Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 667: Lyra’s Return

Asher sat within the silence of his room, his mind running endlessly through various thoughts, questions stacking upon each other as though they were a house of cards; after a moment, he sighed as he shook his head, his expression carrying a faint trace of weariness that had not been present earlier.

"This world seems to hold so many secrets," he murmured to himself. Due to the amount of information he had received within a single day, Asher couldn’t help but momentarily doubt the history of the world itself; who knew if the fall of the Star fragment within Crymora had merely been a random event that happened coincidentally, or if it had all been planned from the very beginning. What if it even dated back to more than twenty thousand years ago? After all, history could easily be forged, rewritten, and manipulated by those with sufficient power and intent.

’No need to overthink it, as Elder Brother had said earlier, there is no need to worry about things those at my level can’t influence,’ he thought to himself. His legs crossed over one another as he raised a hand and gazed at it; merely just over an hour ago or so, he had been happily staring at his stat increments, satisfied and even slightly excited at the idea that if he fought Debro again, he would have an easier time. But now... the happiness that stemmed from that thought had completely vanished, replaced by something far more sober and contemplative.

He clenched his fist slowly, his fingers tightening with quiet resolve. ’I should get to the Crownstar Life Rank as soon as possible,’ he thought to himself calmly, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly as a subtle determination began to take root within him.

A knock resonated through the room, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Come in," Asher stated calmly as his purple eyes turned towards the door, his voice steady and composed, betraying none of the storm of thoughts that had just been present within his mind.

The door swung open as the butler who had replaced Lyra in her absence stepped in. Bowing respectfully, he spoke, "Tenth Sun, Knight Commander Yveric is here for you," he stated with practiced politeness and respect.

"Thank you," Asher replied as his gaze shifted away from the butler. ’He is here to check upon my mind,’ Asher thought to himself, as Malrik had already given him a heads-up. Despite Malrik and Azaron knowing he was immune to mental manipulation, having resisted the Emperor’s ability, they still chose to check regardless of that fact, likely out of caution rather than doubt.

Asher rose from his seat and walked towards the door without wasting time, as he had already guessed that Yveric would be checking everyone one by one; thus, the man was most likely occupied and pressed for time. Meeting with Yveric, he and the Knight Commander proceeded to a different room, one that was covered with a massive barrier that radiated a faint but palpable sense of restriction. Within the room, three different artefacts were used on Asher, each one emitting a unique aura as they carried out their respective functions.

Asher simply allowed the artefacts to do their work, as there was no reason to let the system block them. After a few minutes of confirmation from Yveric, Asher gave a small nod to the man before stepping out of the ’interrogation room’ and returning to his own room, his expression unchanged.

As usual, he stood by the window, gazing at everything happening from his elevated position. A few minutes passed in quiet observation, and another knock echoed through the room; the moment he heard it, a faint smile appeared on Asher’s face, as he already knew who stood beyond the door.

"Come in," he intoned smoothly.

The door swung open, and someone stepped in, it was Lyra, dressed in her usual maiden uniform, with white gloves covering her hands. She bowed gracefully before speaking, "I’ve returned, Young Master," she stated, her tone respectful and composed.

"Welcome back, Lyra. Although you were gone for merely a few hours, it felt as though it was for far longer," Asher replied as he turned to her with a calm smile, his words carrying a subtle warmth.

"I’m glad the Young Master missed my presence," Lyra replied, ever respectful and poised, her expression neutral yet attentive.

Asher shook his head lightly as he walked towards the couch he had been sitting on earlier when he was discussing matters with Malrik. "How did everything go? Did you encounter any hiccups?" he asked calmly.

Although the battle between the Wargrave family and the Imperial family had not reached this area and had only affected the Capital and its surrounding regions, it was still best to ask, if only to ensure everything had proceeded smoothly.

"I encountered no trouble on the way, Young Master," Lyra replied as she stood poised. "As for the task entrusted to me, I have completed it, I purchased every single item and hired capable hands as ordered by the Young Master," she stated with quiet confidence.

Asher nodded his head. Although he did not know the exact details of how Lyra had carried out her mission, he chose not to inquire further; if she said she had encountered no trouble, then there was no need to probe unnecessarily into the specifics.

"Perfect," he replied before falling into thought once more, considering when to carry out his visit to the villages. After a moment of contemplation, Asher decided to proceed with it today. Despite the madness that had unfolded throughout the day, it was still around 3 p.m. in the afternoon, there was still ample time to reach the villages.

After all, it had been morning when he and Malrik had spoken upon his awakening, after which they had visited his battlefield with him, before everything had spiraled into chaos from a single piece of information.

"We will leave in half an hour, just you, me, and the hired hand. If there is anything you need to handle, do so within that time," Asher added with calm command. The hired hand he referred to was the individual with the ability to enhance farm fertility.

"As the Young Master orders," Lyra bowed as she responded.

"You may leave," Asher stated.

At his words, Lyra simply stepped out, already beginning the silent countdown of thirty minutes within her mind, her efficiency evident even in such a simple action.

As Asher sat in silence once more, he could not help but recall something. ’It seems I forgot to ask Elder Brother if a World Map existed,’ he thought, shaking his head slightly at the realization. It appeared he had momentarily forgotten due to the weight of the information he had received earlier.

’I will ask Great Elder Morthen; since he is the Librarian and a Great Elder, I am certain he will know,’ Asher concluded. However, he decided that he would meet with the man after returning from his village journey, rather than now, as there was no immediate urgency.

With that, he remained within his room, waiting patiently for Lyra to return within the half-hour he had given.