Embers of Embers

Chapter 155 The Hound of the Baskervilles
The large room seemed extremely empty, and everything was quiet, so quiet that you could clearly hear the cold wind outside the window, the wood in the fireplace burning and collapsing, and the clock slowly advancing.
It was so comfortable and peaceful. Sitting next to the fireplace in the winter, with someone accompanying me, even time seemed to slow down.
In the end, it was like a sea of ​​silence that did not dare to be disturbed. Lorenzo sat on the sofa and looked at the girl under the window.
It was almost dark, but there were no lights in the room. The dim light fell from the window, making Lorenzo unable to see her clearly.
"It hasn't been like this for a long time."
Seliu sighed suddenly, with a slight smile.
"We haven't gotten along like this for a long time since I became the heir."
Lorenzo thought for a moment.
"Are you referring to the time when you vomited to death in the warehouse?"
The journey with Seleucid back to Inverge was full of hardships. Lorenzo spent a lot of effort to get two tickets to return to Inverge. At that time, the two of them got along quietly like this, but The quietness then was due to damn seasickness.
Hearing this, Seleu couldn't help but smile. For her, this is a rare and good memory, although for Lorenzo, he doesn't really want to experience it a second time.
"What kind of guest would that be?"
Lorenzo asked, breaking the peaceful silence.
"A... guest who surprised you."
Seleu responded, seeming to enjoy upsetting Lorenzo.
"Aren't you a detective? Use your magical reasoning."
Looking at the lazy dog ​​sitting on the sofa, this person is like a mist. You never know from what angle he will give you an unexpected surprise.
"That's not reasoning, Seleu, it's just cunning deception."
Lorenzo shook his head. To be honest, he was not really a great detective, but his deception was sophisticated enough to make everyone think he was a "detective".
"Then why not continue to use deception? You always have a way to get what you want."
Seriu looked back at him, obviously there was no extra light, but those azure blue pupils seemed to be emitting a faint light, as if they were the pupils of the beast, reflecting light in the dark night.
"Just like you lied to me, you said you were my cousin and you came to take me home..."
In the winter many years ago, Lorenzo said this to Seleu, so the girl put down her guard and returned to Inverg with him.
It was a fateful meeting, when you thought you were alone, and then in the gray, someone reached out to you.
"Deception needs to be used flexibly, such as different moments and different angles."
Lorenzo replied calmly.
"This is what I taught you."
During that not-so-long journey, Lorenzo taught her a lot of weird things in order to make things easier for him, to pass the time, or to give Seleu some ability to protect herself.
"Yeah, a convincing trick."
Seleu said slowly, she is very good at this, and even said that with the talent of seeing through the soul, she can do better than Lorenzo.
"So you were... cheating on me too, right?"
The sound sounded, like throwing a stone on the silent water, causing slight ripples.
"In many cases, deception is not only the trickster's own skills, but also requires the cooperation of the other party. But it is not an easy task to make a deceived person cooperate with your deception..."
"Unless you know what she wants..."
Lorenzo took up Seleu's words.
Just like a crying woman whose husband went to the front line and did not know whether he would live or die, the best way to deceive her is to hide her husband's life and death in words, because this is what she wants to know.
People's subconscious will protect themselves. Sometimes even if they know it is a lie, in order to feel better, people will easily believe the lie, even if it is full of flaws.
Seleucid and Mrs. Verde are a typical example. An old woman lives alone. She must be longing for care from her descendants. Seleucid found this point, like a cunning fox. Perhaps Mrs. Verde She was also aware of all this, but it was like a tacit performance, a short dream, she enjoyed it very much and did not want to break it.
"Yes, letting a vigilant person leave you with peace of mind... That is the best deception."
For a helpless beggar, non-existent care is the best deception.
Seliu said calmly, her expression still frozen and cold. You would never be able to guess what she was thinking from her expression.
Just like a traveler who is about to freeze to death in the wilderness, even if you are lying to him to avoid the cold, he won't care more.
"Are... are you angry?"
Lorenzo asked tentatively.
When he saw Seliu for the first time, he knew that this little girl was a troublemaker and he had to find a way to calm her down... He thought that was an unimportant lie.
"Lorenzo, you are an amazing guy."
Seliu did not answer directly. She looked at the scenery outside the window. The sunset in Old Dunling was always so magnificent. The gloomy clouds were dyed bright orange-red by the setting sun, extending to the end of the horizon. Countless smoke pillars came from the chimneys. Rise up like the stone pillars that support the sky and the earth.
