Faceless Child (23)

The streets of Layan Territory had been built with great regularity, but deep within the dense forest, some less frequently used roads were inevitably covered in patches of moss and lichen.

They were usually fine, but in the present torrential rain, they had become unexpectedly slick and difficult to traverse.

That was only true for ordinary people. The two Ascendants walked along the road leading to the castle atop the cliff. The pitch-black ancient castle was veiled by the curtain of rain, its utterly unlit structure standing amidst the howling wind, silent as death.

Before long, Ian and Sister Reflected Light arrived at the foot of Layan Castle.

Splash, splash...

Rainwater ran down the castle's channels and grooves, striking the deeply pitted stone ground below. The black towers seemed to have melted into the night itself.

"It is still hard to imagine that the Baron acted so decisively."

The white-haired Draconic girl looked up at the castle. It had been built by the Imperial military to cut off the sole mountain road between Layan Lake and the mountain folk's settlements, guarding the edge of the Agate Stone Plains.

Two hundred years later, the sturdy fortress built for war had become the residence of the Baron's family.

But now, there was not a single "master" left in this home.

The Baron and his "four" children had all departed. Ian could no longer see their violet-blue mist through his eyes.

"So we need to find clues as quickly as possible and track down where they have gone."

Ian had not expected that the Baron, who had received him and Sister Reflected Light at noon, would have vanished by nightfall.

The other party had surely sensed the scent of danger from the Church of Light's Embrace's actions and thus decided to accelerate his