Surviving The Fourth Calamity

Chapter 323: Chapter 124 Fran’s Care for Hill

Hill continued to read.

After Melanie was seriously injured, she never got in touch with those princesses again.

She spent her last days staying on the estate, and Adrian dealt with all the subsequent affairs.

Although the Earl was somewhat interested in her fortune, the appearance of Adrian made him much more honest.

Considering that the dowry Fran had given Melanie was not very substantial, and most of the several hundred thousand gold coins’ worth of property was things like estate jewelry, the Earl decided to give up the trouble for the sake of such an amount of money.

Hill sighed as he read this segment, which was highlighted—words said by some old servants left behind in White Horse City.

This Hill did understand. He had asked Lina why the Earl knew nothing of Melanie’s property.

Lina only laughed, saying that the Earl didn’t understand what an Alchemist was; he only looked inside the chest and never noticed Lady Melanie’s jewelry.

Hill understood very well; many Mages never see a storage ring larger than three square meters in their entire lives.

Not to mention nobles like the Earl. A noble who only knows how to count his wealth in gold coins absolutely wouldn’t hold a high enough status to be privy to many things.

But it was also the appearance of Adrian that prevented the Earl, who had planned to visit the estate before Melanie’s death, from ultimately coming over.

This man always made the wrong choices.

Hill remembered that at that time, Melanie’s visits to see him became more frequent.

She soon discovered his apprentice level was quite high, so she tutored him more carefully and set higher demands for him.

At that time, Melanie was a frail beauty plagued by illness, her complexion pallid, eliciting pity.

Most of the time, she could only lie in bed, yet she insisted on tutoring Hill every day.

She never complained about Count Pelast in front of Hill nor spoke ill of the Kral Clan—it was like she suddenly realized she had a child and wanted to seriously teach him before she died.

Hill felt very sorry for her and tried his best to meet all her demands.

All of his affection for Melanie was actually built during that period.

Although he knew Melanie was only so meticulous because he was talented, he never saw the young girl as his mother nor did he yearn for any parental affection from Melanie, nor did he expect a mother to love her child unconditionally. Therefore, they got along rather well.

But it was also during this time that Hill’s impression of Melanie as a good woman deepened. He truly felt that Melanie was just too young to be a mother and didn’t know how to love her child properly.

Since he wouldn’t put Melanie in the most important place in his heart, naturally, he wouldn’t expect her to love him excessively.

After that explosion, Melanie’s laboratory was completely destroyed, and Adrian came to clean up the aftermath.

The laboratory that Hill later used himself was rebuilt by Adrian for him.

So he really didn’t discover anything.

Later on, he spent most of his time in the castle; even if there was something in the estate that might give things away, Lina would have likely cleaned it up.

When Hill occasionally went back to check, he found nothing at all.

Compared to Melanie, it was Lina who more often complained about Melanie’s innocence and cursed Count Pelast’s shamelessness in front of Hill.

Lina was the one who had the most conflicts with the Kral Clan’s servants who were sent to look after Manton, compared to Melanie.

So she often complained.

Melanie herself, on the other hand, didn’t really say much on the matter.

The greatest talent of a straight male is to fantasize about a pure and spotless White Lotus and then to believe in it wholeheartedly.

Although Hill knew, from reading novels, that many people considered this kind of straight male as the type to be utterly deceived by a White Lotus, he always thought he was too smart to be fooled.

Now he understood, it wasn’t the White Lotus itself that fooled straight men, but their own imagination.

So frustrating! Why could he fantasize so much on his own!

Hill tossed aside the book in his hand; there was nothing good to see in the rest.

Hill rolled restlessly on the bed until someone arrived at the door.

”Are you okay, Hill?” Fran walked in, looking at his unlucky grandchild.

”Did Grandfather always know?” Hill rolled over to sit up.

”If Melanie were really as good as you thought, Pelast would not have lived to marry her,” Fran said indifferently. ”You really don’t know what a Court Archmage’s status is. As long as I don’t kill someone in public, no one would bother with me.

That Helen and Pelast dared to conspire against Melanie knew a little—that she wasn’t a pushover.

It’s just that the princesses have their own clique, and other powers simply don’t understand what they are really up to.

But I guess not many of Saral’s princesses are from the Evil Faction.”

”Why didn’t you tell me earlier!” Hill wailed.

”Isn’t it good this way?” Fran showed a hint of a smile. ”Many things, if you knew them, would lead to completely different choices. Maybe you would not even have reached Magister level.”

Hill held his forehead and let out a long sigh.

