My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 986 - 988: Meet up

With a soggy slurp, she wrenched her feet free from the mud, her features scrunching up in revulsion as she winced.

"Ahh," she gasped, dipping her head to scowl at her wrecked shoes.

"This place is so underdeveloped. It’s like we’re not even in the Empire," Luna grumbled, grinding the sole of her boot against a rock.

Iris snorted, combing her fingers through her wet hair and shaking off the water drops.

"You obviously don’t venture out of the capital much. From the rumors, certain local nobles couldn’t care less about maintaining roads."

Luna raised her gaze to the city in the distance. Things were so rough that the main route would’ve worked, yet it was blocked by troop movements right now. Civilian carriages got no passage.

She might’ve gotten through by displaying her grandfather’s banner.

However, this mission demanded discretion.

That’s why they endured this wretched half-paved path, riddled with craters and sludge.

A light rain started to sprinkle down as Iris lifted her face.

"It’s the rainy season, after all."

Luna glanced back over her shoulder. Her carriage was being shoved through the muck by two exhausted servants. After watching briefly, she shifted her eyes forward to the city again.

"I hope whatever we discover makes this muddy slog worthwhile."

The pair pressed on, Iris in front with Luna trailing just behind. The academy had wrapped up its mid-semester assessment and geared up for the final one. During the prior evaluation, Damon, Evangeline, and various students had wound up trapped in a deadly zone.

Images of her brother crossed Luna’s mind, prompting a deep exhale.

’I hope they’re alright.’

Losing more people to demons was something she couldn’t bear.

They arrived at the minor city entrance. Guards were sparse there, making entry a breeze. No need to show their real identities—their academy attire sufficed for the sentries to bow and let them pass.

Inside, Luna scraped the dirt from her shoes on the pathway’s stone border. They sheltered beneath a tree’s overhang, awaiting the carriage’s release from the mire.

It’d be just a few minutes more at this rate.

"You really think we’ll uncover something here?" Iris questioned, shooting Luna a sidelong look.

Luna shook her head deliberately.

"Isn’t that the point of searching? Plenty of leads converge here... or rather, many vanish. I’m just following a gut feeling."

Her finger tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"That student Marcus Fayjoy allied with shadowy forces and slaughtered his companions one by one. Then he vanished. The academy never confirmed if he lived or died. No resolution. No end."

Iris nodded thoughtfully.

"The final sighting of him came right after the mid-semester evaluation. Reports indicated he headed to an abandoned structure. Weeks later, we pinpointed it, but scant proof tied it to my father’s demise."

Luna gave a subtle nod. That trail had fizzled out.

"Right. We suspected a cover-up. Our probe revealed someone skilled in space magic. Academy files implicated Professor Chrome... whom my brother eliminated."

The rain intensified, pattering on nearby roofs as Iris ducked lower.

Luna flicked her wrist without glancing up. A subtle glowing shield appeared above them, blocking the rain seeping through the branches.

"Curiously, my brother ties into everything. He slew Chrome and opposed the Marcus Fayjoy faction. And like the other casualties... no corpses turned up."

"Which convinces me Marcus was merely a tool," Luna stated icily, her face turning impassive.

Iris raised her eyes to meet hers.

"So who’s pulling the strings?"

"Not Chrome—he’s gone." Luna massaged her temple while speaking, circling slowly under the tree. "Thus, it must be someone targeting my brother... or maybe I’m off and Marcus Fayjoy still breathes."

"That’s pure guesswork now," Iris retorted sharply, facing her with clear frustration at the circular logic.

"True, yet our key hint was those claw marks." Luna halted her steps and met her gaze. "We spotted remnants in various spots. One was the war games arena."

A slight frown creased her brow as she delved into recollection.

"Something doesn’t add up in my mind, but those marks appeared on the field where Amon battled. I can’t confirm it fully."

Iris’s eyes tightened at the escalating craziness.

"Are you saying Amon murdered my father?"

Luna denied it at once, shaking her head.

"No. Absolutely not." She raised her hands in protest. "I’m merely piecing together shards. But a connection exists—a link binding Amon, the claw marks, Chrome, and Marcus Fayjoy."

"This conspiracy dwarfs our expectations," Iris murmured, crossing her arms and resting against the trunk.

Luna released a soft sigh. Unraveling the truth was precisely why they’d come.

She felt immense gratitude toward Luna; without her aid, tackling this solo would’ve been impossible. She lacked the clout or support for accessing those records or assembling a team.

Luna, by contrast, was the Golden Sun’s cherished granddaughter, and all knew his devotion to her. A single request from her could spur him to action.

"My brother and Lilith must hold some secrets. They simply doubt our dependability. So I’ll solve it alone... and grow stronger in the process."

Iris’s eyes drifted beyond Luna to where the Fayjoy estate banner waved dimly in the downpour.

"Well, let’s pray this trip yields results."

Before more words could pass, the carriage finally lumbered past the gate, its wheels emerging from the sludge.

A faint smile tugged at Luna’s lips as she advanced.

"Our transport’s arrived. Time to meet Lord Fayjoy."