Chapter 1986: Until We Meet Again
After Oldest Brother Jayad’s efforts, Alicia was finally comforted. The most comical part was that throughout the entire ordeal, it was Lorna and I who secretly relayed what Jayad should say through telepathic messages. It was as if he was asking for help from friends and family present.
The excuse Jayad used was that he thought Alicia had forgotten him. To avoid disturbing her or affecting her mood, and also to prevent Alicia from getting too entangled with him, a suspect, he hadn’t sought her out. This explanation managed to stabilize Alicia’s emotions. She also stated that for Jayad’s safety, she was willing to take the blame or speak well of him, but she wished for Jayad to restore her memory, as she didn’t want incomplete recollections.
Jayad could only express his helplessness regarding this. We explained the reason and mechanism behind memory erasure, stating that the Memory Erasure Pen’s effect was indiscriminate. We couldn’t control its range, nor could we restore any memories. However, the good news was that the Memory Erasure Pen could only delete, not modify, meaning that Alicia’s memories were at least genuine.
This unexpectedly made Alicia happy: “So, the memory of Norton is gone for everyone else. Only I have this precious memory, is that right?”
“You could say that,” I said with a wry smile. I couldn’t fathom how this had become a precious memory. Perhaps it was because of rarity?
“But how did you know we left? And why did you chase in our direction?” Seeing that Alicia had calmed down, Jayad seized the opportunity to ask. He was worried that Alicia might have placed some sort of special mark on him.
“I suddenly realized my memory was flawed, and I vaguely felt it was related to you. Before that, I had investigated your dwelling, and upon arriving, I found it empty. So, I rushed out of the city and noticed unusual disturbances among the monsters in one direction. Therefore, I pursued that way, and indeed, I wasn’t mistaken.”
Although Alicia described it simply, I realized that she had sensed something the moment her memory was erased. She quickly connected it to Older Brother Jayad, realized he had left the city, and understood the direction to pursue. This series of reactions was certainly on par with Sebastian’s. It seemed that the favor of Minerva, the Goddess of Wisdom, had significantly enhanced Alicia’s intelligence and deductive abilities. Furthermore, the intelligence gathered in advance was also likely a result of Minerva’s favor. And she even flew over on a Steel Dragon; she was quite a bold person.
“I will be going to the Apennine Peninsula to lie low for a while. You still need to stay and deal with your father, right?” Jayad asked with some concern. Alicia would undoubtedly be held responsible for the Crown Prince’s death, especially since she was nearby and was an illegitimate daughter. She was likely to face punishment from her family.
However, Alicia brought up something else: “Please don’t worry. I won’t reveal you. I will direct all the family’s attention towards the Assassin and the Jester. You will absolutely not be implicated.” She thought we were worried about her being discovered. Older Brother Jayad wanted to explain, but I tugged his sleeve, signaling him to say no more. I knew Older Brother Jayad wanted to persuade Alicia to flee with us, but that was impossible. The Bourbon family might ignore a few minor figures like us, but they would never tolerate an illegitimate daughter of their own fleeing. Conversely, Alicia willingly staying behind to draw hatred and focus on herself would greatly aid our escape. Why would we refuse such a perfect natural target?
Older Brother Jayad quickly understood my meaning. He sighed and said, “I’ll place a mark on you. It can contact me. If you encounter any problems, remember to call me, and I will come to save you.”
“Okay! I’m happy. If there’s nothing else, I’ll find you. The Apennine Peninsula also has kingdoms controlled by the Bourbon family, so you must be careful,” Alicia said happily. She was right. Currently, the monarchs of the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily were branches of the Bourbon family. Therefore, in a sense, they also accepted the joint rule of the Iberian Empire to share the suppression of Imperial Authority’s corrosive influence. This was one of the reasons I wanted to go to the Apennine Peninsula – it was convenient and quick, without needing to pass through numerous checkpoints. Going there wouldn’t arouse suspicion of being a foreign spy. However, conversely, I needed to be even more cautious, as the Bourbon family’s influence still extended there.
“Alright, I need to go back, otherwise the guards will get suspicious. I look forward to our next meeting,” Alicia said, climbing onto the Steel Dragon. It seemed she was already under the surveillance of the Royal Knights. Alicia was truly an extraordinary woman. Although she was in love, she lacked the hesitation and indecisiveness of a young girl. She always knew what she was doing and what needed to be done, just like now, leaving as soon as she decided, without delay.
“Yes, we will definitely meet again,” Jayad nodded, watching the Steel Dragon spread its wings and take off, stirring up a gust of wind as it flew towards Cando City, quickly disappearing into the wind.
“What a cool girl. I wish I could become as strong as her,” Bailing Ding said with envy and longing.
“Just think about it. With her background, born with a silver spoon, mortals simply can’t compare,” I said, not meaning to pour cold water. Even I wouldn’t dare claim I could confront Alicia directly.
Here, only one girl might be able to contend with Alicia. Weis, with sharp eyes, stared at the horizon and ground her teeth, saying, “This woman is very strong. I may not win.” Weis had always been arrogant in fights. If she said she might not win, it truly meant she believed she was inferior to Alicia.
Bailing Ding became even more dispirited. As a noble, she knew how powerful the talent inherited through bloodline could be, and how vast the gap was between top-tier royalty and ordinary nobles. As an Eldest Miss from a noble family, Bailing Ding had never practiced swordsmanship before. At most, her Swordplay teacher had taught her some court swordplay, meant for performance and entertainment, not combat.
But when her family was destroyed and she was captured, she could fight like a demon in underground fighting rings with just a rapier. Ordinary mercenaries and duellists were basically no match for her. Moreover, her swordplay improved at an astonishing rate. This was the advantage of her bloodline. How could she possibly compare to Alicia, whose bloodline was even nobler and who had trained in the knight order since childhood?
“Don’t think about such things. No one is truly invincible,” Sebastian said with a nonchalant smile. “Since we’re out of the city, we’ll probably have to go our separate ways.”
