The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 220 The Only Suspicious Point (4k)

"That was the fifth hundred years in which history was gradually forgotten."

Everything is impossible to record; we can only glimpse the glorious past through rumors passed down by word of mouth.

In that era, anyone had the right to fabricate stories. As long as you had the fearlessness of a lion, you could claim your own legitimacy at any time.

This applies to royalty, nobility, and even more so to commoners.

Moser I, the child of a slave, was thrust into the kingdom's wars.

Unwilling to be crushed under the rulers' feet his entire life, he used his silver tongue to lie to his comrades about his identity as an illegitimate son of the royal family, quietly cultivating his own power and stirring up the sparks of rebellion.

He was the first case, but not the only one.

When people realize that history and traditions have been severed, ethics and laws also fall into nihilism due to chaos.

Opportunities to rise above others are like autumn wheat fields, a field of gold scattered across the earth.

The sanctity of royal power faded, and everyone tried to harvest gold for their own territory. Each city became a nation.

Our grandfather was a true nobleman who treated commoners well, abolished serfdom, maintained unshakeable control over the territory, and declared independence in a fragmented and chaotic continent.

Whenever war invades our land, he will don his armor, raise his sword, and personally deliver punishment to the invaders.

The Night Raven was able to survive in peace.

Tang Qi listened quietly to Van Frien's narration, recalling the old man in the center of the oil painting.

This also gives me some understanding of history from hundreds of years ago.

To know the truth of history, you can only ask the dead who lived through it.

Van der Fleur, standing before him, was the best person to ask:

"Territory built in forests and mist?"

Van Frien shook his head:

"Back then, the Night Raven's territory was an endless wilderness. My grandfather built this castle on the cliff top, so that he could see everything in the territory simply by sitting on that throne."

Therefore, the concept of "Dawn and Dusk Forest" did not exist 500 years ago.

Tang Qi asked again:

Did Grandfather experience any defeats during this process?

“Never. In my childhood, I heard that my grandfather was brave and skilled in battle, regarded the darkness as nothing, and was used to fight at night and take the enemy by surprise. When he defeated the enemy army time and time again and dealt endless blows to the invaders, no one would dare to set foot on this land again.”

It seems the deterrent effect lasted until the fog appeared.

"This peace lasted until after your death?"

“As a descendant of the family, you should know these things better than I do.”

"In fact, five hundred years have passed since the era you mentioned."

Tang Qi wasn't afraid to make things up; he feigned regret and continued to probe.
"The family has fallen apart. According to my father, it all stemmed from a grudge that broke out many years ago... Of course, the specifics of what happened can no longer be verified."

"There's no need to hide it. I can tell you've come to me seeking answers."

Van Frien looked directly into Tang Qi's eyes, his expression as calm as ever.
Unfortunately, I cannot answer all your questions.

The forest, the mist, and even the cause of the division all occurred in the past after my death.

"Would you be willing to answer any questions you may have about his life before his death?"

"Okay, but I need you to do something for me."

"You say."

"Once you've found all the answers, I hope you can tell me what happened to Sean."

"I thought you killed him."

This is a scene from "The House of the Mist".

"He killed me."

Van der Frihn sighed softly.
"In my opinion, my father was not qualified."

My grandfather's domineering nature shaped his weakness, making him a victim of a political marriage, marrying my mother, a girl he didn't love at all.

The prolonged repression also forced him to abandon himself, indulging in sensual pleasures as if doing so were disobeying his grandfather's orders, to the point that no one had any expectations of him—

"Your only value is that you have given birth to a qualified heir for the family," his grandfather always told him.

This may have angered him, and he took it out on me. As a result, our relationship became quite delicate after I was born.

My mother was a noblewoman who couldn't accept my father's descent into debauchery and his resentment towards me. She died of illness not long after. It was Valesa—the head maid in the castle, Sean's mother—who raised me.

To me, she was an outsider, and even the trigger that led to my mother's death.

