Dawn was approaching, and Lucian only had less than three hours left. This was all the time he had left to explore the secret passage.
Wade will be back the day after tomorrow. No matter what, Lucian will have to find a way to get into Wade's study tomorrow, and it will take more time to find the blueprint. Considering that he is becoming more and more exhausted...
He couldn't waste any more time in the secret passage!
Lucian narrowed his eyes and decided to make one last attempt on the last two secret passages.
He first entered the secret passage corresponding to the candlestick. After walking up many stone steps, he arrived at a secret library—the library was full of all kinds of forbidden books, ranging from real history to forbidden techniques. If it were normal, Lucian would definitely be very happy to see this.
But now they meant nothing to him.
The clock-based secret passage that he had high hopes for went all the way down. The place it led to was sealed by a stone wall, as if to cover up something... This secret passage gave Lucian an extremely uneasy feeling. He decisively trusted his intuition, returned to the room, and sealed the entrance.
All explorations failed.
Seeing that the sky was already bright, the morning of the castle had begun again. Lucian lay down on the carpet in a somewhat depressed mood. His nerves were finally exhausted after a night of excitement. He half closed his eyes and wanted to rest for a while...
It was at this moment that he saw a bright spot in the decorative fireplace in the room.
A strong premonition surged into Lucian's heart. He seemed to be completely awake at that moment.
He made sure that no one would enter the room at this time, then he quietly pressed the mechanism and tentatively reached out to turn it according to a certain pattern.
Creak.
Creak.
It was the sound of the secret passage being opened.
Lucian walked into the secret passage, his body extremely exhausted, supported only by an intuitive excitement. Through the walls of the secret passage, his five senses, which had become much more sensitive due to his becoming a succubus, heard the sound outside the wall... It was the sound of the guards passing by.
Turn left, go straight, turn right...
Lucian's spirit became more and more tense.
Yes, this is the direction!
The direction is exactly the same as in my memory!
Finally, a small door symbolizing the exit appeared in front of him. Lucian quietly pushed the door open a little.
The scene he was expecting appeared before his eyes.
He saw it.
It was Wade's study, filled with books.
The other end of the secret passage was also the decorative fireplace in the study. Lucian climbed out of the fireplace carefully. At this moment, the study was empty.
There was only sunlight coming in through the window.
Lucian looked up and saw rows of books and drawers. He remembered that when Wade was at Cecil Manor, he would often put his designs in the magic and mechanical book that gave him inspiration.
There are only about twenty-four hours until Vader returns!
He must hurry!
Lucian first scanned the bookshelves. There were so many books in the study that it took up more than one whole wall. Books of the same category were placed in the same place. He couldn't tell which books were brought by Wade himself and which ones originally belonged to the king here, so he had to look at their spines one by one.
“World scenery, world culture…”
"Elves, Undeads, Novels..."
"Sociology, military, history, forging, alchemy, potions..."
"Machinery, ships, magic... Magical machinery? Spell circuits... Seals?"
Lucian finally found the kind of books he was looking for on the mahogany bookshelf at the edge!
These books were neatly arranged on the bookshelf, and many of them had paper bookmarks between them, most of which were Wade's notes. Lucian took a deep breath and calmed himself down.
—He was grateful for his extensive knowledge as the Son of God. Many of the books were written in ancient languages that had been lost, or in other languages. If someone else were here, he probably wouldn't even understand what these books were.
But there are too many books here. It is very difficult to find the book you need quickly. Just as Lucian took out the eighth book and flipped through it, a noise came from the yard downstairs.
At that moment Lucian realized that it was almost noon.
It's almost time for the maids to visit him!
He could only quickly put the book back and carefully restore all traces of his presence. But fortunately, now that there is a secret passage, these are not a problem. He can just use the secret passage to get into the study next time.
Before leaving, the wind blew through the window and blew a few pages of the book that Vader had opened on the table. Lucian took a look at it and decided not to restore it.
But it was this glance that allowed him to see what Wade had written on that page.
"Lucian Cecil"
"incubus"
His name and the scientific name of succubus were clearly visible through the paper, bloody with red ink, as if expressing extreme hatred.
Lucian: …
"It's so scary." He muttered softly, lay down, and went into the secret passage.
He returned to Wade's bedroom through the secret passage as quickly as possible. As luck would have it, when he arrived in the room and had just restored everything to its original state, the maids happened to come in at this time.
This tightrope-walking behavior not only brought a strong sense of tension, but also gave Lucian a sense of pleasure in the excitement.
The maids came here only to clean the room and check on Lucian's condition. After confirming that Lucian was fine, they began to clean.
After the maids left, Lucian could no longer suppress his excitement. His pale cheeks were flushed, and his wine-red eyes were shining. What he had just seen in the study lingered in his mind, unable to be shaken off.
