Chapter 347: Death Wish

“What was written on it?” Grimo and Adelar were immediately intrigued.

Sebastian slowly unfolded the note, revealing a few lines of clumsily scrawled Uprian. Fortunately, the trio, having lived abroad for a long time, were proficient enough in the language to understand.

The note read: "You guys can stop searching. The girl has already settled in at headquarters and she’s not in any immediate danger. The boss has given orders that, when the time comes, she will be sent back safely. Please rest assured."

The trio's hearts sank.

A week had passed, and Madelyn was on the verge of a breakdown. On the surface, she appeared free to roam the base, but in reality, Phantom constantly shadowed her. He was everywhere, pestering and haunting her like a ghost. Even in her room, the maid watched her.

Annoyed, she nearly went mad. One day, she stopped running from Phantom. Instead, she confronted him, yelling, “Phantom, can’t you stop following me around? It’s so annoying!”

Phantom shrugged. “Don’t misunderstand. I’m not following you because I want to. This base has many restricted areas, filled with traps. I’m worried you might wander into a dangerous place and get hurt. If anything happened to you, the Boss would blame me.”

“You!” Madelyn was speechless.

She then said, annoyed, “Hmph, don’t think I’m clueless. I know you’re guarding me. I don’t understand why you brought me here. This is Oceanic Empire’s headquarters, right? Aren’t you afraid I might bring someone here now that I know the location?”

Phantom chuckled. “Why should we be afraid? This place is so well-hidden you wouldn’t be able to even if you wanted to. Besides, you have no idea about the flight route. Only we can bring you in or out.”

Madelyn gritted her teeth, her anger intensifying. Unable to respond, she sat on a nearby stone bench, stewing in frustration.

Phantom found her amusing. "This woman's actually quite entertaining," he thought. He sat beside her, asking, “Have you recalled anything about what Morgana asked you to?”

“Really?” Phantom was surprised.

Madelyn nodded. “Why would I lie? Every day, I rack my brain trying to figure out how to get out of here.”

“Looks like you’re eager to leave, huh?” Phantom chuckled.

Madelyn’s eyes widened. “Oh my God, who could possibly stand to stay in a place like this? Can you?”

“I can.” Phantom smiled, then momentarily sympathized with himself, having spent over a decade there. However, that thought was fleeting. He said, “Since you’ve thought of something, I’ll take you to meet Morgana.”

Madelyn nodded, showing no objections. They ventured back into the dark tunnel. At the end, they found Morgana.

“What did you recall?” Morgana asked Madelyn.

Madelyn nodded. “I’ve recalled something, but I have a condition.”

Morgana laughed, her metallic voice echoing. “You have quite the nerve to negotiate with me.”

Madelyn didn't back down. “I don’t care anymore. Worst case, I’ll die. But if you refuse my request, I can’t share the information.”

This was essentially a threat. Phantom was alarmed. Does this woman have a death wish?

Morgana’s lips twitched. Years since anyone dared threaten me. How interesting! she thought. Very well, let's hear her conditions. "Tell me, what is your condition?” she asked with keen interest.

Madelyn answered, “I can give you information to help find the culprit. However, you must let me go immediately afterward. You can’t force me to stay or threaten me. Of course, if anything else comes to mind, I’ll let you know. But I can’t stay; I need to go to school, and my family will worry.”

Her message was clear: information for freedom.

Morgana hadn’t expected such stubbornness. However, it didn't seem a difficult request. After considering, Morgana agreed, “I can let you go, but if your information is incorrect, I can bring you back at any time, and your life will be at stake.”

“Of course,” Madelyn said, “I’m not a fool.”

Morgana nodded. “All right, then. Tell me.”

Madelyn inclined her head. “I don’t know if you’re aware, but in Clusia, there are many secluded ancient martial arts families with a long history, tracing back hundreds of years.”

Morgana furrowed her brows. “Are you implying those who harmed Nightingale are from one of these families?”

Madelyn shook her head. “Not necessarily. These families exist overseas too. Based on your information, I deduce the culprit enlisted such people, which is why Nightingale can’t recover.”

“No wonder they’re so secretive!” Morgana was filled with anger. Who else could stand against Oceanic Empire but such enigmatic hermits?

She asked, “But where exactly are these people hiding?”

Madelyn said, “From what I know, there are a few such families in South Atharia. But not many, so investigation shouldn’t be too difficult. If you plan to investigate, I suggest you start with the Edwards.”