Chapter 129: An Unwanted Complication.

Chapter 129: Chapter 129: An Unwanted Complication.

Chapter 129: An Unwanted Complication.

His eyes narrowed further as he placed one hand against the floor, confirming the location of the hollow space before pulling his fist back.

Without hesitating any longer, Osborne punched down with enough force to shatter the old wooden boards beneath him.

BANG!

The floorboards broke apart with an audible crash, sending pieces of rotten wood flying across the living room as a section of the floor collapsed beneath his fist.

Osborne withdrew his hand and brushed away a few wooden fragments, revealing a dark opening beneath the broken boards.

He leaned forward to examine the space, but the darkness made it difficult to see anything beyond the immediate edges of the opening.

After a brief pause, he raised his hand and gathered mana into his palm, shaping it into a small ball of fire that illuminated the surrounding area. 𝐟𝒓ℯⅇ

"[Fireball]."

The little flame flickered above his palm, casting enough light into the opening for him to see what lay beneath the floor.

A narrow passage extended downward into the darkness, its rough walls disappearing beyond the reach of the light, while a set of old steps led from the opening toward the depths below.

Osborne stared at the hidden passage for a moment, his lips slowly curling into a faint smile as his earlier suspicions were confirmed.

"Looks like my hunch was right."

---

Roosevelt Mansion, Roseline’s Study.

"Any progress in finding out who the McClains were in contact with?" Roseline raised her head from the documents on her desk, turning her gaze toward Guinevere, who stood quietly while waiting for her mistress to finish reading.

"At the moment, my lady, we have a few leads, and we’ve already made contact with some of the individuals involved, although a few of them have requested an audience with you under the excuse that our investigation is an attempt to slander their names."

Roseline narrowed her eyes slightly as she placed the document in her hand back onto the desk, finding it difficult to believe that people who might have had connections with a family that secretly harboured demons would have the nerve to complain about being investigated.

"How so?"

"Most of our suspects are not beneath our Marquess, my lady, and some of them have enough influence that even a simple investigation could be seen as an attempt to damage their reputation, especially considering your position as the head of the Roosevelt family."

Guinevere paused briefly before continuing, knowing that her mistress was already familiar with the problems that came with dealing with nobles who believed their status placed them beyond the reach of others.

If they were all beneath her Marché, that would be a different matter since none would dare to stop her, but being from different regions, it was a bit problematic since Roseline had little comrades within the kingdom. Even the three regional dukes weren’t on good terms with her, hence why her influence was mostly within the south now that the war was brought to an end.

Although it was definitely fishy that a simple Barony had interactions with so many high-ranking noble households.

If it was another baron family or even viscounty, they wouldn’t dare raise their heads against her no matter which region they were from.

"We can’t simply impose a thorough investigation on them without proper evidence, nor can we conduct one without obtaining a written warrant from the Kingdom’s Bureau of Investigation."

Roseline leaned back in her chair, tapping her fingers lightly against the surface of the desk as she considered the situation, while the expression on her face showed that she was far from pleased with the restrictions placed before her.

"Before you ask, I’ve already sent someone to meet the bureau regarding this matter, but..."

"But what?" Roseline asked, her eyes shifting toward Guinevere when she noticed the hesitation in her voice.

"I’m afraid they informed us that we should step back from this matter, my lady, and leave the investigation to them."

For a moment, silence settled over the study as Roseline stared at Guinevere, seemingly trying to determine whether she had heard the report correctly, before the temperature in the room appeared to drop with the anger that began to rise within her.

"Those incompetent fools allowed lowly demons to breed upon my land, under their own watch, and yet they believe they’re competent enough to handle this matter?"

Her voice remained controlled, but the sharpness in her words made it clear that she was struggling to contain her displeasure, especially since the situation had already caused enough trouble for her family without the bureau adding further complications.

Roseline massaged her forehead, letting out a tired sigh as she considered the possible reasons behind their sudden decision to take over the investigation.

"It’s Marquess Raven’s fault, isn’t it?"

"I’m afraid so, my lady, since you and the Marquess have never been on particularly good terms, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he would take this opportunity to make things difficult for you."

Guinevere understood that the relationship between Roseline and Marquess Raven had been strained for some time. Since the poor man had once tried to court her ladyship, she knew enough to understand why the man might be reluctant to cooperate with her mistress.

"The blasted fool probably thinks I’m trying to humiliate him even more," Roseline muttered, her fingers stopping their thrumming movements as she recalled the circumstances surrounding the McClain Barony.

The demons had been hiding beneath the McClain estate, using the barony as a cover while carrying out their activities, and the fact that such a thing had happened without the Kingdom’s Bureau of Investigation noticing anything was already embarrassing enough for the officials responsible for keeping the kingdom safe.

However, instead of accepting their failure and allowing the matter to be investigated properly, the bureau had chosen to push her away, which only made their behaviour appear more suspicious in her eyes.

"Perhaps not, my lady," Guinevere spoke up after a brief pause.