As long as he can find the blueprint, he will be able to quickly recover his magic power and escape from here!
Lucian was the Son of God after all. Although he was not as good as Vader in close combat, he was definitely one of the most outstanding people in the human race in terms of his proficiency in magic. As long as Vader was not there, no one in the entire palace would be a match for him who was fully prepared.
The past few months in the castle were not in vain. Now, he has a basic understanding of the various paths in the palace. As long as he unlocks the anklet that seals his magic power, he can leave the palace immediately!
Then the sky was high and the clouds were wide. This time, he would find a place to hide, and then Vader would never be able to find him again. The identity of a succubus was indeed a bit troublesome, but he would find a way to find a spell to conceal his appearance and hide.
As for those "important people" of other races besides Wade, Lucian would keep a low profile and be careful not to approach or provoke them.
Finally, he settled down peacefully and waited for the system to return... This was the escape plan Lucian set for himself.
Thinking of the beautiful future that was just around the corner, Lucian was extremely happy. He lay on the sofa, hugging a pillow, trying to use it to hide the smile on his face.
Moreover, after he escaped, Vader should also know that his "soul" had returned, right? It was such a pity that after so many days, Vader not only did not discover the fact that he had returned, but he was also tricked by him again... Just thinking about Vader's expression after knowing the truth, Lucian felt excited and amused.
There are even some malicious little expectations.
But this time he will be much more cautious and will not return to the royal city. Hmm... I have to sacrifice my hobbies for a while.
Thinking of this, he felt a little regretful.
Now there was no time left for him to return to the study before the palace servants pushed him out to bask in the sun. The sleepiness that had continued from last night finally swept over him, and Lucian fell asleep in a daze, hugging the cushion.
Before going to sleep, he looked at the empty bed that belonged to Wade not far away. For a moment, he was actually a little uncomfortable.
In the past, when Wade slept in this room, he always felt it was too oppressive. But now that Wade was not here, he was a little uncomfortable.
But it was just a minor discomfort. After he escaped, he would soon enjoy his solitary life and the beauty of the continent and forget the wonderful months that Vader had brought him.
Lucian thought so and fell asleep happily.
In the afternoon, the palace servants pushed Lucian out in a wheelchair to bask in the sun as usual.
As the garden was being repaired, the palace servants changed the walking route. The few hours of rest in the afternoon had restored some of Lucian's energy. He half-closed his eyes, pretending to be dazed, but secretly looking at this new route that he had never been on before.
This road, which was accidentally created by the palace servants, was extremely desolate and remote. That was why they would not run into the craftsmen who were busy repairing the gardens and some buildings.
The palace maids were chatting in low voices, totally unaware of the direction of vision of the white-haired young man they were pushing.
—A small door not far away.
A... small door guarded by orc guards.
From the palace where Wade lived to here, one had to pass through five checkpoints, and this was the fifth one.
If he remembered correctly, this small door led to the jungle behind the castle.
A jungle that is good for hiding.
The corners of Lucian's lips curled up slightly.
The guards guarding this small gate were led by an orc guard. The orc guard had a scar on his forehead and was now folding his hands, scolding several lazy subordinates.
His brows were much gloomier than before, and Lucian saw a hint of ambition in his eyes.
Lucian remembered his name.
Calvin.
The orc guard who was assigned by Vader to carry him to the prison and was "hinted" by him in the tower to be in charge of him.
What a coincidence, he thought with a smile.
After Calvin finished scolding his subordinates, he wiped the sweat off his head. Although it was already autumn, the orcs were hot and the bright sunlight still made him sweat. He looked at the sky and thought of the orcs' tribe in the grassland desert, tents, stone cities, mottled totems, autumn night sacrifices, and more casual and enthusiastic rituals than the complicated etiquette of the human race...
Suddenly, he thought of the beautiful forbidden object trapped in the tower.
It was different from any other orc, soft and vivid. The beauty of a half-succubus, the exquisite etiquette of a human, the identity of a holy son tainted by corruption, and the identity of a "forbidden delicacy" of a powerful superior...
Within reach but out of reach.
The orc lowered his eyes and unconsciously looked towards the direction of the emperor's bedroom again. He knew that Lucian was there.
He often went there, but at this moment, even his bones and blood froze.
He thought he was hallucinating.
The white-haired beauty was pushed away by several palace servants. Dusk was approaching, and the butler Spencer said that he would give him a bath in the evening.
In the dim twilight, Calvin vaguely saw Lucian... and he seemed to smile at him.
He thought it must be his hallucination.
In the evening breeze on the way back, Lucian leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and enjoyed the warm twilight.
His red lips curled up, and the palace servants thought he was having a sweet dream, so they were all careful not to make a sound.
Lucian likes ambitious people.
Ambitious people have weaknesses.
People who have weaknesses are easy to be exploited.