"So, what do you think, Lux?" Alexander asked.
"I'm fine with this arrangement," Lux replied. "After all, both of them were already my fiancees to begin with."
Maximilian chuckled after hearing the young man's reply. The Patriarch of the Rowan Tribe had already recognized Lux as Cai's fiance, so there was no way that he would allow his granddaughter to marry someone else.
Although Iris and Cai had forgotten about Lux, their Guardians didn't, and both men were simply returning things to how they were in the past.
Of course, although Lux agreed, Iris and Cai still had the final say.
He just hoped that the two would agree to this arrangement, allowing him to do a few experiments that might trigger their memories to return to them.
"What are your plans, Lux?" Alexander asked. "Care to share them?"
Lux nodded. "First and foremost, I would like to conduct a few experiments to see whether I can make Iris and Cai remember me. Also, I'm sure that both of you also tried your best to make them remember. If possible, please share what methods you used and what was their reaction to each of them."
"Okay," Alexander replied. "I'll tell you what I have discovered."
The Headmaster of Barbatos Academy told Lux that whenever he tried to force Iris to remember him, the young lady would suffer from a headache. Afterward, she would lose consciousness.
Every time she woke up after the attempt, she wouldn't remember what Alexander had done to make her remember. In the end, he gave up because he didn't want to see Iris suffer.
Maximilian's explanation was the same as Alexander's. Cai would suffer from a terrible headache and fall unconscious whenever she was close to remembering something about him.
It was as if some sort of trigger would force the two ladies to lose consciousness whenever they tried to recall anything about the Half-Elf.
Hearing their replies, Lux could only sigh helplessly because he had already expected as much.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtHe didn't know whether the experiments he would conduct would trigger the same reaction in the two ladies, but he still believed that he should at least give it a try.
Eiko was happily perched on top of her Papa's head like old times, which made her feel at ease.
Although she liked the feeling of liberation and freedom, after not seeing Lux for a year, she planned to stay with him for some time.
Since the Ford Federation was currently peaceful, she had all the time in the world to stay with her Papa, whom she missed very much.
After his short meeting with Alexander and Maximilian, Lux decided to look for Aurora. With her powers, she was able to connect to Iris' and Cai's emotions, giving her an idea of what they were thinking and feeling.
As he walked through the hallways, he found Vera standing on a balcony, overlooking Regulus City.
Sensing his presence, the Old Lady smiled and beckoned Lux to come close to her.
The Half-Elf obeyed, prompting Eiko to happily jump towards Vera while shouting "Manma!"
The silver-haired beauty smiled and caught the giggling Baby Slime with both hands before giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"It seems that Eiko really likes you, Lux," Vera said with a smile. "I've never seen her act this way aside from when she is with Iris. So, tell me, child. Have you met Eiko somewhere?"
"Yes," Lux replied. "I've known her since she was a baby… Well, she is still a baby, but I've known her ever since the moment she hatched from her egg."
"Oh?" Vera looked at the Half-Elf with an appraising gaze as if checking to see if he was lying to her or not.
It was very hard to lie to a Saint, so it was very easy for Vera to tell that Lux wasn't lying, which made her frown.
"You said you knew her right after she hatched from her egg?" Vera inquired.
"Yes," Lux replied. "In fact, Eiko was hatched from the egg that I found in Elysium."
Thinking that this was a good opportunity, Lux decided to give it a shot. Since Vera could tell if he was lying or not, this was a good chance to see if he could make her remember anything.
As long as he was speaking the truth, she would be more inclined to believe him.
"Eiko was born from the egg that you found in Elysium?" Vera asked in confusion. "That can't be. Iris was the one that hatched her egg."
"Indeed." Lux nodded. "Iris was the one who hatched her egg, but I am the one who brought Eiko's egg to her."
Vera pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to recall how Iris had gotten hold of Eiko's egg. The only thing she could remember was that Eiko was hatched in Barbatos Academy and that Iris was the one who had taken care of her ever since.
"Grandma, how about you ask me a different question," Lux proposed. "For example, you can ask me where I grew up, and who raised me."
Vera smiled before shaking her head. "Child, everyone has their secrets, and I am not one to pry into the privacy of others."
Lux sighed internally because his plan to make Vera ask about his childhood didn't work. But he decided to try his luck one more time.
Since Vera didn't ask him, he decided to just take the initiative to tell her about his life story.
"Grandma, do you know? When I was still a baby, you and Sophie saved me from being eaten by the Giant Crocodiles of Huntdeen River," Lux said softly, but clearly. "If not for you, I would have become their snack. After that, you brought me to Wildgarde Stronghold to raise as your own grandchild."
Vera frowned because she was starting to feel a headache as she listened to Lux's story. His words contained no lies, and yet, she was 100% confident that none of the things he mentioned actually happened.
"You're a very good liar, child," Vera said as she rubbed her temple due to the pain she was feeling in her head. "You can even lie to a Saint. This is a very impressive skill."
Lux endured the disappointment that was welling up inside his chest as he gazed at his Grandma, who was looking at him with caution.
"Grandma, do you really think I am lying?" Lux asked.
"Yes," Vera replied. "You are a very good liar. Even I cannot detect any falsehood from your words. Not many people can hoodwink a Saint, you know? This is an achievement that you can be proud of. But I advise you to not make a habit of lying to me often.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"I know that my son, Alexander, plans to make you my granddaughter's fiance. Originally, I didn't oppose his decision. But now, I am starting to reconsider whether he made the right judgment in choosing you as Iris' future partner.
"So why don't we do it like this, Lux? I will pretend that none of this happened, and you will stop telling lies. How about it? We can still be good in-laws if you do this."
Lux didn't answer right away. He knew that if he tried to push his luck, Vera would start to become wary of him and might even force Alexander to rethink his proposal of making the Half-Elf her granddaughter's fiance.
A person who could lie to her with a straight face was a very dangerous individual, and to be honest, she was starting to think of Lux as such.
Lux understood this. Since Vera was starting to doubt him, this doubt would only grow with time, and there was nothing he could do about it.
'Should I take a step back here and play it safe, or should I take another gamble?' Lux thought.
After careful consideration, he chose to take a gamble.
"Grandma, what do I need to do for you to believe my words?" Lux asked. "You can make me do anything, even make me do something impossible. But once I do it, promise me that you will believe my words no matter how impossible it seems. Do we have a deal?"
Vera looked at the Half-Elf with a calm expression on her face.
Truth be told, she found it hard to be angry at Lux. The mere thought of seeing him with a pained expression made her feel anxious.
She called out to him because she wanted to know him better. Something was compelling her to talk to him to better understand what his character was like.
But the moment he started talking about the time when he was a baby, fear gripped Vera's heart.
There was no doubt that Lux was telling the truth, but no matter how hard she tried to recall what he was talking about, she couldn't recall anything.
This was the part that scared her.
What if the Half-Elf was telling the truth, and it was she who had the problem?
Because of this, Vera reluctantly nodded her head and told Lux the thing he needed to do that would make her believe him no matter what.