The Secret Cult Chronicles of the Decaying Lake Manor

Chapter 102 "The Light of the North"

After George left, Ms. Celsa did not follow.

She stood quietly by the fireplace, her black dress casting a deep shadow in the flickering firelight.

Seeing that only the two of them remained in the study, she turned to face Viscount Edward.

"Your Excellency, please do not forget what Duchess Asor asked me to convey."

She paused, enunciating each syllable with exceptional clarity: "Without great sacrifices, there would be no Paradise Island."

The Viscount leaned back in his high-backed chair and stopped tapping his fingers on the armrest.

After a moment, he spoke: "Every De Lapol remembers this since this land became connected with the family."

The Viscount's somber gaze was fixed on the eyes behind Lady Celsa's silver mask, his tone clearly indicating his intention to dismiss her: "Those who need to leave will leave first thing tomorrow morning. Please prepare accordingly; the manor will arrange carriages to take you to the train station."

"No need, Your Excellency. I have my own arrangements." Celsa bowed slightly and said no more.

As she turned, her silver bird cane lightly tapped the ground, and she moved away from the study like a lifeless statue.

After a hearty breakfast the next morning, Attorney McGill bid farewell to the Delapour family.

Before leaving, he smiled and bowed to George again: "Your Excellency Viscount de la Porte, the legal proceedings are now complete. Please feel free to contact my office in London if you require further assistance."

Following her, Ms. Celsa approached the Viscount and calmly stated, "Now that the witnessing process is over, I should return to report. The High Court will send official documents here on behalf of the Viscount regarding any follow-up matters."

The viscount simply nodded, his expression even more indifferent than the night before.

Inspector Douglas and his granddaughter, Miss Kelly Moore, stayed behind.

Butler Carson directed the servants to load the luggage onto the carriage—mainly the lawyer's; Ms. Celsa hadn't brought anything noteworthy.

As she boarded the carriage, she turned back for one last look at the desolate lakeside manor, the hazy morning light reflecting a cool hue onto the manor's gray stone walls.

After seeing off the two guests, people dispersed in twos and threes.

The old lady went back to her room to rest; clearly, yesterday's affairs had taken a toll on her energy.

Uncle Albert was nowhere to be found, and Uncle Arthur seemed to have taken an interest in the manor's books, saying he was going to the library to look up information about rare minerals.

George went to the gym with Lieutenant Bates.

Only the Viscount, Inspector Douglas, and Miss Kelly Moore remained in the living room.

The two guests finally witnessed the Viscount awaken, which would allow them to achieve one of the main purposes of their visit.

Miss Moore put down her teacup, and in addition to her heroic spirit, she exuded the humility of a young seeker of knowledge.

Her gaze toward the Viscount was focused and bright: "Your Excellency, I hope you can offer me some guidance."

"I—I stand before the threshold of the future, and the path I should choose is still unclear. You are wise and insightful; could you explain to me how to choose my path and truly enter the ranks of those who uphold the law?"

The viscount sized up the young lady for a moment, a somewhat casual smile appearing on his face.

He spoke slowly, his voice carrying a sense of ease, as if he were immersed in old memories.

"Choosing a path is not like choosing a piece of clothing, where you wear it if it looks good and take it off if it doesn't fit."

Instead, he asked the young woman before him, "I suppose that, to express their loyalty to the Empress, the Anglican Church, and the Empire, most of the young members of the Anti-Corruption Bureau would choose to worship the most orthodox figures of light and shadow?"

With a smile on his face, the Viscount asked Miss Moore, "So, Miss Moore, what is the reason for your confusion?"

The next moment, the two simultaneously raised their hands to stop the inspector from saying anything.

The Viscount spoke up: "Douglas, let her express her thoughts."

Kelly did express her thoughts directly.

"To stay away from OverloadThrall, Your Excellency. I really don't want to have anything to do with such things."

The Viscount nodded knowingly: "A classic reason, to avoid the desecration of the slave body."

Thrall... In other words, a sense of justice?

