I'm a Sword Master in Sword Art Online

The group exchanged glances, confirming their earlier suspicions—the baron's long-term alcoholism and violence had caused his wife to miscarry, ultimately forcing the mother and daughter to leave home.

Mochizuki Kaede pressed on, "How did you handle the fetus after Madam's miscarriage?"

“What else can we do?” The baron shook his head dejectedly, a hint of pain flashing in his eyes. “We can only take it out and bury it… I’ve always wanted another child. I told Jenny that we would be happier with another little baby, but that child died before it was even born. Can you understand that feeling? My child, dead.”

Mochizuki Kaede said in a deep voice, "Baron, I understand your pain. But now, in order to find your wife and daughter, that miscarried child might be of some help."

"What?" The baron looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with confusion.

Mochizuki then recounted the method the witch doctor had mentioned to Baron Henry in detail.

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Chapter 83: Naming Ceremony

The sky was clear and blue at dusk, but a sudden gale and torrential rain followed as night fell. Large raindrops pounded against everyone's cloaks, and lightning flashed across the dark night sky from time to time.

Braving the inclement weather, Mochizuki Kaede and his group followed Baron Henry to the public cemetery.

The muddy path slipped underfoot, and the crooked tombstones around us cast menacing shadows in the lightning.

The baron's lantern swayed in the wind and rain, barely illuminating the way ahead.

"Right, right here." The baron pointed to a low-lying pit.

However, what was chilling was that the grave had been dug up, with damp soil scattered around it, and it was completely empty.

Cold rainwater slid down Mochizuki Kaede's cheeks.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the bushes nearby.

A twisted figure slowly crawled out—

It was a deformed and horribly grotesque "baby".

Its entire body was bluish-purple, its swollen head almost the same size as its body, and its oval, jet-black eyes occupied half of its face. There were no whites in its eyes, only bottomless darkness. Its slender fingers scratched at the ground, as if someone were repeatedly scraping tooth enamel with a rusty nail.

"Ah!" The Baron staggered backward.

Asuna pursed her lips, her slender fingers unconsciously clutching the hem of Mochizuki Kaede's clothes. Silica, like a frightened little rabbit, hurriedly hid behind Mochizuki Kaede.

Unexpectedly, Yuna bent down, oblivious to the rain soaking her white hat, and simply gazed curiously at the wandering soul.

“Pick it up and hold it in your arms,” Mochizuki Maple said to the Baron in a deep voice.

Baron Henry shook his head in terror, his fat face trembling: "It will bite me!"

"If it attacks you, we will protect you." Mochizuki Kaede's Thunder Blade was already unsheathed, its blade gleaming coldly in the rainy night.

At that moment, Yuna suddenly spoke softly, "Let me try to soothe it with music."

Mochizuki Kaede turned to look at her.

In the swaying glow of the lantern, the girl's fair face appeared as soft as moonlight. Her brown eyes shone brightly like stars, gleaming with unwavering determination. Her dark brown hair, glossy from being wet, had a carefully braided plait on one side that rested against her shoulder, the ends hanging down damply.

After receiving permission from Mochizuki Kaede, Yuna gently plucked the strings of the lute.

A lighthearted melody rose in the somber cemetery, like a ray of sunlight piercing through the heavy rain.

Her fingers danced nimbly on the strings, her pink lips curved slightly upward, and she exuded a warm aura.

Surprisingly, the twisted, corpse-like infant actually stopped crawling.

It raised its rotting little face and "looked" in Yuna's direction, a faint glimmer of light seemingly flashing in its empty eye sockets. Rainwater slid down its bluish-gray skin, but at this moment it no longer looked so terrifying; instead, it resembled a lost child finally hearing its mother's call.

Baron Henry, his legs trembling, slowly knelt down. His lips quivered as he muttered "Gods protect us," his fat hands shaking uncontrollably in the rain. When his fingertips touched the infant's cold skin, he flinched violently.

