Chapter 2: Extreme Measures
The beautiful lady sat at her desk with an expression of deep thought, carefully going through the stack of papers in her hands. She was scrutinising every single word that was written, almost as though she was trying to find some sort of secret information hidden within.
This beautiful lady is none other than Crystal Goldlock, the same person whom Cyrus conveniently refers to as the demoness.
A good distance away from her, two maids stood attentively by the door, ready to tend to her every need.
At this moment, the door suddenly swung open, and a man casually walked in.
He exuded a natural air of noble disposition, and possessed a head of long silver hair. His silver hair was not a sign of old age, but the natural hair colour that every individual in the clan would be born with. Every step he took was firm, and his posture was straight. His thick fur robe only served as a boost to his majestic figure.
The instant he entered, the two maids in the room gave a curtsy in deference.
"My Lord." the two of them greeted in unison.
Alexander Skyhelm, Head of the Skyhelm Clan.
"The two of you may rest for the day," Alexander returned their greeting with an amiable smile.
"Yes, my Lord. We will take our leave then, my Lady."
Even though they were supposed to be serving Crystal, with the authority that this man possessed, there was no need for them to doubt his instructions. The two of them curtsied to Crystal and quickly took their leave after Crystal gave them a nod in acknowledgement.
"What are you looking at, my dear?" Alexander walked over to stand behind Crystal, voluntarily giving her a gentle back massage.
"These are the book reviews that Cyrus has done over the past week," Crystal spread out the stack of papers on the table. "Here, take a look."
"Hmm? That kid actually managed to do this much in just one week?" Alexander exclaimed in surprise.
He knew for a fact that Cyrus had been imprisoned in the Clan Library, which contained only books related to magic.
Each one of these books was complex and informative, and it would usually take quite some time for someone to digest the information within.
Despite that, the pieces of paper that lay spread out on the table numbered in the dozens.
With each piece of paper representing a separate book review, this would mean that Cyrus had been doing more than ten book reviews a day!
"Not just that, take a look at the content of each book review," Crystal prompted her husband.
But even before she said so, Alexander had already started going through them out of curiosity.
With his capabilities, it did not take long before he was done perusing the dozens of book reviews. After which, he could not help but to feel astonished!
Each of these book reviews was comprehensively done.
They were not mere summaries of the contents of the books, but provided insights on other possible angles that could be explored and the underlying meanings of the written content.
In other words, they were done in a manner that was nothing short of spectacular.
If grades had to be given to these book reviews, then they would deserve nothing less than A+!
However, Alexander was not pleased at all when he was done reading through the book reviews. Instead, a deep frown appeared on his face.
"Didn't you pass down instructions forbidding anyone from going near the Clan Library?" he asked in a solemn manner.
"I did," Crystal nodded.
"If so, then how did this happen? Who actually dared to go against my wife's instructions, sneaking in to help him with his work?" Alexander rubbed his chin in contemplation.
"I am not sure either, but this is not going to be good enough." Crystal turned around to face her husband with a resolute look in her eyes. "Since he is your son, there will always be people trying to help him in the shadows, even if it ends up doing him more harm in the long run. There is no help it, we need to resort to extreme measures."
"Hmm?" Alexander was slightly taken aback by those sudden words.
Extreme measures?
What exactly did his wife mean by saying that?
***
In the Clan Library, Cyrus was holding an open book in his left hand, and a brush in his right.
His gaze was fixed on the pages of the book, quickly darting from top to bottom, left to right. From time to time, the brush in his right hand would move, taking down notes on a piece of paper.
This was the exact same thing that he had been doing for the most part of the past week.
It was an extremely tiring process, and he had almost given up when he first started.
Thankfully, the demoness was not entirely heartless, and he would be rewarded with a meal for each book review that he completed.
This was the perfect source of motivation he needed in order to push on!
Now that a week had passed, Cyrus had gotten into the rhythm, and no longer felt daunted by the difficulty of reading. In fact, he was even starting to feel intrigued by the contents that he had been exposed to, finding them more and more interesting by the day.
