CHAPTER 245: CHAPTER245-A GREATER DISCOVERY

Upon hearing Armando’s question, Marwan responded, "I’m checking to see if there are any mechanisms around here. It’s impossible for someone to just disappear all of a sudden."

Armando slapped his forehead and replied, "Right!"

Then, Armando joined Marwan in their search.

The two scoured the study for a while but found no traces of traps or secret passages.

What to do now?

It seems that Blois, the old dog, has hidden himself too well.

Marwan felt somewhat helpless, realizing he had underestimated National Preceptor Blois.

"Your Highness, I’m certain that National Preceptor Blois is still in this room. It seems our only option is to wait outside and catch him when he emerges. It won’t be too late!" Marwan suggested.

"But what about the maid? If we don’t rescue her soon, she might be in mortal danger," Armando said, concern lacing his voice.

Upon hearing Prince Armando’s words, Marwan thought to himself: Alas, the prince is too kind-hearted.

Such a benevolent person—if the king really passes the throne to you, can you hold it firmly? The human heart is fraught with malice.

Then, addressing Armando’s concern, Marwan said, "Your Highness, it’s too late to save the girl."

"Why? Why is that?" Armando asked urgently.

"Because by the time National Preceptor Blois finished inscribing the talismans on that girl, she was already dead. Even if we were to save her, she would be a shell of her former self, soulless."

Upon hearing Marwan’s words, Armando angrily retorted, "Then why did you stop me from trying to save her?"

Marwan, uncharacteristically furious, replied, "Even if you saved the girl temporarily, if we don’t catch National Preceptor Blois and find evidence of his embezzlement, she would still die after you left. Do you understand?"

Armando, unconvinced, countered, "I could take her with me!"

"Yes, you could take her with you. You might save one, but what about the next one? Have you thought about that? Only by capturing National Preceptor Blois and uncovering evidence of his corruption can we truly save them. Do you understand?"

Upon hearing Marwan’s words, Armando fell silent.

It dawned on him just how much injustice existed in the world, and he had been living a carefree life as a prince under his father’s protection.

What if one day his father was no longer there?

How would he survive in this world, filled with complex human hearts?

Armando couldn’t help but question himself.

Seeing Armando deep in thought, Marwan broke the silence, "Let’s go, Your Highness. We still need to gather more evidence of National Preceptor Blois’s embezzlement."

Armando, pulled from his musings by Marwan, muttered to himself, "Yes, the pressing matter is to capture the evidence of murder and embezzlement by that old dog Blois. Let’s go, Marwan."

Marwan was momentarily taken aback when the prince again addressed him with respect, then he chuckled bitterly, "It seems our prince has finally acknowledged this confused official."

"Alright, Your Highness, let’s wait outside for Blois to emerge, and then we can catch him red-handed."

"Hmm."

The two returned outside to wait for National Preceptor Blois to reappear.

By this time, Blois had already brought Bessi to the side of a crystal coffin in the basement.

Blois took a bloodstone from his pocket, murmuring a string of incantations that no one could understand.

Then, they saw the bloodstone fly towards Bessi’s head, shattering with a "snap" into dust that settled on Bessi’s body.

The eerie symbols on Bessi’s skin began to glow, and blood started seeping continuously from her body.

Bessi’s face twisted in agony, yet no scream escaped her lips, clearly in excruciating pain.

Blois watched emotionlessly as Bessi’s eyes turned vacant, their gazes locked on each other.

Until Bessi’s body withered, collapsing to the ground with a clatter.

The blood seeping from Bessi’s body flowed incessantly into the mouths of various demonic faces carved into the wall.

Bessi was dead.

Blois calmly watched as the carved demonic faces on the wall absorbed the last drop of Bessi’s blood.

Satisfied with the effects of the sacrifice brought by Bessi, the first step of the ritual had gone smoothly.

Now, the concern was sourcing the precious herbs again.

The thought frustrated Blois immensely.

Originally, everything needed for the ritual’s initiation had been collected, but the interference from Armando’s visit to his residence had set everything back.

Now he would have to start over.

Dismissing further thoughts, Blois figured things would straighten out in the end.

With a flick of his right hand, he emitted a strange purple light, turning Bessi’s desiccated body into dust, erasing her existence from the world forever.

