Chapter 147: The Sleeping Seer

Malrik leaned in to inspect this entity, but blinked several times when he noticed her strange appearance.

The manifestation took the form of a young woman wearing glasses that kept slipping down her small nose. Her hair was extremely messy, as if she hadn’t had a moment’s rest in days, while the dark circles under her eyes were clearly visible even in her spectral form.

And strangest of all, her head was drooping forward, and her eyes were shut tight. She was fast asleep.

"Sister..." Malrik muttered, clear astonishment in his voice. "Is she... sleeping?"

Velrosa’s expression changed instantly. Just moments ago, she had been warning him not to underestimate these Seers, and now her own Mistress of Whispers was appearing before her brother in this embarrassing state.

Her smile faded, replaced by a sharp look, and she whispered.

"Kaelia..."

The spirit didn’t wake up. Her lips moved slightly as she began to mutter in her sleep.

"...Don’t touch that file... It’s classified... Who let him read it?... Execute... I mean, reject the request... I want to sleep..."

Velrosa stared at her for a moment, then her eyes narrowed sharply, and a few lines of anger appeared across her beautiful face.

"Kaeliaaaaa!"

The spirit suddenly jolted in the air, raising her head in panic as she pushed her glasses back into place.

"What?! Are we being invaded?!"

Kaelia shouted as she looked around in confusion, until her eyes finally landed on Velrosa’s furious face.

The girl froze in place, then quickly straightened herself in the air.

"My Lady Velrosa... nice to see you! I was just... checking the dream realm! Yes, I... foresaw that you would arrive now, so I didn’t want to alter the course of history... You know how costly it can be to interfere with the flow of time!"

Velrosa’s eyes narrowed in warning, and she spoke in a low, firm voice.

"And what about the classified files you kept guarding while cosmic snoring?"

Kaelia swallowed hard and her spectral form drifted a step backward as she rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.

"Ah... those... Actually, I was testing the efficiency of the castle’s defense systems... through an experimental nightmare. And... it seems I successfully repelled the attack, my lady! No need to thank me. It’s my duty, after all!"

Malrik turned toward his sister, no longer able to suppress his laughter.

"It seems your Mistress of Whispers is doing quite well in dream battles, Velrosa."

Velrosa looked at Malrik with a fierce expression but said nothing. Meanwhile, the Mistress of Whispers finally noticed his presence in the carriage and bowed respectfully despite her small size.

"Greetings, Seventh Banner Bearer. It is an honor to meet you."

Malrik raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You know me?"

Kaelia answered in a calm, confident tone. "My primary duty is to know everything and everyone around my lady."

"Of course you do." Malrik smiled. "It’s a pleasure to meet you too."

Velrosa sighed, then pointed at the spectral manifestation.

"This is Kaelia, the Mistress of Whispers for Crimson Reach County. She is very competent... when she is awake."

"That’s only because you leave me to bear the entire county’s workload all by myself..." Kaelia muttered under her breath.

"I’ve told you repeatedly to hire more people to assist you," Velrosa replied coldly.

"And I definitely will... the moment I receive a proper budget that allows it," Kaelia grumbled.

So Velrosa is a Count now... I have to admit, I like the name of her county.

Should I think about giving my own lands a proper name too?

Velrosa clicked her tongue, deciding to end the side discussion.

"Enough chatter. What information do you have on a knight named Orren?"

"Orren... wait, I believe I’ve come across that name before." Kaelia blinked and placed her translucent finger against her chin in thought.

She closed her eyes, and suddenly a massive spectral book materialized in the air before her, roughly twice her size. Its pages began flipping frantically on their own before stopping at a specific page. Kaelia then opened her eyes.

"Yes, he is one of the knights nominated to join your legion, as well as the First Banner Bearer’s legion. But that nomination was later canceled for an unknown reason."

"I don’t care about his recent nominations," Velrosa interrupted firmly. "I want older information on him. What makes him special? And why did neither the Elders nor the Duke take any action against him despite his refusal to obey the Banner Bearer’s orders?"

Kaelia fell silent for a moment, then adjusted her glasses slightly as she searched for the right words.

"Information regarding any direct intervention by the Duke or the High Elders is encrypted and difficult to access, as you know, my lady. But I did gather other information about his past from the time when he was a candidate to join you, and I believe his past is... a little complicated."

"Stop stalling and tell me everything you know," Velrosa ordered her.

Kaelia cleared her throat, then began reading from the spectral book in a matter-of-fact voice.

"His name is Orren Ford. He is a mercenary of commoner origins, forty-three years old. He joined the Duke’s ranks thirteen years ago. Before that, he worked with a mercenary guild called the Northern Guards for two years."

