[00 Months: 09 Days: 12 Hours]
"Why is the Lyma Family so obsessed with the Wild Lands expedition?" I asked, studying Seraphina's face for any sign of deception.
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My eyes narrowed as I pondered on her response.
In the back of my mind, I was going over the facts I knew about the Lyma Family. They were wealthy, influential, and had vast lands under their control.
The dangers and casualties that the expedition to the Wild Lands brought didn't seem to be worth the risk unless there was sothing more significant at stake.
Seraphina shifted uncomfortably under my gaze, "I... I can't tell you."
I tilted my head, my gaze not leaving her face, "Why not? Don't you trust ?"
She looked shocked at my words, "No, it's not that... I trust you. But it's a family secret. I can't betray my family's trust by revealing such confidential information."
A thought crossed my mind, and I voiced it out, "Did your family place a curse on you that would cause you harm or even kill you if you told anyone?"
Seraphina gasped in surprise at my question, "What? No! My family would never do such a thing. Besides, I don't think such Magic is sothing we can even perform."
As she denied my suspicion, I took in her words and analyzed them.
While her denial seed genuine, there was still an air of mystery surrounding the Lyma Family's interest in the Wild Lands that she was unwilling or unable to reveal.
And that intrigued even more.
My mind raced as I weighed the benefits and risks of pushing Seraphina further. The information she held was too crucial to be left in the shadows.
'Maybe I should use ...'
However, the possible repercussions if sothing bad did happen to her could ruin everything I've built so far.
'All the goodwill I'd accumulated would go down the drain…'
But if the situation truly beca dire, I could always change my identity, move to a new city, and join the expedition under a new alias.
The Lyma Family seed desperate enough that it should be easier than I initially thought.
After so thought, I deed the reward was worth the risk.
It was unlikely sothing bad would happen to Seraphina if she revealed the family's secret.
And if there was even the slightest chance she was under so sort of curse or spell, I would deal with that when the ti ca.
With my mind made up, I looked straight into her eyes, activating my Skill.
'With this, it'll be impossible for her to lie to …'
"I'll ask you again, Seraphina," I said in a steady, firm voice. "Why is the Lyma family so obsessed with the Wild Lands expedition?"
The room was heavy with tension as I awaited her response.
I hoped that she would reveal what I needed to hear, and hoped even more that there wouldn't be dire consequences for forcing her to speak.
The mont Seraphina began speaking, I could sense the change in her.
Her voice was softer, filled with an intensity that was reserved for her confession. Her gaze, while stuck on mine, felt so darkened.
She began focusing on her hands that were nervously fiddling with the hem of her dress.
"My father...he's very ill," she finally admitted. "If we don't find a cure soon, he'll...he'll die."
Her words hung heavily in the air between us.
She continued, revealing that they had sought the help of the Divine Priestess of the Eastern Theocracy, a consultation that had cost them a small fortune, but even her magic was of no help.
However, she had offered them a glimr of hope in the form of a 'Divine Revelation'.
Apparently, the cure lay hidden within the Wild Lands, in a place called the Dungeon of Purity.
I listened attentively, but my thoughts were racing.
I knew the Wild Lands like the back of my hand thanks to the Information I bought, the exploration I undertook, and my Navigation Device, yet I had never co across this Dungeon of Purity.
Was it a hidden dungeon?
'I paid good money for Information concerning the Wild Lands, but there was nothing about a Dungeon of Purity.
And what about this Divine Revelation? It made question the powers at play in this world.
'Do the people here have Skills too? Or is there sothing more?'
But what struck the most was the lengths to which the Lyma family was willing to go to save one man.
"Why?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of . "Why would you risk everything for your father?"
Many people had died, and the Lyma Family had lost a lot of prestige and money as a result of this desperate Expedition to the Wild Lands.
Why would they go so far for one guy, even if he was the Head of the Household?
"Well, the thing is…"
Seraphina began to explain that she was one of six siblings, with only one male amongst them - an eight-year-old boy.
If her father were to die, the duchy would fall into the hands of her uncle, a man notorious for his brutality.
They suspected him of being behind her father's illness, and if he were to gain power, their family's safety would be at risk.
Furthermore, he was linked with the underworld, specifically the Nine-Headed Dragon Union - the largest criminal organization in the world.
His ascension to the head of the Lyma Family would bring about unthinkable consequences.
'Wow. That's a lot of problems…' My thoughts echoed as I took it all in.
I leaned back, taking a mont to absorb everything she had just disclosed.
The pieces began to fit together, and I started to understand the gravity of the situation.
The Lyma Family wasn't just battling against ti to save their father; they were fighting for their survival.
'Now then… how can I best benefit from all of this?'
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[A/N]
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