Even when the door of the library opened, Cyrus did not bother looking up to see who it was.
Such was the extent of focus that he possessed at the moment!
However, this newcomer was not too fond of being ignored. Seeing that the kid in front of him did not even take a single glance at him, he could not help but feel slightly irritated.
"Ahem!" he cleared his throat loudly.
"Eh?" Cyrus looked up in surprise. "Uncle Grey? Why are you here?"
"Brat, time to stop acting like you are actually doing something!" Grey laughed. "Your mother has instructed me to bring you to her."
"The demoness has decided to free me?" Cyrus' eyes lit up immediately.
Even though he had finally made up his mind to pursue the path of magic, it did not mean Cyrus enjoyed being trapped in the library all day long.
For one, the hard library floor could never compare to the comfort of his bed!
"Stop calling your own mother a demoness…" Grey found the corner of his mouth twitching wildly.
"Okay, okay, I got it!" Cyrus stood up excitedly and followed his Uncle Grey away.
Grey was not just a member of the Skyhelm Clan, but also one of the trusted aides of his father. He was well built and looked just like a typical warrior with his short silver hair and stubble.
But most importantly, he had watched Cyrus grow up since young, and always had a soft spot for him.
The relationship between the two of them had always been extremely good, and it was not just a few times that Grey had helped him out in secret when his mother was punishing him.
With Grey going along with him, even though he was about to meet with the demoness, Cyrus could not help but feel much more assured!
Little did he know that this time round, even his Uncle Grey would be powerless to help him.
It was a short walk before Grey led Cyrus into the room where Crystal awaited with a maid by her side.
The design of the room was simple enough.
Other than an exquisite hexagon platform that stretched two metres from end to end, there was nothing else in the room. There were no windows, and the only thing providing any sort of illumination was a small crystal that was shining brightly from the ceiling.
"My Lady," Grey nodded respectfully as he entered the chamber.
This was the etiquette expected of all clan members when they were in the presence of the spouse of the Clan Head.
On the other hand, Cyrus stubbornly remained silent.
"Thank you for your help, Grey." Crystal nodded to Grey in response, apparently already used to being ignored by Cyrus.
However, the next words that came out of Crystal's mouth certainly drew Cyrus' attention.
"You may leave now."
"What? Why are you asking Uncle Grey to leave?" Cyrus hurriedly held onto Grey's long sleeves. "He is not an outsider! He can listen to whatever you have to say as well!"
What a joke!
If his Uncle Grey were to leave the room, who would be left to protect him?
"This..."
Held back by Cyrus, Grey could not help but shoot a hesitant look towards Crystal.
Even though he wished to accede to Cyrus' request, the one with the highest authority here was still Crystal.
As long as Crystal insisted, Grey would have no choice but to obey her instructions.
Seeing the desperate look in Cyrus' eyes, Crystal let out a faint smile. "Stay then, it doesn't make any difference. This will not take long anyway."
Crystal then turned to look towards the maid standing beside her.
The maid immediately understood her intentions and stepped forward, greeting Cyrus with a graceful curtsy. "Greetings, young master Cyrus. I, Xena, will be the one responsible for accompanying you on your upcoming trip."
"Trip? What trip?" Cyrus frowned before turning to the demoness. "Where are we going?"
"Not we," Crystal corrected him immediately. "It will be just you and Xena, and you will be going to the Grand Apostle Realm."
"Grand Apostle Realm?!" Grey exclaimed in shock. It was obvious that he had not been told of this beforehand.
"Where is this Grand Apostle Realm?" Cyrus asked in confusion. He had never even heard of this place prior to today.
"This..." Grey hesitated a little while trying to find the right words to reply with. "Let's just say that it is a completely different world... a place far removed from here."
"What?!" Cyrus widened his eyes in shock.
A completely different world?
Has this demoness finally gone crazy and decided to exile him from the clan?
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