Chapter 554 - 553: Bringing Things to a Close

Chapter 554: Chapter 553: Bringing Things to a Close

"Damn it," Dorn cursed, clutching his head.

"It seems you haven’t quite gotten the hang of it, Orelia. Please keep an eye on this reckless Dwarf, and the reckless Half-Orc, too." As he spoke, Colin walked over to the trussed-up people, crouched down, and used his Dagger to cut their bonds. He then pulled the gags from their mouths.

"Thank you, sir. Thank you for your help today," the master of the house said, looking rather disheveled. "The Levin Clan will remember your good deed!"

"It is the duty of every citizen of Thousand Masts City," Colin said.

’He couldn’t help but feel a little awkward, having just stolen their book.’

Colin then untied the mistress of the house. As soon as she was free, she and Colin quickly unbound the little girl beside them, after which she swept the child into her embrace.

Colin took a closer look.

’He hadn’t expected this. The little girl was the same "young lady" who had spoken to him a few days ago while he was disguised as a coachman.’ 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

The little one showed none of her previous rudeness. Now that her bonds were cut, she wept uncontrollably in her mother’s arms, just like any other little girl in the world.

"Esteemed sirs, how did you discover that our residence was under attack?" the man asked. "I am Heinrich Levin, but please, just call me Heinrich. I am the current Family Head of the Levin Clan."

"Someone told us they heard a strange commotion in the alley outside. We called out, and when we got no response, we sensed that something was wrong."

Colin mimicked Edwin’s typical demeanor as he spoke.

Heinrich nodded silently, not showing much suspicion toward their explanation.

At that moment, Colin glanced over at the Viper Association members, who were frozen like ice sculptures.

’The one who looked like a Caster didn’t have a Spellbook on him; he was probably a Warlock. That might be why a single Silence spell rendered him helpless. Warlocks have a far less extensive selection of Magic than Mages, so it’s quite normal for them to lack a counter.’

The room’s floor was littered with Crossbow Arrows, probably fired by the Viper Association Scouts moments ago.

Colin, of course, had barely felt a thing aside from the slight force of the impact.

A Crossbow Arrow was embedded in the nearby Kase, but given his track record, an injury like this was about as serious to him as a minor scrape would be to a normal person.

Just as Colin was surveying the scene, a shout suddenly rang out from outside the window.

"Listen up, intruders! This is the Levin Clan residence, specially protected under the laws of Deepwater City! We are the City Guard! Cease all hostilities, disarm, and exit into the courtyard immediately! Anyone who resists will be charged with home invasion and trespassing on a noble’s estate!"

Colin walked to the window, pushed it open, and shouted in response, "We’re Adventurers who were passing by! The situation has been resolved!"

Upon closer inspection, the force they’d assembled outside was quite significant.

Two Griffin Knights circled overhead on their Griffins, while ten Guards armed with Round Shields and Iron-Wrapped Short Staffs stood at the main gate. On the surrounding rooftops, marksmen aimed their Heavy Crossbows.

Ale was standing off to the side, watching the situation with a worried expression.

"We need to see someone from the Levin Clan!"

Hearing this, Heinrich quickly stepped to the window and replied, "What this gentleman says is true. I am the head of the Levin Family, and I can vouch for them."

"Understood. We’re coming in to assess the situation."

With that, the Guards outside raised their Shields and entered the mansion. They were probably going to start securing the crime scene.

"Then we’ll be on our way, sir." Colin gave Heinrich a slight nod, then led the others out of the room and downstairs.

As soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, a man in a black overcoat entered with several Guards. Upon seeing Colin and his group, he reached into an inside pocket of his coat and took out a small notebook.

"Gentlemen, I am the Sheriff of Thousand Masts City. I’ll ask for your cooperation with our investigation."

’Giving a statement, I assume,’ Colin thought.

After answering a few of the Sheriff’s questions, they were given permission to leave.

Colin then led the others from the Levin Clan’s mansion, making a beeline for Edwin’s office. He wanted to examine the Magic Book’s contents as soon as possible. If the Levin Clan realized the book was gone, they would certainly start looking for it.

He pushed open the office door to find Morel sitting inside.

Before Colin could say a word, Morel stood up. "Let’s go. I assume your mission is complete? We’ll talk outside."

"Mission? Did you and Asvir arrange this?" Edwin spoke up from his seat in the back of the room. He glanced at Colin, then added with a smile, "Is that new armor? It’s quite striking."

"It’s made from the bones of that White Dragon." Colin held up a hand, fanning the cold air that seeped from the armor’s joints.

"All right, time to discuss the mission." Morel straightened up and headed for the door.

Colin gave Edwin a slight nod before leading his companions after Morel. They followed him through a hallway and into a small courtyard within Horn Castle.

"So, Edwin doesn’t know about this?" Colin asked, taking the book from his Dimension Bag and handing it to Morel. "Though, he’d never agree to us pulling a stunt like this, that’s for sure."

"So this is your haul?" Morel asked, taking the book.

He chanted a few words of a Spell in an odd tone and then, with a sharp SNAP, snapped his fingers. The Magic Radiance on the book immediately faded.

Morel quickly flipped through the book.

After a moment, a small smile played on his lips. "It seems you’ve found the Levin Clan’s family history. I must say, this is a pretty significant find."

"What does it say?" Colin asked curiously.

"It describes the family’s history..." He sucked in a breath. "...and this is a bombshell. Because they once made a deal with a Demon, Tieflings were born into the family. And it wasn’t just them; several other families did the same."

"That’s odd," Dorn said, folding his arms across his chest. "Why would these families document their own crimes? Weren’t they afraid of being found out?"

"Dealing with Demons is a high-risk affair. Those creatures will exploit any loophole they can find. Generally, anyone smart enough to deal with a Demon records the entire transaction process."

"And the not-so-smart ones?" Dorn asked.

"The ones who aren’t smart... they become ’currency’ in the hands of a Demon." Morel clicked his tongue. "That’s not a metaphor. Demons can literally transform mortal souls into coins. They even use them for trade, just like we use Gold Coins."