Our Family Has Fallen

Today marks the official reopening. Lance is very concerned about the situation on the frontlines, but he hasn’t intervened. He can’t handle everything himself, especially while preparing for special operations.

He has his own matters to attend to and has now found a person who is both familiar and a stranger.

Back then, appearing with Geralt Junia in Hamlet, was the bald sorcerer’s apprentice—the antique dealer Catherine.

Although she was an apprentice, she ultimately betrayed the bald sorcerer. If Junia’s divine arts hadn’t indirectly interrupted the sorcerer’s curse, she might have perished. However, she fell into a coma.

Later, Lance rescued her. After observing and understanding her situation, he didn’t make things difficult for her and arranged for her to recuperate at the school library.

To be honest, Lance’s impression of her isn’t very good because contact with her reveals her betrayal wasn’t out of guilt or awakening; it was purely to escape the sorcerer’s control.

Moreover, her personality carries a sense of defensiveness and ruthlessness. She finds it hard to trust others and mostly trusts herself.

If the interests were sufficient, Lance has no doubt she would betray Hamlet, so he hasn’t assigned her any important tasks, just letting her do her own thing.

However, while Lance ignores her, Grendel often takes her out.

People’s growth is greatly influenced by environmental factors, and the formation of her twisted personality is significantly related to her tragic background and the bald sorcerer’s influence.

But in the stable and safe environment of Hamlet, where the school is filled with vibrant students and Grendel taking her out, Catherine’s gloomy aura is dissipating.

At least she no longer needs to wear that bulky, alien race-styled hooded robe that conceals her face, while hiding all sorts of strange objects inside, with a dagger held in her sleeve ready to attack at any moment.

Instead, she wears the now fashionable casual attire of Hamlet, emphasizing relaxation and casualness, and of course comfort.

If you pay attention, you might even notice she’s gained weight. When she first arrived, her cheeks were sunken, giving a fierce impression.

But now they are much rounder; Hamlet’s bread surely nurtures people well.

At this moment, she’s writing something on the library table, her relaxed posture carrying an artistic flair, though she lacks a pair of glasses which would suit her better.

"I hope I didn’t disturb you."

"My Lord..." Catherine looks somewhat surprised at the visitor; this great figure rarely seeks her out.

The last time was when he asked her to compile "Antique Appreciation," and everyone discussed the situation of archaeology and antiques, as if the Lord knew everything, he seemed so knowledgeable.

"Oh! No..." But she quickly responds, attempting to adjust her posture to stand.

"It’s okay, it’s okay~" Lance smiles, gesturing for her not to be so nervous.

That casual demeanor greatly alleviated Catherine’s pressure; she even feels a sense of calm, or rather, security, when she sees the Lord.

"Here’s the situation: you know about the relic development, right?"

"Yes."

Lance sits across from her, and now Catherine also gets into her role, nodding in response.

"Everyone knows the gold coin value within the relics, likewise, many valuable antiques will surely be excavated.

But currently, there aren’t many people in town who are knowledgeable about these. I hope you can help assess the value of those items."

Lance knows she’s not suited for combat and never intended to send an antique dealer to the frontlines, so he follows up.

"You don’t need to enter the relics; I’ve arranged an antique shop in town for you to provide some help as a consultant."

If Tamara were still here, Lance’s first choice would definitely be her. She has a hoarding habit, and a greedy yet sufficiently cunning merchant won’t miss any good items, besides possessing ample knowledge to judge the value of objects.

But unfortunately, she’s now gone back to the organization, and frankly, since the necromancy network was disrupted, their communication has become difficult, even severed.

Only occasional letters exchanged, and those are accompanied by the Romani people’s trading deliveries.

But it’s been a while since, and reportedly she’s still diligently studying, her teacher not willing to let her get distracted.

Who knows, but Lance has always been indifferent to these matters. When arranging Tamara back then, he hoped she would take a place in the organization in the future, and also play a role when dealing with the ancestor.

However, he hadn’t expected his own growth to be so rapid; now he’s approaching the ancestor’s doorstep, she has become somewhat of a dispensable stranger.

The main reason is Amanda’s significant contributions, running errands and handling numerous tasks for him, drawing closer, which is only natural...

"I understand, should I take office now?" Catherine hesitated slightly in answering, rather than agreeing immediately, giving it some thought first.

Lance is awakened by this question, briefly discussing with her about related terms and conditions.

Only to find he truly has no reason to decline, as the Lord has considered everything for her.

She is merely an appraiser, this work is not challenging for her, and she is quite talented in this line, interacting with those objects can help her compile books on archaeology and antique research.

Moreover, there’s a raise involved; even though she doesn’t have a strong desire for money now, as much of it as possible is still beneficial.