The Elusive Sorcerer

Chapter 164

In the city of Maloli, at the corner of Cornsten, stood a luxurious mansion adorned with silver-gray ornaments, giving a grand and elegant impression to the surrounding buildings.

A fence wall stretched several meters around the estate, encompassing the grand house, gardens and leisure areas, as well as warehouses and training grounds behind the mansion.

Two dark-blue gates with pointed tips stood at the front, closed, and behind them were several men guarding the residence of a man estimated to be between forty-nine and fifty years old.

At the first guard post, two guards exchanged glances. One of them wore such a serious expression that it seemed as though he were interrogating a criminal.

"My condolences on losing your only home," a black-haired guard said quietly.

The other guard, a brown-haired man, blinked upon hearing that statement before replying,

"Thank you. It really was a terrible incident. Honestly. I just remembered I had some savings in the house."

The man who had asked the question was briefly stunned before quickly saying,

"Seriously? Hah, you're an idiot for not keeping that money in a bank!"

Hearing that, the man let out a sigh.

"Not all of it. Just a few Pace bills I kept under my pillow."

Inside the guard post, upon hearing his friend's statement, the neatly groomed black-haired man burst into laughter.

"...You, you really remind me of my grandmother," the man said, recalling his late grandmother.

The laughter faded, leaving the air around the first post behind the concrete fence strangely still.

The other guard post on the right remained focused on duty, occasionally chatting with the man standing upright before the gate to relieve their boredom.

"...Looks like Geos and Kennei are talking about that incident," called out the man wearing a top hat, even while standing beneath the shelter of the post.

His two companions looked at him with indescribable expressions.

One of them removed his top hat, placed it on the table, and said quietly,

"That strange incident makes me want to run away from reality."

Another blond-haired man stood at the edge of the post. His doubtful gaze fixed on something beyond the tightly shut gate.

"...They've arrived."

The guard wearing the top hat who stood before the gate prepared to lower his hat after noticing the approaching sound of horse hooves ahead.

Tap!

The horse carriage slowly came to a stop. The horse neighed briefly before being calmed by its driver. Meanwhile, the six men guarding the Viscount's mansion immediately opened the iron gate.

The iron gate opened slowly without producing the slightest creak. As soon as the path ahead was fully revealed, the coachman smiled at the guards.

A sudden tug on the reins forced the horse to let out a loud neigh and a sharp snort. Instantly, dust billowed into the air as its hooves struck the stone road with chest-rattling force.

"...Thank you," said the coachman, raising his right hand.

The six gate guards looked at him somewhat apathetically before one of them closed the gate.

"...That noble's carriage, huh?"

The brown-haired man on the left side of the first post, from the mansion's perspective, walked toward the man in the top hat.

"Why come over here?" the top-hatted man asked in disbelief.

"I'm helping close the gate," the brown-haired man replied, taking a long breath.

The top-hatted man stared at him in surprise.

"That's unusual. You're actually helping," he said.

The brown-haired man's hand froze briefly against the iron gate. Five seconds later, he said quietly,

"Sitting too long can wreck your back, you know!"

"Oh? That's news to me," the top-hatted man replied with a nod.

A few moments later, he glanced toward his four other companions, who were watching a formally dressed man wearing a half-height hat being greeted by one of the servants.

"...Hmm, I'd rather not get involved. Finding work last year was hard enough, and it's even harder now."

One of the formally dressed guards grumbled before returning to his post.

"Right?" the black-haired man replied with a bitter smile.

"We should just focus on our jobs. Me, I want to save as much money as possible and... enjoy my old age..."

The four guards hurried back into their respective posts. Meanwhile, the neatly combed brown-haired man and the black-haired man continued their conversation.

A conversation about the catastrophic, dark, and chaotic events that had occurred in Moran City.

....

Beside the horse carriage stood a man with brown eyes that had lost their luster. Accompanied by a Viscount's servant and one of his own attendants, he stepped forward, lowering an ornate golden cane engraved with a unique symbol.

His gaze briefly shifted toward the right side of the mansion grounds.

'What is that gardener holding?'

He acted indifferent, though in truth he was curious about the three people standing there.

That day, the Viscount and his family were all under one roof, and the head of the household was waiting for the arrival of the final guest, who happened to be late.

That guest was none other than him.

It was not unusual for a nobleman, especially one between twenty-four and twenty-five years old, to display some of his bad habits during occasions like this.

'Even though the mansion's interior sparkles and every facility is outrageously expensive, it doesn't change or shake that woman's expressionless face. What a shame.'

