V3: Chapter 52: The Familiar Tentacle Monster
Carol skipped and hopped towards the maids, asking for a small broom that even a child could easily use.
The maids, dressed in uniform, simple long dresses with tight aprons around their waists and white headscarves, emerged from the warm indoors and stepped into the courtyard covered in the first snow.
They carried various snow-shoveling tools, some with large brooms, others with small shovels, their steps light as they went to their assigned areas.
The snow in the courtyard, accumulated overnight, was several inches thick, crunching underfoot and adding a touch of life to the quiet morning.
Bellica stood in the center of the courtyard, wielding a large broom with practiced ease. Each sweep carried away a large snowflake, revealing the damp earth beneath.
"Wow~"
Carol imitated the maids' movements, diligently sweeping the snow, but the piles she created with her small broom were pitifully small.
The other maids were also working diligently, some bending over, some squatting, carefully shoveling away the snow. Some maids, less strong, struggled with shoveling and used brooms instead. Of course, they shoveled far more snow than Carol.
"Hahaha~"
They chatted as they shoveled.
As time passed, the snow in the courtyard was gradually cleared, revealing the original stone path and flowerbeds. Satisfied smiles appeared on the maids' faces, while Carol wiped the sweat from her brow. Although her actual output couldn't compare to the maids', her effort was no less.
"This is really tiring work."
When the last pile of snow was shoveled up and carried to a corner of the courtyard, the maids stopped their work and stood together admiring the fruits of their labor.
Carol followed suit.
Liang Lin, holding Philomena, stood side-by-side with Liang Di.
"If only we could live happily like this forever."
This thought suddenly popped into Liang Lin's mind.
The thought had barely formed when a bad premonition arose in her heart.
Liang Lin quickly shook her head vigorously, trying to shake this subtle feeling out of her mind, but the more she did so, the stronger the unease in her heart became.
"Liang Di, do you think we'll always be like this?"
Liang Lin abruptly asked, posing a somewhat inexplicable question.
Liang Di was taken aback, not understanding, but she took Liang Lin's arm and gently comforted her.
She gave a gentle smile.
"Of course, Sister Liang Lin, we'll always live like this~"
"What's wrong, Sister Liang Lin? Did you think of something bad?"
Liang Di reached out and hugged Liang Lin, slowly tightening her arms, trying to transfer her body heat.
Liang Lin's smile was somewhat forced, and she gently shook her head.
"No, it's just... I'm worried about some things."
Liang Di rested her head on Liang Lin's shoulder, softly comforting her, "Don't worry, Liang Lin, we'll always be like this."
As soon as she finished speaking, it was as if the goddess of fate had heard Liang Lin's quiet inner voice—
Gladys, with a panicked face, scrambled out from behind them, her voice trembling with tears.
"Something terrible has happened! The Tower Master is injured!"
"Injured?!?!"
Those present were slightly surprised to hear Gladys's words. Who could possibly have harmed Octaville?
Let's rewind to a day earlier.
Just after Octaville and her group obtained the five fruits.
Midnight.
Octaville's senses were incredibly sharp. She was awakened by a rustling sound. The sound wasn't loud, and it was somewhat muffled in the dead of night, but Octaville still noticed it keenly.
"Who?!"
A figure lurked in the darkness, seemingly stealthily carrying something. Upon hearing Octaville's shout, it immediately jolted awake and withdrew its hand.
Octaville had slept in her clothes and hadn't changed. Instantly, all sleepiness vanished, and she jumped out of bed, a ball of flame rising in her hand.
In the firelight, a human figure could be vaguely seen, but it was shrouded in a layer of mist, making it impossible for outsiders to clearly discern its true form. They could only vaguely make out that the figure was quite tall and perhaps very strong.
Gladys and Laura were also awakened by Octaville's exclamation. They hadn't changed their clothes and were sleeping fully clothed, so upon hearing the noise, they immediately jumped out of bed.
"What happened?!"
"A thief!"
Octaville and Gladys's voices rang out simultaneously in the room.
The blurry humanoid figure called the "thief" suddenly let out a cold laugh, then grabbed the fruit from the table in front of them and made a gesture as if to stuff it into its pocket.
"WeLL tHen, I'll tAKE my lEAve."
The voice of the dark humanoid figure seemed to be distorted by the mist surrounding it, revealing a ferocious and terrifying quality, its tone extremely cold, like a biting wind blowing down on the living from the underworld.
Upon hearing this voice, Laura's eyes widened, and she shuddered violently. This fear wasn't simply due to the eeriness of the voice itself, but rather…
Laura felt that this voice resembled a memory buried deep within her mind… Which memory? Yes, it was the night her mother died, that very night…
“Lord Tower Master!”
Laura felt a surge of blood rushing to her chest. Pointing in the direction the dark figure was about to leave, she shouted with all her might, “Don’t let him go! Don’t let him go! Catch him! Catch him!!!”
Her voice was filled with fervent emotion, almost hoarse from shouting.
Octaville hadn’t intended to let the dark figure go either. Hearing Laura’s fierce scream, she became even more certain that this figure was definitely connected to the tentacles of the deep sea.
“You two stay here quietly and don’t make any rash moves!”
Octaville hurriedly instructed the two, then leaped from the window after the dark figure.
Gladys and Laura stopped just before reaching the window, then both looked down in unison, only to find Octaville's hand already gripping the shadowy figure's cloak.
"Trying to run away after taking what you want? No way! You're leaving something behind today—either these stolen fruits or your life! Choose one!"
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