Surprisingly, the horrifying little body remained remarkably still. Although its bluish-gray skin was covered in lividity and its rotting eyelids were half-open, it merely stared at the Baron with its empty eyes, offering no resistance whatsoever.

"Have you decided what name to give this child?" Mochizuki Kaede's voice was particularly clear amidst the sound of rain.

The baron's Adam's apple bobbed: "Not...not yet..."

"I'm thinking now, this is an important part of the naming ceremony."

The baron looked down at the corpse infant in his arms, rainwater mixed with tears streaming down his fat cheeks.

He suddenly remembered his wife nestled in his arms, whispering her hopes for the future; they were both young then.

“She…she’s a girl…” The baron’s voice choked with emotion, “Let’s call her Leah…”

His trembling fingers gently brushed across the decaying face of the infant corpse: "Lia... my little Lia..."

He looked up, his eyes filled with confusion and pain: "And then? What should I do?"

"Read after me."

Mochizuki Kaede's voice was steady and powerful, piercing through the howling wind and rain:

With the gifts of the vast earth,

With blessings from the vast heavens.

The infant I once rejected from my life

Please accept this belated forgiveness.

From this moment on,

You will be called Leah.

To become my flesh and blood,

My precious daughter, under my protection.

The baron's choked voice sounded particularly fragile amidst the thunder. He clumsily repeated each word, his obese body shivering in the rain.

Yuna's piano playing, with its gentle melody intertwining with the sound of rain, seemed to be providing accompaniment for this belated ceremony.

As the last word fell, the corpse infant suddenly trembled violently. Its rotting little hands gripped the baron's collar tightly, with a force that almost tore the luxurious fabric apart.

Then, it suddenly let go, lay back in the Baron's arms, and slowly closed its dark eyes, as if it had finally found peace.

Yuna's piano playing came to an abrupt end at that moment, the last note fading into the rainy night.

"That's enough," Mochizuki Kaede said softly. "Let's rebury Liya."

The baron carefully placed the small body into the pit.

Asuna and Silica were no longer afraid. The two girls stood in the rain, tears welling in their eyes.

As the last handful of soil covered little Lia's body, a pale blue light suddenly rose from the grave, tracing a bright path in the rain as it drifted into the depths of the distant forest.

"Baron, you should go back and rest." Wang Yuefeng sheathed his sword and gave his companions a wink. The group nodded in unison, preparing to follow the faint blue light.

"No! I want to go with you too!" The Baron suddenly grabbed Mochizuki Kaede's arm excitedly, his eyes flashing with a determined light.

With time running out, Mochizuki Kaede had no choice but to compromise.

The group followed the blue light into the heavy rain and traversed the muddy wilderness.

The blue light eventually led them to a swamp shrouded in mist, where the decaying wooden planks creaked under their feet.

At the end of the road, a crooked wooden cabin in the woods teeters precariously in the wind and rain.

The moment the blue light touched the wooden door, it suddenly turned into starlight and disappeared into the rain.

"boom--"

Mochizuki burst through the door, and a musty smell mixed with the bitter aroma of herbs hit him.

Inside the dimly lit room sat a disheveled woman.

Despite her withered face and unfocused eyes, Mochizuki Kaede could still recognize the elegant baroness in the photo frame from her haggard features.

"Jenny! What happened to you?!" Baron Henry staggered forward and knelt before the woman.

To everyone's surprise, the woman struggled violently like a frightened wild animal: "Who are you! Get away!"

Her fingernails scratched bloody marks on the Baron's face, clearly indicating that he was no longer in his right mind.

Suddenly, a hoarse, cold laugh came from outside the window: "I didn't expect you to find this place."

Mochizuki Kaede instantly drew her sword and rushed outside.

In the wind and rain, a hunched old witch stood in the middle of the swamp, leaning on a snake-headed cane, her murky eyes gleaming with malice.

"Since that's the case," the old witch raised her snake-headed staff, letting out a sharp, piercing laugh, "then they can all be food for my little bastards!"