If he had known about Melanie’s true character earlier, he probably wouldn’t have become so close to Fran.

He would either have kept his distance from everyone, or when William revealed his identity, he would have joined him.

Because he cherished the blood relationship with Melanie and later received Fran’s sincere love and care, Hill was not completely out of place in this world.

Fran probably understood that Hill had some pure qualities, so he didn’t want to tell him the truth while he was still immature.

”If you were a bit more stubborn, I would have told you,” Fran shook his head, ”but after being favored by nature, your character seems even closer to nature and tends to the Kind Alignment. I’m worried that if you knew the truth, you’d run off into the wilderness and never look back, and I don’t want to lose you.”

Hill started to laugh, his grandfather really was something, willing to say such cheesy words just to comfort him.

Hill, looking at the worried expression in Fran’s eyes, felt a warm feeling in his heart, but also a bit like wanting to bitterly smile.

In Fran’s eyes, how naïve was he after all!

It’s not like he would get upset just because Melanie was a white that turned to black.

Melanie and his relationship had never been close.

Hill’s feelings towards Melanie were more about gratitude for fulfilling the most basic responsibilities of a mother, and Melanie really did take his mage education seriously.

Although Hill’s 12 years of life were harsh, that was because he was strict with himself.

Melanie just wasn’t concerned with his emotions, but she didn’t neglect him in his daily life.

After all, he was not truly a child, not seeking maternal love from a young girl.

In fact, it was precisely because of this that he completely failed to discover Melanie’s real identity.

He couldn’t think of Melanie as his mother, naturally, he wouldn’t be concerned with her daily activities.

When Lina said his mother was in the laboratory and wouldn’t come out for several days, Hill found it easy to believe.

All his frustrations were because he was wondering, did everyone know Hill Polanio was purely a fool?

”Don’t worry about me, Grandfather,” Hill shook his head, ”I just feel a bit foolish, that’s all. As a Nature Warlock known for simplicity, at worst, it makes me seem easy to deceive.

But with nature’s embrace, no one will be able to deceive me once I’m grown.

Besides, I’ve already achieved Legendary status! There are few who are qualified to speak to me now.

Even if my mother isn’t what you’d call a good person, she hasn’t wronged me.

And besides, her doings are nothing extraordinary. Aren’t there plenty like her among the nobles?

I just didn’t expect to be completely oblivious.

I was like a blind man, sincerely believing she was innocent and kind, naive enough to be deceived by others.

Probably will be mocked for not having eyes on my forehead for many years.”

Hill’s expression became somewhat stiff; the Undead Tribe might not read a single book in their own world, but in the game, many people read these kinds of biographies.

The thought that there might now be tens of millions of people reading this book and sincerely exclaiming, ”Hill really is naïve!” made him feel extremely embarrassed.

He had just made a show of strength to establish a strong and Legendary image in the world, only to be trapped by this book into an image of an innocent and cute fool.

Thinking about it made his future prospects look bleak.

What was he thinking at the time?

His life had been uneventful, nothing that couldn’t be known.

It was self-inflicted misery.

Fran and Adrian knew about this and didn’t stop it because they were not willing to tell Hill themselves, yet they were planning to let Hill know the truth.

It remains to be seen how much the Undead Tribe would dig up, leaving everything to fate.

Otherwise, if they really wanted to stop the Undead Tribe from finding out the truth, there were plenty of ways to do so.

Hill glanced at Fran: ”Does this affect you, Grandfather?”

”Melanie’s actions did not overstep the boundaries of a mage and, to some extent, she adhered to some of the secret rules of the nobles. Many times, if others don’t know, it’s as if it didn’t happen,” Fran said coldly, ”No one among the nobles will accuse her. This matter has nothing to do with us.

”It’s just the Pelast Family that loses some face, not because the Count’s actions are disgraceful, but because his choices have always been wrong.

”He’s had three wives, each one more ruthless than the last. And the people he has offended, each one more severe.

”Whichever faction he chooses, that faction just happens to be the one to suffer.

”When the nobles talk about making choices in the future, they will use him as a negative example.

”But this has nothing to do with you, the one who’s unlucky is Manton. The only good fortune for him is that, for the time being, Charles from that side will not be likely to communicate with Saral.”

Hill nodded.

”I came to see if you could bear Melanie’s truth,” Fran said, looking at Hill, ”Since you’re fine now, I’ll be returning. My Demi-God Artifact is almost complete, I’ll let you know when you can come to see it.”

Hill promptly escorted Fran to the door.

Continuing to stay after saying such cheesy words would make him uncomfortable, for Fran.

Hill understood very well.