Super Righteous Player
Chapter 44 - 43 Elle’s Diary_1

Chapter 44: Chapter 43 Elle’s Diary_1

Annan’s skill at ransacking a house was quite proficient.

In less than five minutes, he had completely searched through Elle’s room... just like the time he had rummaged through Tan Juan’s room.

Unlike Tan Juan’s room on the ship, Elle didn’t seem to spend much time in her own room. In Elle’s room, Annan didn’t find much of value.

The room contained no weapons, and he didn’t even find a sharp pair of scissors. The only potentially harmful objects were probably Elle’s comb and feather pen.

But to Annan, this actually seemed somewhat abnormal.

However, he didn’t rush to conclusions but continued to search for anything that might give him additional information.

Aside from skirts and lingerie, there was nothing useful in the dresser in her room. There were no hidden items inside the pillow, under the bedsheet, or in the gaps in the floor.

Except for Elle’s diary.

That was the only clue Annan could obtain from Elle’s room.

[Elle Morrison’s Diary]

[Type: Trinket (White)]

[Description: A diary used for about three months, but missing some pages]

"Missing some pages, huh..."

It didn’t matter.

Muttering to himself, Annan didn’t hesitate to open Elle’s diary.

Although his main task was to investigate the secrets of Amos Morrison, such tasks always needed a starting point... a thread to follow.

"March 15th. Amos seems to be in a better mood lately."

This was the first entry in Elle’s diary that Annan saw upon opening the notebook.

"March 18th. Today, Amos’s mood suddenly worsened again. He’s been drinking, and he tore up a painting... that was the one he planned to give to Mrs. Barber on April 1st.

"Silver Baron above, what will he do if he can’t present a gift on April 1st? Amos will be embarrassed."

...

"March 22nd. It’s really strange, Amos hasn’t been drinking these past couple of days, nor has he been angry, just staying in the study reading books... Those seem to be mother’s relics.

"I guess, he must be missing mother."

...

"March 25th. It’s almost a week now since he’s left the study, and I’m getting worried about him... He hasn’t been eating much lately, could he be sick? I plan to inquire with the bishop lord tomorrow."

...

"March 26th! I haven’t gone to see the bishop lord yet, but Amos has come out of the study! And he seems to be in quite a good mood... truly rare, Silver Baron above, it’s been almost half a month since I’ve seen him smile.

"And I saw that he started painting again!

"This is wonderful... As long as he cheers up, life will get better and better. I should cook something delicious for him; Amos is going to paint a new portrait for Mrs. Barber tomorrow."

...

(A page here has been torn out)

...

"April 1st, today is Yawen’s holy day. I saw many famous artists come to Frostwater Harbor, including Master Norman and Master Harold! I really wanted to attend their concert, but I had to accompany Father to Roth Fort, alas, unfortunate.

"That strange painting indeed pleased the Viscountess; Father received a lot of reward money. He said that money is enough for me to buy lots of clothes...

"But I don’t want clothes; we are not short of money. As long as Amos is happy, that’s all that matters!

"When we were leaving, it felt like that painting was watching me. Such a weird painting."

...

"April 20th, today Amos cried.

"I saw him painting in front of the garden, staring midway at the garden with tears in his eyes. After that, he tore up the painting.

"This was Amos’s favorite garden; he often painted here, and his paintings were beautiful. But it’s been several months since he painted here... He’s been too busy. Lately, Amos has been painting portraits for important people, earning a lot of money, and buying me many clothes.

"But I don’t want clothes..."

...

"April 24th, Amos had the garden leveled. I wasn’t very happy, but Amos has been in a bad mood lately, so I didn’t say much.

"But I am still unhappy."

...

"April 30th, April is finally almost over. Come May, it will be the Silver Baron’s month of protection, and Amos won’t have to attend so many ceremonies...

"The bishop told me that Amos has become famous. His skills have improved again recently, and it’s said that the portraits he paints allow one to see the soul of the person through the canvas. They say it’s a hand kissed by Yawen, that his art has surpassed history, and he will be remembered for eternity... If it were in the United Kingdom, he might even become an Honorary Viscount bestowed by God on April 1st next year.

"Although I don’t quite understand, but it must be a good thing. I’m very happy~"

...

"May 2nd, Silver Baron’s festival is so lively, but so tiring. I fell asleep as soon as I got back yesterday, didn’t write my diary, so I’m making up for it today.

"Yesterday I told Amos that my birthday is coming up. He said he would give me a very nice gift, but I told him I didn’t want a gift, I just wanted him to paint a portrait for me. Then Amos’s face suddenly turned very ugly... Did I make him angry?

"Note: He doesn’t seem angry."

...

"June 10th, just two more days until my birthday!

"I mentioned that matter to Amos again today. But he didn’t get angry today, he just bet me that I couldn’t sit still while he painted me. He said it takes hours to paint a portrait, and I can’t move at all during that time...

"It’s just sitting, what’s so difficult about that... It’s not like I’m standing.

"Ugh, maybe the hard part is not being able to go to the bathroom for hours? I guess I won’t drink any water the day after tomorrow...."

"Note: Amos has been burrowing into the study again these past two days. I wanted to go in and take a look but he yelled at me. In a few days, when Amos is not at home, I’ll have to check out the study to see what books he’s secretly reading."

That was the last page of Elle’s diary.

"Strange paintings..."

Annan murmured as he closed the diary.

As he expected, there was a lot of key information in this diary.

Combining this with his previous conversation with Amos, Annan had some guesses about Amos’s secrets.

Amos indeed loved his daughter Elle, and their relationship was very close. His wife had died some years earlier.

It seemed that he was in an artistic dead end, suffering to the point of becoming reclusive. But by browsing through his deceased wife’s collection of books, he found a special paint that could enhance his ability to create portraits. A portrait made with this paint was like a living creature, possessing its own soul.

But those who were painted might suffer some unpleasant consequences. And Amos himself was aware of the cost.

...Was it some kind of ritual?

The first thing Annan thought of was the strange ritual he had witnessed on the ship, "The Tongue of Mirrors."

Completely illogical abilities, but with strange costs. It fit the situation perfectly.

He suspected that Amos might have struck some secretive deal with the so-called "Skeleton Lord," a False God, and obtained a bizarre, malevolent ritual....

He had to check Amos’s study.

Thinking this, Annan prepared to leave Elle’s room.

Before leaving, he inadvertently glanced at the portrait of Elle.

"This is——"

He couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration, his eyes widening.

...Even someone as critical as Annan had to admit that Amos’s painting was indeed exquisite. Of course, Elle being really cute was a key factor, too.

This painting was so lifelike it was astonishing, yet it retained a sense of beauty, like a fine art photograph. It was so real that it seemed like it was shot with a camera... At least if the painting was shown to Annan alone, he wouldn’t be able to tell if it was photographed or painted.

...He called this a failure?

Then what would be a success?

The ones in the gallery outside...?