Chapter 18: Two "Masters

Although Kaios deduced that Grossman had intentionally avoided Pete to tell him these things, he did not think Grossman suspected the housekeeper. The physician was simply considering all possibilities. After all, unlike him, this chief physician could not directly see the favorability halo behind Pete's head.

However, if it truly was the Spiritual Rush Curse, there were definitely many more hidden dangers within the Li Family. It surely involved the middle and upper management, as well as other Lords and families. To the people behind the scenes, these Spiritual Energy Warriors and Contracted Servants used for "detonation" were nothing more than tools. He guessed that the reason they previously "detonated" a High Tier Spiritual Energy Warrior from the neighboring Kendall Family to rampage through North Mountain Manor, rather than detonating someone hidden within the Li Family, was to prevent him from using his control over the Soul Subordination Contract to eliminate the person.

Take today, for instance. When Zhu He acted up, Kaios didn't use the power of the Soul Subordination Contract to directly trigger a Spirit Burst-Devouring Body. He could explain that it was to capture the man alive or to preserve the corpse's original state as much as possible, and no one would find it strange. But if the matter of the curse was true, there would definitely be many more similar incidents. If it happened too often, people would eventually grow suspicious. This intensified Kaios's sense of urgency and crisis. Relying solely on Contracted Servants like Sharvella and Harvey, along with the functions provided by the Protective Bracelet, was not enough. He needed more guarantees.

Kaios stopped between the bookshelves, pulled out a book, and flipped through it. He found an entry related to "Curse" in the table of contents, but upon turning to the corresponding page, he discovered there were no specific classifications at all. There was only a brief half-paragraph introduction. At the end, it provided a definition: "All curse-type Magic is Black Magic, and its Cultivation and use are forbidden within the Holy Protection Alliance. If you encounter suspected curse-type Black Magic, you may seek help from the local Holy Protection Palace or Punishment Knights."

"Seek help from the Holy Protection Palace or Punishment Knights?" Kaios thought.

Even Pete had completely disregarded this option, let alone Kaios, who knew that one of the vice-captains of the Punishment Knights had a one-third red ring of favorability toward him. However, he didn't believe that the Holy Protection Palace was behind this series of actions targeting him and the Li Family. Based on his understanding of the situation, if they truly had the full cooperation of the Holy Protection Palace, they wouldn't need to go to such lengths.

The next day.

Having made a preliminary decision, Kaios called Pete into the study.

"When Cares was mentioned before, I remember hearing you mention Chief Guard Philo," Kaios said. "But I didn't see Philo's name on the list of factory managers and external Commanders you gave me. Has he passed away?"

The name Philo was mentioned in the Old Baron's diary. He was Kaios's first "master" and had designed a set of Spiritual Energy Cultivation methods for him. Externally, it was claimed to be a Secret Skill for nursing the body and building physical strength.

"Yes, Chief Guard Philo has been dead for... about five years now," Pete recalled. "It's truly a pity. Although Philo's Spiritual Energy Level wasn't very high back then, his mastery and application of Spiritual Qi were definitely several times that of someone nearing the level of a Martial Saint. Sigh..."

"How did he die? In battle? From illness? Or some other accident?" Kaios asked.

"You could say he died from an illness. It was Spirit Vein Collapse, a common ailment among Spiritual Energy Warriors..." Pete slowed down as he spoke, seemingly recalling something, and furrowed his brows slightly.

Kaios also asked, "Was there anything unusual about Philo's condition when he fell ill? Did Physician Grossman examine the corpse?"

Pete recalled, "Chief Guard Philo fell ill on the way back from the Northern Realm. By the time he arrived at North Mountain Manor, he had already been dead for over half a month. After a Spirit Vein Collapse, the muscles dissolve rapidly, and the entire person... becomes completely unrecognizable. After a dozen days, it was simply impossible to investigate anything."

