Chapter 15: Interrogation

To be honest, when Kaios first read that line in the diary, he was somewhat dismissive.

For one, he interacted with Sharvella a lot nowadays. He knew his Personal Guard was indeed formidable. At just sixteen years old, she was already a Level 8 Middle Tier Spiritual Energy Warrior with a promising future. She had also looked incredibly cool and powerful when she killed the "Mad Knight" with a single slash. However, she was completely obedient to him and always spoke gently. No matter how he looked at it, it was hard to associate her with the title "God of Slaughter."

For another, when he checked the date of that diary entry, he realized Sharvella had only been nine years old at the time.

He wondered if the Old Baron was reliable at all for calling a nine-year-old girl a "God of Slaughter."

But back in the present moment, standing in the first-floor kitchen and watching Sharvella pin two servants much larger than herself against the wall with one hand each—as easily as if she were choking little chickens—Kaios suddenly understood the meaning of "God of Slaughter." It wasn't about her strength, but the terrifying aura she exuded.

"Speaking ill of the Master. You deserve to die."

Sharvella spoke these words at a leisurely pace. Her voice was incredibly soft, almost completely devoid of inflection, yet it inexplicably carried a bone-chilling murderous intent.

Was she going to kill them right then and there?

The moment this thought popped into his head, Kaios instinctively wanted to stop her. Suddenly, he noticed Sharvella turning her head to look right at him.

Swept by that ruthless, icy glare that cut like a blade, Kaios's body stiffened, his breath catching in his throat.

He thought, "Wait, I haven't exited the 'Silent Walker' state yet? Did Sharvella spot me?"

But a second later, when she spoke, Kaios realized she wasn't looking at him at all.

"Harvey! Where are you going? Where is the Master?" Sharvella shouted, looking toward the kitchen entrance.

Harvey, who had been sprinting past, heard the shout and ran back. He looked at her in confusion and asked, "Why are you here? What happened to these two... Ugh, something terrible has happened! The Master is missing!" Behind him, five Guards also ground to a halt.

"What?!" Sharvella casually tossed the two servants to the floor. They crashed into each other and passed out as she took large strides toward Harvey at the door.

When Kaios first heard "something terrible has happened," he felt a surge of tension. But upon hearing the next sentence, he almost burst out laughing.

However, sensing that his time as a "Silent Walker" was almost up, he quickly darted back upstairs. It was then he discovered why Harvey, who was supposed to be guarding the door, had suddenly realized he wasn't in the study and rushed off so frantically. Housekeeper Pete was walking out of the study with an anxious expression, giving instructions to several Silver Armor Guards who had just rushed over.

Kaios slipped into the study and deactivated his "Silent Walker" state. Then, he walked out of the study with a slightly surprised expression and asked, "Why are there so many people here? What are you all doing? Where is Harvey?"

His sudden voice startled Pete, who was in the middle of telling the Guards to split up and search. The housekeeper whipped his head around as if he had just seen a ghost.

"M... Master?!"

Pete's eyes widened as he looked past Kaios into the study. The expression on his face clearly conveyed that there had been no one in there just a moment ago.

At this moment, Harvey also came up the stairs with Sharvella, presumably to check the room one more time. The two of them immediately spotted Kaios standing at the study door, looking completely confused.

"Huh! Master?!" Harvey was also startled.

"Master!" Sharvella, on the other hand, let out a sigh of relief.

Harvey asked in confusion, "Housekeeper Pete came over to look for you earlier, Master. We knocked on the door for a long time but didn't get a response. We were a bit worried, so we went inside... but we couldn't find you."

Kaios put on a look of sudden realization and smiled. "Oh, I was looking for something in a specific spot just now, so you didn't see me, and I didn't hear you."

As he spoke, he raised his hand to flash the "Protective Bracelet" on his wrist. He was hinting that he had been in a secret room or hidden compartment inside the study that could only be opened using the bracelet—and there really was such a place in the study.

"Sharvella, aren't you resting? Why did you run over here?" Kaios then turned his gaze to Sharvella.

At this moment, his Personal Guard looked exactly as she normally did when by his side—demure, gentle, and even a little docile. She showed absolutely no trace of the man-eating tiger's ferocity she had displayed in the kitchen just moments ago.

Kaios didn't mind, though. The solid blue halo behind Sharvella's head assured him that this Personal Guard could be trusted. Whether she took on the persona of a docile maid or a ferocious God of Slaughter, as long as she remained loyal to him, it wasn't a problem.

"Ah! I just happened to run into Harvey, so..."

"Well, go get some proper rest. When I see you later, I expect you to be full of energy."

"Yes, Master!"

Kaios looked at Pete again. "Did you need me for something?"

"I do." Pete nodded, and the two entered the study, closing the door behind them.

"Master, I have looked into it," Pete reported. "That noon, between the time you decided to dine in the garden and the moment Cares suffered from Spiritual Energy Rushing into the Brain and went mad, only two people left the manor without any companions to verify their whereabouts."

As he spoke, Pete handed over a piece of paper containing an investigation report with the names, background information, and movements of those two individuals on that day.

Looking at the concise and clear record on the paper, Kaios felt very satisfied. This housekeeper truly knew how to get things done.

The two men were Hansen Pais and Zhu He. The former was an ordinary servant working in the kitchen, while the latter was a Light Guard and Contracted Servant who had even sustained injuries when the "Mad Knight" charged in that day.

"Master, if you approve, I will have someone secretly bring them in for interrogation."

Kaios shot him a glance and asked, "How do you plan to interrogate them?"

Pete paused for a moment before replying, "With severe torture, naturally."

"Mhm, bring them to see me first," Kaios said. "Those two shouldn't know they are being targeted yet, right?"

"I have been following your orders, Master. I conducted the investigation secretly without drawing any attention. They shouldn't know," Pete replied.

"Good. You've done well."

About twenty minutes later in the study, Kaios first saw the servant named Hansen, who worked in the kitchen.

To his surprise, Hansen turned out to be the older servant he had just seen in the downstairs kitchen—the one who had almost been killed by Sharvella for secretly badmouthing him.

Strictly speaking, the harshest criticism against Kaios hadn't actually come from Hansen's mouth, but from the younger servant. However, after listening to their entire conversation, it was obvious who harbored the greater malice. Not to mention, Hansen had a halo behind his head that was nearly half-filled with purple.

"Do you know why I summoned you here?" Kaios asked, sitting behind the desk with his hands clasped on the surface, wearing what he believed to be an amiable expression.

To his surprise, the moment he spoke, Hansen fell directly to his knees. Trembling and crying, the servant cried out, "Spare my life, Master! I really... I really didn't mean any disrespect to you, Master! I was just repeating rumors! I am absolutely loyal to you, Master! My whole family is completely loyal to you and the Li family!"

Upon hearing this, Kaios immediately knew that Hansen thought he had been called over because of his earlier badmouthing in the kitchen.

It was normal for him to think that way, though. After all, the two of them weren't the only ones in the study right now. Sharvella, who had ended her break early to take her shift, was standing in the corner, her gaze locked tightly onto him.