CHAPTER 105: WESLEY’S PARANOIA

While Leonard and Caroline were busy wiping out any other traces that could link to the Shadows, on the opposite side, Wesley was rushing to his main office.

Along the way, he was greeted by multiple guards, who remained stationary in their post.

Although the murder being committed inside the guild was shocking, not all of the guards had been summoned to secure the premises.

The Merchant Guild was extremely vast, and there were multiple important documents and whatnot.

"Have you seen anyone walk by?" Wesley glanced at one of the stationed guards and inquired.

"No, Lord Wesley." The guard swiftly shook their head and reported. They didn’t dare to slack off from their duty, especially when the location was within Wesley’s range.

Wesley’s eyes narrowed slightly and stared at them for another few seconds.

He wanted to see whether they were speaking the truth or just lying to avoid being punished.

’Hmm, just slightly nervous but no traces or hints of deception.’ Having dealt with so many people, Wesley could smoothly discern a person’s emotion and behavior.

Naturally, there were some exceptions to it.

Caroline and Vincent Bond were part of the exceptions whom he couldn’t discern.

Those who were proficient in concealing their emotion and expressions tended to be the types he needed to be cautious around.

After all, being able to conceal oneself required personal experience. It cannot be trained or be taught by anyone else.

"Very well, continue your duty," Wesley instructed and proceeded forward.

A few minutes later, he arrived at his main office, which was guarded by two super elite guards.

Despite his arrival, they didn’t react, much less greet him.

If it were someone ignorant, then they might have mistaken their behavior as insubordination. But the truth was that they were hyper-focused and only paid attention to any unannounced individuals or intruders.

Seeing their usual behavior, Wesley was confused.

’Could it be that I was too paranoid?’ He wondered silently. He had brought along some guards and rushed over here, believing that the culprit might have infiltrated his office.

Filled with confusion, Wesley promptly ordered the guards to stay put while he opened the door and entered his main office.

Instantly, he spread his mana around and activated the defensive formation to check if anything was missing or disturbed. A shining light soon emerged, followed by flickers of particles that began scanning every nook and cranny.

Wesley’s eyes glinted in a cold light during the entire process. Besides the scanning from a spell, he also paced around and searched for any displacement in the document or furniture.

The search lasted for 10 minutes due to the constant verifications.

"Nothing?" He pursed his lips, wondering if he had been too paranoid as of late. The repeated loss of cargo on the Sunfire Road, despite many efforts placed into the investigation and manpower, had dampened his mood.

There was also skepticism that the culprit was one of his own. Otherwise, how could the culprits always know about their planning?

A few moments later, a guard from outside informed, "Lord Wesley, we have secured the perimeter. Anybody who had been or was in the Merchant Guild had gathered in the lobby."

"What about the hired bodyguard from Vincent Bond?" Wesley questioned.

"Mr. Vincent’s bodyguard had also returned. Apparently, she had gone to the women’s restroom to fix her appearance. A female cleaner is a witness, and we have confirmed that their words were true."

’Did I really overthink?’ Wesley took a deep breath and decided to relax his emotions.

Sometime later, Wesley arrived at the main lobby.

’Hmm, no traces of the deceased’s scent.’ He quickly spotted Leonard’s group and subtly inspected Mirelle.

Normally, when a kill occurred, there should be some death aura or scent emitting from them for a while before it dissipated.

Given the kill was recent, it would be impossible to wipe them out unless they used some cleansing spells. But even then, there would be a brief residue on them.

However, Wesley detected none of them.

"Are we being suspected as the culprit, Lord Wesley?" Amidst his confusion, Leonard raised the question.

"Haha, of course not!" Wesley snapped out of his daze and hurriedly explained the action. "This is to ensure that you’re all safe and sound. Do not misunderstand this as a detainment."

Having said that, Wesley snapped his fingers to signal the guards. "Although it’s a bit abrupt, it seemed to be just right to have a banquet now to brighten the atmosphere. Everyone’s present here anyway. Also, I want the culprit to know that they are severely mistaken if they think we are scared of them!"

Shortly after the announcement, the collective merchants glanced at each other.

They all seemed to be in agreement that they shouldn’t be frightened by a mere murder.

What kind of situation had they not seen and dealt with?

They were all veterans and held their own influence among the merchant’s circle, with some even having connections with powerful nobles.

If news were to come out that they panicked like some headless chicken because of an insignificant murder, then they might as well retire.

"Lord Wesley is right!"

"After the Round Table discussion, my stomach is surely craving for some delicacies."

"Agreed, we should all take this time to relax. It’s a good excuse to temporarily put aside our businesses and take a breather."

Within a few seconds, everyone agreed to the banquet.

As if they would reject Wesley’s suggestion in the first place!

To reject would rouse suspicion or be equivalent to slapping him in the face. No matter the outcome, neither one was going to be a good look for them.

"What about Mr. Vincent and Miss Caroline?" Wesley turned his attention to them.

"Is the banquet free, Lord Wesley?" Leonard teased. "I don’t have enough money to join your prestigious banquet."

"Haha, Mr. Vincent sure knows how to joke around." He laughed heartily and tapped his walking cane a few times to express his joy.

"Of course, it’ll be free! As the host, it’s my duty to ensure a satisfactory banquet, even if it’s abrupt. That is my promise and honor to receive the title Lord from the collective merchants."