Chapter 24: The Butler’s True Form

“‘What do you mean by that?’”

The butler suppressed his anger, yet his voice turned sharp and shrill, like the cicadas on a summer night, resonating at a high frequency with the surrounding air.

“His words—surely you heard them clearly, Mr. Butler.” Song Zan said with a playful grin, feeling that he would soon escape this illusion, “The maid Sophie Ireland originally had a child. It’s said that the child died with her in the Black Forest? Then where is the child’s body, and where is the grave marker?”

“That child’s body was, of course, buried together with Sophie in the Black Forest—”

“You’re lying. Forget the child’s body—I circled Sophie’s grave several times, even dug it open. There was nothing inside.”

The butler suddenly let out a cold laugh.

“So this is your work ethic? As consulting detectives recommended by the police, disregarding your own rules and dignity, you actually went as far as digging up a grave—”

“Then you really underestimate the profession of consulting detectives.” Domingo sighed, “We never care about methods when pursuing the truth. Digging up a corpse? That’s nothing.”

The butler’s eyes widened in shock.

“As the heir of this castle, I believe I have the right to investigate this mystery.” Si Qingxuan lifted his chin slightly and said, “Why don’t you lead us to the Black Forest so we can take a look ourselves… What do you think, Rudolf?”

The white mist outside the castle surged like a living thing.

The awakened ones, along with Si Qingxuan, unknowingly formed an encirclement around the butler.

It almost looked like they were joining forces to interrogate him.

The butler looked at them and suddenly let out a low chuckle.

He removed the monocle from his nose, tossed it lightly to the ground, crushed it underfoot, and when he looked up again, his pupils had turned into a terrifying pale bluish-white.

“Interesting.” His cheekbones began to swell, his limbs visibly shrinking and transforming into jointed segments; something tore through his clothes from his back, spreading like a shadow in the night—

It was a pair of enormous moth-like wings, covered in dazzling, dizzying patterns, with faint green scales fluttering down as he moved.

“Ants meant for sacrifice… have learned to struggle?”

The giant wings stirred up a violent gust of wind.

[This is a Mothman, a strange creature often coexisting with the Ouroboros worm. Like all moths, it is attracted to light and heat, but fears cold and water. It can spin silk to form cocoons, and the silk contains a neurotoxin that causes paralysis.]

[Also, the patterns on its wings can confuse enemies… but unfortunately, everyone present here is a high-level awakened, so such mental attacks are almost ineffective.]

The awakened ones prepared for battle—Domingo drew his dagger; Garcia, though not needing a weapon, pressed his index finger against his temple in a pose reminiscent of Professor X; Zhao Lin was even more direct, a small flame dancing eagerly at his fingertips.

Song Zan also wanted to join, but the others subtly pushed him backward.

Song Zan: “???”

“You’ve already been contaminated.” Garcia patted his shoulder. “Better focus on recovery.”

“Hey, how can you fight without me—”

Left with no choice, he moved beside Si Qingxuan, acting as if he were staying behind to protect the delicate young master.

But starting a conversation with the young master was another problem.

“Um, ahem… Young Master Morlanden, your butler just turned into a moth. Aren’t you surprised?”

[Not only is this kid’s acting exaggerated, he doesn’t seem very smart either.] The system commented objectively.

Si Qingxuan raised an eyebrow and replied coldly, “Move aside. You’re blocking my view.”

Song Zan: “…”

Even though the young master’s identity was human—just an ordinary NPC in this illusion—why did a single glance from him send a chill down Song Zan’s spine?

On the other side, the awakened ones were locked in fierce combat with the butler.

Zhao Lin used flames to force the giant moth down from the air.

It continuously spat out long, white, sticky threads, weaving them into a net to resist the scorching fire.

These threads weren’t particularly strong, but once stuck, they were extremely hard to break free from.

Garcia failed to dodge one attack in time and was entangled for a few seconds. Blue marks immediately appeared on the back of his hand.

Domingo tossed him a bottle of blue antidote. “Take it!”

Garcia caught it swiftly and drank it. The crisscrossing scars on his hand moved like living spiders and slowly crawled off his skin.

“His talent is quite useful.” Si Qingxuan remarked to the system.

[Yes. ‘Medical Kit’ is rated A-class precisely because of its broad and practical support abilities. However, although his dagger is decent, it still can’t pierce the moth’s scales unless—]

Before the system could finish, Domingo acted.

