Chapter 139
"Let's put that aside for now, Fran. I have a question for you."
"Okay! Please go ahead!"
The Pink-Haired Girl nodded, looking incredibly excited.
What happened to your injury?
Favia placed her hand on her chin and asked.
Actually, as for the Grandpa Fran mentioned, well, Favia didn't really care about that title, since she had a 'cheap daughter' working at the Coffee Shop in Kouhaku. As for Fran's father, based on the questions she had asked earlier, it wasn't hard to guess that it was James Moriarty and Charles Babbage.
"... I'm not hurt, Grandpa."
"Then why was a section of your hair cut off in front of your forehead? Tell me about it."
Frankenstein remained silent for a long time.
It felt like a state of mental confusion, and for some reason, it also felt like fear or unease.
"... Ah, I remember Magecraft are forbidden from asking about these things. Let's leave everything to the stars, the blade, and Fate!"
Fran didn't answer, he just smiled.
She probably felt that Cagliostro, whom she had encountered, was stronger than Moriarty and Babbage, and that Favia was just an ordinary person in her eyes, so she figured that speaking to her would only increase their worries without being able to solve the problem.
"Really not going to tell me? Don't let my current appearance fool you, I actually think I'm pretty strong."
Far from blaming Fran for such a perfunctory response, Favia spoke with great interest.
"If you were strong, Grandpa, you wouldn't be locked up here, right?"
Frankenstein chuckled to himself.
"That makes sense, but there are always different times; special circumstances require special treatment." Favia replied calmly, "Although I have no relation to Moriarty, we're just acquaintances—in other words, he's not your Grandpa. You don't need to address me like that."
He thought for a moment, then sighed softly:
Consider it repayment for shamelessly agreeing to answer your calls.
"Yeah?"
The girl tilted her head.
"So, all we can do is call him 'old man' then? 'Old man,' um, 'old thing, 'Fran called him that too, so we're even."
At that moment, Favia, with an expression that was neither fawning nor otherwise blank, asked with a stern face:
"What I mean is, if a child gets hurt, the adults always have to step in."
Fran was startled, sensing that the old man opposite him was genuinely angry.
It would be bad to get really angry, but you can't say it out loud, because it will cause trouble.
Having come up with this idea, the Homunculus decided to simply remain silent.
She suppressed the timidity that would show on her face when she relaxed, and secretly made up her mind.
"Um! Please forgive Fran! I shouldn't have called you 'old thing,' 'old man,' 'Grandpa!'"
The sound that was produced was louder than she had imagined.
She was startled by her own loud voice, causing her hard-won determination to falter and retreat weakly. She could only awkwardly twitch her fingers together.
"On the way here, Fran encountered a man named Alessandro Cagliostro. Fran almost got killed by him, but he left after saying something about Gevaudan having the aura of King of the Storm, and also mentioned wanting the Church to dismantle Fran into pieces and throw them into the Mediterranean Sea... I'm really sorry, Fran was just too weak..."
"Is that so, Alessandro Cagliostro, Braga, Taratallon?"
These were the kinds of people Edmond was supposed to deal with after he became the Count of Monte Cristo.
Alessandro Cagliostro, commonly known as Earl of Card, was a legendary eccentric figure who roamed the Europe countries of the 18th century. He was a great Magecraft was secretly active in France social circles on the eve of the French Revolution, and he was also a remarkable figure who provided free medical care in the poor, thus earning the praise of the people.
Even though he was arrested as the mastermind behind the 'Diamond Necklace Affair,' which even implicated Marie Antoinette, the Queen of Cakes, he was eventually released and received a grand celebration from the citizens. Although he was released from the Bastille, he was still exiled and became hostile to the nobility and the Church. Finally, he was arrested in Rome...
His influence led to the addition of a new discipline, 'Department of Modern Magecraft,' to the Clock Tower. 'Department of Modern Magecraft' was only recognized as the new Twelve Departments in the early twentieth century, filling the vacancy that had been left vacant since the separation of the Department of Law and Politics.
