Chương 130: Shutark: Being Watched

Night was falling.

Philon and Zain stepped into the house one after the other.

The two had been tending to the wounded all day and looked exhausted. Zain, in particular, looked completely drained.

Seeing the two of them, Shane and Frillie both praised them in unison.

"Thank you for your hard work, you did a great job."

A smile appeared on Philon's face, and the little girl blushed slightly as she helped Frilian tidy up the books scattered on the study floor, putting each one back in its place.

Upon hearing this, Zain collapsed onto the sofa and let out a long sigh.

"It feels like you're teasing a child. I'm not at the age where a few words of praise can restore my strength."

Frillie closed the book in her hand.

"Then I'll praise you again in an adult way."

As he spoke, he walked over to Zain, reached out, and patted the other's head.

It was like petting a puppy; he even rubbed it.

Zain was stunned.

"What are you doing?"

"This is a way of praising me that even adults would feel comfortable with, taught by Haita."

Zan was speechless.

Xia En smiled and explained to him, "It's not just children who need praise; everyone needs it. Haita once said that hard-working people must be encouraged."

"Frilian has always done a very good job at this."

Zain recalled that reliable bishop, who always made people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze whenever they met him; he was indeed a thoughtful and gentle person.

only----

"If only a sexy older woman could do this."

After making a complaint, Zain suddenly changed his expression, sat up straight, and lost his previous laziness.

"I forgot to tell you, I have a feeling something's wrong with [Wilt]."

Upon hearing this, Shane and Frilian exchanged a glance, then got up and sat down opposite Zain.

Zain lowered his head and pondered for a moment before explaining.

"In general, blood loss from limb injuries will subside after a few days of treatment, and the person should at least wake up, but that boy has not yet done so."

"During the treatment, all the healing magic I infused into his body was absorbed. The magic was fully effective, but there was no effect whatsoever. Isn't that strange? It's as if all the magic leaked out through some hole."

"I doubt----" crunch— We're just getting to this point.

The door to the room was pushed open.

Lord Alden entered.

Seeing that Shane and Frillie were both there, he didn't stand on ceremony and said directly, "The local dignitaries have heard about Mr. Shane's arrival and have decided to hold a social dinner in two weeks as a gesture of goodwill."

As he spoke, he looked at Shane and said, "I think this is a good opportunity to demonstrate trust to all parties."

A social dinner?

Xia En thought about it and realized it was indeed a good opportunity to show off.

This collective appearance saved him the trouble of going to the city defense area every day.

"Can."

"Then I will arrange for the butler, Gabel, to teach everyone some social etiquette."

Said Cao Cao, Cao Cao.

The figure of the old butler, Gabel, immediately appeared at the door.

However, the other party did not come to teach etiquette, but brought surprising news.

"My lord, a demon spy has been captured in the manor. The spy, disguised as a servant, attempted to break into [Wilt]."

The young master's room.

Upon hearing this, Lord Alden immediately turned and hurried toward his son's room.

Xia En and the others didn't dare to delay and immediately followed.

boom- Several people walking on the street heard an explosion at the same time.

Xia En's heart skipped a beat.

Turning the corner, the horrific scene in the corridor came into view.

Two soldiers leaned against the wall, covered in blood. Bloodstains were left on the floor, the surrounding walls, and even the ceiling. The door to the room where [Wilt] was located had been shattered.

Inside the room, two maids lay on the ground, having just regained consciousness.

"My lord—the demon spy has self-destructed—"

"We originally wanted to capture them alive and interrogate them, but after Mr. Gabel left, they very decisively chose to self-destruct."

"Fortunately, the explosion happened outside the door, and young master [Wilt] was not affected."

Hearing the maid's description, Xia En was puzzled.

He turned back and glanced once more at the blood-soaked doorway of the room, a strange feeling washing over him.

"Frilian, do demons usually self-destruct after being captured?"

Frillie stroked her chin and shook her head.

"Demons are always treacherous; I've never heard of any demon possessing a [Death Soldier]."

General beliefs.

Lord Alden nodded for a long time as he looked at his unconscious son on the bed.

He also felt something was wrong.

"Since rescuing [Wilter], because he has remained unconscious, I have never reported his survival to the outside world. How did the demons know [Wilter] was not dead? And why did they want to assassinate him?"

Xia En frowned as he looked at [Wilt].

The boy, who was in a deep sleep, was pale, and the sleeve of his shirt on his left arm was hanging empty.

Suddenly, the image of that short, black-mist figure flashed into his mind—that smug plague mage—a "very honest" demon. When facing him and Frilian, the demon, feeling certain of victory, would say anything.

When facing Wilt, would he also— Thinking this, he looked at Zain.

"Zane, you just said you felt something was off about [Wilt]. What are you suspecting?"

Zain glanced at Shane, then at Lord Alden.

"I suspect that [Wilt]'s delayed awakening is due to tampering with his body."

Xia En stroked his chin and pondered for a moment before revealing his guess.

"[Wilt] may have learned some important information about the demon race."

"Furthermore, that demon who was skilled in the [Plague Mist] magic may have left something on [Wilt] that demons could sense. And the reason he hasn't woken up yet is probably related to this lingering effect."

After Xia En finished speaking, everyone in the room looked serious.

"You mean, the demons will continue their assassinations?"

"Very likely."

Lord Alden remained silent for a moment.

"In that case, [Wilter] will also be attending the social ball in two weeks. I want to see how many rats [French] has managed to infiltrate."

"Luring the snake out of its hole? That's a bold idea," Zain exclaimed.

"But [Wilt] is still unconscious; how can he attend the banquet?"

Lord Alden glanced behind Shane.

Shane immediately understood what he meant and looked behind him.

"Hey? Where's Shutark?"

In the kitchen.

Shutalc is eating hamburger patties with Lord Mutter, the second son of the Lord.

After a day of training, Mutter had a great appetite.

Shutark listened with a smile as Mut chattered on, munching on a steak and recounting amusing anecdotes about himself and his brother, Wirth.

A faint glint flashed in the boy's eyes.

It seems that through Mutter's narration, one can glimpse some distant memory.

Achoo— A sudden sneeze interrupted this beautiful moment.

"What's wrong?" Mutter asked.

Shutark rubbed his nose.

"Nothing, just a sudden feeling that I'm being watched—"