Chapter 379: The Saintess and her Talismans
After a rather long conversation with King Agostos, Anna's life went back from being the maid in the kitchen to becoming the maid who is now assigned to guard the man during the night.
And during the short duration that she had known the man, King Agostos was kind enough to provide her with a lot of information about the real 'job' of the Shadow Pack.
"There is a reason why they have that name. They are shadows, they stay in the dark, they work in the shadows. They are killers. Here are the lists of the people that your father and pack mates have killed. These are the ones that I could find. There are others that I don't know."
Anna glanced at the list, checking the names.
"The Mo Family…"
"Ah… Headmistress Mo's husband. Yes. He died in the hands of the shadow pack. He was leading a revolt against the Lycan King. It was a huge one. I believe two packs joined him. To prevent the revolt, the King well… he got rid of that man."
"A revolt? Why?"
For a few seconds, the man said nothing. He fumbled on the lists and showed her the last few pages. "It was because the King… got greedy. He wanted to lead Zealandia. Against the demons and dark ones."
She frowned at that. "You mean… he — "
"After the saintess left a lot of things to the humans, the Lycans have become weaker against them. The balance of power was broken. The humans, the ones who held the talismans that the saintess left, became more powerful."
"The saintess… left a lot of talismans?" She didn't, though.
"Yes. Powerful ones. We haven't seen it. But we heard the rumors. The humans were able to stand tow to tow against the elementals because of the talismans. They said it made the humans almost as powerful as those who can use elements."
That's a lie. Lily or Saintess Rhea didn't leave a lot of things to the humans. She had all the talismans in her space.
"So… the King wanted those talismans?" she asked.
"He started studying them. Wouldn't it be better if we could make a talisman that could make us transform into a full wolf?"
"A full wolf?" she gasped. Just like Anna?
"Yes. Your father could transform a part of his body. There are few of them who could do that. The King wanted stronger warriors. So, she started experimentation. He didn't hide this from the council that was composed of all alphas. And Mr. Mo was the first one who declined the project."
"He was an Alpha too?"
"No. But he was the head of the department that was tasked with starting the experimentation. He was a brilliant man… that guy." A sigh escaped the man's lips. "The King… went overboard and killed a young Lycan who could transform his legs into that of wolves. Because of the incident, Mr. Mo left the committee."
"And then… he was killed."
"Yes. After that, the King became secretive. He stopped telling everyone about the experiment and people eventually forgot."
"That — " How could they forget about that?
"Well… I was wrong. It's not that people forgot. It's just that… we became aware of what he was willing to do to achieve his goal. So we stopped asking."
"What about the experiment?" Something is gnawing inside Anna. For some reason, she couldn't stop thinking about this body's capabilities. Was it really possible for a Lycan to be born… strong? Was it possible for someone to be as strong as her? She couldn't help but think about the experiments. Does that have to do with this body?
No… that's just… a little too far-fetched.
"We don't know what happened. All we know is that the King stopped it. Or at least that's what they announced. I don't believe him. I think… that man continued the experiments."
"So, do you think he is experimenting with people?"
King Agostos shrugged. "I don't have the specifics. As I said, he become secretive. He also started working with… humans."
"Humans?"
"Those treacherous humans."
"Are you saying that the King might be working with… the church?"
"Who knows? I never met them. But I knew they were humans."
Anna bit her lower lip. The greedy church, the talismans, and now the Lycans.
If this goes on…
"Alright… isn't it vacation day?"
Anna nodded. Despite their schedule, they are still given a day and night to leave the palace. They call it vacation days. "Then… I will let you know about my plan. I will leave first."
"Ah… Before you leave. I heard some interesting news lately."
"Interesting?"
"There will be a competition. It's a Lycan against Lycan. The winner will receive a talisman that worked on Lycans."
"That's impossible. Talismans don't work on us." It worked on her because she was a special case. But it would never work on other Lycans.
"I don't know. Since you are going out… you should… listen carefully."
By listening, he meant gathering more information. "Thank you. I will let you know."
The man nodded and beckoned her to leave.
Without hesitation, she left the palace and arrived on the streets of the capital. This wasn't her first time leaving the palace, but this is actually her first time walking towards the market and pub.
If she wanted to gather more information, she needed to start inside the pub.
After all, drunk people are the best source of gossip.
"A beer…" she showed a ring that meant she was working inside the palace. The people would not question her pack because of this. Lately, the security inside the capital had been very strict and unlike before, rogues have no way to go inside the capital anymore.
She thought this might be because of her.
The server gave her an enormous glass of beer, putting it in front of her with a loud thud before turning away. The best part about her disguise is how ordinary she looked. So, people would never spare her another glance.
Sitting at the corner of the pub, she started observing the people. Suddenly, her heart thudded against her chest.
Right then and there… she knew. Someone… is watching her.
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