novelraw Chapter 89 : You’ve Seen It Before
Chapter 89 : You’ve Seen It Before
Chapter 89: You’ve Seen It Before
After this, a servant came forward and welcomed the two into the mansion.
As they stepped through the main doors, Director McMillan lowered his head and whispered into Levi’s ear.
“If possible, please help me keep an eye on that young lady.”
“Oh? Does she have some sort of problem?”
“No, no. The problem is that she is Sir Baskerville’s daughter—oh, no, now she should be addressed as Lady Baskerville.”
At this, Director McMillan let out a sigh.
“But right now, she has no intention of fulfilling her duties as a noblewoman. Instead, she spends all day thinking about finding her father, even vowing to set fire to the mountains, hunt down that Wolf King, and kill it……….”
As Director McMillan spoke, he shook his head.
“This is not mere childishness, Mr. Levi. That young lady has always been a troublemaker since childhood.
Seeking the Wolf King… she is indeed the sort who would actually do it. That’s why I stationed people here, in case her emotions spiral out of control and she truly runs off into the deep mountains and forests to search for the Wolf King……… At that point, things would only get worse.”
“She is the only heir of the Baskerville family?”
“Yes.”
Director McMillan’s expression grew grave.
“The people of Delicat have been loyal to the Baskerville dukes for generations. As Delicat folk, we absolutely cannot allow the Baskerville bloodline to end in our era! That would be a disgrace to us all!”
“Ah, oh……………”
Faced with Director McMillan’s earnest and serious demeanor, Levi felt somewhat surprised.
Though he knew there was a Western saying—“the vassal of my vassal is not my vassal”—actually witnessing such loyalty firsthand still startled him a little.
It seemed the people of Delicat truly held deep devotion to the Baskerville family.
Levi almost wanted to ask Director McMillan, “If Lady Baskerville and Her Majesty the Queen both fell into the water, which one would you save?” But……… better not.
He was just a small detective; it wasn’t wise to meddle in such matters.
So Levi only nodded.
“Let’s go see the scene.”
According to the records, Sir Baskerville had been playing cards with several of his friends in the recreation room on the first floor.
The recreation room, located on the southeast side of the hall, was furnished with bookshelves, sofas, a tea table, a billiard table, and a card table.
That night, Sir Baskerville and his friends played cards there, while two policemen guarded the door.
“What about the servants?”
“Except for one maid, the others had gone back to their rooms to rest. Their quarters are all on the first floor.”
“But that maid didn’t leave with them?”
“According to the records……….”
Walking beside Levi, Director McMillan pulled out some files and flipped through them.
“At the time, Sir Baskerville said he wanted a late-night snack, so the maid went to the kitchen to prepare sandwiches and black tea. Five minutes after she left, Sir Baskerville said he was going to the washroom……….”
As Director McMillan reported, the two stopped in front of the washroom.
Levi raised his head and examined it carefully.
It looked no different from anywhere else, positioned at a corner next to the recreation room, which was quite normal.
On the other side was the staircase leading to the second floor.
“Next comes the conjecture.”
Director McMillan extended a hand, pointing toward the staircase at the end of the corridor.
“After leaving the washroom, Sir Baskerville suddenly recalled needing something from the study. So he went upstairs to the second-floor study. Then the culprit killed the two policemen, knocked him unconscious, and abducted him.”
As he spoke, the two reached the second-floor study, now sealed off by a “Do Not Enter” cordon.
Beyond the line, Levi saw blood splattered on the floor and walls, as well as chalk outlines marking where the two officers had fallen.
Levi crouched down, examining the floor carefully.
Even without the aid of 【Investigation】, he could make out claw marks etched into the once-smooth wooden surface.
These prints were much larger than the ones at Wolf Head Village.
“What do you make of this?”
Levi looked toward Director McMillan, who remained silent.
Just then, a proud voice rang out.
“Just as I said—it must have been the Wolf King.”
Turning his head, Levi saw Miss Aurelia walking toward him.
She had changed out of her riding attire and was now wearing a formal dress.
“Wolf King?”
“That’s right. You must have heard the legend. I believe that demon must have slipped into this house, waited until we were all resting, then killed the two officers and carried off my father.”
The guess was reasonable, but still unrelated to the Demon Hound.
The golden-haired beauty grew more impassioned.
“So, we must capture it, kill it, and display its corpse before the public! Let everyone know the Baskerville family cannot be defeated! Whether it be wolves or anything else, none shall make us fear! Retreat! Or flee!”
With that, Aurelia turned and went downstairs.
This young lady was quite agitated.
Levi said nothing more.
He rose to his feet and glanced through the open doorway toward the study window.
“Was that window open at the time as well?”
“Yes. Both the door and the window were open.”
“So, whether human or otherwise, it couldn’t have simply passed through the wall.”
Levi remarked casually as he stepped into the study and walked over to the window.
The study was on the second floor, overlooking the roof of the first floor, and beyond that, the garden.
