Chapter 258 - 254: The Mystery of the Cause of Death

Chapter 258: Chapter 254: The Mystery of the Cause of Death

The servants set down tea, coffee, and refreshments, then departed. The three people before the fireplace seemed not to notice that it had taken four servants to bring refreshments for three.

After the servants left, Old Corini took a moment to compose himself before continuing.

"I’ve never heard anyone from the Chakus Clan explain the origin of that emblem in detail, but I can never forget its design."

Old Corini gazed at the Chakus Clan crest in the living room, but his mind was on the symbol in the castle.

"The first time I laid eyes on it, the first word that jumped into my mind was, without a doubt... Light!"

Hilbert felt a jolt and inexplicably glanced down at his arm.

"In fact, there are similar designs all over that castle. The largest, of course, is on the wall of the main hall."

"It’s a sun, blazing with fire and surrounded by rays of light. All I know is that it represents the first light of morning, the dawn that dispels the darkness."

Mansa and Hilbert listened intently. Hilbert’s breathing, in particular, grew more and more rapid.

"The Chakus Clan has its secrets. I don’t know why the Barons of generations past wanted to conceal the designs in the castle. By now, perhaps even they have forgotten the reason..."

Qin Xiaoxia took a leisurely sip of the traditional British aristocratic secret-blend tea, a mischievous thought crossing his mind.

’If the Chakus Clan wants to keep living the high life under their noble title, they’d naturally have to keep this under wraps. Besides, with a noble on the inside, things will be much more convenient for Dawn.’

Even without any records or historical knowledge, it wasn’t hard for Qin Xiaoxia to imagine Dawn’s playbook in ancient times.

And the Chakus Clan, he guessed, had probably started living a true aristocratic life after Dawn began to shift its focus elsewhere.

Beside them, having heard Old Corini’s account, Hilbert could no longer sit still.

He shot to his feet and began to pace back and forth before the cold fireplace, too agitated to control himself.

"Grandpa Corini, those two mysterious people at Father’s funeral the other day—could they be connected to our special family crest? Could they have come looking for us because of it?"

Corini also had a vivid memory of those two. Being completely untouched by the downpour didn’t seem like a magic trick.

"I am not sure about that, Young Master Hilbert. Perhaps they really did know your father."

But Hilbert shook his head inwardly. His memory was not poor, especially when it came to events from yesterday and today.

Those two were definitely extraordinary individuals with miraculous powers, and they were familiar with the Chakus Clan’s Bloodline Power. Yesterday, they had clearly stated they were "old acquaintances of the Chakus Clan," not of Baron Chrisman Chakus.

Beings like that would have no need to play such word games.

"So, you see, Mother, the Chakus Clan has secrets. None of us truly understand our family—even your knowledge, Grandpa Corini, is only on the surface."

Hilbert spoke with complete conviction, because the true secret of the Chakus Clan was not external at all, but hidden within the family’s very bloodline!

"The true secret of the Chakus Clan can only be understood by one who shares its blood. Grandpa Corini, I mean no disrespect."

"Just as I was trying so desperately to explain, last night, for the first time, I unleashed the true power of our family’s bloodline—a miraculous power strong enough to shatter a terrifying Evil Spirit in an instant!"

Bolstered by Old Corini’s recent description, Hilbert’s eyes blazed with incredible resolve as he looked earnestly at his mother and the old man.

In that moment, young Hilbert possessed the same sense of authority as the Barons Chakus of generations past.

"Father couldn’t have died from a simple illness, and his killer could not be an ordinary being!"

He clenched his fists, as if he wanted to charge at the killer that very instant to avenge his father.

The Evil Spirit from last night was terrifying, but there was no way it could have killed his father. Even a complete novice like him, who knew nothing, could easily subdue something of that level.

Hilbert had no idea how powerful his father was, but he knew it was far beyond his own!

...