If Favia is correct, the King of the Storm of the Gevaudan he refers to is Theodoric Alter, who possesses Od at the level of Machine God, and the Second Beast of Gevaudan. The reason he says the second is simply because the original story of the Gevaudan beast took place between 1764 and 1767.
Edmond resolved the incident in 1838, the year after defeating Roa in 1837. Moreover, the influence of the King of the Storm, also known as the King of the Storm King of the Wild Hunt, was not completely eliminated. In 1889, the hound in Sherlock Holmes's "The Hound of the Baskervilles" was not only related to the "black dog" of England legend, but also connected to the "Storm King," most likely due to the involvement of Earl of Card.
Furthermore, Alessandro Cagliostro, due to his unique characteristics, is highly likely to have survived to the modern era, as he had a conversation with Tsar Anastasia and may have even met Helena, since Helena, in her youth, had seen Vygotsky, who had made a pact with the princess.
As for Angelo Braga of the Eighth Sacrament Society, he was one of the Three Sages who framed Priest Faria, and died from Edmond's firearms while seeking revenge for the Priest.
The radio drama "Heroic Spirit Inheritance: Edmond" tells the story of the Earl avenging the Priest, and Taratallon is the reincarnation of Roa.
Originally, after Edmond killed Braga, Taratallon seemed to have noticed the elusive Count of Monte Cristo, so he preemptively struck, first causing one of the intelligence agents in the Count's Intelligence Organization to bleed to death, and then killing the child of Captain Morrel, who had been kind to Edmond, in order to force Edmond to meet with him and engage in a great battle.
Wait a minute. Although Earl of Card has never met Moriarty, now that Moriarty is building an organization, could Edmund be using Moriarty's Information Network after Edmond leaves? From another perspective, could that intelligence agent be Frankenstein?
While logically it shouldn't be Frankenstein —after all, according to the original storyline, Fran should be in Antarctica by now, chasing after Victor who created her...—since things have been altered, and she's now being taken in by Moriarty, and considering Earl of Card's previous words, then it's a possibility.
As Favia remained silent in thought, in the gradually quieting Dungeon, Frankenstein suddenly asked him a question.
"Um, are you really not angry?"
In the same cold Dungeon as always, Favia heard Fran's voice before her and asked, puzzled, "Angry? Why should I be angry?"
"Aren't you angry at all when people call you an old man or an old thing?" Fran asked in surprise. "If it were me, and someone said those things about Moriarty and Babbage, I'd probably twist their head off their neck..."
"That's too cruel!" Favia imagined the horrific scene and shook her head. "It's not that bad, not that bad."
"Besides, I didn't say anything wrong."
After thinking for a moment, he couldn't help but sigh, "I really am old now, so it's probably normal to be told that."
"That's true..."
Fran nodded in agreement; she hadn't seen anyone older than the person in front of her in this Château d'If.
"By the way, can I get you out of here?"
"Oh? I'm not Fran's Grandpa, so you have no obligation to do so."
"No, no matter what, you are Fran's Grandpa." The Homunculus girl shook her head violently. "It was you who got Moriarty to save Fran in Geneva that year. If it weren't for you, Fran would be dead."
"... How did you know that?"
"Moriarty wrote letters; he wrote so many letters, they feel more like a diary."
In fact, this was the biggest reason why Frankenstein wanted to see Faria.
While it was indeed Moriarty and Babbage who saved him, he wouldn't have been saved by them without Faria. That's why the Homunculus called Faria"Grandpa" so sincerely.
"Alright, don't worry, Grandpa. The people outside aren't a big problem for me. Let's go; this place isn't a good place."
To be honest, if Favia hadn't met Edmond and hadn't known that she would fall ill as soon as she went out, she might have agreed.
But now, not only will he fall ill if he goes out, but Edmond is also involved. No matter what, as his Teacher, he hasn't done what he should have done, and as his student, Edmund hasn't 'graduated' yet, so he can't just leave so easily.
Having already stayed for Number Eighteen years, I'm no longer concerned about any more hardships.
Therefore--
"I'm sorry, Fran, I can't leave right now. I have things I need to do."