"You could say that," Kelly replied.

The Viscount muttered to himself, "Then, aside from 'Blazing Sun,' which is offered to the Gallia Empire and is difficult to choose from, 'Crescent Moon,' 'Winged Eye,' and 'Knight' are all worth considering."

He turned to Inspector Douglas: "Douglas, I recall the Bureau of Extermination and the Alchemists mentioning the paths of 'Crescent Moon' and 'Winged Eyes,' right? And even the 'Knightly Path' passed down from Her Majesty the Queen's family?"

The inspector nodded: "Indeed, they exist, but my granddaughter isn't interested in the 'Fairy of the Lake' or the 'Eye of Enlightenment' that the Anti-Suppression Bureau possesses. However, if she chooses the path of the 'Defender,' it would be far too dangerous..."

'

"Douglas, my dear friend, what road is without danger?"

The Viscount interrupted the inspector's narration with a smile, then turned to look at Kelly, who stood to the side, unconvinced.

"Well then, Miss Moore, let me tell you a story."

The Viscount began to tell a rather long story.

"The protagonist of the story is of royal blood. In that era of war and chaos, she was born with the most dazzling bargaining chips in the world—a noble birth, countless riches, and numerous noble lords lining up to marry her. In the eyes of the world, she should marry a powerful husband, live a peaceful life as a respected noblewoman in the court."

"But at the age of thirty-three, she personally rejected all the wealth and glory that were within her grasp. She refused all marriage proposals, gave up her inheritance rights, took off her gilded robes, put on coarse clothes, and took ten nuns who followed her to the most barren cape in the north."

"There, all that remains are howling sea winds, jagged reefs, and the 'evil land' that locals fear. Legend has it that serpentine monsters crawl up from the abyss of the North Sea, their tongues flicking, spreading disease and madness. Ships often run aground and sink, and every year, people from coastal villages are dragged into darkness."

"In that era, both secular royal power and extraordinary authority were firmly held in the hands of men. But she wanted to forge a different path. She read through an enormous number of books and used her knowledge to build the most dazzling temple of knowledge in the entire north in the monastery where she lived."

"She taught nuns and monks to read scriptures, write, and observe the stars; she taught them how to navigate the dream world without getting lost; and she taught them how to purify defilement with their spirituality, rather than relying on the power of worship and burning."

"As for the 'Abyss's' remnants, those serpentine monsters that dwell in nearby caves, they breed by spreading fear and disease. The northern lords have sent armies to besiege them several times, but all have failed."

"This woman, along with her nuns, chanted day and night on the shore, gradually stripping away the abyssal aura from those monsters. Legend has it that the holy words that fell from her fingertips turned those serpentine monsters into reefs, and to this day, you can still see those coiled serpentine fossils on the shore."

"At that time, the kingdom's supernatural forces split into two factions: one faction adhered to the ancient traditions of the homeland, while the other faction regarded the Holy Light system from afar as the orthodox one. The two sides fought to the death, and the entire north was dragged into internal strife. In the end, the leaders of both sides clamored to hold a meeting to decide the winner and loser. Everyone felt that this meeting would only turn into a bloody battle."

At this point, the Viscount looked at Kelly and asked his question.

"Miss Moore, if you were in her shoes, how would you solve this?"

Kelly snapped out of her reverie, pondered for a moment, and then gave a knowing smile.

"I know whose deeds you are referring to; the path of Saint Hilda is indeed suited to me."

She answered the Viscount's question based on the ending of the story she remembered reading.

"We should not favor either side, nor should we use force to subdue anyone. In the face of the unknown, we will surely see each other's prejudices and obsessions, and with irrefutable wisdom, we will demonstrate the glory of the human mind and let appropriate rules resolve disputes."

Amid the Viscount's smile and the Inspector's sudden realization, she concluded, "Saint Hilda, the 'Light of the North,' the Virgin Prophet, the Hand of Wisdom and Mercy, the Victorious Daughter with the Scepter—this is the path most suitable for me."

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