“Director McMillan, where were the policemen stationed that night?”
“Here, here, and here.”
McMillan pointed out each guard’s position, while Levi leapt through the window onto the roof, surveying the surroundings.
The roof was tiled, leaving no clear traces.
There was no lighting nearby either, meaning that if something—or someone—had stood there, the policemen would not have noticed.
After all, most people never paid attention to what was above their heads.
But the problem wasn’t there.
It lay in the fact that the grounds around the mansion were all open space, at least thirty meters to the nearest wall.
This meant the culprit either could fly or could leap thirty meters in a single bound; otherwise, they would surely have been seen by the guards on the ground.
Hmm.
That was the problem.
From the Wolf Head Village case, Levi already knew that werewolves had extraordinary physical abilities.
So as for whether one could manage this……… he thought it very likely.
But it wasn’t entirely impossible to verify.
Levi closed his eyes, then opened them again.
At that moment, the world lost all color, leaving only black and white.
Everything around him looked like a monochrome image on a television screen.
Levi turned his head back toward the study—this time, he saw claw marks glowing vividly, as if burning with flame, leading from the doorway into the study, then leaping out the window.
A silent, nimble landing on the roof, followed by a powerful leap…………
Hmm.
About the same physical level as Little Red Riding Hood.
Levi recalled silently that when he fought her in Wolf Head Village, she too had cleared such a distance in a single bound.
Werewolves indeed had formidable physiques.
In close combat, Levi stood no chance against them.
Fortunately, he didn’t rely on close combat.
The only thing he had was the street-fighting skills he’d gained from the Ghost Knight—tricks like throwing sand or underhanded strikes.
Against werewolves……… probably useless.
Levi shut off 【Soul Sight】 and stood on the roof, staring out toward the surrounding mountains.
After the Wolf Head Village affair, he had begun forming some suspicions about the Baskerville family.
It was highly possible that the Wolf King was the true first-generation werewolf, and that the Baskerville family, like the villagers of Wolf Head Village, had simply been unlucky enough to encounter it, then were infected and mutated.
A perfectly reasonable deduction.
After all, this family had endured for over a thousand years, and such things had never been heard of before, had they?
But the question was, if they were transformed, why retreat into the mountains? The infected hunters of Wolf Head Village could disguise themselves and live quietly among villagers for thirty years.
The Baskerville family, in Delicat, had wealth, manpower, land, estates.
To be blunt, if they wanted, they could simply build a mountain villa or a hunting lodge in the hills and live there far more comfortably.
Much better than hiding in caves.
From what Levi had seen in those caves, even transformed werewolves still had human needs.
Surely not every Baskerville patriarch was some sort of masochist who enjoyed hardship.
“Any findings, Mr. Levi?”
Hearing Director McMillan’s inquiry, Levi finally drew back his gaze and looked toward him, still standing in the study.
“Nothing conclusive yet. I intend to take a look outside the manor………”
Just then, a maid appeared at the door.
Levi glanced at her, recognizing her as the one who had accompanied Aurelia earlier.
“Mr. Levi, Mr. McMillan, dinner is ready. The mistress invites you both to dine.”
At her reminder, Levi realized his stomach truly was empty.
He exchanged a glance with Director McMillan, then nodded.
In any case, first eat, then talk.
As a grain-producing region, Delicat was also considered a land of fine food.
Or rather, as a grain-producing region, the thing they prided themselves on the most was naturally food.
For instance, tonight’s dinner was just such an example.
First came oyster soup, delicious in flavor, with plump, tender oyster meat that whetted the appetite.
Then came poached flounder, served on a platter, its translucent flesh simmered to perfection, eaten with lobster sauce—rich in taste and deeply satisfying.
But that was only the starter.
Next came appetizers of honey-glazed pigeon and lamb chops with tomato sauce.
The main courses were roast lamb, stewed veal’s head, and bacon stew with spinach.
This was why Levi could still enjoy good food even in this era.
At the very least, most of it was meat dishes.
And with meat, making it taste bad was a skill of its own.
Most of the time, the natural flavor of the ingredients alone was enough to make one’s mouth water.
Moreover, Levi himself preferred lighter flavors.
Back in his original world, his favorite dish had been plain boiled chicken—simply cooked without too many seasonings, just scallions, ginger, and cooking wine to remove the smell, then eating the chicken directly.
The natural fragrance of the meat, though not as intense as roasted meat, was in Levi’s view far more comfortable to eat.
Where Levi once lived, meals emphasized full harmony of color, fragrance, and taste.
But here, there was not so much fuss.
Take the roast lamb, for instance: it was simply a whole lamb roasted and brought out as-is, a ring of greens laid beneath it.
But the sight of the juicy, tender slices cut from it was enough to make one’s fingers itch.
And that was not all.
Afterward came side dishes of plum pudding, cheesecake, along with desserts and iced treats……… one had to admit, calling Delicat a “land of fish and rice” was hardly an exaggeration.
