Go Back and Take a Look (Continued)

"Yes." Although she was interrupted, the woman didn't seem angry. Instead, she nodded gently and continued speaking.

"This happened before I arrived. According to the clues, it should have been about half a month after the Sarkaz arrived. I heard it was huge, burning down to half of the manor area, and half of the Columbia saw it... But strangely, when the investigation came to the end, everyone found that the Texas Mansion had no trace of burning at all... Then, Salvadore fell seriously ill inexplicably and hasn't been seen for half a year. Many people are connecting the two, and some even say that the fire was a sign that Salvadore was about to leave... Of course, the Texas Family has never announced Salvadore's death."

The Sankta woman continued speaking, her words causing Lappland's expression to become increasingly subtle.

After a long pause, she finally frowned.

"Collective hallucination?"

That's the current view.

"You continue."

"Where were we..." the woman said, pointing to her lips before continuing.

"In short, after working tirelessly, meticulously analyzing every detail, and even managing to win the Columbia Dessert-Eating Championship, I finally uncovered some things!"

"What is that?!"

Lappland frowned, her face serious.

"These things might be related to Salvadore!"

The Sankta woman's expression gradually turned serious.

"..."

At this moment, Lappland frowned.

Salvadore... is it related to these things?

Do you have any conclusive evidence?

Lappland felt that things were becoming increasingly confusing.

But the Sankta woman opposite her was unhurried and, seeing how interested Lappland was, simply continued talking.

Only...

"There is no definitive evidence yet, but all indications suggest that this is very likely related to the Sarkaz."

"And it was Salvadore who facilitated the entry of that group of Sarkaz into Columbia."

"To facilitate?"

"Yes," the Sankta woman nodded. "Actually, according to official documents, this group of Sarkaz has been wandering around Columbia for a year, but due to various problems and prejudices... the citizens of Columbia have always been very discriminatory towards these guys."

"As you know, it's really hard to survive outside of Columbia, so those Sarkaz have always relied on plundering cargo from mobile platforms to make a living, which has led to their reputation getting worse and worse."

"About six months ago, Salvadore negotiated with the Sarkaz."

"Everyone thought he could drive away those demons, but in the end, he returned and vigorously promoted the integration of the Sarkaz into Columbia City."

"This is one of the few things that Salvadore has arbitrarily implemented against the will of the people."

"Originally, thanks to Salvadore's reputation, although some people were dissatisfied, they also considered that there might be other reasons."

"But with the Sarkaz entering the city and Salvadore falling ill, everything went wrong."

"Especially with the emergence of that cannibalistic legend..."

The Sankta woman frowned, and her eyes became somewhat unfocused.

"According to our investigation, there have been approximately seven confirmed cases of cannibalistic monsters this week, averaging one per day. Although the reported locations vary, it is certain that these monsters were created using some ancient Sarkaz technology."

"Scholars have conducted research and discovered that it is a secret technique belonging to the Banshees, said to have the power to bring the dead back to life..."

"This matter itself isn't a big deal, but when you combine it with the fact that Salvadore has been ill for almost half a year and still hasn't received any good news..."

The Sankta woman frowned slightly.

Lappland, standing to the side, frowned.

"Do you also think he's behind this?"

"As a journalist, how can you make decisions based on the suspicions of the masses? That's not journalism! That's being a weather vane!" The Sarkaz woman frowned, but then continued.

"Of course I don't believe it either... Salvadore is a trustworthy person, not just me, but even she... No, it's alright."

The woman shook her head, then continued.

"In fact, when I first got to this point in my investigation, I didn't think this matter had anything to do with Salvadore. But then I came across a list of people who had frequently disappeared in Columbia over the past six months."

"The places where the people recorded above were last seen were all near the places where the legends of cannibalistic monsters originated, and they all had one thing in common."

"What commonalities?" Lappland pressed.

After hesitating for a few seconds, the Sankta woman also seriously raised her head.

"These people... all visited the Texas Mansion within the last two weeks!"

"Father."

Although she had left the inspection center, Celinina was still somewhat uneasy.

She wasn't stupid. Although she was a little flustered because her family was involved, she knew that Lappland wasn't the impulsive type. She was likely being targeted by someone, which was why she did something like killing someone in the street, something they wouldn't have done even in Siracusa.

Most importantly, she still didn't know who attacked them or what their motives were.

So she found her father.

"What's wrong? My cute little wolf girl?"

