The deep night engulfs the earth.
The sporadic sounds of insects bring life to this serene courtyard.
Although the tail end of winter has not fully retreated, Oak Manor seems to have already entered the spring season.
The cold moonlight spills onto the enormous ancient oak tree that covers the entire manor, shimmering with an intoxicating, mysterious glow.
The dance ball has long ended, and the guests have returned to their residences and retired for the night.
Only Colin has quietly made his way to the ancient oak tree at the center of the manor, gazing at this lifeform that has weathered the passage of millennia with profound reverence in his heart.
Of course, besides reverence, the feelings in Colinâs heart at this moment are also ones of curiosity and an intent to explore.
He always feels as if an unseen force is calling him to this place.
However, once he truly stands beneath the ancient oak tree, he feels somewhat baffled.
What should he do?
Colin scratches his head, hesitates for a moment, then places his hand on the trunk of the oak tree.
The rough, hard touch is no different from that of an ordinary oak tree.
Colin closes his eyes, calms his heart, and carefully experiences it, but gains nothing.
A gust of wind blows past, and the rubbing of the oak treeâs branches and leaves produces a faint rustling sound, as if attempting to tell this bewildered young man standing before it something.
Colin raises his head to stare at the treeâs sky-eclipsing canopy and decides to try again.
The next second, Colinâs black eyes turn red, and blood-red patterns spread across his face like a spiderweb, giving him the appearance of wearing a mask.
Billows of crimson smoke rise from his body and slowly envelop him.
The wind in the manor suddenly grows stronger, and the oak treeâs branches shake more violently, as if joyfully welcoming an old friend who has returned after a long absence.
Whoosh-
A pair of black bat wings extend from the blood-red smoke, then Colinâs body, which has more than doubled in size, slowly reveals itself.
At some unknown point, the silver moon in the sky has turned red and the originally cold and clear moonlight has taken on a hint of bloodiness.
The branches and leaves of the ancient oak tree tremble even more violently, stirring the surrounding air into ripples like water waves.
For a moment, the whole manor seems to âcome aliveâ.
Colin, however, does not feel the slightest joy because the disturbance is too great!
The next moment, he shakes his bat wings vigorously.
Whoosh-
The stirred-up dust flies everywhere, and Colin, using the recoil of force, soars into the sky, quickly disappearing into the night.
Just after Colin leaves, an afterimage flashes in the air, and then Duke St. Gregorian appears at the spot where Colin was standing.
With a serious expression, she takes a light sniff, then focuses her gaze on the ancient oak tree.
By now, the ancient oak tree has already returned to a calm state, as if the great disturbance from before was simply an illusion.
âWhat happened?â Emperor Reinhardt soon rushed over.
âI donât know.â Duke St. Gregorian shakes her head, her eyes scanning over the ancient oak tree. âIt seems someone has touched this ancient tree.â
âHow is that possible?â Emperor Reinhardt looks incredulous, but the disturbance from before canât be fake. After some thought, he immediately orders the arriving guards to blockade the manor and conduct a thorough search.
However, even Emperor Reinhardt himself couldnât clarity what exactly needed to be searched or who the person of interest might be.
The guards had no choice but to accept their orders in confusion and depart.
This stirred up another commotion at the Oak Manor, angering the nobles who were awakened by the noise. They cursed the one who had caused all this chaos.
Meanwhile, under the concealment of the night, Colin had sneaked back to his residence and changed into his pajamas. Just then, someone knocked on his door.
Colin opened the door to see a guard standing outside, who saluted and said:
âMy apologies for disturbing your rest, Count. Did you notice anything unusual or encounter any suspicious characters recently?â
Colin feigned a look of just being awoken and replied in a low voice, âI heard some noises from the window just now and thought there was a storm. But it seems to have subsided, hasnât it?â
Seeing Colin confounded, the guard assumed that he couldnât provide any useful information, apologized again, and then turned to leave.
Just as Colin was about to close the door, a slender figure suddenly squeezed in through the gap.
His muscles tensed, but when he caught the familiar fragrance, he relaxed and said helplessly:
âYour Highness, at this late hour, is there something you need?â
Queen Midela walked into the room, closing the door behind her. She looked at Colin meaningfully and chuckled:
âCount Angler, Iâve finally caught onto your little secret, havenât I?â
Colinâs heart skipped a beat, but he kept his composure and said, âYour Highness, Iâm not sure what youâre talking about.â
Queen Midela stepped forward, her green fingertips resting on Colinâs chest as she said:
âIâm talking about the Winged Knight. I saw him with my own eyes, sneaking into the room through the window.
So, Count Angler, is there another person hidden in your room, or are you the Winged Knight?â
Silent, Colin merely stared at Queen Midela with a frosty gaze as his mind raced with thoughts.
Queen Midela seemed to guess his inner thoughts and continued whimsically:
âCount Angler, youâre not contemplating silencing someone who knows too much, are you? That really sends a shiver down my spine!â
Though she was speaking of fear, not a trace of it showed on her face. Instead, she looked at Colin with a challenge in her eyes.
Colin gave a faint smile and said, âYour Highness, you jest. Would I resort to murder over something so trivial?
Yes, the Winged Knight is indeed a good friend of mine. However, it is currently not convenient for him to meet with you. Please accept my apologies.â
âIs that so?â Queen Midela was not about to let Colin off the hook easily. âBut why didnât I sense another person in the room?â
âHe left just a moment ago.â Colin decided to play dumb; after all, without solid evidence, Queen Midela couldnât possibly force him to reveal his true identity.
Upon hearing this, Queen Midela glared at Colin, seemingly dissatisfied with his casual lie. Yet, she didnât lose heart and asked again:
âCount Angler, did you know?
Normally, Druid, an occupation exclusive to high elves, cannot be inherited by humans.
Unless, that person has an elven bloodline, and is a half-elf!â
Colinâs face paled, but he managed to maintain his composure, âIndeed, my friend is a half-elf, whom I met in Silver Moon City.â
âI see.â Queen Midela leaned forward, her face close to Colinâs. With a smile on her face and her eyes locked onto his, she said, âAccording to the âGlorious Codeâ, only pure-blooded humans can be lords of the Empire.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
So, Count Angler, if youâre not the Winged Knight, would you dare to undergo a public bloodline test?â