Chapter 1884: Handling the Corpse
After Older Brother Jayad confirmed the two killers had left, I dispelled the Transfiguration on the maid. The splattered blood turned into sand and debris, and her delicate body became a shriveled, leathery husk.
The maid wasn’t a newly acquired corpse, but a mummy I obtained from the Lich’s tomb. It slowly stood up, and all the scattered sand returned to its body.
The mummy raised its hand and pulled a complex liquid bomb, contained in a crystal vial, from its chest, which had been pierced by a knife.
Unfortunately, those two killers were too unprofessional; they didn’t even take the maid’s corpse with them. I had hidden a very powerful bomb inside this corpse, planning to detonate it directly when they got close to avenge Little Elaine.
At this moment, they had already teleported out of the fireplace in a luxurious room with the fake corpse, using a special flame teleportation spell. I located them; it was a villa for foreign guests near the Lord of the City’s mansion.
The Qing delegation also resided nearby. It seemed the Count of Deep Lake City had indeed followed the Crown Prince to Cando City, and after seeing Little Elaine at the Knight Competition, he harbored murderous intent.
The two killers, without delay, brought the body bag to the second floor. This villa was filled with well-equipped guards and knights, indicating the owner was very suspicious and lacked a sense of security.
They entered an office. It was my first time seeing the Count of Deep Lake City. He looked quite old, with a face full of wrinkles, wearing a round hat adorned with feathers and a blue robe.
At first glance, he didn’t seem like a brutal person. But when the two killers informed him that Little Elaine was dead, he wore an expression of immense joy and eagerly said, “Where is his body? Let me see!”
“It’s right here, Lord Count,” the killer said, opening the body bag to reveal the corpse inside, still in Little Elaine’s image.
“Excellent, excellent. Now the old man’s last bloodline is broken. Next, we just need to eliminate his relatives one by one,” the Count revealed a ruthless expression.
“Yes, Lord Count,” the two killers readily agreed, startled by his murderous intent.
“By the way, was this matter handled conclusively? What about the maid?” the Count suddenly asked.
“She’s been dealt with,” the killer replied, failing to mention that they had left the body behind. To them, it was insignificant.
“Very well, dispose of his body as well. Leave no traces, and do not mention this incident to anyone,” the Count of Deep Lake City instructed.
“Yes!” the killers agreed. They carried the corpse into a stone-paved room, spread a layer of paper on the floor, placed the fake corpse on it, and then sprinkled some powder.
As soon as the powder came into contact with the corpse, it began to burn fiercely. However, the paper on the ground remained completely unharmed, seemingly made of fire-resistant material.
Soon, the maggots I had left on the corpse perished due to the excessive heat, and my surveillance naturally broke off, leaving me unable to see the situation there.
But I could guess what would happen next. My maggots were protected by a certain amount of magic power. The fact that they were killed so quickly meant the flame’s temperature must have been extremely high, enough to incinerate the corpse into ashes.
Moreover, the Transfiguration on the fake corpse would last for some time, so there was no need to worry about them recognizing it. Once the Transfiguration wore off, all that would remain in its place would be a pile of ashes, making identification impossible.
“Alright, you are safe now. As long as the Count and his subordinates don’t directly recognize you, your life won’t be threatened anymore. You can skip tomorrow’s competition,” I told him.
“Yes, I understand,” Little Elaine nodded, still shaken. He knew that his previous high-profile actions had led to him being hunted.
But Little Elaine had already achieved his main goal: he had obtained a knight’s medal. He also knew full well that his previous victory was entirely due to the magic power left by Jayad, and he was certain to lose this next match, so forfeiting was acceptable.
“I’ll cast a Transfiguration on you too, so you can watch the match and perhaps find an opportunity for revenge,” I said, aiming my magic wand at Little Elaine.
“Thank you, I will definitely kill that old scoundrel!” Little Elaine said through gritted teeth. In the magical light, he transformed into a very cute youth, almost resembling a girl.
“Wh-what happened to me? Why have I turned into this?!” Little Elaine exclaimed, looking at himself in the mirror.
“This appearance suits your temperament better and is less likely to feel out of place. Besides, such an appearance makes the opponent let their guard down,” I said with a smile.
I admit there was some intentionality behind it, but the truth is that it did suit his temperament. Just like how a strong man acting effeminate would seem awkward, I almost directly said that Little Elaine’s temperament was effeminate—or, to put it more delicately, rather delicate.
“Alright,” Little Elaine could only accept resignedly. He added, “Miss Parul’s Transfiguration is truly magical. I was wondering what would happen if that old scoundrel saw through it.”
“It’s nothing. Even if he saw through it, at most, he’d know you’ve discovered his scheme. He’s already your father’s killer and wants to harm you, so the pretense is already dropped, and reconciliation is impossible,” I explained.
“Even if the Count perceives you as a threat, we have already moved you to a location unknown to them. What follows will be open conflict. If he doesn’t know of our existence, sending assassins is just sending them to their deaths. What is there to fear?”
I was certain that the Count would not dare to openly acknowledge acts like plotting against a vassal’s son, as it would effectively confirm his murder of a subordinate knight and inevitably lead to collective dissatisfaction among the vassals.
Therefore, he could only resort to assassination, and he wouldn’t dare tell just anyone. At the very least, he wouldn’t dare tell those upright knights. As for the remaining assassins, they were no match for our strength.
Little Elaine hadn’t expected me to hold the Count in such low regard. However, he truly felt it too. Constant evasion wouldn’t lead to revenge; he had to actively seek opportunities.
“Thank you, you have helped me once again today. I must also return now. Also, I wish you a Happy Winter Veil Festival in advance,” Little Elaine said, and then left with the maid.
Before this incident, the maid harbored ill intentions towards Little Elaine, as she had been forced to obey him under duress.
However, after today’s events, the maid gave up on those thoughts. She knew that even if she had succeeded in following their orders, she would still have been killed. It was better to obediently stay by Little Elaine’s side; at least this young master wouldn’t kill her.
After they left, I said to Older Brother Jayad, “Let’s go back too. I want to conduct a new experiment tonight.”
