An Orphan Like Me Has an Uncle?

Alice looked at Sart in confusion and could not help asking, "Master Sart, what is this...?"

Standing beside Sart, she had naturally seen clearly that he had raised his hand just now and activated a spell—Basic Deflection Ward.

Since he was a Gold Coin Path seer and could not use the spells of Scepter Affinity transcendents, that meant it was clearly a magical inscription engraved upon some piece of magic equipment.

Such equipment had always been precious. Especially for seers, every instant-cast defensive spell could very well mean an extra life.

Before advancing to Silver Rank, nearly all Gold Coin Path transcendents had almost no means of self-defense and could easily die to a tiny crossbow bolt.

And now, Sart had actually been willing to activate a spell for a Heretical Cultist?

Master Sart intended to protect this person?

"Miss Alice, I am sorry, but you cannot kill this man," Sart said to Alice regretfully.

"Why?"

"Because... he is the person I have been searching for."

Alice gave a light laugh. "You should know that in the Yagrant Kingdom, Heretical Cultists must all die."

She deliberately emphasized "Yagrant Kingdom."

"But he has merely been tainted by the aura of Heretical Cultists. He is not yet a true Heretical Cultist."

"The Rat-Faced Cult is best at concealing its identity."

Sart glanced at Ed, then looked at Alice kindly. "Miss Alice, I can understand the pain of losing a loved one. But I do not sense any bloody aura on him, which means he was not the one who killed Tien."

Alice raised her brows and wanted to continue, but Sart forcibly cut her off.

This seer was not actually as easygoing as he appeared. "On the other hand, as a member of House of Iris, I believe you understand the value of a seer's goodwill—especially when... your family has already lost its only seer."

Ed could not help snorting and muttered in a muffled voice, "House of Iris never compromises!"

Sart looked at Ed and said with a smile, "I am merely stating a fact."

He casually displayed the crystal ball in his hand, which had already returned to normal, before continuing, "Oh, perhaps you do not know who my teacher is. He is Julian the White Robe of the Star Tower. You should have heard of him."

Alice and Ed's pupils contracted sharply. They knew the seer before them had an extraordinary background, but they had never imagined that he was actually the student of the Star Tower's master!

Yes, the Star Tower could also be understood as the holy land of seers.

Only seers who had emerged from the Star Tower or been acknowledged by it could be considered true seers.

In a sense, the Star Tower was equivalent to an officially certified red seal.

As for those without certification, people generally called them "diviners."

Even if Julian, master of the Star Tower, had countless students, that identity alone was not something House of Iris dared provoke.

The simplest and most direct example was that even if Tien, the diviner who had nearly entered his twilight years, were still alive, he would have had to respectfully call Sart "teacher."

Tien had gone to the Star Tower twice, but in the end, he had never gained its recognition.

Alice immediately found the situation far more troublesome. Tien had already died in Leyden City due to an assassination by a Heretical Cult. If Sart were to die here as well...

Then the implications would be entirely different from Tien's death.

Aaron listened from the side with great interest and could not help silently complaining, So the tower master's student gets to do whatever he wants?

"May I know the reason?" Alice glanced sideways at Aaron and said to Sart, "You should understand how great a threat a potential Rat-Faced Cult believer could pose."

Instead of answering, Sart looked at Aaron and asked solemnly, "Can you tell me your full name?"

"Albert Aaron," Aaron answered honestly.

The instant he finished speaking, Alice's voice rose several octaves. She turned toward Aaron with an incredulous expression. "Albert?! You are a member of the Albert Family?"

It was Aaron's first time seeing this cold noblewoman so flustered. At her words, he even began to feel vaguely uneasy.

It felt like carrying a cheat sheet during an exam but never daring to use it, feeling guilty every time the teacher walked past.

Aaron swallowed and carefully searched his memories before saying hesitantly, "I think my surname is Albert...?"

The two longswords close at hand made his answer particularly lacking in confidence, but the sense of danger that followed instead kept feeding his curiosity.

"You really are an Albert!" Sart laughed heartily and strode forward. He casually pushed Ed aside and stood before Aaron.

Looking at Aaron, he said in a deeply nostalgic tone, "You may no longer recognize me. I am Isaac Sart. I am your uncle."

Aaron was utterly bewildered. Even though his childhood memories had become vague, he had never met this bargain-bin uncle before.

It was like returning home for the New Year and encountering someone he did not recognize at all, yet who claimed to be a relative.

He could only mutter to himself about whether he even had such a relative while reluctantly accepting the relationship.

If his family really knew someone like Sart, then his bargain-bin father would not have kept it from him.

Wait, why was this bargain-bin uncle blinking so frantically?

Huh?

This was...

In that flash of insight, Aaron connected Sart's earlier protection with that shout and finally understood. With sudden realization, he cried out, "So you are Uncle Sart! I had almost forgotten."

"Yes, yes, it is me, it is me! You finally recognized me!" Sart said with a face full of relief.

Watching the "reunited" uncle and nephew, Alice's mouth twitched.

As a true noble, she had naturally received lessons in both acting and etiquette.

With their terribly stiff acting and exaggerated tones, she felt they might as well have written the words "I am acting for you" across their faces.

Ed silently walked over to Miss Alice's side and likewise watched the awkward improvised performance of the two men opposite them.

"I never imagined that someone as outstanding as your father would so quickly..." Sart sighed at just the right moment.

"Ah, may his soul rest in peace," Aaron echoed with a sigh.

The two of them thus began sighing deeply one after the other.

Alice remained expressionless, though the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

As far as she knew, Old Albert had been a complete scoundrel, and it was precisely he who had personally destroyed the Albert Family's last hope of rising again.

An outstanding man?

What noble would flee in panic while clearing out a temporary Ghoul Cult stronghold?

At the time, there had been a Silver Rank Scepter Affinity powerhouse holding the field, several of his Bronze Rank students, and a group of Black Iron Rank retainers!

Their enemies had merely been a few Bronze Rank Heretical Cultists. Even though Ghoul Cult believers were notoriously difficult to deal with, they could not possibly stir up any trouble before absolute strength.

Yet for some unknown reason—perhaps because he could not control the fear in his heart—Old Albert had actually fled in panic before everyone's eyes.

A Bronze Rank Sword Affinity powerhouse had fled in battle because his will was too weak?

That incident had completely pushed the Albert Family, already standing at the edge of a cliff, into the abyss!

The Yagrant Kingdom had no need for weak and cowardly transcendents, much less nobles unable to control their fear!

At that thought, she gave a light cough and interrupted Aaron and Sart's performance. "Master Sart, I am deeply honored to see that you have found your nephew, from whom you were separated for many years. However, you must also take note of his identity."

She deliberately emphasized "Master." Since Sart had already invoked his status as a seer and as the student of the Star Tower's master, she naturally could not pursue the matter any further.

Compromise was, after all, a fundamental skill nobles needed to master.

"Thank you, Miss Alice. You shall have my friendship." Sart gave her a slight bow, then left the prison with Aaron.

Ed and Alice watched the two depart, standing silently before the empty cell.

"Miss, I..." Ed finally spoke hesitantly.

"No, you did the right thing." Alice stared expressionlessly at the cell where Aaron had been held and said through gritted teeth, "After all, no one knew that my future husband was not only the sacrifice for the Rat-Face Descent Ritual, but also an idiot who dared sell the family's ceremonial sword to buy alcohol!"