"How to say?"
Lorenzo answered casually, thinking about how to change the subject. He had never been good at strange topics in adolescence.
Let yourself relax, reach for the desserts on the side, at least eat and drink enough here.
"Haven't you realized it?"
Seleu went on to say that in that short look at each other, she seemed to see everything about Lorenzo clearly.
"what you mean?"
Lorenzo put down the dessert he was about to stuff into his mouth, a little confused and a little curious.
Seleu didn't continue the previous topic, she took the initiative to change it.
"Human emotions, although you are smiling now, are just your disguise. Under this skin, you are just a cold machine."
As if commenting on an exhibit, Seliu said seemingly casually.
"You should know that Eve, right?"
The girl who saved him, Lorenzo and she were obviously acquainted during the confrontation with Dean Lawrence.
"Ah."
Lorenzo affirmed.
"Haven't you thought of that?"
Seliu was a little surprised. He didn't know if he meant Lorenzo was really that slow or was he ruthless.
"You were about to give up on her at that time. Such a good girl, giving up right away... This is too cold."
She looked at Lorenzo. This kind of person is amazing. He will show kindness to you, but when it comes to his real goals, he can abandon you without hesitation, as if the experience between you is just It's just a dispensable illusion.
"Lorenzo, you must have broken someone's heart."
It was a really desperate moment. The blade of death was pressed under her neck, like a drowning person being thrown into the glacier. She was about to die. The only person she could hold on to was Lorenzo, and Lorenzo At that moment, he chose to give up on her.
His gray-blue pupils seemed to freeze. He looked at the figure by the window, and he didn't expect that Seleu would mention this.
Of course Lorenzo knew what he had done, and he had been avoiding it ever since, trying not to think about it.
"That was the optimal solution at the time."
"Is it just because of the 'optimal solution'?"
Seliu said with a bit of sarcasm.
"Actually, you're a colder person than I am, Lorenzo."
Like an inhuman creature, he tried his best to imitate the appearance of normal people, but when the real target appeared, he would take off his disguise and look like a terrifying beast.
"But you have also seen that when fighting against monsters, excess emotions are just a stumbling block."
He answered almost ruthlessly.
The lesser of two evils, if sacrificing one Eve could lead to the death of Dean Lawrence, that would be perfect.
It was simply a bloody transaction, and no one had any emotions.
"So is that why you're like this?"
Seleu suddenly came over. She looked down at Lorenzo, as proud as that majestic sculpture. The dim light hit her face, and the light and dark were clear.
Lorenzo did not shy away this time. He looked directly at Seleu and nodded.
"How dare you look at me."
Seleu smiled, sometimes Lorenzo was like a shy child, afraid to look at others, even more so with himself.
"I just don't know what expression to use towards others, smile or indifference? Sometimes communication between people makes people feel heavy, Seleu."
"That's why I like dealing with monsters, as long as I chop them to death with a sword."
Like a weather-beaten old man, Lorenzo said pretending to be vicissitudes of life.
"So you're always alienating everyone... is it because of the demon?"
An extremely precise blow hit the gap in the armor.
"You don't want to have anything to do with anyone because of the disaster you caused?"
Seliu is always like this. She can clearly see your hidden parts, then drag them out and beat them up.
"You have also seen the result. Not long after Eve only knew me, she almost died in the hands of the demon."
Lorenzo looked away and said.
"We call it 'contact'. The more it is related to the demon, the more dangerous it is..."
Suddenly I thought of Arthur. He wanted to send Eve away so much because of the demon. It was like an iron wall, cutting off the demon from his daughter's world.
"You are suppressing your emotions, Lorenzo. You are a human being and you are trying to turn yourself into a cold weapon."
Because of this, he became withdrawn and tried hard to pretend to be normal.
she concluded.
"Are you trying to enlighten me?"
Lorenzo suddenly felt like he was being taught a lesson by a little brat.
"probably."
"Then what should I call you, Doctor Seliu? This is my first time in such a luxurious psychological clinic."
He began to talk nonsense, which relaxed the serious atmosphere a little, but Seliu still stared at him seriously. This method of diverting attention did not work for Seliu.
In the long silence, Lorenzo said slowly.
"Emotions influence reason."
