Chapter 128: Chapter 96: Give Me Some Points

"Hmm?" Lugte paused his lamenting 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 became incredibly piercing, and he slammed 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 me now! Immediately!"

"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. Assessment: 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 met 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 someone 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 something 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 some other, deeper meaning to planting something like this here?’

"Collins!" Sayam’s face turned utterly ice-cold. "To think a servant I’ve had for decades would actually betray me. I..."

"This is bad!"

Wei’en and Sayam reacted at the same time. If both Collins and Gengrich were involved, and now they were heading off to meet...

"Sir, it looks like you have a decision to make."

Sayam didn’t speak. He pulled a necklace from his coat, pressed something 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 something."

"I’ve investigated some archives. The captain of the First Squad from the Black Pearl, which attacked here last time—her real name 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 time 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 comes next has nothing to do with you or the Secret Investigation Department. I trust you won’t take any unnecessary actions."

’That sounds familiar...’

’I seem to recall Collins the butler saying the exact same 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 come... Damn it, they’ve already gone this far! Quick, with me!"

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 time, "Father, I’m sorry! I... I just wanted to help you! I didn’t mean 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 extremely urgent! Get here and save me!’

’It would be one thing if it were just Collins, but the key is that Elno from last time didn’t die. He’s probably already met 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 movements, 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 me,’ Wei’en thought. ’If the man doesn’t even care about his own son’s life, why would a heartless money-making machine like me 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.’