Favia laughed it off, as if to say that the matter was not worth mentioning.
"But, but, but--"
As the Homunculus girl was confused, Favia reached out and touched her head, like a loving elder stroking a young child.
"Are you really not going out...?"
"Yes, it's decided."
"All right..."
"By the way, Fran, if Moriarty suddenly decides to go out alone sometime in the future, please make sure to secretly follow him, otherwise something unexpected might happen."
"Moriarty wouldn't do that. His personality is like a sneaky Spider; he wouldn't wander off without warning."
"Maybe, maybe I'll just suddenly get the urge. I've been holding it in for so long, it'll happen eventually. Anyway, I'm counting on you."
Favia gazed silently at the fading sunlight outside the Dungeon.
"Okay, Fran, I'll remember... Please take good care of yourself, Grandpa."
Fran nodded, then continued to stare at Favia until Favia shook her head with a smile. Only then did she sigh somewhat unhappily and step onto the stairs leading out of the Dungeon.
Favia knew that Edmond next door probably had a lot of questions, but he would answer them all tonight.
And that extremely important entrustment— the Monte Cristo Treasure.
223: Burn brightly in an era where darkness reigns supreme, Edmond (5k)
A short while later, Edmond was deep in thought with his eyes closed, heard the iron gate creak open; it was time for the jailers to bring dinner that day.
The gray-haired man did not open his eyes immediately, but instead continued to lie on the bed, lost in thought.
Just as Favia thought, Edmond was indeed puzzled by what he had said.
Why would the Priest give up this opportunity? What did he mean by "had to do it"? Was it because of me? Or was there another reason? If they couldn't get out, why did they have to dig a tunnel together?
To Edmond, the Priest he revered suddenly seemed somewhat unfamiliar, as if he had some ulterior motive.
But even with such suspicion, Edmond was inexplicably not afraid.
Priest Faria is a good man; he must have some unspeakable trouble.
The young man completely agreed with this idea.
"Return with the Priest on time."
As the Great Gate opened and dinner was brought in, Edmond, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly heard a strange voice.
When he opened his eyes, he discovered that it was the warden himself who had come, but before he could say anything, the warden left on his own.
"What exactly is this...?"
Just as Edmond was muttering to himself in confusion, he saw Favia standing at the entrance to his Dungeon.
"Come out for a walk. I know you have a lot of questions, and I'll answer them for you."
The Dungeon Great Gate was simply left open.
"I should be fine..."
"Really? That's good."
Favia smiled.
Incredibly, the moment Edmond saw his face, the chaotic thoughts that had been swirling in his mind and heart vanished like a thick fog dissipating.
After a brief silence, Edmond lowered his head, stepped inside, and followed behind Favia.
In that seemingly eternally dark staircase, he was momentarily disoriented—
He was just released from the Dungeon had imprisoned him for decades so easily? The warden agreed so readily? What on earth is going on, Priest...?
"That..."
The words he wanted to say were on the tip of his tongue, but he just couldn't get them out. Edmond's mouth opened and closed.
As a result, he said something completely unrelated.
"Are you and the Priest going to dig a tunnel together again today?"
Regardless of how many doubts Edmond had in his heart at this moment, at least for the moment, he was glad that he had finally come out.
I'm finally out of this Hell place. Thank goodness.
However, just as the two were about to emerge from the Dungeon stairs and catch a glimpse of the moonlight hanging high in the night sky, Edmond saw Priest Faria turn around and sigh at him:
"It's really shameful to expose your own helplessness to your students."
"Priest, what do you mean by this...?"
At that moment, Edmond noticed the dark shadow beside Faria move slightly.
At that moment, he seemed to see those jewel-like blue eyes in the shadow, looking at him with displeasure and anger.
Then, the moment Faria walked straight out of the Dungeon, Edmond, still in the dark Dungeon, saw his revered old man, under the bright moonlight of the night, instantly turn pale, his forehead beaded with cold sweat, dark circles appear around his eyes, his lips turn white, and his hair stand on end.