Wizard: I Have a Cultivation System-Chapter 52: The Baron’s Death

Baron Duval’s Castle. The Inner Castle, the Baron’s bedchamber.

The faint morning light filtered through the high stained-glass windows, casting a kaleidoscope of light and shadow on the marble floor.

Four carved oak pillars supported silk drapes embroidered with Golden Thread. On the drapes, the mountain-and-river crest of the Duval Clan shimmered faintly in the dawn light.

Above the fireplace hung a massive oil painting of an ancestor. The man in the portrait was clad in armor, his gaze piercing.

The entire room was carpeted in pure silk from the East, muffling any sound of footsteps.

This morning, however, the tranquility of the past was shattered by the stench of death.

Baron Duval lay supine on the wide, four-poster bed, his eyes closed forever.

A wound pierced through his heart, right through the front of his silk sleeping robe.

Deep red blood had long since soaked the fine fabric, blooming into a glaring patch of crimson on the moon-white silk. Even the white velvet sheet beneath him was stained with the color of death.

Roton Knight stood to the right of the bed, still in his full armor, his brow deeply furrowed.

His gaze swept from the wound to the rest of the room, his right hand unconsciously resting on the hilt of his sword. "A standard Knight’s Sword wound. The width and depth are both consistent with a Knight’s Sword. A single, fatal blow. Clean and efficient."

Kelvin stood at the foot of the bed, his face pale, but his voice was reasonably steady. "To pull off an assassination like this inside the Inner Castle... the killer is no ordinary person."

Roton turned, his sharp gaze landing on Kelvin. "This reminds me of Sylvan’s attempted assassination two years ago. That one, it turned out, was staged by Sylvan himself. But this time..." He paused deliberately. "The Lord Baron had already confirmed you as his heir. You don’t seem to have a motive."

A corner of Kelvin’s mouth twitched. "Uncle Roton, are you suggesting you suspect me?"

Roton’s voice was frighteningly calm. "I am merely stating the facts. After the incident with Sylvan, everyone learned to consider all possibilities. You are indeed first in line to inherit, but what if you were worried things might change?"

"Change?" Kelvin sneered. "My father was bedridden with a grave illness, Sylvan is far away in the South, and I’ve long been handling all the domain’s affairs. Why would I cause this kind of trouble for myself, at this time, and in this manner?"

Roton was silent for a moment, his gaze softening slightly. "In truth, I’ve already ruled you out as a suspect. But that’s precisely what makes this so much more worrying."

Kelvin took a few steps closer, frowning. "You mean..."

Roton’s voice was low. "Across the entire Duval Territory, I am the only one with the power of an Official Knight. If this wasn’t an inside job, it means an enemy we know nothing about—a Knight skilled in assassination—infiltrated the heart of the castle last night."

Kelvin asked, "What about a Knight’s Attendant?"

Roton mulled it over for a moment. "A Knight’s Attendant could pull it off, but that would be just as troubling. If there’s a traitor among the followers, it means our inner circle has been infiltrated. But compared to that, if it was an outside Knight... I fear..."

He didn’t finish his sentence, but Kelvin already understood the terrifying implication.

A traitor within was a terrifying thought, signifying a collapse of trust and corruption from the inside.

But compared to a traitor, an unknown Knight who could slip into the heavily guarded Inner Castle undetected, assassinate his target on a quiet summer night without alerting a single guard, and then vanish without a trace...

...was a far more chilling prospect.

It meant that if this enemy wished it, they could assassinate most of the people within the castle.

Not even Roton himself would necessarily be safe.

"Investigate!" Kelvin’s voice was resolute. "Investigate the whereabouts of all followers last night. And strengthen the castle guard. Until the truth is uncovered, no one is to enter or leave without permission."

Roton nodded. "But if it truly was an outside Knight..."

Kelvin finished the thought, "Then it’s even more terrifying. An enemy we know nothing about, with the power of a Knight, who is also an expert assassin. There must be a greater conspiracy at play."

The morning light grew brighter, illuminating the luxurious furnishings of the bedchamber in stark detail, but it could not dispel the gloom that shrouded the two men’s hearts.

Whether the killer was one of their own followers or an outside Knight, it meant the Duval Baron’s Domain was no longer safe.

Kelvin continued, "Our top priority is to stabilize the situation. Until the truth is discovered, this news must be strictly suppressed. We’ll say Father died from his grave illness."

"If our subjects learn that even their Baron can be assassinated in his own bedchamber, the ruling authority of the Duval Clan will be shattered."

Roton considered this. "Perhaps we could report this matter to the Noble Council and have them investigate. After all, an assassination at the Knight Level is beyond the scope of an ordinary case."

"No," Kelvin said, shaking his head. "In the Northern Territory, the Church Court is more reliable. We’ll have Bishop Alberto preside over the funeral and, while he’s here, ask him to investigate whether... one of *those beings* was responsible."

Roton’s expression changed abruptly, his grave demeanor growing even more solemn. "You mean?"

Kelvin’s gaze grew profound. "Besides a Knight or a follower, isn’t there another possibility? *Those beings* could also do something like this, and far more easily."

A look of deep apprehension crossed Roton’s face, and his voice dropped instinctively. "Why? Could it be retaliation from the Mechanical Witch? That shouldn’t be... Such beings are supposed to be rational, and we have nothing of value to them. The Knight’s Secret Medicine, so precious in the eyes of commoners, is nothing but trash to them."

Kelvin’s tone held a hint of resignation. "There’s no ’shouldn’t be’ about it, Uncle Roton. Your way of thinking has become too rigid."

"If it was one of *those beings*, the problem actually becomes much simpler. Whether it’s an attempt to curry favor, an act of revenge, or just some passing whim of theirs."

"At least we wouldn’t have to worry about division within the domain, nor would we have to suspect everyone around us. And we certainly wouldn’t have to worry about being drawn into some grand conspiracy."

Roton’s brow furrowed even more deeply. "But if one of *those people* is truly involved, the Church Court..."

Kelvin cut him off. "That would still be far better than some Knight or follower. At least this way, the enemy isn’t *our* enemy alone."

"Perhaps they never saw us as enemies to begin with. We might be nothing more to them than ants on the roadside, crushed underfoot without a second thought."

"We can leave them for the Church Court to deal with, and we won’t have to concern ourselves with it any longer."

Roton let out a deep sigh, the wrinkles on his face seeming especially pronounced in the morning light. "That would be for the best... yes, for the best..."

The old Knight slowly turned toward the Baron’s body, a profound sorrow welling in his eyes.

’Perhaps five years ago... we never should have agreed to the Mechanical Witch’s request.’