Chapter 510
For a brief moment, they exchanged glances, brows furrowed.
"Do you have any physical evidence to prove what you just said?" the guard asked.
His tone was polite, but the crease between his eyebrows remained, making it hard to tell if he disbelieved Diana or was simply irritated at being treated like a child. To Ian, both seemed equally likely.
"I don't have a certificate or anything like that, but there is a very simple way. Go inside and tell my mother. Tell her that her daughter has returned alive," said Diana.
She still sounded like she was giving an order to a subordinate—naturally so. The guard was likely an Erenos as well, which meant she probably outranked him.
The guard stared at her for a moment before he replied, "To answer your suggestion, that is impossible."
"What?" Diana's eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me my mother has passed away."
"That is not the case, but—"
"Then what is it? Speak clearly."
The guard, who had reflexively opened his mouth to reply, hesitated before clicking his tongue."Until you can prove your identity, I cannot disclose any more internal affairs," he said.
Diana's nose twitched. After glaring at the guard as if to pierce him, she finally let out a sigh, her expression softening as she added, "Then, deliver the news to the head of the house."
"By the head of the house, you mean…"
Diana's eyes, which had just managed to regain their composure, sharpened again. "Why ask something so obvious? Do you want me to say the name? Savina Erenos. Tell my grandmother, the head of the house and an elder, what I said."
This time, Ian's eyebrows twitched. He glanced up at Diana without realizing it, then suppressed a snort of disbelief.
Don't tell me she really is the successor to an elder.
The thought that she might have truly been one followed immediately after. Come to think of it, she was exceptionally talented, even among fairies. She also knew more than she let on, and even without the mask, she had something extraordinary about her.
Even today, she has shown that. He just hadn't paid attention.
After a brief silence, the guard said, "Forgive me, but that, too, is impossible."
His voice held a sigh. It was enough to make Diana's gaze sink like a stone.
"You better give me a good reason." Her voice turned as cold as her eyes.
"I cannot say more than this."
"Listen, kid. Do you really want to be punished?"
"I am not a kid. And please watch your words. Your identity has not yet been confirmed," the guard retorted coldly, looking up at Diana with sharp, tense eyes.
Ian didn't take his eyes off Diana. He was ready to step in if she snapped. If she wanted to, she could kill this young fairy with her bare hands, like snapping a child's wrist.
Not that she'd kill someone from her clan.
In any case, if he saw a sign, he had to stop it before something was broken or blood was shed.
"You're not entirely wrong."
Thankfully, the murderous intent in Diana's eyes faded. Thoughts similar to Ian's must have crossed her mind as well. She probably didn't want to cause a scene with a fairy who was likely a nephew of some sort.
She took the mask from her head and tossed it to the guard. "This is the Mask of the Sentinel. It's a family heirloom, so if you check the records, you will find who left the family with it."
The guard, who caught it reflexively, looked down at the wooden, beast-shaped mask.
At last, he nodded. "Understood. First, I will report to the head of the house and receive permission. After that, I will check the records, so…"
Looking up at Diana again, he added, "Please visit again tomorrow. If you go out to the main street, there will be an inn."
"Ha." Diana blinked once and let out a dry laugh.
To Ian's eyes, it looked like a sign that her patience had completely snapped. As she laughed, she ran a hand through her hair, sweeping it back. The next moment, as if she had never laughed, she looked down at the guard with a cold, hard face.
"If you don't want to be laid up for a while, get out of the way now, kid. Or go get your parents. They'll probably know my face."
"I cannot do that. I am warning you. It would be best not to do anything you will regret," the guard answered without averting his gaze, though he couldn't hide the slight tremor in his voice. He has sensed the unusual atmosphere emanating from Diana.
"I was hoping for a surprise visit, just as you wished," Ian said, stepping in just as Diana was about to lunge forward.
She flinched and turned to him as he offered a slight smile. "It seems that ship has sailed. Calm down; you cannot beat him up for doing his duty."
