Abyssal Chronicles

Chapter 597 - 598: Innocence?

After watching Yumo leave, Sebastian and the other Black Rose family members began their respective duties, tidying up the chaotic apartment and preparing some evening snacks for their little miss Yuan’er. Everything seemed as usual as if the day’s major incidents had never happened.

However,

As the servants got busy, Sebastian’s attention shifted to the second floor, his aged face betraying a sly expression.

After confirming that Yumo and Yuan’er had entered the bathhouse together, and hearing some playful noises,

Sebastian’s eyebrows suddenly raised,

"Now is the time!"

Taking advantage of the moment when Yumo and her daughter were engaged with each other, Sebastian hurriedly left the teacher’s apartment. The other Black Rose family servants around him didn’t find this behavior unusual.

Upon leaving the apartment,

Sebastian expertly used a hidden space teleportation circle outside the apartment. Surrounded by the light of the pale blue spatial magic, the environment around him changed drastically. A flash of blue light later, he arrived at a quiet garden on the outskirts of Luminous Academy.

The place was deserted and eerily silent.

This secluded spot was specifically chosen by Sebastian as a secure location to relay information.

As Yumo’s exclusive butler and "guardian," Sebastian had many responsibilities. Apart from collecting intelligence on the Red Leaf Empire, looking after little Yuan’er, guarding against the Girl of Destiny, and preventing His Mistress from being misled by outsiders, Sebastian also had a crucial duty: to report Yumo’s recent condition to his master, the Duke of the Black Rose family, and the several little ancestors in the Winter Forest.

Although everyone had agreed to let Yumo come to Luminous Academy, they were still quite uneasy about her first time away from the Winter Forest. Sebastian’s periodic reports were meant to calm their restless hearts.

Undoubtedly,

They were also unaware that Yumo might not appreciate being monitored in this manner. Therefore, Sebastian’s regular reporting was done covertly.

Every time Yumo rested at night or was occupied with classes during the day, Sebastian would stealthily use the teleportation circle established by the Ghostly Flame Group to reach this remote location far from Luminous Royal Academy. Here, he would transmit information to the Black Rose family, engage in direct communication, and even meet with others for exchanges, much like a spy operation.

Previously,

Sebastian would choose to come to this secret base after Yumo had settled down for the night, entering what he jokingly referred to as her ’statue mode.’

However,

Due to the special circumstances of today, Sebastian took the opportunity to come to this secluded forest early.

"Good, no one’s around."

After carefully releasing a sensory magic circle and checking the surroundings, Sebastian nodded in satisfaction.

Then,

The old butler activated his magic, using a communication magic stone glowing with a pale blue light in his hand to contact his colleague:

"Hello, Xizhi? Can you hear me?"

...

"I can hear you!"

After a brief silence, a familiar female voice responded in Sebastian’s ear.

The owner of this voice was Xizhi, a leader of the "Nightingale" organization, and someone of equal standing with Sebastian.

As soon as the connection with Sebastian was established, Xizhi’s voice came out hurriedly from the magic stone:

"Sebastian, you finally contacted me! What’s the situation now? I haven’t received your ’secret signal’ at all! What’s happening?"

Xizhi’s voice was filled with anxiety, laced with an indescribable unease.

"Did something unexpected happen on your end? Did you fail to keep it hidden? Did Lady Yumo find out?!"

Hearing this, Sebastian shook his head in resignation and soothed her:

"Don’t worry, Xizhi. There’s been no accident. To tell you the truth, I’ve managed to keep it hidden quite smoothly."

"Huh? what?!"

Xizhi was taken aback, expressing her confusion and slight disbelief at Sebastian’s words:

"You managed to keep it hidden directly?"

"Really."

In response, Sebastian let out a wry smile:

"Yes, I managed to deceive her. I took the initiative to admit my mistake, put on a tearful show, and shifted the blame to Wandon, that naive kid. Milady believed it, didn’t press any further and didn’t suspect that we had done it deliberately."

