Watching Baro Bonsandi approach her, Syl instinctively took a small step back.
Hadn't he been on the verge of madness just a moment ago?
And hadn't she been waiting for Per in the drawing room with Barro just moments ago?
It was as if time had completely rewound to the moment she first arrived, the moment the guard called Bonsandi over.
Time... had it reversed?
Syl looked at Barro, who was in excellent spirits and showed absolutely no signs of the madness she had witnessed earlier, and suddenly felt her throat go dry.
Rewinding time... what a terrifying ability... Is this the power possessed by the Witch of the Cycle?
"A follow-up visit..." Syl felt her voice go hoarse from fear.
Without her knowing, how many times had time and space repeated?
Walking ahead, Bonsandi turned sideways, speaking as he walked: "I truly trouble you with this, my daughter's condition..."
His expression and movements were exactly the same as when Syl had first arrived.
In Syl's eyes, this was simply repeating what had already been done; this feeling of everything proceeding along its original trajectory made her blood run cold.
Even upon entering the drawing room, Syl remained somewhat dazed. She paused before stepping inside, as if trying to find something different, or detect any unusual aura.
Unfortunately, everything was exactly the same as before the rewind; even the bookshelf that Barro had rummaged through earlier had been restored to its original, tidy state.
"Lord Silver Crow, please take a seat... Hmm?" While Barro was still speaking, Syl had already walked over and sat down on the chair, her head lowered.
This practiced movement made Barro wonder if he had entertained Lord Silver Crow before.
However, Barro quickly dismissed this doubt, walked outside, and instructed a maid to call Per downstairs.
Upon returning to the drawing room, Barro looked at Lord Silver Crow, who was wearing a mask and lost in thought, and felt at a loss for a moment. He kept feeling that Lord Silver Crow had come for something else today.
However, as the master of the house, Barro could not neglect such an honored guest as Lord Silver Crow; he had to find a topic of conversation.
After a moment of contemplation, he asked: "Lord Silver Crow, are you interested in what happened to my great-grandfather afterward? All of this is thanks to your gift."
From Barro's perspective, Lord Silver Crow seemed to freeze upon hearing this.
Then, the Silver Crow in front of him raised its head, its silver beak and the two ink-colored glass lenses used for observing the outside world reflecting an eerie light.
"Uh..." Barro thought he had said something wrong and swallowed nervously. "If Lord Silver Crow does not wish to hear it..."
"Speak," the Silver Crow before him said slowly. "I wish to hear it."
Perhaps it was just Barro's imagination, but he felt he heard a trace of trembling in Lord Silver Crow's voice.
These thoughts were quickly forgotten by Barro. He cleared his throat and was about to say something, when everything before his eyes distorted, and Barro's own thoughts came to a complete halt.
But from Syl's perspective, when she said again that she wanted to hear the process of how Barro's great-grandfather met her, that eerie black halo appeared above the drawing room once more.