Chapter 188

"I thought you guys would hate the existence of the Gray Hall."

"... We certainly don't like being restricted, but we also know that there are some things that must be followed."

Bernardo smile and lowered his head somewhat embarrassedly.

After a moment of silence, Bernardo, seemingly tired of the veiled probing, took the initiative to speak.

"What exactly do you want to ask me?"

"... there is nothing."

Maria shook her head and, under Bernardo's surprised gaze, slowly stood up.

"I just wanted to confirm the family's opinion on the Gray Hall..."

"So... did you get what you wanted to know?"

"I understand now." Maria lowered her eyes slightly.

She's not stupid.

She could see, of course, that the man was not satisfied with the existence of the Gray Hall. The reason he said he supported the Gray Hall was simply because the existence of the Wolf Lord forced him to make a relatively advantageous choice between two options.

If possible, Maria had no doubt that the other party still wanted to return to the original era, when the family controlled Siracusa.

This answer... did not satisfy Maria.

However, she wasn't so willful as to kill someone simply because she wasn't satisfied with their answer.

What are the family's plans to do?

"..."

"Perhaps you want to say something, but in my opinion, not all families are peaceful. There are always some who want to make a move... I think you might know something about it."

Maria's voice was calm, but the content sent chills down the man's spine.

She found out?

She definitely knows!

She was testing me, trying to gauge how far along the family's plans had progressed!

This thought also made the man's heart start racing wildly.

As the head of the Bellone Family, he had to make the most reasonable choice that would allow the family to continue its legacy.

But... what should I say at this point?

In an instant, two choices were presented to the man.

Is it an attempt to hide the fact that you don't know?

Both the family and the Gray Hall are now consolidating their power, preparing to detonate.

Even if he says nothing, if Maria, as the Inquisitors, attacks him, the battle between the family and Gray Hall will ignite prematurely, and Gray Hall will be at a disadvantage in terms of public opinion.

Therefore, he was certain that Maria would not kill him.

But... is it worth it?

He didn't know what was happening to the other families and the Wolf Lord, but he did know that if he were to return to that era, the Bellone Family would still be nothing more than a Fang of the Wolf Lord.

But... once he chooses to reveal the secret, he will become a spy for his own family. Even if the Gray Hall ultimately wins, what will become of his family?

Despised and scorned by other families, they had no choice but to depend on the Gray Hall for survival.

Neither option is good; both options have problems.

For a moment, the man fell into a deep silence.

But to his surprise...

Maria then turned around, preparing to leave.

"I roughly understand the current situation."

"Ah?"

"Thank you for your help." Maria shook her head.

She roughly understood what Father Agniel meant when he talked to her last night about the recent unrest in Siracusa.

Clearly, Gray Hall felt he didn't have enough control over the family, while the family felt Gray Hall was meddling too much.

Now, neither side likes the other.

They are all secretly preparing for a major battle.

Judging from the current situation, the spark that ignites war is unlikely to be out for long.

Maria, however, narrowed her eyes.

Without a doubt, if she had to choose, she would definitely stand on Madam Sicily's side.

But what she was unsure about was whether she should directly offer her help.

You see, she can't stay here forever.

And her actions will bring an absolute and overwhelming advantage.

This situation would cause those families to go from fearing Madam Sicily to fearing Maria... and once she leaves, these families will start to stir again.

But Maria wasn't sure if Madam Sicily was ready.

It's important to know that the Siracusa family has been rooted in this land for countless years.

Even with foreign aid, Sicily is at a disadvantage in this battle for Siracusa's future.

So...

We should ask in person.

After a simple nod, Maria turned and slowly left the room.

Outside the room, the Wolf Lord, whom they had just met once, was anxiously pacing in circles.

Seeing Maria come out, it felt even more conflicted.

In the silent stare, it resisted for a moment, then gritted its teeth and crawled down toward Maria.

Clearly, it had overheard the conversation in the room and roughly understood Maria's thoughts.

Once the battle breaks out, and once Maria joins the fight, none of those Wolf Lords will escape!

If I continue to resist, there will only be one outcome...

So... it chose to submit.

Faced with this terrifying monster capable of destroying a nation, its only option was to submit.

But this is not entirely humiliating.

Let's look at it from another angle.

If it joins Maria's side, with Maria's abilities, it can become the alpha wolf of the Wolf Pack without lifting a finger!

Perhaps from this day forward, it will have to obey Maria.

But similarly, he could also become the highest-ranking member of the Wolf Pack.

It can only be said that every choice has its advantages and disadvantages.

However, Maria only glanced at its submission a few times before turning away and leaving without a word.

No response was given.

After leaving the Bellone Family, Maria also began searching for the location of the Gray Hall.

However, it is clear that the existence of the Gray Hall is not yet known to the general public in Siracusa.

They only knew that it was a place where the heads of a family talked, but they had no idea what the Gray Hall was, who managed it, or what they were responsible for.

Maria asked several people, Maria still didn't know where the meeting place the Sankta woman had mentioned during the day was.

Time flew by and it was noon.

The sky over Siracusa darkened again.

Before long, the rain started to fall sparsely again, splashing up dust on the ground.

The familiar scene stirred up some memories for Maria.

Once upon a time, she first met Madam Sicily because of the umbrella Madame Sicily gave her.

Two individuals with different destinies have now come together.

And this time...

"Ms. Maria?"

The cute little girl had just come out of the library when she saw Maria wandering aimlessly through the streets.

After a moment of hesitation, she carefully held up her umbrella, ran to Maria's side, and stretched out her arm so that the two of them could hold the umbrella together.

When Maria turned her head in confusion, she gave a simple, honest smile.

Have you already been to the Bellone Manor?

"Um."

"Did you get the reward you wanted?"

"... more or less."

"That's good."

The girl smiled and didn't ask Maria any further questions.

Although she is young, she is as perceptive as a child.

She knew some things she could ask, and some things she shouldn't.

Therefore, she also restrains herself from learning about unnecessary things.

Just like Maria before me.

This mysterious woman has her own past, and I shouldn't delve too deeply into it.

Just focus on what's in front of you...

The rain... gradually intensified again.

After a while, the rain became so heavy that the girl's small umbrella could no longer hold it up.

The two had no choice but to find shelter from the rain in a nearby church.

The church looks quite old, and there are hardly any people around. Large swathes of greenery surround the area, making it exceptionally tranquil.

After tidying her clothes a bit, Maria led the girl into the church.

The interior was fully decorated, but the priest who should have been there was nowhere to be seen.

On the contrary, there are a few strange people standing here.

They were dressed simply, and all of them were muscular men.

The leader was an old man with white hair, whose eyes gleamed with a sharp, wolf-like light.

Upon noticing the arrival of strangers, the members all showed varying degrees of vigilance.

Tiny Lavinia timidly hid beside Maria.

Maria ruffled the girl's hair, then calmly looked at the family in front of her.

When the old man at the head of the group saw Maria, his eyes widened in disbelief. After a moment's hesitation, he put on his glasses, looked around a few more times, and then let out a wry smile.

"You... are as young as ever."

"Um?"

Maria looked at the other person strangely, somewhat puzzled.

The old man shook his head with a self-deprecating smile.

"Compared to you, I'm already incredibly old."