novelraw Chapter 94 : Coincidence and Mutation
Chapter 94 : Coincidence and Mutation
Chapter 94: Coincidence and Mutation
The study was neither large nor small, but for Levi, it did not matter.
He kept staring at the ground, inspecting inch by inch, measuring meter by meter, groping point by point.
Fortunately, the study had no carpet, otherwise searching would have been even more troublesome.
Aurelia did not know what Levi was doing.
She only poked her head in from the hole, curiously gazing around without entering—Levi had asked her to wait outside, so Aurelia obediently waited outside.
“……………Hm?”
However, just as Levi groped a certain spot, he suddenly felt heat at his fingertips.
Lowering his head, he saw that the red ring on his right hand was once again emitting a faint crimson glow.
What kind of radar effect was this again?
Levi stared blankly at the ring on his finger.
He knew in games there were similar radar scans, like searching for objects—you spun around, used the instrument to find the direction of the loudest noise, locked it, then corrected repeatedly until reaching the destination.
This mode often appeared in games, but in reality, this was the first time Levi had encountered it.
“………………”
Levi shook his arm, feeling the heat from the ring fluctuate.
Slowly, he swung his arm, turning nearly half a circle, confirming direction like in a game, then locked onto the direction where the ring felt hottest.
Then Levi slowly walked forward.
“———————”
The heat of the ring gradually increased, though not to the point Levi could not bear.
Meanwhile, the gemstone on the ring shone ever brighter.
By the time Levi stopped walking, its glow was nearly equal to a small LED bulb, radiating soft yet bright light.
This was the spot.
Levi twisted the ring so it faced his palm, then crouched down, carefully staring at the floor.
On the surface, this plank looked no different from the rest, but upon close observation, Levi noticed the dust here was uneven compared to elsewhere, and…
Levi stretched out his hand, gently brushing away the dust, feeling along the floorboards’ seams.
Then… his fingers sensed a loosened corner.
He pressed down with a “click.”
“Rumble…”
The next moment, the floor rumbled deeply.
Levi raised his head and saw the floorboards before him slowly shift aside, revealing a stone carving beneath.
“What is this? Detective, may I come in and look?”
Upon seeing the mural, Aurelia could not restrain herself.
This time Levi did not stop her but nodded.
“Come in.”
With permission, Aurelia hurried inside, came to Levi’s side, and stared at the stone carving on the ground.
It depicted a knight wielding a blade in battle against a dragon.
The knight chopped off the dragon’s head, while the dragon pierced the knight’s chest.
“Ah, this picture is…”
“You know it?”
Seeing Aurelia’s knowing expression, Levi curiously asked, and Aurelia nodded.
“This is a famous ancestral legend. It is said that Emperor Arthur once led troops through a mountain range, but a dragon occupied it. So our ancestor volunteered to slay the dragon. They fought fiercely, the ancestor finally cut off its head, but the dragon’s claw nearly pierced her heart. This myth has been passed down for generations in the Baskerville family.”
“Oh……………”
In the past, Levi might have thought it was luck.
But after learning that the ancestor was a woman, his thought changed—perhaps it was because her breastplate was thick enough?
After all, even in modern times, there were rumors of silicone stopping bullets.
Thinking of this, Levi instinctively glanced at the knight’s chest in the carving, noticing a small depression there—surely it could not mean the ancestor’s chest was concave?
“What do we do now?”
“Hmm……………”
Levi rubbed his chin, staring at the stone slab.
“Generally speaking, in this situation, blood is needed to trigger it…”
“I understand.”
Aurelia nodded.
The next moment, Levi saw a flash of steel.
Aurelia placed a finger on the stone slab, while a dagger had somehow appeared in her other hand.
“???”
Catching Levi’s puzzled gaze, Aurelia smiled a little awkwardly.
“I like hunting, so I’m quite familiar with this sort of thing—at least I’m not as delicate as an ordinary young lady.”
“Oh, is that so… hmm…”
Levi nodded, saying no more.
It was not Aurelia’s action itself that troubled him, but her speed—it startled him.
Katie was strong, but not particularly fast.
Yet Aurelia, this young lady, acted with astonishing swiftness and precision.
If that slash had been aimed at Levi’s neck, he might not have even reacted before being cut.
“………………”
Now Levi understood why mages in fantasy novels feared thieves.
With this speed, even with 【Shadow Step】, he might not react in time.
Of course, if he activated 【Eye of the Reaper】, he could see clearly.
