Chapter 163: Ancient History Of The Annum's
"And there is this as well…" Caelum paused for a moment before reaching toward his school badge.
In reality, he was opening his inventory.
A faint flash appeared and then a dark stone appeared in his hand. It was the Stone of Fä'l.
To everyone else, it looked as though he had simply taken it out from the badge's storage space.
Seth glanced at the stone only briefly as his expression remained unchanged.
"Come out." Caelum said.
The surface of the stone rippled.
A moment later, an energetic little E-Boy shot out like a streak of light, happily circling the room.
"Wheeeeee!"
Before anyone could react, a second figure emerged.
A translucent young woman dressed in a maid's uniform floated out while rubbing her forehead.
"Don't tell me I have to clean the room agai–"
Cliodhna abruptly stopped as her eyes landed on Seth.
"..."
"..."
The atmosphere instantly became stiff.
Before she could utter another word, Caelum activated the connection between master and servant.
A stream of thoughts flowed directly into her mind.
In short, the message was simple: Behave if you ever want to graduate from your maid training.
Cliodhna's soul trembled and her expression immediately transformed into one of perfect professionalism.
She elegantly lifted the edges of her skirt and performed a flawless curtsy.
"K-Kuhu… Good day sir, I am Cliodhna. It is an honor to meet you."
The sudden change was so dramatic that even Jojo blinked twice.
Meanwhile, Seth's attention shifted away from Cliodhna before once again resting upon the Stone of Fä'l.
'An otherworldly treasure…' His eyes effortlessly perceived the layers of space hidden within it.
'It also has a miniature world within it and a remarkably stable one at that.'
He silently observed Caelum.
'Is this connected to his heritage?'
Unlike Caelum, Seth had always known that his son possessed an otherworldly heritage.
That much had been apparent since his birth.
To Seth, Caelum's little act of pretending the stone came from his school badge wasn't particularly convincing.
He simply chose not to expose his son.
Otherworldly treasures were unpredictable, some bestowed unimaginable powers while others devoured their owners.
Yet, whatever heritage Caelum possessed, it was unlike anything Seth had ever encountered.
While everyone else continued chatting.
Seth quietly extended a sliver of his consciousness.
There were no fluctuations.
It happened so naturally that nobody noticed.
Two people, one dead, one alive, suddenly felt reality twist.
Because for, Grozni Gefährlich Morozov Höllenbrand and Cliodhna, their surroundings silently dissolved.
Then they appeared in an ordinary room as lone figure was standing calmly before them.
The room was silent.
They simply observed one another.
Each trying to understand one another.
Seth smiled.
"Since this is our first proper meeting, allow me to formally introduce myself."
He gave a slight bow, one befitting a noble rather than an overwhelming powerhouse.
"My name is Seth Annum and I am one of the Zenith Empire's Count."
His tone was warm and approachable, as though they were merely strangers meeting over tea.
Cliodhna immediately returned the courtesy.
She placed a hand over her chest before performing another graceful curtsy.
"I am Cliodhna, it is a pleasure to meet you again, Sir Count."
Unlike her usual carefree self, every movement was impeccably refined.
She hadn't forgotten Caelum's warning.
Meanwhile, Grozni's eyes shined.
"Annum, you say…?"
His expression noticeably changed.
He had naturally sensed the faint divinity within Cliodhna.
Yet, compared to the surname Seth had just spoken, that barely registered in his mind.
Seth noticed the subtle shift in Grozni's gaze.
"It seems, my son has formed rather interesting relationships."
His eyes briefly moved between the ancient lich and the ghostly maid.
"An otherworldly divinity and an ancient mage."
Grozni gave a slow nod.
"I am your son's master. My name is Grozni Gefährlich Morozov Höllenbrand."
The room fell quiet once again.
Cliodhna merely blinked.
The name itself meant little to her, though it certainly sounded intimidating.
Seth, however, recognized it immediately.
A faint spark of interest appeared in his eyes.
"I've heard many stories about you, Dealer of Death."
It was one of Grozni's titles and it belonged to an era so distant that almost no records remained. Except when one searched for ancient ruins.
Yet Seth knew it.
Grozni observed him carefully.
"You know that title?"
"I know a little about many eras." Seth smiled faintly.
"Enough to know that countless kingdoms once feared hearing your name and enough to know that history rarely recorded your deeds accurately."
Grozni let out a quiet chuckle.
Then his expression became serious once more.
"I also never expected my disciple to belong to House Annum."
His gaze remained fixed on Seth.
"Tell me, how did your people survive?"
There was genuine confusion in his voice.
During Grozni's era, the name Annum had carried immense significance.
It was not merely a family name.
It was a title bestowed upon a lineage entrusted with preserving the world's knowledge.
They had been the keepers of records that world entrusted to no one else.
And because they possessed knowledge others desperately sought, the Annum's were constantly been hunted.
To Grozni's knowledge, that lineage should have disappeared long ago.
Yet, one now stood before him, even becoming one of the Empire's Counts.
Seth remained silent though his smile never faded.
But he didn't answer immediately.
Instead, Grozni asked the question that had troubled him from the very beginning.
The atmosphere instantly grew heavier.
"And, what is your connection to the Dark One?"
"You certainly do know a lot, don't you?" Seth replied.
He was not bothered that Grozni knew the ancient History of Annum's.
Even he had long forgotten it, because he had learned from history and more importantly.
He had outclassed that said history.
"Should I answer your first question or the second one?" Seth pondered, and the silence felt heavy.
And between these two men, Cliodhna was the one who felt the most out of place.
"…"
She had no idea who this Dark One was.
Nor did she belong to this world.