With thoughts swirling through his mind, the man followed the maid sent by Viscount Havertson, who would lead him to the meeting place.

After their patient walk, they arrived before a tall, weathered door that still stood proudly and exuded an air of mystery.

The man paused briefly, appearing to search for something. Meanwhile, the servant standing before him raised her hand and carefully knocked on the door.

Even though the door was made of sturdy material, the knocking could still be heard by those inside.

Knock... Knock... Knock...

"Wait a moment."

Not long after that firm, raspy voice sounded, a formally dressed man appeared. Through the doorway, the three of them could see several people standing farther inside and... one person lying on the floor covered in blood.

'So this is what Lord Havertson wanted to tell me.'

Having understood the purpose of the invitation, the man quickly stepped forward.

"Bring it," he said firmly.

The maid nodded.

"Yes, sir."

After the two entered the large room, the maid withdrew without turning around even once. Only after the door had been firmly shut did the pale-faced maid return to her duties as though nothing had happened.

Inside the room, the brown-eyed man whose eyes had lost their light, his face stern and serious, stared at a mustached man with partially white hair dressed in luxurious formal attire.

The man cleared his throat before calmly saying in a loud voice,

"Did Lord Havertson and the three of you deliberately show this to me?"

David Havertson nodded, looked at him for two seconds, and said in his heavy voice, "This incident didn't happen only in the city of Makoli."

He glanced at a man around his own age, though one whose mustache had nearly turned white.

Knowing what he meant, the mustached man wore a look of disbelief and said seriously,

"Alfred Riedlen. Is your father doing well? I know he's fine, and that's not what I want to discuss."

Wayne Havertson spread his aging hands, revealing the four other nobles who had arrived.

He then invited the four of them, who had previously been standing, to sit on the sofa at the left side of the room. Meanwhile, the corpse of a woman was left lying atop the silver-gray marble floor.

'That woman came here again?'

"Hey, Cattyline," Alfred tried to sound friendly toward someone his own age.

Cattyline of the Kuzanov family stared at him sharply.

"...Yeah, sure," she said, her voice barely above a whisper as she quickly walked toward the sofa.

Alfred glanced at his maid.

"Nadine."

"Yes, Young Master," Nadine replied flatly.

"Did she say anything?"

Although Alfred's expression remained somewhat apathetic, he was trying to get acquainted with fellow nobles under his father's orders. Furthermore, at his age, his family had been urging him to find a partner and marry as soon as possible.

Alfred had flatly rejected the idea of marriage for one reason alone. He wanted to investigate cases related to the occult and the Receiver or Hollow Wayne Havertson had spoken about on that chilling night.

After letting his thoughts wander for too long, he looked at the woman's corpse once more before walking toward the left side of the room, where a two-seater sofa stood.

Alfred sat down at the homeowner's invitation. After adjusting his position, he glanced to his right.

"Doesn't standing all day tire you out?" he asked in a somewhat indifferent tone.

The maid looked at him in confusion.

"I don't know what being tired feels like," Nadine replied flatly.

"If you're tired, just sit beside me."

"Thank you for the offer."

Nadine remained standing, treating herself like a doll.

"...When are we going to start this important discussion? Ah, I'm already tired of waiting," complained a sour-faced man loudly, completely ignoring the corpse's presence.

Vernon was the eldest son of the Hazel family, rulers of part of Hava in Moran.

Another woman, Lorainne Wastender, was clearly displeased by his attitude and bluntly voiced her thoughts.

"You're foolish and impatient. Perhaps Alfred of the Riedlen family would make a suitable mentor to rid you of your rudeness," Lorainne said firmly and loudly.

Cattyline glanced at Lorainne, who sat beside her, and sank into thought.

'I thought Alfred was the eldest son. I was completely wrong back then!'

Even though that incident had happened months ago, Cattyline still remembered it clearly.

Wayne tapped the table with his fingertip before standing upright despite the weakness brought by age.

"The Scotland Department arrived at David's residence a few minutes before Lady Lorainne did. They said their farewells to David and claimed they had taken something without knowing what it actually was."

"I don't know what it was," David explained, trying to avoid further confusion.

Seeing Wayne sit down, he reluctantly continued.

"The woman suddenly died after something strange happened. Witnesses passing by saw blood flowing from the back of her neck. Other than that, they saw nothing. She lost consciousness and showed no signs of pain."

"So, what's the conclusion?" Vernon stared at David seriously.

David let out a short sigh, crossed his legs, and said, "At that exact time, Wayne and I were practicing shooting in the soundproof room over there."

