VIP Chapter 272: She Has Arrived
At this very moment, in a Hysterm Family villa in the capital—
Carver Hysterm emerged from the three-story villa, removed his small hat, and calmly boarded a luxurious carriage.
“Master, there’s something I’ve never understood. Are you truly going to leave Young Master Will in that woman’s hands? Aren’t you going to rescue him?”
In the carriage, the butler respectfully served him a cup of black tea, its fragrance wafting through the air. He decided to ask.
“For the Hysterm Family, Young Master Will is effectively a hostage. Furthermore, it somewhat bolsters the Royal Family’s prestige. Of course, this is merely a suggestion; your thoughts are what matter most.”
“Hmm, aren’t I already thinking of a way? Otherwise, why would I go to the place he used to live to find his little maid?”
He lifted the lid and blew lightly on the black tea, but didn’t drink it. Then, he raised his head with a meaningful smile, as if waiting for an answer to a question.
“Is… is it because if she’s the one to act, it won’t be considered something we caused, thereby evading some risks?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
“In a chaotic system, if you want to observe the situation after a certain variable changes, the method with the least risk is to work through the things it has already altered.”
Carver spoke with profound meaning, took a sip of the black tea, but found it too hot, and put the cup down.
“This is trouble Will brought upon himself. It’s best to let what he’s stirred up resolve it. However, I did add a little fuel to the fire.”
Carver pushed his glasses up and looked out the window towards the direction of the Royal Palace. The clock pointed to eight and its chimes rang out.
“The ‘pathologies’ people display are different, Will.”
In the butler’s eyes, this seemed to be a rare occasion when Carver uttered the name “Will,” using a tone as if conversing with his son.
“Some people… if they truly believe they will be abandoned and gain freedom, will instead become calm.”
“But they only need that tiny bit of positive feedback to rekindle their sincere emotions.”
“However, like a spring, if it isn’t compressed, it can’t generate elastic force.”
The carriage began to move slowly, and Carver watched the scenery outside the window glide by.
“Hmm… Have I already helped enough? As my son, he will definitely handle this matter. No need to worry.”
“Yes, Master.”
“It’s just…”
Carver looked into his cup of black tea.
“Her tea-making skill is completely different from ‘last time’.”
“It seems someone… has indeed worked very hard.”
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“What time is it now… Hmm, around eight? Then I haven’t run for too long.”
Will hid in the bushes, using a branch and its shadow to estimate the current time.
“Let me guess, around what time will Treya start chasing me… How much faster will she be than me? A simple pursuit problem…”
He walked along, touching trees, while deep in thought. The reason he was already considering Treya’s speed was because… he believed Shuna wouldn’t lose. But at the same time, he also believed Shuna wouldn’t “win.” Treya’s objective wasn’t to kill Shuna, and while Shuna might aim to kill Treya, as the wielder of ‘Zero Demon City,’ Treya had far more contingency plans than Shuna, who wasn’t even equipped properly.
Oh, he could tell at a glance: the weapon Shuna brought today was likely not enough to gain an advantage against Treya’s sword. And… demons excel at mental manipulation and control. Lucifer, as the young empress of the Tenth Demon City, possessed a finishing move capable of controlling Shuna even with full buffs. So how could Treya, the empress of ‘Zero Demon City,’ not have one? Shuna would most likely be controlled, but Will was confident she could escape. However, the time in between… would be up to him to escape.
“I’ll definitely be caught. I barely have a half-hour advantage in speed.”
Will’s right leg had already been healed by himself. Since it was a flesh wound not involving magic, the healing was rapid, and he was no longer bleeding. At least running was not an issue. To be honest, he felt a palpitations.
Stepping out of the Royal Palace and facing the sunlight, Will truly felt that a distorted “nightmare,” where reality and illusion were indistinguishable and his memories had been tampered with, had finally ended.
The root of the nightmare was… Treya was not only smarter than he’d imagined, but her self-collected information and acquired skills even surpassed his own, which relied on the original work’s power. She was more obsessive, heavier, and more possessive.
“Did my escape… make her realize that I, who was once her ‘teacher,’ wasn’t someone who would obediently stay by her side?”
“Or perhaps… this series of successes in the Royal Palace…”
“Made her so arrogant that she only needs a Will who is controlled, caged, and dependent on her for everything.”
“No independent thought, naive yet kind, everything before her is bright and shining—isn’t that the Treya from before?”
…
Will sighed.
Regardless, he had to escape first. Because only the “frustration of escaping” could make Treya, who had succeeded in a series of plans, wake up from the dream of victory she had created for herself. Extinguishing the fervor of a burgeoning yandere was also an important part of countering a yandere. Will hoped he could still control some of the “story’s” development.
“There’s one more person. Iaar. I hope she comes today, just like before.”
He had left a blood mark for Iaar as a coded message, wanting her to understand his current predicament. “Blackening 300 Questions” had given him the opportunity to establish a “secret code known only to the two of us” with Iaar. If… If he remembered correctly, Question 296 should be…
[Question: What if he suddenly disappears?
Answer: Become the strongest detective, use your keen senses to find his traces. Believe in yourself, no one disappears without a trace, you will definitely find clues. Especially—clues that only you will notice.]
In short, it was to make her find a way to find him.
However… Will was concerned about one thing. When he wrote “Yandere 300 Questions,” did he start from… 0, or from 1… he couldn’t quite recall. Based on the linguistic habits of his past life, it should… probably… perhaps have started from 0?
“Caw—!”
But the crows’ caws from above gave him no time to ponder.
“!!!”
A flock of crows flew past behind him. A large group of people, with considerable noise and no attempt at concealment, had passed by?
…This is bad?!
Could he have been caught up with already? No, no, no… how could it be so fast? He had deliberately taken a less direct, more secluded path down the mountain. Unless… Unless Treya had… a method to pinpoint his location?
Did Treya have a method to pinpoint his location? This pursuit wasn’t over just because he’d left the city; he needed to hide somewhere Treya couldn’t find him. It was hard to say. Since she was a demon, perhaps he had been fitted with some kind of tracking device…
Will touched his earring. It was the same style as Treya’s, but his was white. She… She had even planned the matching gift she gave him… as a tool to control him?
