Ellie didn't have deep feelings for the place where she grew up. Especially after she left when she was 8 years old, she never went back.
She wasn't much older than Xiuqi, but after her younger brother was born, her treatment took a sharp turn for the worse.
As a child, she was kidnapped by enemies, but her mother came and rescued her from despair. However, her mother was often not around, and others treated her badly.
She didn't have a companion until her younger sister, Liz, came along. She even often fought with her brothers to protect her adopted sister, although she was always the older one who ended up getting scolded.
The thought of returning to that place again filled Ellie with some mixed feelings.
Most of the mercenary groups that stayed behind were mobilized for this trip, numbering in the dozens, and even Daisy and Liz accompanied her.
"Sister, do we really have to go back to that place?" Liz seemed to still have a lingering fear in her heart.
"Yes, I'll go see the traces my mother left behind and put an end to my past self. Don't worry, I definitely won't go back to that hateful family."
“I hate that family too. Sister, I feel happy every day now.”
Marquis Claire, accompanied by two attendants, led the mercenary group. Looking at his daughter's current formidable strength, he sighed deeply again.
If we hadn't kicked her out back then, would things have turned out differently?
This time, he had to ask Ellie for help because his family and relatives were putting pressure on him. If Ellie hadn't been leaving soon, he really wouldn't have had the courage to come.
Fortunately, things are still turning around. After all, Ellie is now a mid-level dark mage, and with so many adventurers, they should be able to solve the problem of the fiefdom.
As for the future, we'll talk about that later.
After a night of thinking, he had come up with an answer to that question. Whether Ellie believed him or not was irrelevant.
The mercenary group members were relaxed and chatting merrily throughout the journey. This was their last group activity in Sacred Heart City, and they had a good chance to show off their skills.
Since the training methods became more rigorous, their abilities have all improved to varying degrees, and now it's time to test the results.
Because Daisy was with them, the butler also came along this time, as he didn't want anything to happen to the little darling at this time.
After comforting Lis for a while, Luo Fan joined Xiao Xue in studying the Ice Spike Technique.
There are so many ways to increase the number of ice spikes, how to speed up the casting process, and how to increase their strength. Even Xiaoxue didn't expect that such a simple spell would have so many intricacies.
This, in turn, attracted the attention of Ellie and Liss, who then drew parallels to their own spells.
Damn it, I did manage a few small projects in my past life, so I still have some analytical skills. At least I've learned how to use those analytical tools. Regarding how to enhance the Ice Spike Technique, he could come up with almost all the possible relevant factors, and then he and the girls went through them one by one.
As a result, the problem remained unresolved, leaving even Xiaoxue somewhat confused.
Can magic really be used like this?
After traveling for most of the day, we finally arrived at Claire's fiefdom, a place that looked fairly normal.
Everywhere there are cultivated fields, but the crops on them don't look very healthy; they look rather wilted.
As they delved deeper, even Daisy sensed a strong dark element, but it wasn't pure; it seemed to have been tainted.
In Lis's perception, the distant lake resembled a man-eating monster, exuding a chilling aura.
"Brother Fan, it's so scary!" Liz pointed in that direction.
"It's alright, I'm here, don't be afraid. Besides, you're a light mage, driving away these dark elements is a piece of cake."
"Hmm." Liz perked up again, but this place no longer felt familiar to her.
"Ellie, this is it. There are many dark-elemental magical beasts in the lake that come out at night. We've tried burying and purifying them, but nothing has worked."
"Moreover, this darkness has recently shown a tendency to spread, affecting the surrounding crops."
"And there are signs of a large number of magical beasts active in the woods over there. We went to clear them out twice, and each time we suffered heavy losses," Claire explained from the side.
"What about the manor?"
"They light lanterns outside at night to drive away these monsters, so they haven't been greatly affected yet. However, most of the farmers in the fiefdom have left."
This place is completely different from what it was like when I was a child. The little paths I remembered are gone. As Ellie looked at this unfamiliar land, those conflicted memories slowly began to unravel.
"Ellie, are you going to act now, or start tomorrow? The manor is over there, you should remember it, right? Why don't you go in and have a seat?"
"No need. Tifa, have everyone set up camp and rest. After that, we'll start clearing out the monsters in the vicinity."
"OK!"
The crowd gradually dispersed, and the team responsible for gathering information had already left.
“Ellie, let’s go to the lake and see what’s going on. We can have him tell us what happened in the past!” Luo Fan suggested.
“Marquis Claire, we’ve arrived at your fiefdom. It’s time to tell me your stories from the past,” Ellie said, walking towards the lake and telling the others not to follow.
Claire sighed and followed. "How about we go to the manor and I'll explain everything to you properly?"
"No need, I'll stay here. Those old relatives probably don't want to see me come back."
“How could that be? They’re very welcoming.” Claire tried to persuade her to stay, hoping to find something that would resonate with Ellie. After all, Ellie’s return was truly important to the family right now.
"Let's not talk about them anymore. Tell me what exactly happened back then." Ellie refused outright and even tore up a scroll.
Looking at the deep lake, she thought of her mother again.
"This lake is the result of that battle." Seeing Ellie's resolute attitude, Claire then began to recount the past.
"Back then, hostile mages invaded and tried to capture Lis. The clan chief at the time, who was also your grandfather, and your mother fought back fiercely, and the two sides fought very hard. In the end, they finally killed the enemy, and the fiefdom became what it is now."
"Afterwards, your mother realized the opportunity to break through to the level of a Grand Magister. In order to reduce the erosion of magic essence, she chose to go to the Demon Sealing Tower. Your grandfather was seriously injured and eventually passed on his title to me. By then, you had already gone to Sacred Heart City, so you did not encounter this crisis."
Why did they capture Liss? And what about those hostile forces?
"I don't know the specific reason either, and your mother didn't tell me either. At the time, Liz was locked in the cellar, and your mother only took her to Sacred Heart City after everything was over."
"As for the hostile forces, your grandfather guessed that they were likely from the Haifir Empire."
That's all?
That's all I know.
“He’s deliberately hiding it. When the princess mentioned this before, her expression wasn’t like this at all. It must have been a very shameful thing, which is why it became a secret.”
"According to his explanation, they must all be heroes, and they wouldn't be treated so badly. There must be some hidden story behind this, and it's very likely that it involves some unspeakable matters."
Luo Fan analyzed the situation, realizing that his clone had already left and gone to the manor to look for clues.
This guy is clearly hiding his true intentions. He might be able to fool young girls, but I'm an experienced driver.
Moreover, I know more than just that information. There are obvious clues in what he said. This guy is not honest!
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