//
This might not have happened if Diana had approached more politely to begin with.
Diana, frowning slightly, moved her lips a few times before finally letting out a sigh. "I was just going to spank him a little."
"I'm sure you were." Ian shrugged and casually clasped his hands behind his back as he turned to the front. The fairy guard was looking at him.
Even though Ian had helped him, the fairy's expression showed no sign of relief. If anything, his eyes suggested he was annoyed by Ian's interference.
Maybe I should have just let her spank him.
"I have one question," said Ian calmly, contrary to his thoughts.
He had been treated like a servant from the start anyway. Besides, he had never expected character or manners from a pointy-ear.
"Is Elder Thesaya Erenos inside?"
"And if she is?" The guard replied tersely, in a tone very different from when addressing Diana.
"Then please deliver a message to her, along with my credentials." Ian brought his left hand forward from his pocket dimension with practiced ease and added, "Tell her that her friend, Ian Hope, has come to visit."
In his outstretched hand was a thick book of papers. It was the certificate of identity once issued by the Archduke Olaf of the North.
"Ian Hope? Ian?" mumbling as he read the certificate, the guard suddenly froze. His gaze finally rose back to Ian's face. "Then... you are that…"
Without avoiding the stammering fairy's gaze, Ian flicked the certificate in his hand. "It seems you know me."
The guard blinked rapidly, then leaned his spear against his clavicle to accept the document, tucking the mask under his arm. His eyes widened as he read, and he began breathing heavily before closing the certificate.
"Please wait just a moment! I-I will return immediately after I have finished confirming this!" The fairy hurriedly turned around.
"The mask," said Diana, stopping him.
As the fairy, who was about to open the gate, paused, Diana added, "Leave my mask here."
"Yes." The guard turned back again, quickly walked over, and held out the mask to Diana. Even while doing so, he was stealthily glancing at Ian, not her.
Diana took the mask and whispered, "You better be the one who comes back. Don't send someone else."
The guard swallowed dryly and turned away. As the gate that had opened closed, the sound of footsteps and any presence beyond it vanished as if washed away.
"These young ones…" Diana muttered under her breath as she placed the mask back on her head, then awkwardly smacked her lips. She was stealthily watching Ian.
Of course, Ian wasn't even looking at her. His gaze scanned the closed gate. He had felt it when he'd grabbed the doorknob, but it was clear that a barrier-like magic enveloped this mansion.
Soon, Diana cleared her throat softly and said, "I didn't want to make you step in. It ended up that way, though."
"I figured it might come to this. You are someone from decades ago, after all. Though I didn't expect you to claim to be the granddaughter of the head of the house." Ian finally chuckled softly and looked at her.
"I wasn't hiding it. Just didn't say anything because it would've been a hassle. It's not that grand of a family anyway," Diana mumbled, then cleared her throat again and changed the subject. "Anyway, I don't get what's going on. She's not dead, but they can't bring her?"
"Maybe they left the family."
"I had that thought, too. But it's still hard to understand. My mother, maybe, but my grandmother wouldn't leave the city unless it was something major."
The strange tension in her voice wasn't solely due to her concern for them. She was likely anxious that her plans for a quiet retirement were about to be disrupted.
"Well, we'll find out soon enough. Don't worry. There aren't many things that would splash back onto you, who's been away from the family," Ian added calmly.
Diana, nodding as if in agreement, swung herself down from the saddle. Just as she was about to take the reins from Ian, the closed gate opened slightly again. From beyond it, another male fairy, dressed in a black, Imperial-style formal uniform, appeared.
"By Lu Solar…" The fairy's exclamation was directed not at Ian, but at Diana. Astonishment spread across his sculpted face like paint.
"Finally, someone who recognizes me." Diana smiled and tilted her chin. "It's been a while, Daniel."
"It really is you, sister." The fairy called Daniel smiled at last, spreading his arms as if to embrace her.