His wrinkled index finger pointed toward a door in the corner of the room.

Normally, Vernon would never believe such a ridiculous story without solid evidence, but after witnessing the oddities here, he chose to hold his tongue.

'This is far beyond what I imagined when I came here. I even saw several investigators and police officers quickly handling a case like this. But now...'

Vernon, seated one seat away from Wayne, began reflecting on David's earlier statement.

A mixture of hoarseness and unease colored David's voice as he continued,

"And Wayne... was the one who realized that the gunshots were connected to the woman's death."

His gaze briefly shifted to the woman's corpse, which had begun turning black, before he hesitantly looked at his brother and stretched out his legs.

David picked something up from the table. It was a cigar, but he did not dare light it while such distinguished guests were present.

"...Alfred."

After careful consideration, Wayne finally spoke.

His gaze was so serious that Alfred could barely bring himself to say a single word.

'Why? Why? Something's wrong! But what is it?'

Alfred could hardly see clearly, yet he could still make out the woman's corpse gradually darkening over time. Meanwhile, the red blood was slowly being swallowed by something black within her body.

"Alfred... Alfred."

As soon as those words were spoken, Wayne abruptly stood up and quickly opened a drawer, pulling out two firearms, one of which was almost impossible to see!

The pupils of the four guests widened. Even Nadine, who had maintained an indifferent expression the entire time, reacted after witnessing that strange sight.

"Lord Wayne...?"

Alfred hesitated to continue.

With a serious look, Wayne glanced at Vernon and tossed him a pistol.

Thunk!

The sound of metal striking a hand echoed briefly before the room beyond the great door became filled with a sensation that seemed to pierce the mind.

"Why are you giving me a pistol instead..."

With a guilty expression, Wayne closed his eyes for several seconds before saying seriously,

"Follow my orders..."

"...Understood," Vernon replied.

"One... Two..."

The silence deepened as Wayne suppressed a groan.

Wayne raised his revolver and pointed its barrel upward while keeping his eyes closed.

Seeing Wayne's movements, Vernon followed suit without hesitation.

"Three..."

Bang... Bang...

The two of them pulled the trigger almost simultaneously, and the unexpected result nearly made the hearts of the other four leap from their chests.

A chilling cold pierced their souls as they all stared at the woman who should have been dead, reacting to the two gunshots.

"...How did the two of you do that?"

The moment those words left Lorainne's mouth, the four of them watched as the woman's internal organs slowly but surely spilled out.

It looked as though her abdomen had been split open, yet there was actually nothing visibly wrong except for the blackening corpse and its reaction to the gunshots.

They shuddered violently, chills running to the tops of their heads as they instinctively turned away, struggling not to vomit at the sight before them.

Unable to bear the scene any longer, Lorainne chose to leave the room with the help of a guard.

Several seconds later, more internal organs emerged from the woman's chest, organs that should have already come out, and this time they pulsed as though the woman were still alive.

One by one, the others left as well. Now only Vernon and Wayne remained standing in the room, as though the bizarre phenomenon had not affected their minds in the slightest.

"Vernon Hazel... are you prepared to pull the trigger again?" Wayne asked as he slowly opened his eyes and looked at him for the second time.

'This is truly terrible. Forgive me. I never intended to disturb your rest.'

After offering a prayer for the woman and praying that she would be blessed with the fortune and virtue of the god Auneron, Wayne's thoughts gradually steadied.

"Shoot..."

Bang...

Vernon obeyed without hesitation.

Bang...

"This is very, very bad," Vernon said, his voice nearly faltering.

The pistol slipped from his hand and was thrown away reflexively the instant a freezing sensation crawled up his arm and shot into his head.

"Huh? What just happened?" he muttered unconsciously, glancing at Wayne in confusion.

"A release effect. Nothing more than that."

Wayne returned both the revolver and the pistol to their original place.

February 5th, Year 1544 of the Star Calendar.

Several hours passed. The day grew late as sharp orange hues pierced through the fog and steam outside.

Meanwhile, in the same room, they discussed the recent incidents involving dark arts in Makoli, which had lately been spreading among random people.

As a Receivers of The Coffini, Wayne was shocked to learn this disturbing truth and sought the cause behind these mysterious deaths.

With the assistance of the police and investigators, the woman's body was quickly buried in a proper resting place. Her body was intact, without blood, without wounds, and without any protruding organs.

After the incident, Wayne instructed everyone to remain cautious and stay in communication with one another, especially those who had previously lived in Moran, because there was something that needed to be investigated.

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