"Hmm?" Lugte paused his lanting and looked at him. "There were quite a few. Collins the butler, my mother, my third brother, and several Maids..."
"Maids, too?"
"Yes... I was manipulated, and with them... I... I did *that* with all of them..."
Wei’en: "..."
’Are you sure that’s even possible?’
’Can Magic really control such minute details??’
"Disgrace! You are a disgrace to our Ceres Clan! Damn it, how dare they humiliate us like this! I will have them sunk to the bottom of the sea, I swear it!"
At this, Sayam’s furious roar beca incredibly piercing, and he slamd his fists down—BANG! BANG!—on Lugte’s... corpse.
Lugte watched him, his face etched with sorrow. "Father..."
"Collins, go find Gengrich. I don’t care what he’s doing. Bring him to now! Imdiately!"
"Yes, Sir."
Hearing the sound of Collins’s hasty footsteps departing outside, Wei’en glanced at the notification on his panel.
[You are targeted by the killing intent of Colins Vazquez. Assessnt: Careful now, the rat is coming out of its hole. Reward: Survival Points 3.]
’Tsk, the killing intent is even stronger now.’
"What else? After you t them, did anyone act strangely? A weird expression, perhaps? Or did they say anything bizarre?"
The anger on Sayam’s face faltered. "Are you suggesting the one manipulating him was soone right beside him?"
"It’s a suspicion I have, yes."
Wei’en was working off a preconceived notion. Since the panel had already tipped him off that Collins the butler was trouble, his only choice was to find a way to direct the suspicion onto him.
Hearing his question, Lugte lowered his head in thought. "There was one person who said sothing strange..."
"Who? What did they say?"
"Collins the butler. I heard him say, ’For the great Dawn.’"
Sayam was breathing heavily. "Dawn? Damn it, are you sure?"
"Yes," Lugte nodded. "That’s exactly what he said."
’I see,’ Wei’en thought. ’So that’s who placed the Power of Dawn Faith here.’
’But do the Vasquez People also worship the Dawn?’
’Or was there so other, deeper aning to planting sothing like this here?’
"Collins!" Sayam’s face turned utterly ice-cold. "To think a servant I’ve had for decades would actually betray . I..."
"This is bad!"
Wei’en and Sayam reacted at the sa ti. If both Collins and Gengrich were involved, and now they were heading off to et...
"Sir, it looks like you have a decision to make."
Sayam didn’t speak. He pulled a necklace from his coat, pressed sothing on it, and said with an icy expression, "I never would have imagined that those people had already infiltrated the Ceres Clan."
"What people? Is it that ’Mr. Vasquez’ you spoke of?"
Watching Sayam’s actions as he retreated to Tina’s side, Wei’en asked.
"You seem to know sothing."
"I’ve investigated so archives. The captain of the First Squad from the Black Pearl, which attacked here last ti—her real na is Tiki Vazquez."
Sayam glanced at him. "And?"
"That’s all I know. But I imagine, given the current circumstances of the Vasquez People, they wouldn’t waste their ti attacking a young nobleman for no reason."
Wei’en shook his head. "And most importantly, they didn’t loot the place..."
"This matter ends here, Investigator. What cos next has nothing to do with you or the Secret Investigation Departnt. I trust you won’t take any unnecessary actions."
’That sounds familiar...’
’I seem to recall Collins the butler saying the exact sa thing.’
"I will add an extra 100 gold pounds on top of your original commission."
"One hundred?"
’That’s it? Compared to the old butler, this old lord is a real cheapskate.’
Wei’en was about to open his mouth and demand a better offer when his keen senses picked up the sound of countless, disorderly footsteps approaching.
"Sir, did you call for the guards?"
"Hmm?"
Sayam noticed the sounds from outside as well, and his expression changed. "No, I told Ramiro to co... Damn it, they’ve already gone this far! Quick, with !"
With that, he ignored Lugte’s still-lingering form on the bed and sprinted nimbly toward the door.
Lugte noticed their haste and called out one last ti, "Father, I’m sorry! I... I just wanted to help you! I didn’t an for any of this..."
"My condolences. Have a nice afterlife."
Wei’en shot him a final glance, then pulled the white-haired girl along and followed them out. "Stay close, Tina."
"Tina knows."
Outside the bedroom, Sayam was already running toward the end of the hall.
As Wei’en followed close behind, he hit an alarm button on the wall.
’Help, help, help... Sister Lisi, this is extrely urgent! Get here and save !’
’It would be one thing if it were just Collins, but the key is that Elno from last ti didn’t die. He’s probably already t up with the old butler by now.’
’Add in all these guards, plus Gengrich who still hasn’t shown his face... My only option is to follow the old lord and get out of here first.’
Soon, Sayam led him to a room that looked like a storage closet. With nimble movents, he wrenched a sconce from the wall. A nearby cabinet slid aside, revealing a pitch-black opening.
"Where does this lead?"
"A secret passage that leads out."
Just then, an angry roar echoed from outside. "Collins, what do you think you’re doing?!"
"That’s Ramiro. It seems they’ve made their move."
Sayam, who was halfway into the passage, faltered. A flicker of reluctance crossed his face. "Let’s go. We need to escape first."
’Fine by ,’ Wei’en thought. ’If the man doesn’t even care about his own son’s life, why would a heartless money-making machine like have any objections?’
’Still, it’s clear from this that the old lord is a decisive man who cherishes his own life above all else.’
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