Chapter 1091 A Cheap Oath
Anna and Natalie followed the monk into the monastery. The monastery was located in a remote area, and even the building seemed a little dilapidated. There were few people in the monastery—only a few monks sweeping the ground and praying. It was a rather quiet place.
After walking for about ten minutes, the monk came to a stop in front of a meditation room and knocked on the wooden door. “Master.”
“N-Nereus,” came the low and unsteady male voice from inside the room. “Master, your daughter has come to visit you,” reported the young monk as he glanced at Anna.
There was no response after that, and the silence lasted for a long time. If not for the voice earlier, Natalie would have thought that the meditation room was empty.
Hearing no response from Varre, Anna uttered, “Do you not want to see me after so many years?”
Right then, the door opened. An elderly monk in robes appeared in front of Anna and Natalie. His old age was evident on his face, for his wrinkles were deep, and his face was pale and tired. Even his breathing was weak, and it was clear that he was gravely ill.
Benedict, also known as Varre, had been standing by the doorway for a long time; he just did not open the door right away. “Annie…” Varre called out, tears welling up in his eyes.
However, after briefly studying Varre’s face, Anna stiffly said, “I want to have a talk with you. There’s something important I want to ask a favor from you for.”
Varre weakly nodded and gave her a smile. “Come in, and let’s talk.”
The young monk intervened, “Master, but your body—” Before he could even finish his sentence, Varre chided, “Nereus, we have guests, but why are you still standing here instead of making tea for them?”
The young monk was upset by the scolding, but it was his master’s request, so he agreed to it and went to make tea.
In the meantime, Anna and Natalie went into the room with Varre.
The meditation room’s decoration was simple— a mattress, a bed, and a rack filled with books. Nevertheless, it was a sight that matched the rest of the monastery. Old, but clean.
“Annie, I don’t have chairs here…” Varre started, a little flustered.
“It’s fine,” was Anna’s icy reply before she sat on the mattress with Natalie.
Natalie then began studying Varre, who looked far from her expectation of a master craftsman.
The man was in a set of robes with prayer beads—the standard appearance of a monk.
His face was pasty, and his lips were dark. The part beneath his eyes was sunken, too, and it was apparent that he did not have long to live.
“Annie, it’s been such a long time since I’ve seen you. You’re so tall now.” Varre smiled as he looked at his now-adult daughter. Although it had been twenty years since he last saw her, she was his daughter at the end of the day, and he could recognize her right away.
At that, Anna gritted her teeth and turned away from him, not wanting to see his warm gaze.
“I’m here for a reason. I need you to replicate a piece of work…”
“Of course,” Varre answered without a hint of hesitation.
Hearing that, Anna turned to Varre and frowned. “I haven’t even told you what you need to replicate and what the requirements are, but you’re already agreeing to it?”
“It’s been a long while since I last crafted anything, and I swore to Fyrtia the God that I won’t touch the chisel ever again,” Varre began. “But if it’s a request from you, it’s a request I’ll do.”
Unlike her usual gentle self, Anna snarled, “I knew it. Your oath is cheap. You can revoke it whenever you want to.”
Natalie felt that Anna was crossing the line with those words, and she discreetly tugged her sleeve.
“Anna…”
It was then Anna noticed that she had gotten carried away, but the demon in her heart that formed from her childhood experiences told her Varre deserved those words.
