NOVPUBIn the dead of night, only the faint whisper of the breeze caressing the old window frames could be heard in the upstairs bedroom of Lichtenstein Castle.
Moonlight seeped into the room, casting a cold silver glow on the ancient carpet and furniture.
The atmosphere was tense, with an air of mystery permeating every corner of the room.
"Princess Alexia, please remain calm. We can discuss this slowly," Lanci offered in his usual calm demeanor.
Although Hyperion remained silent the whole while, she was now visibly taken aback, her wide eyes turned towards Lanci.
She had merely hoped that Lanci would ask about the Cerryti Empire relations with Duke Migaya, and she could eavesdrop on their conversation.
Unbelievably, Lanci had revealed such a significant secret!
Upon hearing Lanci’s prediction about the downfall of the Cerryti Empire before the princess, Hyperion was on the verge of intervening.
What shocked Hyperion further was,
Judging by Princess Alexia’s reaction,
His prediction was accurate???
Where… did he learn of such things! And just how much does he know about the secrets of the Cerryti Empire!
Her emotions were in turmoil.
She was simultaneously overjoyed by Lanci’s seemingly implausible reliability, bewildered by his inexplicable omniscience, and felt an air of unreality.
At a moment when Lanci was the only one who maintained his composure in the room, Princess Alexia finally sat down on the chair again, lost in a daze.
Despite not knowing what secrets Lanci was harboring, she was no longer able to ignore his words.
"Who is currently controlling the Cerryti Empire—the Third Ancestor, Duke Rashar, the Seventh Ancestor, Marquis Heratier, or the Eighth Ancestor, Marquis Somerset?" Lanci asked when he noticed Princess Alexia regaining her focus.
His philosophy was to be honest and open.
Many finer details could be discussed in the days ahead.
For now, learning the information he is most concerned about at the fastest speed would suffice.
"?"
However, Princess Alexia showed a baffled expression, clearly unfamiliar with the names Lanci mentioned.
"Hold on."
Lanci realized that to the Blood Clan, true names are of great importance, and they naturally wouldn’t reveal their true names within the empire.
Those who could repeat the true names of the Thirteen Progenitors like grocery list items, like himself, would be sought after if the Progenitors were to discover this, most likely leading them to fight for their lives.
After briefly explaining the situation to Hyperion, Lanci left the bedroom alone. He treaded the familiar route to the castle’s second-floor library. The dim brick corridor extended beneath his feet, and he quickly reached the library, filled with paper and pens.
In a drawer in the corner of the library, he found paper and a pencil. He then sat at the largest writing desk in the center of the room.
The light was soft and dim. The old book’s fragrance filled the air, accompanied by a sense of historical sediment. In this place, seemingly forgotten with the passage of time, he was the only one sitting quietly.
Lanci began to sketch portraits of the three Blood Clan individuals.
His fingers gently moved across the page, the friction of the pencil and paper echoed in the vast library.
From his memory, the highest combat powers of the awakened Blood Clan should be limited to these three before the official story.
The next Ancestor in line was, Marquis Bernhard, the Ninth Progenitor.
If the story "progresses smoothly", The Blood Clan would find and unseal the seals of the First True Ancestor and the Second Blood Clan Prince, potentially bringing about another ’Blood Moon Bad World’ occurrence. 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝙗.𝒄𝒐𝒎
Lanci didn’t make any deliberate attempts to depict them, he simply let the pen flow as his memory guided him. The rough lines slowly took shape on the paper. Despite the casual drawing style, his strokes were concise and swift, like magic, breathing life into the characters on the paper.
About ten minutes later, he finally completed the three sketches.
Standing up immediately, Lanci took the three pieces of paper and returned to room 201 via the time-weathered corridor.
Upon entering the room, he quickly returned to the long table.
"These three individuals are the original members of the Blood Clan, primarily responsible for the erosion of the Cerryti Empire," Lanci said as he laid the drawn portraits in front of Princess Alexia one by one.
They depicted an effeminate young man, a sharp young man, and a cold young woman.
However,
The moment she saw these three sketches, Princess Alexia, who was just starting to settle down, seemed to have fallen into a nightmare. Her face was full of terror.
Hyperion’s gaze was moving back and forth in surprise between Princess Alexia’s face and the drawings.
This was her first time seeing Lanci’s sketches.
Despite the casual simplicity of the three portrayals,
Even Princess Alexia herself didn’t realize that each of these lifelike illustrations was so accurate they seemed miraculous, sparking a deeply ingrained fear within her. She felt as if she were looking at the Blood Clan Ancestors with her own eyes!
"… they, they."
Alexia’s voice was trembling.
She couldn’t understand how anyone could understand the crisis facing their Cerryti Empire in such depth!
The one she was most afraid of was the young man that Lanci called Marquis Somerset, the Eighth Progenitor, who was now the Minister of Defence of the Cerryti Empire.
She had also seen Marquis Heratier, the Seventh Progenitor, at the royal palace.
However, Alexia knew that an Eighth-Order Marquis alone wouldn’t be enough to corrupt an empire.
There must be a terrifying Blood Clan member lurking deeper within, holding greater power.
Yet she couldn’t find any trace of him.
Not until everything matched up with what Lanci had discussed and drawn did she finally find out the answer.
The real mastermind, the Third Progenitor, Duke Rashar—appeared to her as just another freshman at the royal academy in Cerryti; gentle and friendly. There was absolutely no distinction between him and ordinary humans.
Could Lanci really be saying that this guy is a member of the Blood Clan Duke?
An oppressive fear engulfed Alexia. Covering her chest on the brink of collapse, the tears were close to overflowing from her eyes.
She never would have expected the Duke of the Blood Clan was so close, toying with mankind, treating everyone as fools.
Even she, who thought she knew the facts, only saw the surface.
Is there any hope for this empire?
"…"
Lanci raised his hand, and the Great Love Poet understood, dismissing his summon state.
Continuing to let Great Love Poet stay would likely prevent Princess Alexia from thinking and talking normally.
"I’m sorry... I’ve only managed to draw a rough sketch," Lanci said, not quite expecting the sketches to cause such a shock to Princess Alexia.