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Chapter 84: The Rose Necklace

As the old witch's sinister laughter subsided, the murky swamp suddenly churned violently, and several giant pythons, each as thick as an adult's waist, burst from the water, their scales covered in rotting mud, their scarlet tongues hissing in the rain.

"Chong-"

Mochizuki Kaede instantly drew his Thunder Blade, lightning crackling across its blade.

At the same time, he raised his left hand and planted the [Banner of Valor] dropped by the fifth floor BOSS upright in the mud.

Two-meter-long silver flagpoles are deeply embedded in the swamp, while golden flags flutter in the gale, bearing the emblem of the "Golden Rule".

Centered on the flag, a pale golden halo instantly spread out, covering an area of ​​twenty meters in radius.

As the golden halo of the [Banner of Valor] shimmered in the rain, Mochizuki Kaede and the others instantly felt a surge of power coursing through their bodies. Their attack power, defense, and resistance to abnormal statuses were all enhanced, making every movement of theirs explosive.

"It's coming!"

Asuna shouted, and the moment her elven sword was drawn, it flashed like a silver lightning bolt. Her figure weaved through the rain, the tip of her sword precisely piercing the vital spot of the nearest giant python.

Silica's petite figure was poised to strike. With a soft shout, the full moon wheel drew a graceful silver arc in the air, and the spinning wheel struck the giant python's head.

Yuna retreated to a safe distance, her slender fingers flying across the strings of her lute. The melodious notes materialized into tangible light patterns, enveloping her companions and enhancing their attack power. Her white hat billowed in the wind, and her brown eyes intently observed the changing battle.

Mochizuki Maple's Thunder Blade unleashed golden lightning that tore through the rain curtain. His agile figure weaved through the swarm of snakes, each strike carrying the force of a thunderbolt.

When a giant python as thick as a bucket opened its blood-red maw and lunged, he leaped up suddenly, and with a flash of light, his blade cleaved the snake's head in two.

The golden aura of enhancement perfectly synergized with Yuna's harp music buff, making each of their attacks unleash astonishing power.

On the swamp, lightning, sword shadows, and silver wheels intertwined to form a web of death, strangling and killing those terrifying monsters one by one.

Just ten minutes later, the last giant python turned into black smoke and disappeared under Asuna's sword.

The wind and rain still raged, but the swamp had returned to calm, with only the [Banner of Valor] standing proudly in the storm, as if announcing the end of this battle.

"What?!" The old witch's gaunt face twisted in agony as she abruptly raised her snake-headed staff, unleashing a sudden burst of ghastly green light.

In the distorted light, her body swelled rapidly, transforming in the blink of an eye into a three-meter-tall giant python, its scales gleaming with an eerie green light.

"I was originally planning to slowly absorb that woman's life essence..." the giant python spoke in a human voice, a foul-smelling venomous mist spewing from between its fangs, "Now I'll swallow you all whole!"

Just as it opened its gaping maw, Wang Yuefeng's [Water Boots] emitted a brilliant blue light.

He swiftly ascended the snake's body like the wind, leaping onto the giant python's head in a few bounds. His lightning blade, crackling with blinding electricity, pierced the python's right eye.

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah!"

The giant python let out a shrill roar, its massive body twisting wildly.

But that wasn't the end. Asuna's elven rapier simultaneously shone with an emerald light as she swiftly pierced the giant serpent's body, the blade exploding with dazzling light inside the snake's belly.

"boom!"

As Wang Yuefeng landed gracefully, the giant python had already vanished into countless points of light.

Those words became its last testament.

Asuna sheathed her sword and quickly walked to Mochizuki Kaede's side, her chestnut hair fluttering in the wind: "Kaede! This battle ended so quickly!"

Mochizuki looked at the still-humming Thunder Blade in his hand, then at the towering [Banner of Valor], and smiled slightly: "Hmm, this time we owe a lot to the guild banner. The buffs from the guild banner are indeed stronger than I imagined."