A Core Ship From The Start

Chapter 276: Chapter 222 The Secret of Layas_1

“It seems you already know about the child…Layas’s true identity.”

Although wearing a mask, Duanmu Huai couldn’t see Tannis’s expression, but her tone was quite calm.

“Since she voluntarily told you her name, I don’t want to say much about this. However, as her mother who raised her, please allow me to say one thing—I hope you continue to treat Zelaya Silk well from now on. No matter what the reason for her appearance, she is still a good child… it makes me, as a mother, feel guilty.” @@novelbin@@

“Indeed, the little girl is quite well-behaved, but I think you also know that she has some troubles in her heart.”

Even though Layas looks a bit odd, she herself is not a bad person, and for that, Duanmu Huai doesn’t object. Despite being a Judge, he only targets alien races that pose a threat to humans. For Layas, who is weak in combat…he wouldn’t bully her, would he?

“Really… She has been acting a bit strange lately, so she does have troubles.”

When she said this, Tannis sighed.

“I hope you can understand that sometimes knowing the truth is not necessarily a good thing. How one’s background is, should not blame the person involved. What we should do is to fight against the Golden Law, compared to it, one’s background is worthless.”

“Alright, I understand.”

“Thank you.”

Hearing Duanmu Huai’s answer, Tannis smiled slightly, and then her tone became serious.

“…Since you already know so much, and you’ve perfectly fulfilled my commission, it seems it’s time to tell you about the real master of Volcano Manor, My King Rakard.”

“Oh?”

Being faced with Tannis’s speech, Duanmu Huai’s eyes were focused. Tannis sighed and continued speaking.

“The Golden Tree gives blessings to Blighters, but compared to the responsibility and mission guided alongside, the blessings seem too measly… Therefore, to fulfill the mission, Blighters are forced to thirst for strength. Just like when the Elven Ring was shattered, the king who possessed the Great Rune faced a dilemma. Forced to rob each other’s divided strength—My King was very angry about this, he couldn’t accept such shallow behavior. Since the Golden Tree, the deity, intends to trample on us, we will rise up against it, even if we commit blasphemy against the law. We are obliged to maintain our dignity, this is the consensus among all the inhabitants of Volcano Manor, and it is the determination of My King.”

I see.

In his heart, Duanmu Huai silently nodded. He had previously heard Lani saying that she had collaborated with Rakard. Now it seems that although Rakard and Lani’s objectives are not the same, their target aligns.

Saying this, Tannis once again looked towards Duanmu Huai.

“…As long as you continue on the path of a hero, one day, you will meet My King.”

“Alright, then I…look forward to it.”

The conversation ended here, and Duanmu Huai also planned to leave. But before he left…he suddenly remembered something.

“By the way, Ms. Tannis.”

“What else is there?”

“Why do you say Layas is a Naga? That form…it’s clearly a lizard, isn’t it?”

Duanmu Huai was perplexed, in fact, the first time he saw Layas, he thought that she must be a lizard. The reason was simple, Duanmu Huai had previously watched some pet lizard videos on a video sharing site. The lizards in those videos, just like Layas, had a pair of short, tiny hands and feet, a somewhat chubby body and a head like a snake’s.

At least in Duanmu Huai’s view, no matter how you look at it, Layas’s true form appears to be a small lizard that has been magnified to two meters.

“No, she’s a Naga.”

“It’s clearly a lizard…”

Duanmu Huai and Tannis then spent an entire hour discussing this question.

It seems both of them have quite a lot of time on their hands.

After ending this discussion, which produced no result and was simply a time pass, Duanmu Huai suddenly remembered that they were supposed to find Layas to tell her about the situation at the Volcano Manor, but he had forgotten this due to the sight of a large lizard—so now he went back to Layas and told her what he had found out.

“As I expected…”

After listening to Duanmu Huai’s words, Layas seemed a bit uneasy. Then she thought for a moment and looked at Duanmu Huai.

“I must tell you the truth, Hero. At night, I see a black shadow wriggling in the corridor… that black shadow entered the room next door and never came out. And, if I’m not mistaken, that shadow, like me, has the silhouette of a snake.”

It’s obviously a lizard, though.

“… This Volcano Manor has secrets I don’t know… I think Ms. Tannis must have hidden something from me.”

“So what do you plan to do?”

Duanmu Huai asked curiously as he looked at Layas, who then lowered her head.

“Although I shouldn’t be asking you this, but…can you tell me if you find out anything?”

“Hmm…”

As Duanmu Huai stared at Layas, he couldn’t help but ponder. Although he didn’t know Layas’s real identity yet, according to Tannis’s insinuating words earlier, it was very possible that Tannis wasn’t actually Layas’s mother, and Layas’s identity might not be as good as she thought…

“Are you sure? Knowing secrets comes at a cost. You should know that there’s a reason why secrets are secrets. If you want to know the secrets, you must pay the price. Perhaps … the price is something you cannot afford.”