Chapter 832: An Unmaskable Connection

"At the very least, my standing here is decisive proof that you've committed perjury, wouldn't you agree?"

The newly arrived young man spoke to the person who was bound. His presence was like a ray of light piercing through the fog, shattering all illusions and making the situation more intriguing.

Olga Marie, who had been staring at Trisha's head, finally looked away and called out the young man's name.

"...Caules Forvedge."

Yes, the young man who had just appeared was indeed Caules himself.

"Well done, Waver!"

Melvin clapped his hands excitedly, shouting praises from the bottom of his heart.

"This is truly delightful! It's exhilarating! A show worthy of betting my entire fortune on!"

His fortune wasn't just an exaggeration. Previously, to bid on the Mystic Eyes of Transcience, Melvin had mortgaged everything he owned, including his house, workshop, assets, and treasures, amassing nearly five billion dollars. If he had spent it all, he wouldn't even have been able to afford his own medicine.

And all of this was because Waver had asked him to, though Waver hadn't explained why, only promising that it would be interesting. Melvin agreed because of this—hence, he was indeed a true friend and the best of friends.

Faced with this decisive evidence, the bound Caules—no, the person impersonating Caules—finally stopped denying it.

"I suppose I must admit it."

"You were also the one who invested in Yvette, weren't you?"

Waver asked. As he had analyzed earlier, the Lehrman family could never have come up with that much money.

"Yes," the culprit admitted.

"But why didn't you suspect Miss Luvia? She could also have that much money."

"At first, I did suspect her, but later I ruled her out because she secretly slipped a note into my pocket during our conversation. The note said you were an impostor!"

Upon hearing this, the imposter let out a surprised "Ah": "That's quite an unexpected answer. I thought my imitation of Caules Forvedge was nearly perfect, even the famous Discerning Eye didn't see through it—how did you figure it out?"

To be honest, Shinji was also curious about the answer.

In the original timeline, Waver was severely injured and nearly died. The impostor used techniques that Caules had not yet mastered to save Waver—he didn't want a Lord to die at that stage, as it would attract the full attention of the Clock Tower—this raised Waver's suspicion. As a teacher, Waver had a precise understanding of his students' abilities and potential.

But now, with all the preparations Shinji had made, Waver was standing there, conversing and laughing. Shinji knew his efforts hadn't been in vain. In the original timeline, this guy had already been likened to Zhuge Liang, just short of a feather fan and a silk robe, calmly obliterating his enemies.

At first, Shinji was a bit worried, wondering if Waver wouldn't see through the deception. But then he thought, with both himself and Arcueid present, did it matter? If things went wrong, they could just crush the impostor with overwhelming force. So he relaxed and enjoyed the show—and unexpectedly, he actually saw something different.

Everyone's eyes turned to the girl as dazzling as a gemstone, waiting for her answer. But instead, Luvia shook her head.

"It wasn't me; I was just the messenger."

"Then who was it?"

Shinji asked, finding the situation increasingly interesting.

Luvia turned her head toward the mysterious woman sitting in the corner of the venue, wrapped in black clothing, a black veil, and a black hat.

The woman, who had remained silent since the start of the auction and kept her presence to a minimum, finally spoke: "Your imitation was indeed impressive. Combining summoning with empathy to achieve near-perfect mimicry—it's truly admirable."

"Near-perfect? So there was a flaw in my technique? Please enlighten me," the imposter asked sincerely, like a student eager to learn.

To be honest, Shinji was also curious about this answer.

The mysterious woman neither stood up nor removed her wide-brimmed hat and veil. She simply lifted her head, casting her gaze at the real Caulez.

This seemingly ordinary action made Caules's body tremble, his face showing disbelief. Like someone in a trance, he walked toward the woman, mumbling, "Sister? Is that you, Sister Fiore?"

The woman didn't rush to answer, calmly removing her hood and veil, revealing a face no less beautiful than Luvia or Yvette.

"It's been a long time, Caules. You've grown taller."

"Sister, it is you..."

Caules stood there, stunned, staring at the woman in a daze.

Shinji was also stunned. What on earth was going on? How was Fiore here? In this timeline, hadn't she left home early and disappeared without a trace, with no involvement in the story?

The woman smiled, her expression as clear as her voice.

"Of course, I'm not an imposter, nor am I disguised. If you don't believe me, I can reveal all the embarrassing things you did as a child. When you were three years old..."

"Stop, stop, I believe you!"

Caules immediately gave in and quickly changed the subject.

"Hey, imposter, I admit your disguise was impressive, but while you can mimic the appearance, body shape, voice, and even temperament, you can never replicate this—our bond of the soul. The memories and experiences my brother and I share from growing up together are something you can never imitate."

The imposter frowned slightly in frustration: "I see, the connection between blood relatives is indeed irreplaceable. But to think that the long-lost sister would appear here—what an incredible coincidence."

Fiore corrected him: "It's not a coincidence; I came specifically for Caules. I originally planned to secretly see him, just to make sure he was doing well. But when you ignored several hints, I realized something was wrong. The hints were codes we've used since childhood, something Caules would never overlook. So, I watched you secretly for a while and confirmed you were an impostor! That's when I asked Miss Luvia to pass the note to Professor Velvet."

Caules asked, "Sister, you know Miss Luvia?"

"Yes. I've been staying with her recently."

"Staying with her... So you've been in London all this time? Then why did you use such a roundabout way? You could have just come to see me. Wait, this is strange too—Miss Luvia used Miss Yvette's attendant spot, but you boarded the train alone—what on earth were you thinking?"

Caules grabbed his hair in frustration, a stark contrast to his usual diligent, composed demeanor in the classroom.