Qin Xiaoxia, seeming to read Hilbert’s mind, rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

’My friend, from the looks of it, your esteemed father most likely really did die of a heart attack...’

Since Hilbert was so unwilling to accept the Soul-Devouring Monster as the culprit, was he supposed to just go find a "killer" for him?

...

Whether or not Hilbert had convinced his mother and Corini, at least they no longer stubbornly believed he had gone mad from the shock of his grief.

That night, Corini stayed at Chakus Manor. The utterly exhausted Hilbert fell asleep the moment he collapsed into bed.

There was no wind, rain, or lightning, and nothing strange occurred. It was a quiet night.

But the peace was shattered early the next morning.

The two mysterious people Hilbert had been hoping to see again paid them a visit.

By the time Hilbert, his mother, and Corini came out after getting ready, the two mysterious people were already sitting in the living room, drinking tea.

The moment they saw them, the trio’s tension inexplicably eased.

Qin Xiaoxia and Su Su stood up.

"I apologize for disturbing you at a time like this, but this is not a situation where we can wait for your grief to pass."

The man’s expression was grave. With no introduction, he made a direct request to the new Baron.

"Hilbert, please take us to the place where your father died."

While Mansa was still hesitating, Hilbert answered without a second thought.

"Alright!"

Then he turned to Mansa to explain.

"Mother, please believe me!"

Three minutes later, the group arrived at the Old Baron’s study. Hilbert, Mansa, Corini, Qin Xiaoxia, and Su Su all stood at the doorway.

"Hilbert, aren’t you curious why we’ve suddenly made this request today?"

"You must have your reasons. I would be very interested to know them, if you are willing to tell me."

Upon hearing this, Qin Xiaoxia gave him a long look but did not speak immediately. Instead, he nodded to Su Su.

She nodded in understanding and walked into the study alone.

She closed her eyes and made a faint gesture with her hand. To the others watching from outside, the air seemed to shimmer and blur for an instant, like a heat haze. Though it appeared subtle, the effect was unmistakable!

Su Su’s brow furrowed. She traced a circle in the air with her finger, and the Crystal Ball in her bag flew out, trailing a faint mist. As the Crystal Ball hovered beside her, the girl’s soft, pale gold hair began to lift slightly into the air.

Hilbert’s fists were clenched so tight he couldn’t relax. Mansa’s jaw dropped, and she instinctively covered her mouth with her hand. Old Corini’s heart began to beat faster and faster.

The shimmer in the air might have been a trick of the light, but what was unfolding before them now could certainly not be explained by common sense.

As Su Su performed her divination, Qin Xiaoxia, standing beside them, began to speak.

"Hilbert, do you remember the Soul-Devouring Monster you killed yesterday?"

He turned to look directly at Hilbert’s astonished expression.

"We kept watch outside the manor all night. With your level of power, you could handle one at most. We were hoping the other would lead us to whoever might be behind them."

In an instant, Hilbert understood the many implications of that statement. The most crucial one was that, no matter what, he should never have been in any real danger that night—not from his own uncontrollable Bloodline Power, nor from anything else.

The man turned his head back toward the study, his eyes narrowing.

"But last night, that other Soul-Devouring Monster died! We were busy with other matters at the time, but it still essentially died right under our noses!"

Su Su, inside the room, knew that the people outside couldn’t possibly grasp the weight of her Mentor’s words. Even though the two of them had been brazenly helping themselves to tea and pastries in the Chakus home, a good several kilometers from the Soul-Devouring Monster’s hiding place, for it to suddenly die while under her divinatory surveillance was highly abnormal.

That’s right. Su Su had been in charge of the surveillance, so Sister Su was quite vexed right now.

Just then, her divination inside the room came to an end.

The girl turned to face the doorway.

"This is indeed where his spirit completely dissipated, but the fatal blow wasn’t dealt here!"

The words sounded a bit strange, but a realization struck Hilbert like a bolt of lightning, and he suddenly slammed his fist hard against the doorframe.

’Of course!!!’