But in my opinion, as an ordinary citizen, she didn't seem to have any choice but to refuse.

She is a kind person, and I have never resented her.

She even treated Sean, her child, as a close brother. Just as Valesa treated me, she showered her brother with love and companionship—

I remember once, in order to skip his swordsmanship class, he hid under the family's tomb to secretly read fairy tales, and thus disappeared for a long time.

We searched for him for a long time until I heard him calling for help from under the tomb, and finally we managed to bring him out from underground.

But he didn't want Mr. Morgan to report this to our grandfather and get punished by Valesha again. So I covered it up for him, saying that I had asked him to go to the market to buy me some toys—

Although I was scolded by my grandfather for a while, I think it was worth it.

I am his older brother, and I will stand in front of him without hesitation when he is afraid.

When he misbehaves, I will willingly take the blame for him.

When he was being punished, I would steal his favorite snacks from the kitchen...

If he is willing to sit in the position of heir, I will teach him all my knowledge.

It was as if giving him enough love could make up for the deficiencies of my childhood.

This narrative is extremely similar to that in "The House of the Mist," and should therefore be considered historical fact.

"Until Elizabeth came along?"

"It seems you've heard quite a bit about this; no wonder you've come with questions."

Van Frien pressed the bass key on the piano and slowly began to play "Sylvie in My Dreams".
"She was a country girl, right in the territory of the night ravens."

When the Double Moon arrives, their village sets up a market and bonfires, and people sing and dance around the bonfires, spending the cursed days of the Double Moon with laughter.

I met her while patrolling the territory.

She lifted her heavy linen dress, put on a pair of old brown leather boots, her burgundy hair was as fiery as fire, and her smile was more intense than summer.

She is called 'Sylvie the Wilderness,' a spirit that brings blessings and bountiful harvests to the fields, symbolizing all that is most beautiful.

From then on, I would often invite her to the castle as a guest of the lead dancer. We would stroll in the garden and talk about our lives, goals, and even the future.

Sometimes it's just the two of us, sometimes my younger brother is with us—

At the time, I thought she loved Sean more than me. Because I could tell.

She considered me the master of this land and always held me in awe.

But when facing Sean, a young man who, like her, retained a childlike heart and held beautiful hopes for the world, her smile always seemed more genuine. "You don't intend to give her up."

Tang Qi recalled the lines from the story,

"This caused an argument with my younger brother."

There was no argument.

Van der Frihn shook his head, and the music shifted from gentle to lively, as if expressing his feelings at the time.

“Sean loves us and believes I can give Elizabeth happiness, and his way of loving her is to see her step into happiness—even if he is not the one giving her happiness.”

To avoid causing me any resentment, he voluntarily chose to leave, leading his army south to participate in the defense war in accordance with the alliance agreement.

And she asked me to put him on the guest list so that he could witness our happiness at the wedding.

So the two brothers weren't actually as tense as depicted in "The House of the Mist"?
There may have been a source of hatred between them, but by each taking a step back, everything led to a happy ending...

No, is this really perfect?

Tang Qi shook his head.

Arthur asked in confusion:
"But Elizabeth still chose to commit suicide."

Just as Van Frien was about to say something, Tang Qi interrupted him abruptly:

"Because no one has ever asked Elizabeth what she thought."

"..."

After a brief silence, Van Frien suddenly chuckled.

The smile was tinged with bitterness, as if mocking one's own ignorance:
"You are much better than me."

Amidst sighs, the music reached a stirring climax.

"I consider myself humble, kind, and intelligent. I possess military power, wealth, and above all, a passionate heart—"

I never thought anyone would refuse me; I blindly believed that as long as I had this idea, I could give someone everything they wanted.

We believe her initial refusal stemmed from the dilemma of choosing between me and Sean, and her kindness prevented her from disrupting the harmony between us brothers.

But we never considered that perhaps she had never loved anyone at all.

We mistook her enthusiasm for our own uniqueness, forgetting that she was the vibrant summer sun, while the sunlight belongs to everyone in this world.

