"There's something evil inside you… but you're a good person."
Niklaus looked up quickly. It was Adele who had spoken. He had never seen her speak before. He looked at her calmly, mixed with mild shock—he didn't understand what she meant. How could there be something inside him?
For a moment, he thought she was referring to the soul of the previous Niklaus, but he quickly dismissed the idea. He didn't believe there was any soul other than his own inside this body. Yet despite that, he felt something strange—something that made him believe the child's words, as if she was right. And that bothered him.
But stranger still was that she called him a "good person." That left him confused.
A good person?
Arthur had never been a good person. From birth, he hadn't been, and when he woke up as Niklaus, he remained the same. In his past life, he couldn't remember how many people he had taken the lives of. He never cared about their fate. He never cared if they had families, if they were men or women. He just followed orders and killed them. He didn't think, didn't hesitate—just executed.
So why did this child follow him since he arrived at the inn?
At first, he didn't care. But over time, it started to annoy him. Still, he grew used to her presence and let her follow him without objection.
But now… he was beginning to feel that there was something unnatural about her. As if she wasn't entirely human.
"Why do you follow me?" he asked in a low, cold voice.
She looked at him for a moment, then said simply, as if it needed no long explanation: "You're a good person. I want to stay with you and Maria."
Niklaus raised an eyebrow in confusion. As if the child's words were in a language he didn't understand.
Meanwhile, Maria heard Adele's words, and shock was clear on her face. She was not only surprised by what she said, but by the fact that she had spoken without being asked.
Adele rarely spoke. In fact, she never spoke unless Maria asked her directly. But stranger still was her desire to stay with Niklaus. Which only deepened Maria's suspicion that Adele's power—or Adele herself—was connected to this red-eyed brat. And perhaps that was why she was so drawn to him.
And as for Adele thinking Niklaus was a good person—that made her choke. She wasn't entirely convinced he was a "good person," but at the same time, she didn't think he was completely evil either.
Maria gestured for Niklaus to follow her outside. Niklaus looked at Maria, then at Adele calmly, before walking behind Maria.
Adele headed toward Ethan, who had just come in carrying wood on his shoulder, bemoaning his luck and coughing. When he felt a breeze pass by him as usual, he shivered and muttered: "I'm sure there's a ghost here…"
Of course, he couldn't see Adele. So every time she passed by him, he became more convinced the inn was haunted.
Outside, the wind was blowing fiercely. Snow scattered through the air. The sky was dark, but the stars were still visible in the cold night.
Maria lit her cigarette, but due to the weather, the match didn't catch easily. Niklaus handed her his lighter and lit it for her without a word.
Maria finished her cigarette. She took one last look at the night stretching before her. Snow had accumulated quietly, and the wind blew in gusts. She nodded to Niklaus gently, as if she understood what he was thinking, though she was still curious.
Then she went back inside the inn. Niklaus followed silently. The atmosphere was quieter than usual, as if this place had grown accustomed to his presence.
As Maria crossed the hallway, she paused for a moment by the fireplace, where Ethan was sleeping on the couch. His head rested haphazardly on the edge of the cushion. Nearby, Adele sat beside him, but her eyes had finally closed after fighting sleep for a long time.
Maria sighed. She wasn't used to seeing anyone other than herself and Adele here, but now she found herself in an unfamiliar situation—accompanied by people who wouldn't be here forever.
She reached out and pulled the blanket slightly, covering both Ethan and Adele without a word. It wasn't a calculated gesture to show affection, but it made things feel more natural than she had expected.
"Come on. One last lesson."
Maria said it in a clear voice, but didn't add any other words. As if she knew that Niklaus understood the time had come.
They walked toward the secret basement. Their steps were steady—no hesitation in their movement.
When they entered the laboratory, there was none of the strangeness from the beginning. The place had become familiar now. As if Niklaus had memorized every corner, every bottle, and every tool carefully placed on the tables.
"Is there something specific you want to know?"
Maria stood at the main table, her fingers moving over one of the papers as if ready for any unexpected request.
Niklaus thought for a moment. There wasn't much left that he hadn't learned, but he knew there were things she hadn't told him yet—the things not usually taught, the knowledge alchemists kept for themselves.
"I want to know about forbidden and rare herbs and stones."
Maria wasn't surprised. It was natural for him to ask something like that. She had already grown used to his unpredictable questions.
She smiled faintly, but it wasn't a warm smile. It was a smile carrying a hint of caution—because this part of the lesson wasn't something just anyone could be taught easily.