Watching the Ghost disappear after gifting him a pile of Cards, Jiang You was left scratching his head, feeling strangely uneasy. He had the distinct impression he had just touched the main storyline, but what could this main storyline possibly be?
The Mirror Clan's Cards included several that allowed him to see his opponent's hand directly, as well as Cards that could rearrange the top ten Cards in his Deck—a fitting ability given their nature. Since the Mirror Clan had shown him goodwill, Jiang You naturally returned the favor.
"Since you're so curious about me and eager to read books, why don't you come with me to Salisbury? It's my territory now. I'll settle you in a library there, though you'll need to take on the role of librarians. I doubt that would be too difficult for you, would it?"
"Have you seen this future?"
"How could we? In the visions the elders saw, Aurora, that madwoman, always remained the Lord of Salisbury until the very end. But now she's lying in the swamp, and the future has become a blurry mess!"
"What's there to hesitate about? I want to go! I want to go!"
The ghosts eagerly agreed to Jiang You's proposal, utterly captivated by the prospect of an entirely unknown experience.
Melusine, noticing the ghosts' near-total disregard for her, didn't bother asking questions. Considering the lives she had taken, demanding her own life in compensation was a perfectly reasonable request. She simply assumed the ghosts still resented her.
In truth, for the Mirror Clan, the line between what had already happened and what was yet to come was blurred. They sometimes even forgot they were dead. They didn't truly harbor much resentment toward Melusine anymore, having almost forgotten the whole affair.
"There's no time to waste. Let's depart immediately."
Seeing the twilight deepening and finding nothing worth lingering for in this desolate area, Jiang You gathered the ghosts and fairies present to depart for Salisbury. The news of Aurora's designation as a rebel hadn't yet reached Salisbury, and Jiang You needed to assume his new post quickly to announce this momentous development.
Melusine had lost her life's purpose. Now adrift and unsure of her next move, she could only fulfill her wager with Jiang You, obeying his commands when given. Casting one last glance at the still-unconscious Aurora, she tightened her resolve and followed closely behind Jiang You.
When they arrived at former Lord Aurora's castle, they were greeted by a gaunt-faced Coral. Though Aurora rarely concerned herself with most matters, she always made some arrangements, with Melusine assisting as needed. For the past few days, however, Coral had been managing all of Salisbury alone, leaving her utterly exhausted.
"Lord Lancelot!"
Coral's face lit up with relief as she recognized Melusine's familiar features, a genuine smile blossoming on her lips. But the smile quickly faded as she noticed Melusine's lifeless, zombie-like demeanor, and the human male standing beside her—the very man Melusine had previously branded her enemy.
"What have you done to Lord Lancelot?!"
Coral immediately attacked Jiang You. As Aurora's right-hand woman, she possessed considerable combat prowess, though not overwhelming. She was roughly 1.2 times Jiang You's strength, capable of crushing ordinary soldiers but easily slaughtered by anyone with even a slight reputation.
"By doing this, you'll be considered a rebel, you know?"
Jiang You, evenly matched with Coral, effortlessly evaded her attacks. Leveraging his superior physical abilities, he quickly created distance between them.
"I am now the Lord of Salisbury!"
"The only true Lord of Salisbury is Lady Aurora!"
Coral's loyalty to Aurora was unwavering. She immediately turned to Melusine.
"Lord Lancelot, what happened to My Lord? Why are you the only one who returned?!"
"..."
Melusine stared into Coral's urgent eyes, unsure how to answer. Should she admit she had failed to protect Aurora? Or reveal Aurora's true nature and her current fate?
"Melusine, restrain her."
Jiang You needed Coral to grasp the current situation. He actually quite liked this purple fairy; it would be a shame not to add her to his card collection.
"Lord Lancelot!"
Coral was about to protest, "How dare you command our strongest knight?" when she realized Melusine had already darted behind her, pinned her arms, and slammed her to the ground.
Against Melusine's overwhelming strength, Coral had no chance to resist. The battle ended in an instant. Her eyes burning with fury, she let out a desperate roar, utterly bewildered.
"Lord Lancelot! What are you doing? Have you betrayed us?!"
Jiang You couldn't help but feel this scene echoed the Pan-Human History version of Agravain catching Lancelot in adultery. Is betraying one's allegiances simply the fate of anyone who bears the name Lancelot? he wondered.
Seeing Melusine's sorrowful expression return, Jiang You realized he'd been pushing her too hard lately. With Aurora as good as dead, it was time to ease the tension between them. Absolute obedience was useful, but he wanted Melusine to be even more docile.
"She never betrayed you," Jiang You said calmly. "She simply wagered everything she had—her very existence—to duel me for the sake of this realm's former Lord. Unfortunately for her, I won. Now she can no longer disobey my commands."
"You won?" Coral scoffed.
From Jiang You's earlier movements, Coral had seen that Jiang You's martial skills were no better than her own—perhaps even worse. How could he possibly have defeated Lancelot, the Dragon Fairy hailed as the strongest warrior? Jiang You must have resorted to some underhanded trick. "You despicable coward!"
"He... won fair and square, Coral. Let's drop the subject."
Melusine surprisingly defended Jiang You. She harbored genuine affection for her diligent colleague and didn't want Jiang You to lose his temper and lash out at Coral. Powerful beings have no need to tolerate provocations from the weak, and she knew firsthand just how terrifying Jiang You's true strength was—a power utterly concealed by his deceptive demeanor.
Jiang You, uninterested in arguing with Coral, simply handed over the identification papers and official documents given to him by Morgan.
"To be precise, Aurora betrayed Her Majesty Morgan. Now that Aurora has been executed, Your Majesty has appointed me as the next Lord of Salisbury!"
Coral carefully examined the document. It was indeed an imperial decree bearing Her Majesty the Queen's seal. With Melusine offering no rebuttal, Coral accepted its authenticity.
"I understand, My Lord. From now on, I will serve you faithfully as your advisor."
Coral felt overwhelmed by the recent events, but she had no choice but to accept the outcome, however unwillingly.