Free Web NovelChapter 453: Chapter 453: Adina 6
By now, she had a basic understanding of this Western Fantasy World. As for literacy, thanks to her point-and-read device, Tan You had gradually learned most of the words, so reading was no longer a major problem.
But Tan You wasn’t at ease. Since the body’s original owner had a talent for magic—even if it was the universally loathed Undead System—she had to cultivate it. To be unable to practice her magic would make her a lamb to the slaughter, and how could Tan You ever accept that?
Besides, in a Western Fantasy World as perilous as this, she would be helpless without power.
Tan You believed that a talent in itself wasn’t wrong; using that talent for evil, however, was. Take the Divine Hall of Light, for example. It did everything in its power to ostracize the Dark Divine Hall and suppress anyone with Dark Element talents. Was that right? To Tan You, it was clearly wrong.
But the Divine Hall of Light was the sole dominant power on the continent, so any information regarding Undead System or Dark Element Mages was all but unknown. Despite Tan You’s diligent searching in the library, she had only found scattered fragments about Undead Mages.
This was why Tan You was now so worried. ’Without resources, training notes, or a guide, am I supposed to just hide for the rest of my life? Never go for the talent assessment?’
Clearly, that was impossible. A young lady from a noble family who didn’t attend the talent assessment would inevitably become the subject of gossip. If only to silence the rumors, the image-conscious Dumont and Catherine would certainly make her go.
But the moment she stepped into a church, the countdown on her life would begin. In a world dominated by the Divine Hall of Light, those with Dark Element talents were universally despised. And with Lilith possessing an affinity for Light, the Edmonds family would have even more reason to side with the Divine Hall and would never keep Adina.
At this thought, Tan You tapped her fingers on the table. ’Going to the talent assessment is out of the question. I have to gather as much information on Undead Mages as I can before Adina’s birthday, and I have to leave the Edmonds family before then.’
It was better to leave on her own terms now than to be exiled later. At least that way, she would have more control over her own fate. Mulling this over didn’t stop her from having to deal with Lilith, however.
Lilith sat in Adina’s room for a while, but when she saw her sister just pick up a book again, she found it boring. She pouted. "Adina, Mother will be back soon. I’m going to go talk with her. Are you coming?"
Without looking up, Tan You replied, "I’m not going. You’re Mother’s favorite. She’ll only be unhappy if I show up."
It was true that Lady Catherine favored Lilith the most. Lilith’s personality was much like her own—sweet-talking, always smiling, and skilled at being endearing, which had earned Catherine a great deal of favor with her husband.
Her younger daughter, Adina, however, was not like that at all. She was always quiet and didn’t know how to be cute or curry favor. With Lilith as a constant comparison, it was only natural that Catherine disliked Adina.
Lilith wanted to put on a display of sisterly affection, but she simply wasn’t calculating enough to pull it off. When she heard Tan You say that Catherine liked her more, her eyes crinkled into another smile.
Tan You glanced up at her. ’Forget it. Why should I lower myself to a little girl’s level? It’s not worth it.’
’I’m planning on leaving the Edmonds family anyway. Right now, the most important thing is to keep a low profile and bide my time, not pick fights. Confrontation would only make Adina’s already difficult situation worse and accomplish nothing else.’
After Lilith left, Tan You went back to her book. She only put down her point-and-read device after she finished a Monster Atlas. She was more used to calling it that, and it was indeed a magical item. Whenever a book was placed on it, the device would take on the appearance of that exact book.
This was why Lilith, who only ever saw her sister holding a book, never suspected that it was actually an alchemical device.
Listening to Laura’s breathing outside the door, Tan You fell into deep thought. It had been almost a month since her arrival, and the information she’d managed to find on Undead Mages was pitifully scarce.
Laura was just a maid, after all; she knew a great deal about the happenings of the Edmonds family, but as for things like Mage training or talent assessments, she was clueless.
Thinking of this, Tan You furrowed her brow. ’There’s something very strange about all this.’ A talent couldn’t just appear out of thin air. ’If Adina has a talent for the Undead System, it must mean that there was an Undead Mage in her ancestry.’
’But when I studied the history of the Edmonds family, I didn’t find anything of the sort...’
’No, that’s not right.’ Tan You suddenly sat bolt upright. ’The family history I read was mostly about the period after the Edmonds family moved to the Imperial City. What about before that? Where’s the family history from before then?’
From what she had gathered, the Edmonds family was an old noble house with a deep heritage. Why would their recorded history only span seven or eight hundred years? At this thought, Tan You could no longer sit still. She picked up the small lamp from her desk, gently pushed open the door so as not to disturb Laura, and headed straight for the library.
Guided by the Beauty System, Tan You carefully avoided the patrolling guards and slipped stealthily into the library. She completely ignored the lengthy legal texts of the Divine Hall of Light; right now, her only goal was to find the earlier history of the Edmonds family.
On the way there, she kept thinking. ’If there were never any Undead System Mages in our ancestry, why would the family go to the trouble of concealing its history from over a thousand years ago? If I’m calculating correctly, that was around the same time the balance between the Divine Hall of Light and the Dark Divine Hall was shattered.’
’And the Edmonds family is in the Imperial City, so close to the Divine Hall of Light... ’
’So, if the family wanted to hide its past, it stands to reason they would bury that part of their history, hoping no one would ever find out...’
With that thought, Tan You raised her small lamp and began searching specifically in the forgotten nooks and crannies. The Beauty System wasn’t idle either, helping her scan for the lost history of the Edmonds family.
Her hard work paid off. After searching for over two hours, Tan You finally found a metal box in the deepest corner of the library.
The box was no bigger than her point-and-read device. Tan You gently brushed at the verdigris on its surface, and a sharp edge of it cut her finger. She then saw a gray light flash across the box, followed by a soft CLICK as it opened.
The Beauty System sounded nervous. "Host, you’re bleeding."
Tan You paid no mind to the bead of blood on her finger. ’Did I just imagine that flash of light?’ she wondered.
Pushing that doubt aside, Tan You looked inside the box. It contained a roll of parchment, and beneath it, a small notebook. She picked up the parchment scroll first, and after reading only the first few lines, her breath caught in her throat.
"I am Sean Edmunds, an Undead Mage. I have spent my entire life seeking the path to becoming a Magic God, traveling to nearly every corner of the continent... What follows are my training notes..."
