Alice tugged at Fiona’s hand, wanting her to stop speculating, but once Fiona’s train of thought started running, only Drake could make her stop.
She narrowed her eyes and voiced her next theory: "Of course, it could also be that this woman wasn’t betrayed or hurt. Maybe she’s just trying to destroy soone else’s happiness. There are people like that—those who can’t stand seeing others happy and always want to drag them into misery too. So, everyone, which case do you think the girl holding the black cat falls into?"
Hers spoke softly, "We’ll need to investigate further. The only ones who can give us the real answer are the Andersens themselves."
Liam patted Finn on the back. "Don’t worry, we’ll do our best. We definitely won’t let you die."
Finn gave a weak smile, lowering his eyes, and said nothing more.
The carriage kept rolling along, and eventually, they arrived at the Andersens’ mansion.
From the architecture alone, it was clear that the Andersens were extrely wealthy.
Their mansion sat on the side of a mountain, with no other houses in sight—clearly the setup of a dungeon.
A mansion surrounded by a forest—it is evident that they might never leave that forest again once they stepped in.
Sure enough, as soon as they got off the carriage, a thick mist began to form.
Mr. Andersen ca out to greet them. "It’s best if none of you go out in the late afternoon or at night. You could easily get lost. There are things in the forest... things we can’t understand."
Only then did the humans notice—just monts ago, when they had left the church, the sky was bright and clear, as if it were still midday.
The journey to the Andersens’ mansion hadn’t taken that long, yet the sky was dim, the light fading without even a trace of sunset.
Hers nodded, his expression grave. "Of course. I’ll fight whatever’s out there—but I’m not stupid."
Hearing that, Mr. Andersen’s face filled with reverence, and he quickly invited them inside the mansion.
The mont they stepped through the doors, they were greeted by the rich aroma of food.
"Please, make yourselves at ho," Mr. Andersen said. "I’ll go change my clothes."
Led to the dining table, Hers and the others sat down, their eyes falling on the steaming dishes before them.
Finn couldn’t help but swallow instinctively.
On the table, most of the dishes were made of at, with only a bit of bread and vegetables on the side—it was as if the spread itself was flaunting the Andersens’ wealth.
Yet, it was obvious that both Mr. and Mrs. Andersen were relatively thin. Mr. Andersen, in particular, had scrawny legs, and even his movents didn’t resemble those of soone truly wealthy.
The group exchanged glances but said nothing. Hers looked at Finn and asked, "Do you want to eat that?"
Finn blinked in surprise. "How did you know?"
Hers replied softly, "You’re drooling."
Finn imdiately covered his mouth in panic, suddenly feeling short of breath.
He glanced around nervously. "You guys... You don’t want to eat?"
Fiona smiled at him. "No. After all, you’re the only one contaminated right now."
Finn: "..." He was truly offended.
[Does anyone else think Fiona’s acting a little weird?]
[Weird? Isn’t that just how she is? Annoying—just like Drake.]
[In Drake’s team, only Ron still acts remotely normal.]
[Fine, go ahead and hate her. You’ll be the ones screaming later.]
Before long, the Andersens appeared hand in hand. Their gestures were intimate, but no matter how delicate and fragile Mrs. Andersen tried to appear, one couldn’t ignore that she was taller than her husband. Still, she kept leaning toward him, as if to rest her head on his shoulder.
Mr. Andersen affectionately patted her head, the two of them looking every bit the picture of newlywed bliss—ti itself seed unable to dull their love.
They each took their seats at the head of the table. Mr. Andersen looked at his guests and said gently, "You haven’t eaten yet? My apologies for keeping you waiting."
Hers shook his head. "It’s only proper manners."
Overjoyed, Mr. Andersen began to eat first.
A faint frown crossed his face when he noticed that none of them were touching the at. "Why do you all seem to have no appetite? Is the food not to your liking?"
As he spoke, he lifted a piece of steak to his mouth. No one could tell how rare it was cooked, but the at looked soft, and a drop of bright red liquid slipped down, pooling on the edge of the spotless white plate.
"It’s delicious, please, have a taste," Mr. Andersen urged enthusiastically.
Hers shook his head. "We can’t eat at, sir—it’s part of our cultivation rules."
Mr. Andersen’s eyes widened, filled with reverence and curiosity. "So... just by abstaining from at, one can exorcise spirits like you do?"
Hers shook his head again. "Every profession requires its own skills, Mr. Andersen. I’m afraid exorcism isn’t quite suited for you."
A look of regret crossed Mr. Andersen’s face, and his wife imdiately reached over to comfort him in a soft, gentle voice.
Dabbing the corner of his mouth with a napkin, Mr. Andersen then turned to Hers’s group and spoke earnestly. "Although you are all powerful exorcists, I must ask that you follow a few rules while staying in our mansion."
"The servants will not appear inside the mansion—please rember. And the outside is very dangerous at night, so I ask that you remain in your rooms. I truly don’t want any of you to co to harm while you’re here."
Hers nodded. "Thank you for the warning. I want to ask about the woman holding the black cat. Could you describe her for us?"
At that, the Andersens exchanged uneasy glances. Disgust and fear flashed clearly in their eyes—though fear outweighed the rest.
Mrs. Andersen’s voice trembled as she said, "She had a terrifying birthmark on her face... she was barefoot, wearing a white dress. Her black cat—its eyes were blood-red, like a demon’s. They... they kept staring at us. It was horrifying!"
Tears welled in her eyes, and she broke into sobs, burying her face against Mr. Andersen’s chest.
Mr. Andersen quickly comforted her, then said softly to the others, "I’ll take her back to our room first." He gestured for them to wait for his return.
Hers, as if understanding his intentions, gave a calm nod.
Before long, Mr. Andersen ca back downstairs, his face grave and hesitant as he looked at the group.
Nyx, who had been smiling gently the whole ti, spoke soothingly. "Mr. Andersen, if anything is troubling you, please tell us. We can help share your burden."
Mr. Andersen’s eyes turned red as he sat down, looking pained and helpless.
"I... I’ve been hiding sothing from my wife."
The group exchanged looks. Fiona’s eyes lit up as she leaned toward Liam and whispered, "Guess which scenario this is?"
Liam stifled a laugh and pushed her face away, pretending to stay serious as he looked back at Mr. Andersen.
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