Leonardo maintained a gentle expression, his eyes slightly narrowed, revealing a hint of a smile.

However, the two or three things that happened in this short day had already made Celinina somewhat uneasy.

Instead of directly stating her purpose, she turned her head and asked again.

"Father, I have some trouble sleeping..."

"Can't sleep? Why?"

Leonardo surprised.

In his memory, Celinina had always been a very well-behaved and sensible girl. Even if she had a problem, she would try her best to solve it herself and would never bother them.

Perhaps because this was so unusual, he put down the documents in front of him, closed them, and placed them aside before looking at the girl.

During this process, the girl also discovered that the Giant Wolf Ring she had given to the other person had been worn on his hand the whole time.

It's clear that he really liked the gift the girl gave him.

Is there something you're worried about?

"It's because of Grandpa."

Celinina spoke, her eyes not looking at the man.

"Grandpa's condition... isn't it already quite bad? I'm a little worried about him..."

As Celinina spoke, Leonardo's body tensed slightly for a moment.

But after a brief silence, he also sighed.

"I understand, Celinina. You've always been well-behaved and put our minds at ease... But regarding your grandfather, I don't want to say anything discouraging, but the fact is, he's quite old. In fact, for someone who has weathered countless storms in his life, not many people live to that age."

"His contemporaries either died along the way or long ago from illness... It's already an incredible miracle that he was able to persevere until now, and even until he fell ill just six months ago."

Even if Death spares him this time, he won't have much time left.

"Celinina, the story of a hero, will eventually come to an end..."

As Leonardo spoke these words, he couldn't help but feel emotional, and there seemed to be tears glistening in the corners of his slightly lowered eyes.

Celinina precisely captured those few teardrops, her eyes slightly narrowed.

Then she pretended to be embarrassed and asked.

"Father, are you... also worried about Grandpa?"

"That's only natural... Celinina, I know you've seen him and me arguing since we were little." Faced with Celinina's question, the man understood. He nodded and then picked up the only decorative Blades beside him with a sigh.

"But...no matter how much we argue, we are still father and son, and we are both people who work hard for the Texas Family."

"I know that our views can never be aligned, and I also know that someone who witnessed that era would never look favorably upon someone like me who is merely a businessman."

"From the very beginning, there was a thick barrier between my son and me..."

As the man spoke, he turned away with regret, seemingly not wanting his girl to see his disheveled appearance.

But he continued speaking.

"Celinina, you've been valued by him since birth. Can you tell me about him as you see him?"

"..."

Celinina was stunned.

After standing there stammering for a long time, she lowered her head slightly and spoke softly.

"I don't know either, Father..."

"Is that so... Sigh, never mind." The man shook his head, his voice tinged with regret.

The two remained silent for a while.

Perhaps sensing the lateness of the hour, or perhaps feeling there was nothing more to say, the man composed himself, turned his head, and looked at Celinina with gentle eyes.

"Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

"... No, Father."

Now that things had come to this, Celinina didn't know what to say. She simply nodded slightly and turned to leave.

Just as she opened the door, the man's voice slowly drifted over.

Goodnight, Celinina...

"... Yes, goodnight, Father."

Celinina left the room.

But right after the girl left, the Giant Wolf Ring she had given to the man unexpectedly began to glow...

It shimmered with a silvery light

Three days later...

Maria, who was working, received the urgent letter from Columbia. After opening it, she carefully read the contents and her brows furrowed slightly.

"What happened?"

Beside her, Madam Sicily looked on with curiosity.

She had never seen Maria with such an expression before.

"Lappland... she should practice her handwriting."

After reading through all the documents, Maria couldn't help but rub her temples.

She knew that Lappland disliked academic classes.

Lappland also has her own unique style when it comes to fighting.

But she hadn't noticed before that even Lappland's handwriting had such a unique style.

This is truly... unique...

"Ha, I knew it..."

Upon hearing that it was about Lappland, Madam Sicily couldn't help but laugh out loud.

She looked at the woman in front of her as if she were looking at her former self.

"I've told you before, some things can only be understood after experiencing them and having them... Maria, you've changed a lot."

If it were the old Maria, she probably wouldn't even lift an eyelid, nor would she bother to deal with these things.

But now, she has been teaching those two children for three years.

Life may not be long in the grand scheme of things, but for Maria now, it is a very poignant memory.

This subtle feeling could even cause her to experience emotional fluctuations that were almost impossible for her to have.