Chapter 484: True History
Chapter 484: True History
Eleiney's breathing involuntarily turned ragged. Just earlier during the day, she was at the library reading up on the history of the town.
She had a vague feeling that the records had been fabricated. To her, they seemed too perfect.
And now that she heard the mayor mention the true history of the town, she knew that she had been correct in her assumptions!
She couldn't help but feel a little proud of herself, but at the same time, a foreboding feeling welled up in her heart, making her wonder what the true history of Stratford actually was.
Mayor Hobbs glanced at her with a knowing smile and said, "I'm sure you've already picked up on this, haven't you?"
Eleniey confirmed in her heart that this old man sitting before her knew everything that happened within the town.
How else would he know what she was reading in the library?
She took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, I've had suspicions after reading all the history books in the public library."
Mayor Hobbs sincerely praised her, "You're a witty child."
Eleiney couldn't help but ask, "Old Kathy said that the Howlett Family were killed by the werewolves. Is that true?"
"No..." the old mayor smiled ruefully. "That is what the residents were led to believe. Well, the local Magi are the only ones that know the truth."
"What is the truth then?" Art asked with an impatient tone.
Mayor Hobbs was silent for a long time, thinking of the right words to say. He then began, "The history books state that Morven the Malevolent used his black magic and enslaved the people of this land to use them for his horrifying experiments.
"That a Magus named Stratford battled the evil Magus and his army in order to free the enslaved. Their battle raged on for several days and in the end, Magus Stratford triumphed over evil."
He paused for a moment and took a deep breath. Solemnly glancing at the three kids, he continued, "Although the texts claim that Magus Stratford killed Morven the Malevolent... this is not true."
"What?!" The young Magi shot up to their feet, glancing at the old mayor with dumbfounded expressions.
Eleniey couldn't help but blurt out, "So Morven the Malevolent is alive?!"
Mayor Hobbs shook his head. "Not quite. You see, Magus Stratford was grievously injured as
he had to fight Morven's army on his own. Despite that, he was able to kill every last one of his minions.
"Because of the injuries he had sustained over days of fighting, in the end, he could not kill the wicked Magus."
"Then what happened to Morven?!" Aiden asked in shock.
"Magus Stratford knew that he couldn't kill Morven, so he did the best thing he could..." said the old mayor.
"And that is?" Eleiney pressed.
Mayor Hobbs gazed right into her eyes and said with a solemn tone, "He sealed him in the heart of the Weeping Woods!"
The young Magi simultaneously sucked in a breath of cold air. Realizing the implications of this newfound knowledge, they couldn't help but feel utterly terrified.
"W-Why couldn't Magus Stratford just kill him later?" Art couldn't help but ask the obvious.
The old mayor's lips curled up into a rueful smile. "In that grand battle, both sides were grievously injured. Morven the Malevolent was sealed in the weeping woods, but Magus Startford's fate wasn't all that different."
He paused for a moment, sighing dejectedly, "In the year following the battle, Magus Stratford gradually succumbed to his injuries and passed away."
A long moment of silence ensued within the room, only the sound of firewood burning could be heard.
"Before he died, Magus Stratford sired many offspring and built this town bordering the Weeping Woods," said the mayor as his eyes reddened.
Putting two and two together, Eleiney thought of a possibility. She asked with some skepticism, "Could it be that the reason he had so many children and even built up this town before his death..."
"Yes." The mayor nodded. "It was Magus Stratford's dying wish that his children would guard the Weeping Woods, forever keeping watch over the seal that restrained Morven the Malevolent."
"Wait a minute!" Aiden thought of another possibility. Recalling the conversations he'd had with the townsfolk earlier today, he couldn't help but ask, "Is this the reason why the townsfolk refuse to leave this place?!"
Mayor Hobbs solemnly nodded, his eyes flashing with immense pride. "It is our duty to prevent that evil Magus, Morven the Malevolent, from ever resurfacing back into the world."
He paused for a moment before speaking with great dignity and honor, "Bloodline works in mysterious ways. The children of Magus Stratford have inherited his will.
"That is why even though several centuries have passed since his death, none of us have ever left this town that we call home. Even if some of us did leave, it was only temporary. They always returned home to fulfill their filial duties."
Now that the three young Magi knew the truth about the people of this town, they couldn't help but come to greatly admire them.
Even though the vast majority of them didn't have the talent to become Magi, they chose to stay here regardless and fight the battle against evil.
This was what they owed to their savior, as well as their ancestor, Magus Stratford!
It took a long while for them to digest this information and get their emotions in check. Eleiney looked at the mayor with teary eyes, "Magus Stratford was truly a righteous man. I guess all that was written about him in the history books wasn't entirely false."
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"Eh... about that," said the mayor with an awkward expression. "We did exaggerate some of his qualities in the history books. Truth be told, although Magus Stratford was truly righteous at heart, he was quite the foul-mouthed person... and a drunkard."
Foul-mouthed? Drunkard? Sounds like someone I know... The three kids and even Valerian had the same exact thought.
"But, my lord, can you tell us how all this is related to the Howlett Family?" Art asked the important question.
This was the very reason why they were here in the first place.
Mayor Hobbs took a deep breath and solemnly stated, "It's because the patriarch of the Howlett Family found the secret inheritance of Morven the Malevolent!"