After completing these actions, Blois left the basement, heading towards the study through a secret passage, unaware of the two observers still outside.

"Marwan, look! How did that section of the wall open up? There seems to be someone holding a lantern coming out from there," whispered Armando excitedly.

Marwan, without responding to Armando’s observation, signaled for silence.

Armando, seeing Marwan’s gesture for quiet, ceased his questioning, and together they silently watched what unfolded at the study wall.

Blois, carrying a lantern whose oil was nearly exhausted, cursed to himself: "To think I’m running out of merfolk oil as well, damn it. I need to hasten my plans and then head to the Southern Flame Empire to find more merfolk oil."

Marwan, upon seeing Blois emerge from the wall with a lantern in hand, realized the truth.

That explained why they couldn’t find any secret mechanisms.

It was a magical array made with merfolk oil; only by lighting the merfolk oil could the secret passage be revealed.

Without igniting the merfolk oil, even if one found the mechanism to open the passage, it would be of no use.

Without the light from the merfolk oil, one couldn’t see the entrance to the secret passage, let alone enter it.

Armando also witnessed Blois emerging from the wall, lantern in hand.

So, the old cur had hidden inside the wall, which was why Armando couldn’t find him.

However, seeing Blois alone, a pang of pain struck Armando, realizing the girl must have been killed by National Preceptor Blois.

At this thought, Armando’s knuckles cracked audibly with tension.

Marwan, hearing the noise from Armando’s side, looked over and gestured for silence again.

Just as Armando was about to confront Blois, he saw Marwan’s silencing gesture.

Part of him wanted to ignore Marwan’s warning and charge forward to kill Blois.

Yet, reason prevailed, and he retreated back into the shadows, waiting for Marwan’s signal to strike a thunderous blow against Blois.

Blois, reaching his desk in the study, picked up the letter he had written to Bessi’s mother along with the utterly ordinary jade pendant and called out, "Someone come here!"

Hearing Blois call out, Marwan initially thought they had been discovered and prepared to react.

However, he then heard Blois command, "Someone go to the village fifty miles away, find the mother of the owner of this jade pendant, and ensure she wants for nothing for the rest of her days. And, if the mother of the pendant’s owner is deceased, bring her body back to me. I will see to it that she receives a grand funeral. Understand?"

"And if you can’t find her, don’t bother returning to the National Preceptor’s residence. Got it?"

The servants of the National Preceptor’s residence replied firmly, "Yes, National Preceptor."

Blois dismissed them with a wave, "Go, then."

Listening to Blois’s orders, the two eavesdroppers thought: This old cur still shows some humanity.

From the shadows, Armando saw the servants leave and glanced at Marwan, signaling with his eyes: Should we go in?

Marwan, seeing Armando’s gesture, shook his head again.

Armando was almost at his limit.

Then Marwan signaled to retreat.

Armando looked at Marwan, puzzled.

Why retreat? Aren’t we going to catch him?

Marwan didn’t look back at Armando but started to withdraw on his own.

Armando cursed, "What’s with this fool leaving by himself?"

Then, glaring at Blois inside, he gritted his teeth and muttered, "I’ll let you go for now, but watch your back. Sooner or later, I’ll come for your life."

With that, Armando too disappeared into the darkness.

Armando quickly caught up with Marwan, and together, they skillfully navigated their way around the National Preceptor’s residence guards, returning to the base of the wall by the apricot tree.

The two leaped onto the wall, two meters high, and descended the tree, leaving the National Preceptor’s estate behind them.

Though their nocturnal investigation of the National Preceptor’s residence didn’t yield direct evidence linking him to the crime, they could confirm without a doubt that National Preceptor Blois was embezzling from the palace’s offerings.

For Marwan, however, the night brought an even greater discovery than Blois’s embezzlement, and he was eager to report everything he had witnessed to his master.

Once outside the National Preceptor’s residence, Armando called out from behind, "Marwan, wait up."

Marwan, as if deaf to Armando’s call, leaped onto a rooftop and continued his sprint across the rooftops.

Under the moonlight, Marwan resembled a large black cat, swiftly moving away until Armando lost sight of him altogether.