"How did it go—"
In the office, Lorne put down the documents in his hand and looked at Sharon and Marich sitting opposite him.
Sharon and Marich exchanged a look, then Marich took the initiative to speak: "The investigation is clear."
"We obtained the relevant information from a Beyonder gathering."
"Your villa, built atop a pile of ruins, originally belonged to the Pound Family."
"Their ancestor obtained the title of Viscount during the 'War of the Oath-Breakers.' They were loyal supporters of the Loen royal family and held considerable power in the army and their own fiefdom."
"A Viscount, huh—" Lorne muttered.
The exploration of the ruins had temporarily stopped because of Lorne's ominous premonition. He sensed that there were some unusual things deep within the ruins, so he felt it necessary to first investigate the origins of this house before taking the next step.
"But thirty-two years ago, two consecutive heirs of this family died of severe illnesses. Having no other choice, the old Viscount could only bring a child from a branch of the family into his home," Marich continued.
"Not long after, the old Viscount passed away." He paused and continued, "Because the child was young, he couldn't resist various temptations. Under the instigation of his attendants, he replaced the butler and became a profligate dandy. Within a few years, he squandered most of the family wealth, and his title was demoted to Baron. He even sold the family's houses in Backlund. In the following years, his title was demoted again, leaving him as only a Baronet."
"A profligate squandering his inheritance, a very typical history of aristocratic decline," Lorne remarked with a sigh.
"So his house was sold to Miller Carter, and then it came into my hands."
"However, dying of severe illnesses in succession—" He rubbed his chin, lost in thought.
"I feel this is related to those underground ruins."
"Although much time has passed, that set of ruins clearly has traces of being explored by others, and there are even some corpses inside."
"The stone door sealing the ruins is also very unusual."
"The truth behind the deaths of the two heirs must have been deliberately concealed by the old Viscount, who didn't let the official and the Church investigate—"
"A secret that had to be hidden even at the cost of sacrificing two heirs—the Pound Family definitely knows something—"
"Do you have Baronet Pound's address?" Lorne asked.
The consistently silent Sharon suddenly spoke up: "He is currently renting a place at 29 Sivillas Street, Empress Borough."
"Mhm." Lorne nodded.
"I plan to go and talk to Baronet Pound. What do you think?"
"You're very famous now; it wouldn't be good to go yourself," Marich reminded him.
"I'll just use a disguise. Besides, the Pound Family itself has something to hide; even if I'm discovered, they wouldn't dare make a big deal out of it." Lorne turned his gaze to Sharon.
"Teacher Sharon, what do you think?"
"—" Sharon was silent for a moment, her blue eyes showing no emotion, but eventually, she gave a nearly imperceptible nod.
Sivillas Street was considered one of the safest streets in Backlund because the Police Headquarters was located there. However, this wasn't a bad thing for Lorne. He had become very familiar with the police department recently; for the sake of his reputation, the police generally wouldn't cause him trouble.
—
Rafter Pound, that "famous" dandy who had squandered his ancestral property and fallen all the way from Viscount to Baronet.
Even in his current state, he still lived a life of dissipation and muddled existence every day, numbing himself with alcohol and cheap pleasures.
But in reality, being a so-called profligate was just a disguise. If he didn't do this, if he didn't squander his wealth, he would be targeted by countless people coveting the family secrets. Even though he was already this harmless, he had still faced many interrogations over the years.
However, even so, he still remembered his family mission.
He was of the Tudor Family bloodline, a descendant of the Blood Emperor. He still remembered the glory of his bloodline and was constantly waiting for an opportunity.
But before the moment of glory he was waiting for arrived, Lorne and his group did.
"Hey, wake up!"
Dazed from alcohol, Rafter opened his bleary eyes to find himself surrounded by two strangers.
A disguised Lorne and Marich watched him from either side, while Sharon had turned into a Wraith and hidden her form.
"Who are you?! How did you break into my house!" Rafter snapped awake, his body trembling uncontrollably as he warned them with false bravado, "Sivillas Yard is right across the street!"
"The police can't help you." Lorne shook his head slightly, and with a flick of his wrist, a dagger slid out.
The blade gently pressed against Rafter's neck.
Feeling the cold touch on his neck, Rafter immediately behaved himself.
"What do you want? If you want money, I—"
"No, no, no—" Lorne wagged his index finger.
He scanned the room, which was filled with an aura of depravity. Empty Wine Bottles, torn women's underwear—the air was thick with an indescribable, strange smell.
"You don't look like someone who can hold onto money. You probably don't have much left anyway." Lorne curled his lip.
The overly blunt truth left Rafter stunned.
I—I'm just disguised!
If I'm not like this, how would those coveting my family believe I'm harmless—he roared in his heart.
But feeling the coldness on his neck—
Well, a depraved life is indeed... quite pleasant—thinking of this, he lowered his head in some shame and anger.
"If you don't want money, then what do you want?"
"We just have some questions we'd like to talk to you about," Lorne said.
"Questions?" Rafter's lips quivered for a moment, and a bitter smile that looked worse than crying appeared on his face. "Again—will I never escape this nightmare?"
"Others have asked before?" Lorne caught the key point in his words.
"No, more than just asked! After my first cousin once removed, the respected old Viscount, passed away, too many things happened around me—"
"They wanted to know how the old Viscount's two children died, if there was anything abnormal in his final years. How would I know—" He grabbed his hair as if having a breakdown.
"I wasn't even ten years old then; I didn't understand anything at all. I don't know anything!" He waved his arms, seemingly venting emotions accumulated over many years.
"He isn't lying." Sharon's ethereal voice came from beside Lorne's ear. Marich also nodded slightly, confirming it.
The interrogation seemed like it would end anticlimactically.
"No."
Lorne shook his head. His intuition told him there was more to this.
A "Winner's" intuition was bound to be accurate.
"You indeed aren't lying, but you are definitely hiding something." Lorne curled his lips and put away the dagger.
"You are very skilled at being questioned, and a secret that makes you hide it even in a life-or-death situation like this must be very special."
"This—" Rafter opened his mouth blankly, his face becoming even paler.
"I—what do I have to disguise or hide? I'm already like this, I—"
Before he could finish, he saw Lorne pull out a dark revolver from his coat and press the cold muzzle against his forehead.
"Have you heard of Russian Roulette?"
"Why don't we let fate decide whether you're lying or not—"