"Let's save the reunion for later," Diana said, holding up her left hand slightly as if to decline.
She glanced at the fairy guard who was timidly emerging behind him and added, "Not only myself, but the Agent of the Saint has also traveled a very long way."
The guard behind Daniel had no trace of earlier arrogance. He simply bowed his head solemnly.
He was definitely in for a scolding.
"Glory to the brilliant light…" The fairy, Daniel, turned to him and bowed on one knee in the Imperial fashion.
Ian nodded his head. "A pleasure. Let's consider the greetings exchanged."
"Yes. It is an honor to meet you, Agent of the Saint."
"My credentials, were they delivered?"
"Yes. The head of the house ordered me to bring our honored guest in at once," Daniel answered promptly and gestured with one arm toward the gate. "I will show you inside. Please follow me."
I suppose I'll see the head of the Erenos family first.
Thinking, Ian readily followed him. Even if he had business with Thesaya, it was proper etiquette to meet the head of the house first.
It was right after this that the anxious guard approached Diana's side. "I will take care of the pony."
Diana smiled and readily handed over the reins, following behind Ian.
"See you later, kid," she whispered, leaving the guard to sigh as she followed Ian.
As Ian stepped through the gate, he felt the faint ripple of magic, confirming his suspicion of a barrier.
As I thought, there was a barrier.
Beyond the gate was a long, straight hallway. The walls and ceiling were all a grayish-white, and ivy vines stretched out from small, square window slits running along the upper part of the walls.
It was somewhat dim, but the air was refreshingly clear.
"You've arrived at a good time," Daniel said, leading the way at a slow pace. He said in a low whisper, yet it carried well.
"Had you been just a few minutes later, you might have had to wait outside for nearly an hour."
"Was the head of the house preparing for the communion ritual?" Diana asked in a lowered voice.
Daniel nodded. "Yes. You still remember. She began right after giving me the order. The time will be shortened, but I am afraid you will both have to wait for a while."
"That is no trouble. It's fine." Ian nodded.
Beside him, Diana's eyes were narrowing slightly. "So, are we heading to the central garden now?"
"That is correct, sister," Daniel answered, turning only his head slightly to look back at her. Diana let out a sigh.
Receiving Ian's gaze, she added in a whisper. "It's a garden in the middle of a forest. Outsiders are rarely invited there. But well, you're no ordinary guest…"
"That is correct," Daniel added, stealthily glancing at Ian.
One of Ian's eyebrows twitched slightly. There was a faint tension, maybe even fear, in the fairy's gaze.
"Is Mother away on a trip?" Diana asked.
Daniel's shoulders tensed slightly. "Well… the Madam is… umm… in the capital."
A troubled-sounding groan was mixed in with his reply. He didn't even turn around.
Diana's head tilted slightly. "What for, in the capital?"
"That is…" Daniel let out a low sigh and finally turned to Diana. "Madam has remarried, sister. That is why she is living in the capital."
"What?" Diana's eyes widened blankly.
Ian, too, twitched an eyebrow. He had not expected this kind of story to pop up at all.
"When? With whom?"
To Diana's ensuing questions, Daniel sighed and replied, "I do not think this is a conversation to be had in front of the Agent of the Saint. Let us speak of it separately later."
"Right." Though she nodded, Diana squeezed her eyes shut. Her face looked as shocked as when the Black Wall had fallen.
I'm hearing all sorts of things.
Ian, too, silently smacked his lips. He was just relieved that Daniel had cut the conversation short.
Daniel continued, "Actually, what you need to know right now is not the Madam's situation."
Diana, who had been slowly wiping her face with her palm, asked, "Then what do I need to know?"
"The current head of the house is no longer the Godmother."
"What?"
As Diana froze, Daniel slowly turned around. His eyes met Ian's, and Ian curled up one corner of his mouth.
"So my friend has become the head of Erenos."