carlos glanced at me with exasperation upon hearing this.

“Even if it smells good, you can’t eat anymore.”

“…just one piece.”

I looked at him with hopeful eyes.

“Please, if you eat any more the cake will be gone, that’s a whole Valen gold coin my lady, aren’t you afraid of getting too full?”

“But, it’s really delicious.”

This cake’s taste was truly extraordinary, several times better than any dessert I had eaten before, making it impossible to resist wanting to eat it all at once. No wonder so many people were crowding to buy it.

“Duke Scalliger specifically sent a letter saying we’re having dinner with him and his wife tonight. It would be very embarrassing if you can’t eat then.”

“Just one piece.”

“No, give me the cake.”

Seeing that I was shamelessly about to stuff the cake in my mouth, Carlos immediately moved to grab it. Realizing this, I hugged the bag tightly to my chest.

“I won’t eat anymore, don’t grab it!”

“If you dare take another bite, I won’t tell you about any delicious food in the future, no matter how good it is.”

Carlos threatened me. I looked reluctantly at the remaining cake, wanting to tell him that eating more wouldn’t actually affect my performance later, but feared he might really not share good food with me in the future. After hesitating for a moment, I obediently put it away.

“That’s a good girl.” Carlos ruffled my hair, and I immediately glared at him.

This guy has been quite full of himself lately. I should think of a way to teach him a lesson someday, make him understand you can’t pat a tiger’s behind.

Although I was quite dissatisfied with Carlos’s behavior in my heart, I didn’t immediately knock his hand away like usual.

For some reason, I kept thinking about the girl the shop girl mentioned earlier. I remembered that this bearded swordsman with the foolish smile in front of me had stayed in the Valen Empire for quite a long time, perhaps he knew something.

“Carlos, who is Peylo?”

“Peylo? Ah, you mean the girl who looks like you that the shop girl mentioned?” Carlos finally withdrew his annoying hand and stroked his beard thoughtfully for a moment. “I don’t know… I’m just a wandering swordsman, and though I’ve indeed been based in the Valen Empire these past few years, I rarely pay attention to noble affairs. As for a girl with that name… ah, I remember now.”

Carlos clapped his hands as if suddenly enlightened, but then immediately furrowed his brow deeply.

“What is it?” I raised an eyebrow.

“I have heard this name. Peylo, I think there was a pretty girl in Winter City with that name. She was quite famous for a while, you could hear people discussing her in any tavern, but that was a long time ago. I never met her in person, and I don’t particularly pay attention to such gossip, but now that you ask, it seems I haven’t heard anything about her in a very long time, which is why I couldn’t recall at first.”

“Did she, leave this place?”

“How would I know?” Carlos spread his hands innocently, “I already told you I don’t pay attention to these things. Perhaps she married far away?”

Well, it seems this guy is indeed an unusual homebody who doesn’t care about outside affairs. From our interactions these past days, he doesn’t seem like someone who’s been married or had a family either. I really don’t know what he does by himself all the time.

Never mind, I won’t think about it anymore. This girl called Peylo probably has nothing to do with me anyway, maybe we just look alike.

Why am I so concerned about a stranger?

Putting aside those trivial thoughts, I turned to look outside the carriage.

The sky had already begun to show a slight yellow tint.

The horse carriage galloped through street after street, and just as I felt the population starting to thin out, the densely packed houses around us suddenly gave way, and the view abruptly opened up into a vast expanse of snow-covered land.

In front of the land, a towering snow mountain came into full view.

Looking at the black castle with its deep walls and fortifications at the foot of the snow mountain, I suddenly widened my eyes, grabbed Carlos’s shoulder, and shook the drowsy man awake.

“Carlos! Look! That’s it!”

Carlos rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked out somewhat confusedly.

“What? Oh, we’re here.”

“No, that’s it! What I saw, that castle! That’s it!”

Yes, the standing clock tower, the black tower walls, and that long bridge. Everything before my eyes was exactly the same as the castle I had seen in my vision not long ago.

At this moment even I began to doubt, do I really have the ability to predict the future?

“Oh, you mean the vision from before? How is it, has it happened again?”

“No, not since then.”

“Well, tell me next time it happens.”

…………

The horse carriage crossed the bridge and stopped at the castle entrance.

The moment I stepped out of the carriage, my mood was indescribably refreshed.