It was obvious that Pete, as the housekeeper, had surely been responsible for handling Philo's funeral affairs back then. Recalling those memories, his expression and voice grew heavy.

"Are Spiritual Energy Warriors prone to getting these bizarre illnesses?" Kaios said. "Old Lu also had that... Spiritual Energy Devouring Heart? Isn't the probability of our Spiritual Energy Warriors falling ill a bit too high?"

"Spiritual Energy Warriors and Mages are indeed frequently tormented by all sorts of ailments. After all, they are undergoing Cultivation... Lord, do you suspect that Chief Guard Philo's death might also be related to that Curse?"

"Since there can be a Curse that triggers Spiritual Energy Rushing into the Brain, having one that causes Spirit Vein Collapse seems quite normal too, doesn't it?"

"Now that you mention it, there were indeed some unusual circumstances. Chief Guard Philo was originally supposed to stay in the Northern Realm until the end of that year, but then the Old Baron suddenly called him back. Little did we expect that on the way back..."

Kaios pondered for a moment, but did not continue to press the issue of Philo's death. Since it wasn't even mentioned in the Old Baron's diary, it was highly unlikely that the old housekeeper knew the inside story. Moreover, so much time had passed. Instead, he changed the subject and asked, "Where is Beinam now?"

According to the Old Baron's diary, Kaios had two masters who guided him in Spiritual Qi. One was Philo, and the other was Beinam. Furthermore, when Pete previously listed the Contracted Servants with whom Kaios had a good relationship and frequent contact, Beinam's name was also among them. When he first crossed over, he was worried about blowing his cover and didn't want to cause unnecessary complications, so he naturally wasn't willing to meet the people the original body had been familiar with. But now, surrounded by crises on all sides, he needed to stack up as many chips for self-preservation as possible before digging deeper into the hidden truth.

"Captain of the Beinam Guard should currently be stationed at our Fengyuan Seventh Camp in the Northern Realm, participating in the northern expansion operations. If you need to recall him, Lord, you can send an urgent letter through the Holy Protection Palace. If he rides back alone immediately upon receiving it, it shouldn't even take half a month."

"Alright. You arrange the specific details. In short, have him rush back as quickly as possible."

After giving Pete his instructions, Kaios called Sharvella in.

"Aren't you stuffy wearing this armor?" Kaios couldn't help but ask when he noticed that Sharvella was now wearing Heavy Armor all the time.

To his surprise, upon hearing his words, the pretty face of his Personal Guard instantly turned red, and she whispered, "Lord, are you... asking me to take it off?"

Kaios's breath hitched, and he actually hesitated for a second before hastily saying, "Where did your mind go! I was just saying that this armor of yours... ah, never mind. I wanted to ask you, do you ever feel unwell when undergoing Cultivation? Illnesses like Spiritual Energy Devouring Heart, Spiritual Energy Rushing into the Brain, and Spirit Vein Collapse—how do people get them? Are there any warning signs?"

Sharvella thought for a moment and shook her head. "I feel like Cultivation is quite simple and smooth. I don't know why Spiritual Energy Warriors get those illnesses. Maybe I'm just not old enough yet..."

"Anyway, pay attention to yourself. If you feel unwell, go ask Grossman in time or come tell me," Kaios instructed.

Sharvella was incredibly important to him now. This importance, of course, wasn't just about having a beautiful young woman as a Personal Guard. Rather, it was because having her stand guard at his bedroom door every day was the only way he could truly sleep in peace, keeping him from living in constant anxiety over his inability to find the enemies lurking nearby. Hearing his words of concern, Sharvella was delighted, even excited. With her eyes shining, she nodded vigorously. "Mhm!"

"She's so cute..." Kaios thought.

He still found it very difficult to associate her with the ruthless God of Slaughter radiating chilling killing intent he had seen before.

Seven days later.

To Kaios's surprise, when the letter he sent to the Northern Realm should logically still have been on its way, Captain of the Guard Beinam had already arrived at North Mountain Manor.