Chapter 160 - 159: The Redemption of Shadow Split Manor

Chapter 160: Chapter 159: The Redemption of Shadow Split Manor

"W... h... y...?!"

The temperature in the basement dropped again!

Jasmine’s voice was no longer ethereal. It had become hoarse and low, filled with a solidifying malice.

Dense resentment materialized as a black mist visible to the naked eye, billowing madly from her Spirit Body.

"She casually mentioned missing the Royal Capital’s dry climate, and Father spent a fortune to have a Constant Temperature Array set up here!"

"Those pastries she could only get in the Royal Capital—no matter how tight the manor’s finances were, Father never once let the merchant caravans miss a delivery!"

"All just to make her happy... How could she... Why would she do this?!"

Seeing Jasmine’s Spirit Body seemingly transforming in an uncontrollable direction, Loris quickly stepped forward and shouted, "Calm down, Miss Jasmine! Don’t let hatred consume your mind!"

But Jasmine seemed not to hear him. No matter what Loris said, she just kept repeating, "Hate... Father died because of me... I will have my revenge."

"This is bad! By the Holy Light, this evil transformation is happening right before my eyes!" Loris watched as Jasmine’s resentment grew ever stronger, his voice laced with annoyance at his plan being disrupted. "A true Knight does need a powerful evil to validate his glory... but not in this way... not by precipitating a tragedy! This is a blasphemy against the sacred rite of promotion, an insult to my path as the Knight Loris!"

Hesia ignored the drama-queen Knight beside him. He understood that if he couldn’t untie this knot in Jasmine’s heart, her transformation would be irreversible.

"Hate won’t solve the problem. Helena won’t feel any pain just because you hate her."

"Baron Shadow Splitter always practiced love and tolerance. Look at yourself now. Is this really what your father would want to see?"

This sentence seemed to strike a chord deep within Jasmine’s soul. Her frenzied aura subsided slightly, but she was still filled with pain and confusion.

"But... he loved Helena so much... and he was still betrayed..."

Hesia’s heart sank. He knew this was the core of the issue.

He searched his memory for all the cheesy relationship advice, chicken soup for the soul, and breakup quotes he had once scorned, trying to distill something useful for the current situation.

’Got it!’

He paused, struggling to organize the pop-psychology theories of modern society into words this world could understand.

"Perhaps... from the very beginning, what she wanted wasn’t a dry climate or pastries from the Royal Capital."

"Because what your father gave was ’love,’ but what Helena sought was perhaps something else, like ’lust’ or ’ambition.’"

Seeing that Jasmine seemed to be genuinely trying to understand his words, he continued:

"The two of them were on completely different wavelengths from the start. No matter how much he gave, he could never satisfy her. The fault lies entirely with Helena’s insatiability and betrayal."

"But Jasmine, don’t punish yourself for their mistakes. Your father’s deepest wish must be for you to find peace, not for you to fall into the Abyss for his sake."

[Affinity with Ghost Soul·Jasmine has increased. Decryption Points +10]

Hearing this, the black mist billowing from Jasmine’s Spirit Body slowly receded.

"Perhaps... you’re right." Her voice regained a trace of its ethereal quality. "Father... he wouldn’t want me to become a monster of vengeance."

Beside them, Loris stared at Hesia in astonishment, his eyes wide as saucers.

He couldn’t for the life of him understand how his own righteous words had no effect, yet this Mage, with a few lines that sounded like sentimental nonsense spun by a Minstrel in a tavern, had actually stopped an Undead Creature on the verge of corruption from transforming.

’Damn it! By the Holy Light, while he and I are probably evenly matched in talent and looks, when it comes to eloquence... I am truly his inferior! This won’t do. I must find time to read more of the church’s holy scriptures and sermons. Next time, I will definitely make him see me in a new light!’

Seeing Jasmine’s transformation halt, Hesia also breathed a sigh of relief.

At this point, the tragedy of Shadow Split Manor was basically clear.

His original goal was simply to learn how to strengthen his undead creations, but he hadn’t expected to get entangled in such a complex web of human drama.

However... he looked at the saliva-covered Black Wood Hand Mirror at Bruce’s feet.

It could indeed be used for enhancement, and it was far more powerful than he had imagined.

He recalled the skeleton that "Blood Axe" Slag had possessed—its agile movements and masterful combat skills were not something an ordinary skeleton could possess.

Thinking of this, he looked at Jasmine. "Regarding Helena’s whereabouts, do you need my help finding her? Perhaps we can get some details, some clues, from Vio Bell."

Jasmine was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Your Excellency the Mage, in that case, please accept the mirror. You don’t have to go out of your way to find her for my sake. But if you happen to encounter her on your travels... I hope you will make her pay the price for her betrayal."

"What about you? Do you want to come into the mirror?"

"I don’t think... I can enter the mirror." She hesitated, her Spirit Body flickering as if sensing something. "I... I’ll just stay here. My father’s presence is here."

Hesia saw the Knight staring blankly, lost in thought, and since he didn’t seem to have any objections to this arrangement, Hesia nodded.

...

「A moment later, outside the manor.」

Hesia was about to go give Buton a reply and conclude this lengthy commission. But Loris, who was preparing to return to the town’s church to report, called out to him.

"Mage," he said, handing the original parchment commission to Hesia. "This commission should rightfully be completed by you. I will explain the situation to the Adventurer Guild. You just need Mr. Buton, the client, to confirm it."

Hesia waved his hand, intending to refuse. After all, the other man had put in a lot of effort, and he himself had already obtained the mirror he wanted most.

However, Loris was insistent:

"Put away your humility, Mage! While the victory in this confrontation is certainly thanks to my valiant efforts in fighting and pinning down a powerful foe head-on, the one who truly pierced the fog and uncovered the truth was you! With your Wisdom, you have won the ultimate right to this victory!"

He paused, a proud smile on his face.

"Besides, I, Loris, Knight of the Hand of Radiance, exist to—"

Hesia snatched the parchment from his hand, interrupting his continuous spellcasting.

With that, not giving the other man any chance to speak again, he shot Zoya and Bruce a look and turned to leave.

"Eh?"

Loris watched his departing back, his raised hand still frozen mid-air, looking as if he hadn’t had his fill of speaking.

He suddenly remembered that after talking for so long, he still didn’t know the other man’s name.

"Mage! Wait!" he shouted at Hesia’s back. "What’s your name?"

On the autumn wind, only the man’s fading reply drifted back:

"A partner of justice—Galen."

...

Loris walked along the path back to Rose Town, his brow furrowed, muttering to himself.

"A helper of justice..."

"No, no, that sounds like a sidekick!"

"A companion of justice?"

"Sigh, too ordinary..."

"A partner of the Holy Light?"

"A comrade of radiance?" He racked his brain, trying every combination he could think of, but it always felt like something was missing.

Suddenly, he slammed his right fist into his left palm with a crisp SMACK.

"That’s it! Since Galen is ’a partner of justice,’ then I can be... ’the second partner of justice’!"