"What do you remember about my mother?"

Andrea was a bit caught off guard by Van's sudden question. Whenever she mentions Van's mother, he always seemed to try to avoid the topic. "Hmm…", Andrea placed her hand on her chin as she continued to walk, "Well, I remember she was very tall"

​​

"...Tall?", Van slightly raised his eyebrows.

"Hm", Andrea quickly nodded her head, "Just a few inches shorter than your father, if I remember correctly"

"What?", Van could not help twitch an eye as he heard Andrea's words. His father was already quite tall, and his mother was as tall as him?

...Then why was he so small? What kind of disparity was that?

"Honestly, for some reason, I don't really remember what she looked like but...", Andrea tilted her head as she tried to recall everything she knew, "I think she was quite beautiful since lots of men were chasing after her. My father told me stories about how he also tried to woo her"

"...", why was everything about her looks? Van thought.

"But in the end, she chose your father because…", Andrea hesitated, "Well… my father told me he was once a good man"

"Hm…", Van furrowed his eyebrows as soon as he heard Andrea's words. His father, a good man? He couldn't really imagine it. Whenever he tries to recall his father, the only thing he could see was a monster, worse than the spiders that he fought in the Portal.

"I clearly remember when your mother left, though", Andrea let out a deep sigh, "I was around 10 then and you were… I suppose you were around 5 back then?"

"I'm not too sure because you were too small and you could barely even talk", she let out a small chuckle.

"..."

"There were.. lots of shouting", Andrea breathed, "The whole neighborhood heard your father screaming his lungs out. But no matter how much he pleaded, your mother still left"

"Hm… did she grow up in the Relic Graveyard?"

"I… I'm honestly not sure", Andrea said as she slightly let out a hum and knitted her eyebrows trying to recall if her father mentioned anything to her about that.

"...Was she a System Holder?"

"A System Holder?", Andrea quickly tilted her head in confusion, "Why do you ask?"

"It's… nothing", Van let out a breath as he shook his head, "The Academy's headmaster told me that I look like my mother. It's just been bothering me ever since"

"Oh!?", Andrea stopped in her steps, "Do they know of her!?", she said, her tone clearly excited.

"No", Van slightly chuckled, "Most probably mistook me for someone else"

"Why don't you look at the school's records then?", Andrea then suggested.

"...Records?"

"Yes", she nodded, "Records of the students they had in the past. The Academy should have something like that, no?"

"...Is there?", Van could not help but raise his eyebrows in curiosity. If there really was a record, would… he really find his mother there? And if he does, what exactly would he do with that information? It's not like it would change anything.

"No idea", Andrea slightly let out a giggle, "I have never been to school"

"..."

"Just look it up", Andrea let out a sigh, "It's not like you would lose anything anyway"

"Hm", Van placed his hand on his chin as he slightly squinted his eyes, "Do you remember if my mother had a surname?"

Andrea could only shake her head in response.

"I see…", Van could not help but sigh, "So…

...just Evangeline then?"

"Hm"

***

"W… who are you guys!?"

"We're from the Explorer's Association"

Chris was currently in front of two of Lauder's men that were involved with messing up Van's house. They were the only ones that were left since the other one died and the one leading them was reported missing.

The two men could not help but let out a sigh of relief. When a bunch of random men suddenly circled around them, seemingly led by a scary man with a huge scar on his face, they thought they were going to get ganged up on. But when they heard that Chris was from the Explorer's Association, their nervous breaths started to calm down.

"Is… this about what happened the other day?", one of Lauder's men spoke, "We already told the city guards that we don't remember much. We couldn't even see who it was that attacked us"

"I see", Chris squinted his eyes, "Then... can you come with us back to the Explorer's Association?"

"What? Why!?"

"The one that attacked you might have been a loose Portal monster", Chris followed, "We need you to recall everything you know since we can't have monsters roaming around the city"

"N… no", stuttered one of Lauder's men, "Our boss already injured it, it should already be dead. We… will go now", he said as he started walking away.

But before he could do so, he felt a tinge of pain in his arm.

"I thought you didn't see what it was?", Chris whispered as he tightened his grip on the man's arm.

"And this man you call boss… Lucas, right?", he added, "He's the one currently missing. How convenient"

"T… that", the man could not help but look at his companion, who was looking at him as if he was the most idiotic man alive.

"You do know we can send you to the Pit for lying to us, right?", Chris once again whispered, his tone was as if ice that pierced Lauder's men in their ears. The truth is, Chris also held deep resentment towards these two men.

Even though he hated Van for leeching off of Sarah, he wasn't the one who made a mess of Scarlett's house and burnt her clothes.

"N...no! We will never lie to the Explorer's Association!", one of the men pleaded.

"I see… That's good", Chris could not help but let out a slight chuckle before releasing the man's arm.

"Then…

...you won't mind coming with us, then?"

***

"Miss Victoria, where have you been!? Your mother has been worrying about you!"

Victoria was casually walking in a spacious hallway, her muddy shoes leaving footprints on the carpeted floor. He was currently being followed by an old man with a mustache, who was cleaning the tracks of mud as soon as they appeared.

"Were you out in the forest again?", the old man said, his voice filled with concern, "You know your grandmother has forbidden you to go there, it's dangero--"

"Alfred"

"Y...yes, Miss!?", the old man called Alfred could not help but flinch as he was slightly taken by surprise, he wasn't really expecting Victoria to speak to him.

"Please prepare some food and snacks for tomorrow, and also arrange a bigger coach when you fetch me tomorrow", Victoria said without taking a pause.

"W...what?"

"I might have... classmates visiting tomorrow"

"!!!"

"F… friends!?"

"No, classmat--"

"A… at once!"

Before Victoria could even finish her words, Albert already walked away, his steps wide.

This was the first time Victoria was bringing in friends. They should have something grand, he thought as he quickly rushed towards the kitchen.

'I won't fail you, miss Victoria!'