But Levi could not possibly keep 【Eye of the Reaper】 open twenty-four hours a day.
Actually, Katie’s brute strength was already outrageous, and now it seemed this young lady was no less so.
Imperial nobles… perhaps few of them were truly normal.
Levi secretly grumbled in his heart, then saw Aurelia’s blood drip steadily into the stone slab’s depression.
Then, the blood vanished.
“Clackclackclack—————！”
The ground trembled.
The hard stone carving split apart like scattered blocks, revealing a treasure within.
It was a wooden box.
“…A box?”
Aurelia reached out curiously, picked it up, and opened it.
Inside lay a necklace.
At the sight of it, Levi’s eyes widened slightly.
The necklace looked silver-made, with a gemstone embedded in the center.
But the problem lay within the gemstone—it moved under the light like flowing water!
Indeed, just like the ring on Levi’s finger! At first glance solid, but upon closer look, liquid-like!
And both were red!
A coincidence?
Impossible!
The thought flashed in Levi’s mind, only to be instantly dismissed.
No way there were so many coincidences! He had never seen a gemstone like this—until now.
Could there be a connection between his ring and this necklace?
Levi examined Aurelia’s necklace.
The carvings around it were elaborate, featuring the Baskerville family crest and emblematic plants.
Judging from its age and its hidden placement, it must have been a Baskerville heirloom.
Then why had old Sir Baskerville not taken it?
Could it be linked to family tradition? Perhaps only a woman’s blood could activate the slab to reveal it, not a man’s?
“Mr. Levi, what is this?”
While Levi pondered, Aurelia looked at the necklace with confusion.
She had seen many jewels, but never one like this.
“This should be a Baskerville heirloom.
Perhaps Sir Baskerville failed to find it, so he sealed this room.”
Or maybe he never even knew what he was looking for.
“In any case, this must be important. Keep it safe.”
“Alright.”
Aurelia nodded.
She too could tell this necklace was extraordinary.
As for whether it carried evil spirits—Levi had already checked with 【Soul Sight】.
Like his ring, it only glowed red, nothing more.
Though the true cause of the Baskerville mystery was not yet clear, Levi was certain—they were closer than ever to the truth.
Afterward, the two left the room and locked it again.
After all the fuss, both were covered in dust, so they planned to wash up, change clothes, and eat before continuing the investigation.
Just as Levi was about to return to his guest room, Madam Gladys approached.
“Ah, Mr. Levi, I was just looking for you. Director McMillan just connected via comms—he says he has important intelligence for you.”
“Mm, thank you.”
Thanking Madam Gladys, Levi went to the living room and picked up the receiver.
“Hello, this is Levi.”
“Ah, Detective! It’s me, McMillan.”
Soon, Director McMillan’s booming voice came from the other end.
“I really did find the case file you mentioned. Ha, never thought old Sir Baskerville did such a thing…”
“What did he do?”
“According to the record, on the day of the Holy Lord Festival, old Sir Baskerville—he was only sixteen then—was with some hooligan friends at a nearby villa. They spotted a girl rushing home and dragged her inside, trying to assault her. But apparently those drunks all fell asleep, and the frightened girl escaped, then reported it to the police.”
At this, Director McMillan’s tone grew smug.
“Ha, never thought that patriarch had such a side.”
“And then?”
“The police raided the villa, arrested the lot of them drunk as pigs. Later, after negotiations with the Baskervilles, they compensated the girl so her family could move away, and she dropped charges against Sir Baskerville.”
“Oh? I see…”
Levi was unsurprised—nobles paying to settle matters was typical.
“But that’s not all. I dug deeper and found it might not be as simple as the girl said.”
“What do you mean?”
“According to the file, the girl said they locked her in a room, while she heard them shouting outside. When things went quiet, she jumped from the second floor to escape. But think—if they meant to assault her, would they bother? They’d just drag her in and tear her clothes, done. So I thought it odd, and investigated further… ha, guess what I found?”
“Please, keep it short.”
“Fine. I found that many of the others with Baskerville that night later joined Luddist terrorist activities! Now isn’t that interesting? You think they brought that girl to the villa for assault? Or for something much messier…”
“Beep—beep—beep—————！”
Before Director McMillan could finish, the line suddenly cut.
What happened?
Hearing the busy tone, Levi’s face hardened.
He quickly tried calling the Delicat Police Station again, but still could not connect.
Could it be… something had happened at the station?