Looking back, since leaving the small village, I had been constantly traveling with Carlos, traveling, spending most of the time in carriages. Thinking about finally being able to temporarily bid farewell to that annoying carriage, I wanted to jump for joy.

The guards at the castle entrance were still those Workshop Hunters, and there was also a man dressed as a butler who immediately came forward when he saw us.

“Honored Pontifical Knights, please come in, the master and madam have been waiting for some time.”

At this moment, both Carlos and I were wearing iris cloaks, and having arrived in the church’s carriage, our identities were self-evident. The butler didn’t need to verify anything before leading us in.

The castle was incredibly huge. We spent over 10 minutes walking through a garden filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers before finally reaching the inner building.

Once inside, we found the entire structure was like a maze. Apart from the beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows, almost all the buildings were completely black, adding a mysterious color to the dusky twilight, which reminded me of those vampire count castles in movies.

It seems the royal family of the Valen Empire has a special fondness for black, is it because of their black hair and black eyes?

I feel like this place has a strong Gothic atmosphere everywhere, which I quite like.

The butler led us around and around, finally stopping in front of a room on the top floor.

“Honored guests, please enter.”

Carlos nodded to the butler, then pushed open the door, and a fragrance of books wafted out.

The place looked like a study, with bookshelves displayed everywhere, filled with various books. In the middle of the bookshelves stood an antique yet magnificent wooden desk, behind which sat a man close to 50 but still vigorous, with an elegant and noble woman standing beside him.

“Hey, Duke Scalliger, long time no see, and Madam Catherine is here too.” Carlos greeted them rather casually.

“Ha, Carlos, you finally came, I thought you’d make us wait until dinner was served.”

Duke Scalliger, who had been reviewing documents, put down his quill pen upon hearing Carlos’s voice, joking in a loud voice, seemingly quite happy.

“How dare I keep the Duke waiting, just had some delays on the road.”

“Right, when have you ever been on time?”

The Duke, whose black hair was streaked with some white strands and neatly combed back, smiled and teased Carlos, then turned to look at me as I stood twisting my fingers somewhat nervously.

“This… must be Miss Sylvia mentioned in the letter?”

I nodded upon hearing this.

“Duke, and Madam, hello.”

After saying this, I realized I was still wearing my hood, which seemed quite impolite, so I quickly removed it.

My hair fell like a black waterfall from my head, and Duke Scalliger’s pupils contracted sharply for an instant, his slightly trembling fingers seeming to forcibly suppress some emotion.

“Hello, um, Miss Sylvia. So young, haha. May I ask how old you are?”

“16 years old.”

Looking at the Duke trying to maintain his composure before me, I couldn’t help but feel strange. Asking my age right after meeting me, what does he want? He wasn’t nearly this excited when he saw Carlos, why would he have such a reaction to me, whom he’s never met before?

…Could it be that he thinks I’m good-looking and has some inappropriate thoughts?

A chill suddenly ran through my heart, and I quietly took two steps back.

“To become a Pontifical Knight at such a young age, it’s truly admirable!” The Duke seemed not to notice my aversion and continued speaking, “I heard from His Holiness the Pope that you have no parents?”

Hm? How did Engel describe me to them?

I looked up at Carlos, and he immediately understood.

“Ah, yes, she doesn’t remember anything from before. We found her in a small village in Sylgaria, at that time she had just been through a death battle with Abyssal monsters and was barely alive, so the church rescued her.”

“Oh, I see. I heard… your Frost Order talent is very high?”

“It’s alright.”

Actually, I had no idea whether my talent was high or not, but I still answered politely.

From what I can tell so far, my ice powers at full strength can fight against the Abyss, and Engel says there’s still a lot of potential to tap into, so it can’t be too bad.

“Then can you…”

Seeing that the Duke seemed about to ask endlessly, even Carlos could sense his current loss of composure, and the Duchess standing beside him immediately interrupted: “Why don’t we let them rest in the reception room first, they must be tired after such a long journey.”

“Ah yes, haha, how careless of me.” The Duke suddenly realized and immediately called for the butler, “Take them to the reception room to rest first, I’ll be there shortly.”

“I’ll make some tea for you.” The Duchess gave me a sweet smile and walked towards the door.

I turned around and saw that at the moment she turned, she quietly wiped the corner of her eye.