Chapter 197 - Meeting The Detestable Greenwood
Alma POV IV 3/4
-----
Since the dinner started that he had been looking at me with squinting eyes, and a confident and calm smile. He's not as handsome as my father, but he got some elven charm on him.
My parents said that he was a knowledgeable researcher, librarian, and sorcerer that has lived for many years. He was the major researcher of Unique Skill users in the entire of Alfheim and was well known amongst rulers of Kingdoms and Nations.
"This is her, Greenwood. Alma, this is Lord Greenwood." Said my father.
"Hello…" I said rather timidly, something was frightening about this man's aura, his eyes, his expression, there was something deep within him that gave me the same chills that Ivan Wesker gave to me when I spoke to him.
It was the feeling of someone completely different than you, someone whose mind, whose personality, whose eccentric nature was on a whole different world. Can you even call these beings "people" anymore? I didn't know what Ivan Wesker truly was, but he was insane to the core.
And this man in front of me… He looks just as insane, deep down.
I don't know how my parents cannot notice this. I fear that he might have done something to them… Or perhaps, they could not simply see his true presence?
Maybe one of my Unique Skills is letting me do this? But which one? Main Character?
Mom and dad did say that the Main Character Unique Skill granted their users a "premonition" or a "something" that alerted them of danger or a dangerous individual, like a spider-sense.
Could it be that my own powers are alerting me of the dangerousness of this man?
"It is a pleasure to meet the young princess of the Oberon Kingdom. My name is Greenwood. But you can also call me Uncle if you so desire, Princess Alma." Said Greenwood, with a gentle and pleasant smile. But I felt like a demon was talking to me.
This guy is bad news.
"Oh… Erm, thanks. I will consider it." I said.
"Ooh, she can talk so eloquently. And the look of her eyes… She's indeed a reincarnated person." Said Greenwood.
Does he know how we react?
"I-Is that so? Well, reincarnated or not, we still love our daughter for who she is now…" said my father.
"Indeed, my daughter is still my daughter." Said my mother.
"But of course! Many of the parents of the Unique Skill users I've met had said the same." Said Greenwood.
I tried to be bolder and ask what his intentions in this whole ordeal were because it seems that they didn't want to reveal it.
"So, uncle, why are you here?" I asked.
"Alma, don't be so disrespectful…" sighed my mother.
"No, no, it's fine. I am here to cure you, Alma, my dear!" said Greenwood.
"Cure me of what? I am completely fine as I am." I said as I furrowed my eyebrows.
"Well, that isn't the truth. Due to your powers, you were cursed by Yggdrasil, isn't that right?" asked Greenwood.
"But that doesn't really pose a problem for my daily life. I think I can manage around it and be just fine. It will just take me some more time to grow stronger than the rest." I said.
"No, that's not right. Yggdrasil's Curse is worse than you imagine, young princess…" sighed Greenwood, pretending to be sorrowful. My disgust towards him only grew bigger by the second.
"What do you mean, Uncle?" I asked.
"Yggdrasil Curse is a powerful curse made by the world, due to that, it's a curse seep into your very soul. It will slowly consume your soul slowly, like a parasite. When you finally reach adulthood… Your soul will be so weakened that you will grow sickly, and might end up dying." Said Greenwood.
"Eh?! I didn't know that… Mom, dad, was there anything like this in the Unique Skills Compendium?" I asked.
"Well, yes…" sighed my father.
"We couldn't tell you such a horrible thing, my dearie…" sighed my mother.
What? You've gotta be kidding me!
My soul is getting… slowly eroded by this curse?
"Until I reach adulthood? And how long until then?" I asked.
"Hm… Elves do mature slower. So perhaps that might aid you, it probably would take ten years from now." Said Greenwood.
Only… ten years of life left?
This is horrible…
Why?
Just when I was getting accustomed to everything…
Well, ten years is still a lot of time… So maybe- Ah!
I suddenly notice that as I despaired, Greenwood looked at me with a pleasant smile, shade growing over his face as he looked creepier than before. His eyes gleamed as they looked at me as if I were a mere tool… But not only that… was there some enjoyment in my suffering?
Damn bastard…!
Did he blackmail my parents by telling them this too?
Is can see why they're so worried and had been putting so much time into research… Every year that passes I get closer and closer to death… only ten years from now…
However, I could only ask one single thing…
"Is there something I can do?" I asked.
He only grew smugger.
"Indeed. I can help you, Alma… You, and the little sister that your mother is waiting for," he said.
"Little sister?!"
"Sorry for not telling you before, Alma…" sighed my mother.
"Through the Unique Skill Detection Tool that Greenwood has, he detected that… your sister will also have unique Skills, her soul is also not from this world, it seems… I was just as surprised… I mean, what are the odds?" sighed my father.
A little sister is also a reincarnated soul?! Shit…
And this bastard is going to take both of us away from our parents?!
I don't like him at all.
I would prefer to just die early than spend the rest of my days with this monster only to end up probably dying anyways…
But my little sister…
Do I want to give her the same destiny?
He got me cornered.
"I see… I am at your care, Lord Greenwood…" I sighed.
"Good girl…"
-----