Her eyes stopped at a certain line.

"At that time... he was married to a fellow mercenary from the guild, and they had a young daughter."

Silence fell for a moment before Kaelia added in a quieter tone.

"His wife and daughter were killed under mysterious circumstances. But after we dug deeper into the investigation... we discovered something else."

Velrosa raised an eyebrow, "What did you find?"

"The rumors we’ve gathered are almost confirmed. Those who killed his wife and daughter... were his comrades in the Northern Guards."

"They raped his wife and killed her, then killed his little daughter... They were afraid Orren would discover what they had done."

Kaelia continued reading, her eyes tracing the illusory lines.

"At that time, Orren was on an external mission for the guild. When he returned and discovered what had happened to his family, he vanished completely, and no one saw him afterward."

"Just one week after that incident, the Northern Guards guild was wiped out completely. All its members disappeared without a trace, leaving behind no evidence or explanation for what had happened to them. Even the investigation into their disappearance was abruptly closed and never reopened."

A heavy silence fell inside the carriage.

Malrik listened in silence, feeling a cold chill creep into his chest. Orren’s past was far darker and more complicated than he had imagined.

That massive, silent man... had been carrying all this pain on his shoulders all these years.

Malrik looked at the floating spectral figure before him and asked in a low voice.

"Did Orren wipe out that guild?"

Kaelia shook her head slowly.

"That is nearly impossible, my lord. The leader of the Northern Guards was a veteran Ascendant-rank expert, while Orren was still at the Awakened rank at the time. The difference in rank between them makes it almost impossible for Orren to defeat him."

Kaelia closed the spectral book with a soft snap, then continued.

"Furthermore, wiping out an entire guild and all its members without leaving a single trace would require immense power and vast influence. That is simply impossible for an Awakened commoner like him."

Velrosa’s eyes narrowed. "So... you are implying that my father might be behind their disappearance?"

"That is the most likely possibility, my lady," Kaelia answered.

"A mercenary like Orren joining the Duke’s ranks and receiving clearly preferential treatment compared to the other commanders... all of this suggests that his relationship with the Duke is far more complex than it appears."

Malrik looked at the floating spirit. "Aren’t you a Seer? Can’t you verify this?"

"Unfortunately, my lord, I cannot," Kaelia replied calmly.

"Prying into the affairs of a house like House Vesperion is not something I can do, especially with Lady Helena, their Master of Whispers, protecting them. I believe that if I even tried... I might end up dead."

Hearing Kaelia’s words, Malrik fell silent. He finally realized that the world of Seers wasn’t as simple as he had thought.

I think I should look for a Seer of my own too... or a soul

It would be great if I could get one from my next summon from the souls world.

Malrik looked at the small spectral entity. "Well, Kaelia, you’ve been a great help. Thank you."

Kaelia smiled confidently as she adjusted her glasses. "It is my pleasure, Banner Bearer. Assisting my lady’s brother is part of my duty."

Then she turned toward Velrosa, her expression becoming professional. "Do you need anything else, my lady?"

Velrosa gave her a brief glance and said firmly, "No, that’s all. You may leave now. But remember... if I find you sleeping on the job again, I’ll actually fire you."

Instead of replying, Kaelia clicked her tongue in mild annoyance at her mistress’s threat. Her body then lit up with a faint green flash before she faded away and vanished from the carriage.

"Your assistant really is impressive." Malrik said with a hint of admiration after Kaelia vanished.

Velrosa nodded with confidence.

"Indeed, she is incredibly useful. Her power is impressive, especially when facing Seers of her own rank. In that kind of battle, Kaelia is not someone who is easily defeated."

"In addition to that, she manages the affairs of more than five territories on my behalf, oversees the information department, and handles many complex matters that I wouldn’t even know where to begin explaining."

Malrik furrowed his brows in curiosity.

"She really is good, but... I don’t think Seers like her are common or easy to come by. Where did you find her?"

Velrosa smiled lightly.

"I was truly fortunate to have her with me since our days at the Academy."

Then she gave him a meaningful look.

"I advise you to do the same, Mal. I managed to recruit some promising talents there during my time at the Academy. Make the most of your time there and build a strong faction of your own."

She paused for a moment, then added in a more serious tone.

"But I also advise you to be very careful around certain individuals you’ll meet there... especially those who will try to pull you to their side."

"Who exactly do you mean?" Malrik asked, curiosity growing in his voice.

Before Velrosa could answer, the carriage shuddered slightly before coming to a complete halt.

"We have arrived, my lady," came the carriage driver’s voice from outside.