"If you don't like it, just say so. Why be so hesitant and coy... Why end it all with death?"

Fide crossed his arms and snorted coldly, completely unable to understand her actions.

"So you're a homeless child."

Tang Qi shrugged, and just as Fede was about to retort, he quickly followed up with,
"The oppression of commoners by nobles is class-based oppression. No matter how kind or approachable a lord may be, he is still a lord. He cannot change the vast difference in their status—it is like a steel stamp imprinted on the hearts of every commoner."

Even if forgotten in writing, the oppression suffered in the past still lingers in people's hearts.

After all, even Moser I, who was born a serf, only raised the banner of rebellion; he never considered rescuing slaves and commoners and granting them equal human rights.

Looking back at the vast Terran Empire, the aristocratic system was deeply rooted due to the legacy of history. The Scribes' Guild, who were also spellcasters, were always overshadowed by the sorcerer families.

Even Long Jincheng, who seemed to be bound by the law, had no choice but to allow this old wild boar, Mel Barry, to enjoy special privileges...

Tang Qi felt he couldn't blame an ordinary person for not daring to say 'no' to rejection:
"Even if the lord is kind and generous enough, the disparity in status, the pressure from society, and the accusations from her family will still suffocate her. Amidst the turmoil of wars on all sides, she won't even have a chance to escape."

Van Frien nodded in approval of Don Qi, and the piano music reached its finale:
"Perhaps I shouldn't have made this public; it would have been better to limit her choice to a conversation between the two of us."

That way, she would have enough courage to refuse me, no one would say she doesn't know what's good for her, and her parents wouldn't happily agree to my proposal just to get more wealth.

So she gave her answer at our wedding.

Sean witnessed everything and angrily questioned me about why I did it.

We both lost our tempers, and in the ensuing argument, he plunged a dagger into my chest.

After that, I remember nothing.

"Is he always this impulsive?"

“This child is always restless. But—that one time, at least that one time, I don’t think it was something he could do.”

Tang Qi felt something was off, and some questions lingered in his mind:

"Do you know why you're lying here on your deathbed?"

After all, Van Frien's story doesn't involve too many mysterious forces, and it still hasn't solved a series of mysteries that linger in this era, such as 'vampires' and 'mist'.

"I don't know."

Van Frien shook his head.

"If I hadn't met you, this might have been a dream I could never wake up from."

I cherish the past and want to know Sean's final fate. Perhaps it is because of this obsession that my ancestors protected my soul.

"All right……"

Tang Qi sorted through the clues in his mind, thinking about what else he might have overlooked or failed to ask—

The dagger, the red dress, the cake... everything originated from that wedding, and the answer has been found.

So the only remaining question seems to be:

"Chair?"

Tang Qi recalled that oil painting,

"Do you remember that family photo? An old man was standing in the middle, and you were all beside him, with a chair inlaid with rubies in front of him."

"That was Master Merlin's masterpiece. Thanks to the peace in the Night Raven Territory, he lived here for a long time."

"Master? A young man with an afro?"

"Of course. It seems his name has been passed down for five hundred years."

It's also possible that he's lived for five hundred years?
Tang Qi was unsure whether the Merlin he knew was the same person as the one signed on the oil painting.

It could also be a descendant of Merlin.

But these are not the most important issues at the moment:
Whose chair is that?

Logically speaking, that should belong to the most prestigious elder in the family.

But it was clear that Van Frien's grandfather was standing behind the chair.

Van Frien shook his head:

“I don’t know. But according to my grandfather, that person was his benefactor.”

"benefactor?"

“Grandfather rarely mentioned him. Perhaps it was because he passed away early, and we never wanted to bring up this sad story.”

Tang Qi felt he had found the key:
"No one has seen him? No one has heard of him?"

“Never, not even my father—but we all know where he is.”

Van Frien pointed to the ground.
"After his death, my grandfather placed his remains in the family cemetery."

(End of this chapter)