"Really? Lady Yumo just believed it like that?"

"Yes, that’s why I didn’t send you the secret signal to provide the pre-prepared ’evidence’ and the reworded ’coincidences.’ Sorry for making you wait at the border for so long."

"Wow, I can’t believe it..."

Xizhi was taken aback by this revelation.

Realizing that the anticipated outburst from Yumo was avoided and her own safety was temporarily assured, Xizhi finally relaxed after being tense for so long. However, as she relaxed, she couldn’t help but have some rather ’indecorous’ thoughts.

’How to put it?’

’While it was certainly good news that Lady Yumo hadn’t seen through our act, I feel that something is not right about how easily Lady Yumo had believed Sebastian’s story...’

It even brought a slightly strange look to her eyes:

"We didn’t even need to use the second and third steps. She believed it just like that? Lady Yumo is... too naive and too easy to deceive..."

"Yes."

Sebastian sighed again, rubbing his forehead, his aged face full of concern:

"Well, there’s nothing we can do about it. After all, our Mistress is a recluse who stayed in the Winter Forest for five centuries, not exposed to the harshness of the world and always protected by us. We’ve always solved problems for her. Her naivety is quite normal. Besides, I guess Milady is already distressed today because of the incidents with Lady Youlan and Sir Pierre. You know, when Lady Yumo is upset, she tends to stop thinking and doesn’t like to use her brain too much... Add to that her inherent trust in us."

"So, just a few words from you, and she was hoodwinked?"

"I think that’s the case."

"Goodness..."

On the other end of the communication, Xizhi let out a resigned chuckle:

"Alright, I get it now. I see why you and the Duke are always worried about Lady Yumo being lured away once she leaves the forest. Her naivety... Someone might deceive her into marriage without her even realizing."

(Mengxi: Achu*....)

"Hey! Watch your words!"

Sebastian’s brow furrowed, and he immediately rebuked her sternly:

"Lady Yumo is simply inexperienced in worldly matters, not stupid! Watch how you speak! You can’t compare Milady with Pierre or Limo, understand?!"

"Oh, right, my bad."

"Good, just remember not to speak carelessly. We’re her subordinates, after all. We should maintain reverence for Our Mistress!"

"Right, right... But it’s indeed fortunate that you managed to deceive her. Otherwise, it would have been a real hassle."

"Yes, indeed."

Sebastian nodded noncommittally:

"Lady Youlan’s sudden involvement definitely disrupted our original plans. But since Milady hasn’t suspected anything, Duke Xiao’s plan can continue, though with some minor changes."

"Sure. Well, since we’ve smoothly gotten through this, I’ll get back to my work."

"Yes, you should. The Duke is waiting for your report on the military deployments at the borders of various countries."

...

After giving a few more instructions, the light on the communication magic stone in Sebastian’s hand faded, signaling the end of the conversation with Xizhi.

However,

After the communication ended, Sebastian couldn’t help but scratch his head, his face showing a mix of emotions. Successfully deceiving Yumo should have been a cause for celebration, but Sebastian felt something was off, his heart still thumping uneasily.

But then,

In the next moment, Sebastian shook his head, dismissing the somewhat unrealistic thoughts in his mind.

Considering the past experiences with Limo and Pierre’s reckless actions, they had faced worse situations. Even then, they managed to deceive Lady Yumo smoothly. This time should be no different.

’Besides, if Milady had really realized something, her reaction wouldn’t have been so mild’

’She would have been up in arms...’

"Let it be, I’m probably overthinking. Milady is so innocent and adorable, she probably wouldn’t have caught on... Yes, I must be overly sensitive again"

Comforting himself, Sebastian approached the spatial teleportation circle.

In the next instant,

With the activation of the circle and surrounded by blue light, Sebastian’s figure vanished from the deserted garden.

...

And as Sebastian left,

Apart from a few bloody butterflies slowly flying by to the skye, the vast garden returned to its previous deathly silence...