CHAPTER 238: CHAPTER 238

Duskmoor Castle, Sylphora

Jozef Forbes, the president of the Forbes Corporation, had a unique hobby that had made him famous worldwide: collecting enormous castles. He and his guild had conquered them, clearing out every monster and Rogue lurking inside, turning them into his personal trophies.

He let out a heavy sigh, the sound echoing in the grand hall. "To think this old man would lose his grandson at this age..."

Even though Jozef was well over 90, no one but himself would dare call him an old man. His abundant white hair was neatly combed back, and his well-built body filled out a luxurious suit that screamed power. The only thing that hinted at his age was the cane he carried, a simple but elegant accessory.

"...Thomas, what do you think I’m feeling?" Jozef asked, turning his gaze to his secretary, who was bowing deeply before him.

"I wouldn’t dare imagine," Thomas replied, his voice steady but respectful.

Jozef rose from his throne, his movements deliberate. "You’re right." His apathetic eyes locked onto his secretary, cold and unyielding.

Unable to hold that gaze, Thomas lowered his upper body even further, the tension in the room thickening like a storm about to break.

"Aamon should be holding a funeral right now," Jozef said, his voice even and detached.

"Yes, President Aamon is handling the retrieval of the corpse and the investigation of the suspect. He said he wanted to take care of it quietly," Thomas answered, keeping his head bowed.

"...Is that so?" Jozef replied. A loud crack echoed as his cane struck the ground sharply. "Seeing as how my hot-tempered son is staying quiet, something must have happened to my grandson." He didn’t react coldly to his grandson’s death. Rather, he sounded apathetic, like it was just another business matter.

The secretary hesitated before asking. "...What shall we do?"

"Mm... no matter the situation, someone touched the Forbes family blood. If I let him off the hook, that won’t reflect very well on me," Jozef said, his voice lacking any emotion. He spoke calmly, as though it was the most natural thing in the world. "Call Matthias Owen."

"Yes, understood," Thomas said.

Jozef smiled lightly. Matthias Owen. Although he was a member of the Owen household, he was kicked out because of a great mistake he committed in the past. But because of his useful ability, Jozef had kept him alive.

Since it looked like Matthias had made quite a name for himself, Jozef felt it was time for him to pay back his debt.

"In that case, how shall we gauge the price?" Thomas asked, his voice careful, as if testing the waters.

Jozef’s expression shifted for the first time, one brow furrowing in mild surprise. But he quickly relaxed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as if pondering the question. "Price, you say..." Then, a sinister laugh escaped him, low and chilling. He spoke coldly, his words cutting like ice. "If he dares to ask for a price, tell him to carefully consider why he is still alive." The threat hung in the air, unspoken but clear, a reminder of the debt that bound Matthias to him.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

After that day, I got stuck in this endless routine—wake up, eat, feed Macaron and Glacier, head to my agency for work, go monster hunting, eat again, and crash into bed. Rinse and repeat the next morning. It was like I was on autopilot, and I could tell it was worrying Macaron and Glacier, their eyes following me with that concerned look.

One day, as I was about to head out for work, they nudged me insistently, practically herding me toward the door for a walk. Come to think of it, I’d been so wrapped up in trying to forget Raphael that I’d almost forgotten about them too. I sighed, rubbing their heads gently. "Okay, let’s go outside." Thank goodness monsters becoming tamed and familiars were globally recognized now—I didn’t have to worry about letting Macaron or Glacier roam around freely.

I quickly messaged Stephen. "I’ll be resting today, don’t disturb me."

Then I grabbed a coat to ward off the chill and stepped out. Macaron perched on my shoulder, his feathers brushing my ear, while Glacier trotted along behind me, his tail wagging like he was excited for the change of pace. It felt good to breathe in the fresh air, even if my mind was still a mess.

While we were taking a walk in the park, my phone buzzed with a message. I pulled it out and saw it was from Whitney.

Whitney: I just received a letter from Angela and Edge today, mind going to the post office to check if a letter has arrived for you since they don’t know your address here in Monfort.

I replied with a quick thanks, then glanced over at Macaron and Glacier. They were having a blast playing with other tamed monsters, chasing each other around like kids at recess.

"Macaron," I called out.

In an instant, he flew over to me, landing on my shoulder.

"I’ll be going to the post office for a moment," I said.

He craned his neck curiously. "What are you gonna do there?"

"I’ll just check if a mail has arrived for me. So keep an eye on Glacier, and if you ever get bored playing here—" I started.

Macaron cut me off with a hoot. "We should teleport secretly so that no one can see us teleporting."

I chuckled and pulled a treat from my pocket, handing it to him. "Good boy."

Then I looked over at Glacier. "Glacier!" I shouted to catch his attention. He turned back, and I threw a piece of meat from my expansion pouch into the air. He jumped up and caught it swiftly, mid-air.

With that, I walked to the post office alone, leaving them to their fun.

When I arrived at the post office, I went straight to the counter. "I want to check if I have any mail here."

The man behind the desk was typing on his computer and looked up at me. "Name and I.D. please."

"Remillia Lockhart," I said, handing over my I.D.

He took one look at it, then typed something into his computer. "You have three mails," he said, and a holographic screen popped up in front of me. "Please sign your name here."

I signed quickly, and he slid the mails across the counter. "Here you go."

"Thanks," I said, grabbing them and heading to the nearest coffee shop. I found a quiet table and sat down, ordering a cup of macchiato.

I opened the letter from Angela first, unfolding it carefully as I sipped my coffee.

Hey witch, I didn’t get to see you again after I fainted. I just wanted to say thanks for visiting my brother without fail. It’s just sad that you visited him late after he got kidnapped.

If I remember, Thorne must have disguised as me in visiting the same day after I fainted, killing Raphael.

Also, can you at least inform us where your home is? We don’t even know your address, that’s why we had no choice but to send it to Monfort’s post office.

Her words hit me that made my chest tighten. It’s okay... We can still be friends as long as she doesn’t know. I set it aside and opened the next letter, this one from Cypher.

Hey Remi, it’s been weeks since we last met. How are you doing there?

I’m doing fine by the way.

The training here is so hard, if you were probably here then I’m sure I won’t get—

My brows furrowed at the scratched-up word. ’What was he supposed to say?’ I wondered, tilting my head.

Anyways, there’s something wrong with Angela when she got back here. I don’t know what happened there and she won’t tell me, but she suddenly changed weapons. Instead of her usual bow and arrow, she’s now holding her brother’s weapon.

I froze. Did I change the plot again? I thought as I continued to read his letter.

But one thing’s for sure. She’s more good at handling a sword than her bow.

Can you write back to me once you read this?

Then I opened the last letter, my brows instantly furrowing. Edge? He really wrote a letter for me? I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow as I unfolded it. His handwriting was messy, like he’d scribbled it in a hurry, all rushed and sloppy.

If you get to read this then I’m glad you didn’t burn it.

’Should I really burn it?’ I thought, but decided not to. Curiosity got the better of me.

Are you still reading it? Good because if you really burned this and I didn’t get a reply from you, I’ll spread a secret that only I know from you once we get back at the academy.

I forced myself to stay calm and not rip this letter to pieces right then and there. That sneaky bastard—threatening me with some secret? What did he even know?

I’m really curious what happened to Angela when she got back here, she switched her main weapon to a sword, became distant and gloomy but after that she was back again like nothing happened. So tell me what happened back there. And don’t dare lie to me.