The candle flame flickered. A little girl under ten stood with her head lowered, facing the wall. It was clear that her body was trembling. Even as a Holy Spirit, she was filled with despair and helplessness.
Beside the dining table, the old duke poured some scarlet liquid into a delicate oak cup. It wasn't blood. The old duke had grown tired of blood's rusty taste. This scarlet liquid was called 'Crimson Benediction,' a wine brewed from vitality and created by an utterly insane widow.
That wine had caused quite a stir in Alans City back then. It was only after the old duke took over the matter that things finally settled down.
"Mercedes, do you know what punishment awaits you for eavesdropping on my conversation with a guest?"
The old duke slightly raised the wine jug, asking whether Su Xiao wanted a cup. Su Xiao politely declined, saying that he didn't drink. In truth, he simply wasn't accustomed to drinking 'high-concentration compressed explosives.'
"Grand... Grandfather, I'm Tasia. Mercedes is my..."
Little Tasia faltered. She didn't know what to call her grandmother's grandmother. As for calling the old duke Grandfather, that was because, in her personal understanding, all male elders five or more generations removed were classified as grandfathers.
"Tasia?"
The old duke pondered seriously for several seconds, but in the end, he still couldn't remember which generation of his descendants Tasia belonged to.
"It's already so late. Go back to bed."
The old duke smiled kindly. Even after Tasia left the banquet hall, he said nothing more.
"Alf, where is the Soul Crystal you mentioned? Without even the most basic clue, finding it is impossible."
The Soul Crystal Su Xiao mentioned was what the old duke called the Soul-Severing Shadow Stone. As for helping the old duke find the