A sharp sound rang out as the wings beat violently.

Flames enveloped the creature, illuminating the entire terrace, yet they did not immediately burn the mothman to ashes.

Zhao Lin looked up, firelight reflecting in his eyes. “?”

Among the fanatics of evil gods, nine out of ten are obsessed with sacrifice, and the remaining one is obsessed with self-sacrifice.

Although Zhao Lin and the others usually acted as the enforcement arm, eliminating strange creatures, they had some understanding of the many mysterious entities emerging everywhere—

In short: none of them were good.

So there was no need to hold back.

The giant moth felt the burning pain of flames licking its body, yet it showed no intention of surrender.

It suddenly turned its gaze toward Si Qingxuan, its mouthparts opening slightly as if revealing a hidden smile.

The next second, a massive shadow leapt down from the terrace wall, a boning knife slashing straight toward Si Qingxuan’s waist!

Song Zan stood beside him, unable to react in time, only seeing a burly man with a vicious expression rush past him—

It was the castle’s chef, whom he had seen in the reception hall!

“Watch out!” Song Zan shouted instinctively, activating his ability—“Freezing Point.”

The chef’s blood froze instantly, even his skin forming a thin layer of frost.

Yet his movement did not stop.

Boom.

Flames roared in, carrying a scorching heat that seemed capable of burning everything. The chef was instantly reduced to a charred figure.

The boning knife clattered to the ground, still stained with old, unwashed blood.

Song Zan gave Zhao Lin a thumbs-up. “Thanks, boss!”

Having a high-precision offensive mage was incredibly convenient.

However, soon after, dizziness struck Song Zan’s mind.

He spread his hands and saw that both had turned gray-black.

Using his ability had intensified the erosion of the illusion on him.

Realizing something was wrong, fear crept in—

He had only eaten a small amount of food provided by the chef, yet suffered such severe contamination.

If someone entered this illusion carelessly, they might become its nourishment by the next morning.

A few seconds later, the erosion stabilized.

Song Zan let out a sigh of relief and looked up at the mothman bound in flames, watching it struggle midair.

The mothman’s gaze locked onto Si Qingxuan, letting out a desperate roar. A black proboscis extended from its split mouth, desperately trying to reach him, only to be halted in midair.

“Are you alright?” Zhao Lin asked, a hint of urgency in his voice.

“I’m fine.” Si Qingxuan smiled calmly, “But your companion seems to be undergoing some subtle changes… You should be careful.”

Domingo and Garcia quickly went to check on Song Zan.

“…By the great divine!” The mothman suddenly stopped struggling and cried out in a sharp, piercing voice, “I curse the Morlanden family with all my power—

To be forever bound within this castle!

To have no friends or kin, and to forever lose those they love!”

As it finished speaking, the flames around it crackled softly.

Then it threw its head back, and the fire around it turned an eerie green, instantly consuming it completely.

[This moth sacrificed itself to the ‘divine.’ What a pity—like a moth flying into a flame, all in vain. Its curse is destined to fail.

To invoke something like ‘eternal loss of loved ones,’ one must pray to an evil god capable of manipulating fate.

What kind of ‘divine’ is the Ouroboros anyway?

Their knowledge of the evil god system is truly pitiful.] The system mocked.

In reality, humanity’s understanding of these entities was only the tip of the iceberg—

Beneath the surface lay far more unknown mysteries.

At this moment, the awakened watched the mothman burn, unsure of what would happen next.

“So… does this mean we’ve cleared the stage?” Song Zan said excitedly. “We’ve punished the murderer who killed Sophie!”

But was that really the truth?

The white mist outside the castle began to spread overwhelmingly.

Suddenly, it gathered together and silently engulfed them while they were off guard.

After being swallowed, a scene like a game CG appeared before their eyes.

Looking closely, it depicted the young master Morlanden—

“After the butler’s death, the young master regained control of the castle.”

“The servants fled in all directions, leaving only the maid Lucia, who remained loyal to him.”

“The young master decided to leave the castle with Lucia.”

“All paths were blocked by a mysterious force… so he chose to cross the artificial lake behind the castle by boat.”

“They boarded the boat.”

“Countless pale, translucent hands rose from the water.”

“Lucia was dragged into the water and drowned. She died, her hair floating like seaweed in the lake.”

“The young master collapsed and jumped into the water—only to discover…”

“The lake was shallow, barely reaching his thighs.”

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