Rosie's Games

Chapter 364  Horror

"I do not think I can do it," Rosalind sighed. "How am I suppose to remember all of that?" She asked Lucas.

"You are not supposed to."

True. Despite not being explicitly told by Lucas, she still felt a sense of duty to commit a few of the relics to memory.

She got up, her eyes were still on the large book. She had been here for days. Or at least that was what she would have liked to believe.

While the room did not really have a place where she could get a comfortable sleep, it had everything else from a small bathroom where she could freshen up to some very good teas that she had never heard of before.

She had no problems with food as the Duke would bring some food to her every single day.

"When are we leaving?" she asked.

"When you are ready."

"What does that mean?"

"We can leave now if you want to."

She pouted. This man was not giving her any serious answers. "What about the others?"

"They are ready."

"And… her?" she asked.

"Alive. Barely."

Rosalind pursed her lips.

"Did she say anything about her mother?"

"No."

"Then…" She could use her ability to extract her memory, but that would mean she would end up like that son of the Duke from Lonyth. In other words, she would end up dead. Rosie debated for a while. "I can take her memories." A part of her did not want to do it again, but the other part could only think of Milith.

"She is stronger. It might be a little hard for you…" he said. For some reason, she could feel like he was trying to warn her about something. In response, she gave him a nonchalant shrug.

Unless she pushed herself to face challenges, she wouldn't be able to gain new abilities, she wouldn't be able to change.

"We should do it after coming back. Your abilities will not work when you are surrounded by the nullification gem."

Rosalind nodded. She had forgotten about that stone. Without it, Lurea could also use her abilities which means she could attack her while she was trying to take her memories away. Although she knew that Lucas would be there for her, Rosalind did not want to risk any mishaps.

So, Lucas took her back to the tower where the others were already waiting for her.

"Elias, Valentin, Atior, Magda, and Huig will be accompanying us," Lucas said. "To go to the Howling Mountains, we needed to go to Rakha and they will provide a guide that would take us to the mountains. Or at least this is the usual course of action we would take if we weren't concerned about confidentiality."

"So… " Rosalind blinked. Everyone who was going on the trip had gathered inside her study. They are here to listen to some important details about Howling Mountains.

"We are not going to Rakha. We will go directly to the Howling Mountains without anyone guiding us. We will leave tonight."

Rosalind nodded. She already knew that the estate would be taken care of by Denys while they were gone, so she was not that worried about it.

As if on cue, Denys arrived and walked inside the room. Then he whispered something to the Duke.

Lucas immediately looked at Rosalind. "We need to leave." Then he turned towards the others. "Prepare for the trip."

"Where are we going?" Rosalind asked as she followed him out of the room.

"Denys…"

"There is a bit of a problem among the new people that just arrived."

She frowned.

The only plausible reason for the Duke to bring her would be if the matter pertains to healing, suggesting that it involves people becoming sick.

"What is it?" she asked.

"There has been a problem with some others who came… from the South," Denys started. "A few days ago, we were alerted that some of them started having bouts of vomiting green liquid, which would leave them weak and depleted. I immediately instructed them to isolate the said person but it was already too late then. The people who came with him started vomiting green blood as well. As the disease progressed, their sturdy bodies would waste away."

"The symptoms would then worsen. Now, we just received news that the first one has lost his sanity."

"Plague-like symptoms?" Rosalind asked.

"The man who vomited was someone who had symptoms of the plague in the past but his companions insisted that he had been healed. In Aster."

"Dorothy?" She was the only one healing people in Aster!

"Yes."

Rosalind met Lucas's eyes. Her expression grew serious. Dorothy was not the same Dorothy from the past. Whoever was inside that body could be someone very dangerous.

"Why did they come here?" she asked.

"First, they wanted to avoid the plague, then… the tide. They thought the North was the new safe haven when they heard about the Duke's prowess in Rakha. Because of what the Duke did, many people who are from the South felt uncertain about the current atmosphere in their empires and decided to explore the North. Some of them directly decided to move here," Denys explained.

Indeed, this was something that Rosalind already expected to happen. The spreading rumors would cast doubt on the integrity of the seven families, leading people to lose trust in them and prompting a search for a safer and more secure place. Obviously, their first option would be Wugari. After all, Wugari withstood the tide and even helped the South fight against the beasts. It was also not affected by the plague.

Despite the adverse weather, Wugari was a place where people thrive.

The three of them rode a carriage that brought them to the most remote part of the estate where the others were isolated.

Accessible only through a single guarded entrance, this place actually felt like a small fortress.

"His Grace wanted this place built after the plague," Denys spoke as he led them inside.

The moment they walked inside, a harsh smell welcomed Rosalind. She frowned and accepted the mask that Denys handed. The Duke, however, did not accept a mask and just continued walking, not bothered by the strong decaying smell that filled the air.

Suddenly, a loud scream broke the silence.

Then a scene of horror unfolded.