"But sometimes in life, lies and emotions are more important than logic and reason."
Lorenzo was startled, and he didn't know whether he was lamenting that a little kid could talk sense or something else. He laughed and said casually.
"Seliu, there are some things you won't understand. Everyone has different problems."
"The existence of trouble is to solve."
"But there are a lot of things that don't have answers."
Lorenzo hesitated for a moment as he spoke. When he said these things, even he was shaken. Can the so-called demon really be eradicated?It's like a journey with no end in sight, and even Lorenzo doesn't know how long he can last.
Suddenly, a pair of slender hands grabbed Lorenzo's collar, and there was a bit of anger in the ice blue light.
After a long stalemate, Lorenzo acted like a dead pig and refused to cooperate with the serious atmosphere. And she seemed to know that this would not lead to results. Seleu let go of Lorenzo and walked aside to turn on the light.The sky outside the window has darkened.
"You're like a patient who refuses treatment, Lorenzo, paranoid as hell."
The doctor issues a diagnosis to the patient.
"You lack a purpose, a purpose to keep you alive."
"How is it possible? I have always persisted in my goal."
Monsters, eradicate all monsters, Lorenzo never changed.
"Can that kind of thing really be considered a target? Lorenzo, you must have easily given up your identity just for it, right?"
Seryu muttered.
"The lesser of two evils."
Compared with that grand goal, the mere humanity is nothing worth mentioning.
Both of them were silent, and finally parted on bad terms.
The seemingly closed Seleu opened up his heart, while the relaxed and somewhat neurotic Lorenzo was a serious autistic child.
Just like using some damn fatalism to justify himself, Lorenzo didn't care at all in order to eradicate the demon.
Suddenly the doorbell rang, ushering in the next chapter of this unpleasant conversation.
"Get ready, Lorenzo, the guests are coming."
Without seeing who it was, Seliu made a conclusion and walked out to greet the guest.
Lorenzo sat upright and straightened his clothes so that he didn't look so messy.
According to Seliu, she was the one who introduced her to that guest and was paid a generous reward.
Not long after, Seleu walked in again, followed by Yawei. The old butler held a pile of letters and books in his hands, and steadily placed them on the low table next to Lorenzo, and then Standing aside like a guard, with a serious expression.
"What about the guests?"
Lorenzo asked with some confusion, but before he could ask more, Seleu sat opposite him, and the two of them stayed together again.
Looking at this familiar girl, Lorenzo seemed to know who this guest was.
"I will discuss this entrustment with you as your representative."
Seleu opened the letters while speaking, while Lorenzo asked suspiciously.
"Who do you represent?"
"The Stuart Group."
Seleu replied softly.
"Lorenzo, your mission is important this time."
Saying that, Seleu handed the opened letter to Lorenzo. It was a letter from members of the Stuart Regiment, and they sent it here together to report the same incident.
"hound?"
Lorenzo looked at the description in the letter. In the dark night, all members related to Stuart saw strange hounds. They howled hoarsely and surrounded everyone's residence.
"We initially thought it was a hallucination, but it's not like everyone is hallucinating the same thing, right?"
Seleu said.
"Not to mention, the group's members are spread throughout Yernweg."
"When did this phenomenon occur?"
Lorenzo asked, frowning.
"I don't know."
Seliu dug out more letters, which were feedback from members.
"We were confused at first and didn't know where to investigate, until I discovered the demon..."
"Do you think this has something to do with demons?"
Lorenzo became alert, and Seleu nodded at this.
"This is what you taught me. Eliminating all possibilities, no matter how weird the remaining options are, it is the only answer."
They were just words to kill the boredom of the journey, but Seleu still remembers them even now.
"So do you have any idea?"
Lorenzo became somewhat interested, and like a beast that smelled blood, he would keep chasing the monsters.
Seliu did not answer, but looked at Yawei. The old butler struggled for a moment, then picked up an ancient book and handed it to Lorenzo.
"Are you aware of the curse that hangs over Stuart?"
"curse?"
Lorenzo felt a little strange. It was reasonable to say that even the slightest scandal in such a big family would be promoted to the sky, let alone any weird curses, but he had never heard of these in his time in Old Dunling.
"My family has served the Stuart family for many years, so long that our family can be considered the living history of the Stuarts, so I know many secrets that the outside world doesn't know."
Yawei said slowly.
"This is the curse from Baskerville."
(End of this chapter)