CHAPTER 458: CHAPTER 296: MUST HOLD ON EVEN IF WE CAN’T - PART 2

"Do you still hold a place in your heart for me, your teacher?" Gentleness didn’t mean a lack of temper, and the woman, seeing her former student, also felt a degree of resentment.

"I’m sorry. It was my willfulness that caused you trouble, Teacher..."

Tamara didn’t stubbornly argue as before but directly admitted her error.

Perhaps she truly had recognized her own shortcomings during her conversation with Lance.

When the woman saw Tamara admit her fault, her usually calm face showed a flicker of surprise—clearly, she hadn’t expected someone like Tamara to say such a thing.

However, she quickly understood and sighed.

"It seems you have finally grown up. What a pity..."

This remark made Tamara recall the life she had struggled through after leaving her teacher. A wave of grievances welled up inside her, and at that moment, she finally burst into tears.

Lance, watching from the side, couldn’t help frowning. Now is not the time for them to reminisce—there’s serious business to attend to.

"Excuse me for interrupting, but you’ll have plenty of chances to catch up later. Whatever it is can wait. I need to discuss some important matters now."

Lance’s sudden interjection broke the increasingly strange atmosphere, and the woman also took notice of this man.

"I am Lance, an Earl of the Empire. I need to speak with whoever among you truly holds authority," he stated, not waiting for her to inquire. He introduced himself and immediately steered the conversation to business.

The woman found this man, who had suddenly appeared claiming to be an Imperial Earl, somewhat strange. According to her information, she knew many Imperial Nobles, yet she had never heard this name.

However, she didn’t call him out on it, instead nodding in acknowledgment.

"Are you the one who saved Tamara? What do you want in return?"

"No! I’m not here to get anything from you. This is about whether or not you want to survive."

Lance could sense the woman’s slightly arrogant attitude, unintentionally manifested despite her friendly facade. That makes sense. Probably no one in this world outside of Hamlet knows me. And as a high-ranking member of a Supernatural Organization, she naturally looks down on some random fellow. But you think you’re arrogant? I’m far more arrogant than you!

"Hurry up. Your status isn’t sufficient to decide these matters. I need to see your Elder."

As expected, the woman was taken aback by his words. For a moment, she couldn’t even comprehend why this man had the audacity to speak to her like that.

Her gaze instinctively shifted to Tamara, her puzzled look speaking volumes.

But what use was Tamara when Lance completely controlled the pace?

"It seems your competitors have withheld information about me from you. But never mind. You don’t need to know too much—just understand that I hold the key to your organization’s survival."

Fearing she might misunderstand, Lance quickly added, "It’s not that so-called Sacred Object. I have no interest in that thing."

The woman became instantly alert upon hearing this, as it seemed the man knew far too much about the organization.

And the mention of competitors also made her realize—she knew about those people pursuing Tamara. In fact, this was an overt task, specifically to undermine her.

But after so many years without any news, how had Tamara, who had been gone for years, suddenly obtained the items necessary for a Spirit Communication Ritual?

She wasn’t a fool, and with many clues suddenly surfacing, she appeared somewhat dazed.

"I must have more accurate information; otherwise, it’s impossible for me to introduce you to the Elder."

"I told you, your status doesn’t qualify you to access such information. If you doubt my power, you can try using your own divination to prophesize," Lance retorted.

"Absolutely not, Teacher!" Tamara, disregarding everything else, immediately cautioned. She had suffered a loss in this matter before; back then, just slight contact had triggered a backlash. If her teacher were to truly target Lance with divination, serious trouble could ensue.

Both Lance and the woman turned their gaze to Tamara, their expressions somewhat odd.

Lance found it strange that she was so anxious to defend her teacher; it seemed their previous relationship must have been quite good.

The woman, on the other hand, wondered why Tamara would say such a thing. Is she worried that divination might reveal this man’s true nature, or is there genuinely a problem here?

She suspected the two were colluding. After all, no matter how things were back then, they had been cut off for so many years; both had become somewhat strangers.

Sensing her teacher’s distrust, Tamara understood that since she had already spoken up, there was no point dwelling on those issues. Instead, she chose to support Lance.

"Teacher, I request to see the Elder. No matter the result, I will return the Sacred Object."

Lance hadn’t expected her to have such courage to take responsibility; it seemed she truly had grown up.

The woman was also somewhat surprised. If they could retrieve the Sacred Object, it would indeed provide some resolution to the matter.

After pondering for a moment, she agreed in all seriousness.

"Fine. This is the last thing I can do for you. I hope you won’t disappoint me again."

Tamara, of course, was moved to floods of tears. After all these years, her teacher was still willing to protect her, while she herself had been so immature back then.

Indeed, only after suffering did one realize how precious the peace under her teacher’s Sanctuary had been.

Lance watched all this calmly, but This woman’s acting is even better than mine. With their emotional history, it only took a few words to make Tamara absolutely obedient. With her around, it’ll be difficult for me to control Tamara... However, for Tamara to be useful, she has to become an Astrologer, which means needing this teacher’s help. But in fact, I silently consented to Tamara’s inclination towards her teacher just now. If I can’t even tolerate one person, and the alliance engages in internal strife before it even begins, wouldn’t that make the ancestors laugh? ’Heroes are those with grand aspirations and good strategies, who harbor the mechanisms of the universe and the will to assimilate both heaven and earth.’ I don’t consider myself a hero, but I do possess the magnanimity to accommodate others.

Meeting the so-called Elder was not simple, but Lance felt it was more about them investigating his background.

However, he didn’t feel that sensation of being spied upon as he had before. He didn’t know if they had truly heeded Tamara’s words or if they had obtained information from Amanda’s side.

Finally, the image on the screen flickered, and an emaciated elderly crone appeared.

Upon seeing her, Tamara promptly greeted her.

"Elder."

"Oh~ It’s young Tamara. You’ve grown up quite a bit."

The crone spoke casually, a kind smile on her face, showing no malice due to Tamara’s status as a fugitive.

She seemed more like a friendly grandmother than one of the highest authorities of a Supernatural Organization.

But it would be a mistake to assume she was that simple; her eyes were unusually bright, completely lacking the cloudiness of old age.

When her gaze fell upon Lance, he felt an almost imperceptible pressure.

Lance, with a solemn expression, gestured to Tamara.

"You go out first."

Tamara was startled by his words but left after only a second’s hesitation.

Her teacher, witnessing this, found it somewhat strange that Tamara was so obedient.

However, Lance then gestured to this teacher, "Please leave as well. Knowing too much isn’t always a good thing."

The woman, despite her high rank in the organization, was being told she didn’t even have the right to know.

Yet she didn’t show any strong emotion, instead seeking the Elder’s guidance.

"You all go out," the crone said, waving her hand dismissively. Once everyone had left, she turned to Lance with a smile. "I hope you won’t disappoint an old woman like me."

"Tamara’s incident years ago was no fabrication; she glimpsed the truth of this world!"

Lance understood that verbal tactics were unlikely to work with these people. They’ve eaten more salt than I’ve eaten rice. So, he decided to throw out a "bomb" directly.

However, this "bomb" didn’t seem to surprise the crone too much; she still looked as if she were watching a performance.

Lance couldn’t help but feel the pressure and, frowning, changed his approach.

"Do you know the truth behind the destruction of Hamlet, the city in the Northern Borderlands of the Empire, all those years ago?"