Comparing, Levi found the Baskerville family’s chef far more skilled than Irene———though that was only natural.
Of course, he still……… did not drink alcohol.
“Mr. Levi doesn’t drink?”
Seeing Levi politely decline the brandy poured by the maid, instead replacing it with a pot of flower tea, Aurelia blinked curiously and fixed her gaze on him.
“Alcohol is bad for the body. I normally don’t drink.”
Levi took a sip of tea as he spoke.
“Besides, keeping a clear mind is very important.”
“You’re quite right.”
Beside him, Director McMillan nodded, taking a sip of brandy.
“At the bureau, the cases we encounter most often are assaults under the influence. Always some farmers who drink too much at the tavern, get hot-headed, quarrel, and then brawl. I don’t know why they drink so much. Just to beat each other bloody and land in the hospital or jail?”
“I see you haven’t drunk any less.”
Aurelia was still polite to Levi, but with Director McMillan her tone carried little warmth.
He only laughed heartily in return.
“Because Baskerville brandy is famous! One mustn’t waste it.”
“If you can find the culprit who took my father, I can give you the entire brandy cellar.”
“I’m doing my best. For now, it depends on whether Mr. Levi can find any clues.”
Thick-skinned as ever, Director McMillan deflected Aurelia’s displeasure with a smile.
Levi only cast him a glance, then looked back toward Aurelia.
“Miss Aurelia, I have something I wish to discuss privately with you. May I?”
“You may.”
Aurelia nodded.
“Let’s go to the study.”
After dinner, McMillan, his general’s belly full and heavy, took the carriage back———bringing with him the unfortunate duty-bound policemen.
But that was not the end, for the replacement officers soon arrived.
They now bore the duty of guarding the Baskerville household.
Were the Baskervilles just an ordinary noble family, this might have smacked of misusing public power.
But considering that they were essentially Delicat’s feudal lords, the true rulers of the land, it was nothing unusual.
Levi, after a short rest, was guided by a maid into the study.
Inside, Aurelia sat behind the desk, staring at him expressionlessly.
As Levi entered, Aurelia suddenly felt a wave of nervousness.
As the young lady of the Baskerville family, Aurelia had always been proud and aloof—and she had every reason.
Noble birth, and having studied for a time at the Royal Master Academy.
Young, beautiful, intelligent, almost without flaw.
Because of her background, from an early age Aurelia had seen all manner of men.
Especially after making her social debut, there were always men around her.
But toward such men, Aurelia had always shown no special regard.
She was proud of her bloodline, and her many successes had built a confidence few could imagine.
She had even long resolved that when she became head of the Baskerville family, she would put an end to this so-called curse once and for all.
Thus, Aurelia always looked down on men who groveled before her, and women who fawned upon men.
In her eyes, such people lacked confidence; they needed to curry favor with others.
A truly confident person stood tall, neither humble nor arrogant, unshaken by externals.
This was Aurelia’s ideal.
Until just now.
Seeing Levi enter, Aurelia felt nervous.
She even suddenly thought:
Was her makeup alright? Was her dress wrinkled? Was her posture upright and proper?
In the past, Aurelia had never once considered such questions, for she was certain she could always present her best.
But now, facing Levi, she felt for the first time a flicker of uncertainty.
Of course, she reassured herself inwardly—it was only because she cared too much about her father’s case, that’s why she felt this way.
Absolutely not because the man before her was extraordinarily handsome.
Absolutely not!
“Sorry to disturb you, Miss Aurelia.”
“It’s nothing. Please sit, Mr. Levi.”
Aurelia offered a polished social smile, gesturing for Levi to sit.
Soon, a maid came to pour tea.
Aurelia gave her a glance, and the maid quietly withdrew.
“I’ve long heard of your name. I truly didn’t expect to meet you here.”
“Oh?”
“I studied at the Royal Master Academy. Your name was well-known there.”
“I see.”
Hearing Aurelia’s explanation, Levi nodded.
He wasn’t particularly concerned.
He had long known he was memorable—walking down the street, strangers his age or adults would often greet him.
Even at school, unfamiliar juniors or seniors could call out his name at once, though Levi rarely remembered theirs.
It wasn’t that Levi had poor memory.
So, over time, he grew used to it.
There was nothing odd about others knowing his name.
In the vampire case, Levi had killed two students and a professor of the Royal Master Academy.
Surely there were rumors of him in the school, good or bad—but Levi paid them no mind.
“I have something to show you.”
Levi skipped small talk, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and laying it on the desk.
Unfolding it, he revealed the badge within.
“Do you recognize this badge?”
“…………………”
Aurelia’s face, smiling with social grace a moment ago, stiffened slightly.
But she quickly regained composure, reaching out carefully to pick up the badge, scrutinizing it.
She examined it for a long time.
Levi didn’t mind, sitting quietly and sipping tea as he waited.
After nearly half an hour, Aurelia solemnly set down the badge and looked at Levi.
“This is my grandfather’s badge.”
Then, she spoke.