“They’re after me because of the internal struggles within the Church, but if it’s about eradicating the remnants of the Tower of Truth, that’s a whole different story.”

“If they get their hands on me, the outcome… Tsk, tsk, tsk. It would be disastrous. That’s why he’ll act before the Black Knights arrive.”

“What’s this Tower of Truth you keep mentioning?”

Loenke glanced up at her, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Ever heard of fairy tales? Where the princess is cursed by a witch and falls into a deep sleep, the prince turns into a toad for offending the witch, or a kingdom is destroyed because of a magician’s wrath?”

“Of course,” Vera nodded, “I heard them a lot when I was little, but those are just stories, right?”

Loenke chuckled softly, a meaningful glint flashing in his eyes. “The endings of fairy tales may be fake, but those witches and curses... not necessarily. The Tower of Truth is where those ‘witches’ are born. They don’t call themselves witches or magicians; they prefer to call themselves ‘seekers of truth.’ Quite high-end and self-indulgent, don’t you think?”

“Seekers of truth?” Vera frowned slightly.

“Mm. To them, truth means that everything can be deconstructed, reorganized, and used—life included.” Loenke slowly stood, walking over to a cold stone wall. He lightly tapped his fingers against it, his voice cold. “If they wanted to turn someone into a frog just to see if they could, do you think they would have any qualms about it?”

Vera froze, gripping her staff. “You’re saying... they experiment on people?”

Loenke turned his head, his gaze as deep as the night. “Experiments are their gentlest method. What’s more terrifying is that they’ll destroy an entire city for a theory, just to observe the speed of its collapse. The curses from the witches in fairy tales are nothing more than child’s play compared to them.”

Vera’s breath caught in her throat. “How... how is this possible? If the Tower of Truth is so terrifying, why does the world know so little about it?”

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Loenke smiled faintly, his expression chilling. “Because their existence is taboo. The Tower of Truth was destroyed a hundred years ago. Back then, the Church of Holy Light and every race in the world stood united to wipe them off the face of the Earth. But there’s always someone who leaves behind… embers.”

Vera stared at him, a flicker of doubt crossing her eyes. “How do you know all this so clearly?”

Loenke’s smile deepened, tinged with amusement. “Because they once invited me, hoping I would join them.”

“What?!” Vera’s eyes widened in shock.

“Surprised?” Loenke raised an eyebrow, speaking nonchalantly. “They saw my talents and wanted me to become one of their ‘pathfinders of truth.’ Unfortunately, I love money, but I love my life more. Their mad games? I’ll let someone else play.”

Vera took a deep breath, her voice low. “Then what do you think the black mist is about?”

Loenke looked up, his gaze piercing through the dungeon’s skylight as if looking into some unreachable depth. He smiled softly, his voice low but full of chill. “The people of the Tower of Truth never need a reason. What they pursue is not ‘why,’ but ‘can it be done?’ The result is the only thing they care about. And you, will never be able to predict what that result is.”

He paused for a moment, then revealed a cryptic smile. “Perhaps, this time, the experiment’s target is us.”

Loenke stopped, letting out a slow sigh. “And this gathering place for such madmen is called the Tower of Truth. Its purpose is to provide these lunatics a place to exchange their crazy ideas and techniques, and to cultivate more madmen.”

“If you’re an exceptional person, you’d definitely want to be part of this privileged group. You can do whatever you want, without any restraints.”

“But most ordinary people just want to live in a world that isn’t so insane.”

“So, they were destroyed, wiped out by the Church of Holy Light in alliance with the human empire, the Elven Kingdom, the Orc tribes, the merfolk, the dwarves, and nearly every race in the world.”

“I see you’ve been distracted. Are you worried about the ten years of teacher-student bond between you and Havier?”

“Honestly, there’s no need.”

“If he’s truly a remnant of the Tower of Truth, then you, your father, and everyone in your fief—down to the chickens, ducks, geese, dogs, and cats—might all be subjects of their experiments or tools to achieve some goal.”

“Talking about emotions with them is like discussing morality with a streetlamp decoration.”

Vera clenched her teeth, a cold snort escaping her lips. “Don’t look down on me. If Havier is really a serial killer…”

“Our Lawrence family will clean up its own mess! We will never cover for him, nor will we tolerate betrayal!”

“Miss! Miss!!!”

A guard rushed in, panic in his voice. “There’s suddenly black mist outside, surrounding the entire estate! The Count… the Count is missing!”

Loenke raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. “Looks like your teacher’s here to give you your last lesson.”