Chapter 100

This is something that should be impossible, Alpha was very clear... Without an antidote, the effects of the potion would never wear off—yet the situation before him now was truly beyond his comprehension. Duke Angmar seemed to have started regaining some consciousness three days ago, and no matter how much of the potion he gave him, it had no effect. Yesterday, when Alpha entered the room, the Duke even suddenly asked clearly, "Where is Sally?"!

This was the first time Alpha encountered such a situation, and he was so startled that he almost threw the food away.

After this happened, every time Alpha entered this bedroom, it was a torment. He was afraid that one day the Duke would suddenly completely shake off the effects of the potion and regain full consciousness—what would he do if that happened?

Kill him first? No, Lord Ansadin would never forgive him...

While these thoughts swirled in his mind, he had already come to Duke Angmar's back, gently placing the food aside. Just as he was about to say something, he saw the old man slowly turn his head from the window, blink a few times, and whisper, "Alpha, has Sally not returned yet?"

Every time he opened his mouth to ask about Sally, it was the same. Alpha naturally understood what this meant—he adjusted his emotions and whispered, "Miss is still in the convent for her retreat. I have already sent someone to inform her of your improved condition, and I believe she will return soon."

"Oh? Is that so... That's good, that's good."

His consciousness had not fully returned, but he remembered some things, though they were vague and unclear. Duke Angmar's current state was like being half asleep and half awake, and his words were instinctive.

"The meal is ready, let me help—"

Before he could finish speaking, Alpha stared in shock at the emaciated Duke Angmar, who was supporting himself and slowly standing up.

Although he was already shocked to the core, Alpha still steeled himself and walked a few steps to Angmar's side, helping him to the dining table and sitting down. He then continued to stare in shock as the old man, who previously wouldn't even use a fork, ate all the food in front of him in one go!

Duke Angmar picked up the bowl containing the potion and drank it down, wiping his mouth as if he were drinking wine in his youth, looking incredibly carefree. Alpha even suspected that he had given the wrong potion, but then he realized it was impossible because he had no antidote for this potion!

What's going on?

Over the past few days, Duke Angmar's complexion had improved significantly, and even his skeletal body had regained some vitality. Alpha felt that his efforts over the past five, even ten years, were gradually becoming futile—and the consequences of failure were something he could not bear.

What should I do, what should I do, what should I do...

His mind was agitated, but no sweat appeared on his forehead. He frowned slightly, and his movements were somewhat slow as he cleared the dishes, glancing at the old Duke, who was now closing his eyes and breathing deeply, his breath much stronger than before.

Should I report this to Lord Ansadin?

Alpha thought this as he helped the Duke sit on the bed and then turned to leave. However, after leaving the room, he suddenly remembered something—the old Duke seemed to be using the toilet more frequently these past few days?

Usually, these matters were handled by the servants, so he couldn't confirm it immediately. With this thought in mind, he immediately headed downstairs to the servants' quarters to verify this fact as soon as possible.

If it's true, it would mean that the Duke was taking an antidote or something else without his knowledge.

He walked quickly, closing the door behind him, but he didn't notice a pair of hands gently clinging to the edge of the window outside...

...

When Rody climbed into the Duke's balcony, his movements were smooth and practiced.

Climbing and entering through windows was something he had done many times in the game. As a ranger, Rody's first priority in every battle was to find a high vantage point and cover to maximize his effectiveness—so climbing a three-story mansion was nothing, and even a fifty-meter-high "Rose Cross" cathedral could be scaled in minutes.

After lightly jumping onto the balcony, he reached back to pull his curved sword. For today's infiltration, he didn't bring the shortbow that would hinder his climbing, only a curved sword and a dagger as emergency weapons... After all, this was the Duke's mansion, with strict security and a powerful guard force. Sneaking in seemed easy, but one wrong step could lead to being surrounded and killed. If not for the necklace that allowed him to stealth, Rody wouldn't have chosen this troublesome and clumsy method.

He also understood that he couldn't possibly fight anyone in the Duke's mansion, as once the mansion's security was alerted, his current strength wouldn't allow him to escape, no matter how many weapons he brought.

Stepping from the balcony into the bedroom, the candle inside flickered in the breeze from the window. Rody, using the light, saw the old Duke lying in bed, fast asleep, with no reaction to his arrival.

"This is the last bottle. You have to wake up after this."

Rody wasn't worried about being discovered at this moment because he had observed for a long time before his first entry. Once the old Duke fell asleep, no one would disturb him until morning. So, he casually took out the antidote, walked to Duke Angmar, bent down, and patted his face— "Hey, hey, wake up, it's time to take your medicine."

The sound of his hand patting the Duke's face was crisp. If any of the Duke's servants were present, they would likely be terrified by Rody's behavior. But Rody, holding the antidote, knew that the Duke was not fully conscious. Seeing the Duke open his eyes groggily, he helped him sit up on the bed, uncapped the bottle, and muttered to himself—

"This is the last bottle. Try to wake up soon."

"I really don't understand how you raised your son to become a traitor."

"Is your network of influence so vast that the undead found you to use this potion?"

"It's hard to understand. If the potion was meant to kill you, they could have just found a reason to stab you. Why go through all this trouble for years?"

As he fed the potion to Duke Angmar, Rody had many questions in his mind—his memory of the "Soul Extraction Potion" suggested it was meant to cause a silent death, but the effort involved seemed too great. Spending years to silently starve someone to death? Any poison would be more efficient.

Perhaps the undead had other intentions?

Many theories swirled in his mind, but none seemed plausible. Rody looked down at the old Duke, who gazed at him with a confused look but obediently drank the potion.

"Looks like you'll recover without any problems. Drink less alcohol, drink more water, eat more vegetables, and take care of your diet. Don't forget to exercise." Rody took out the letter he had written, waved it in front of the Duke, and stuffed it under his pillow. "When you have time, find the person who poisoned you and take care of them. I won't continue to be a Good Samaritan—oh, I'm not a Good Samaritan, just remember that I helped you. Think about your daughter and son. Personally, I still favor Sally, and I believe you do too."

He patted the Duke's shoulder and smiled. This chatter was just a habit to alleviate loneliness and boredom; he didn't expect the Duke to understand.

He pushed the Duke back onto the bed to let him sleep, then turned to leave the balcony... But just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the bedroom—

This was a situation Rody hadn't anticipated, as the footsteps sounded like they were about to burst through the door. However, he didn't panic—when he arrived, Rody had already prepared for various scenarios. After a brief moment of hesitation, he instantly reacted.

A dagger appeared in his hand, and with a quick flick of his wrist, the cold light shot straight at the only candle in the room. At the same time, Rody whispered, "Ol'kahla!"

As the stealth spell took effect, the dagger "thunk" into the candle, extinguishing it. The entire bedroom plunged into darkness, and just as the dagger embedded itself in the wall, the bedroom door was suddenly pushed open!

"Who is it!"

In the darkness, the angry voice demanded. Rody held his breath and leaned back, gripping the curved sword he carried. By the faint light from the fireplace in the living room, he saw the furious figure before him, none other than the butler Alpha in his butler's robe.

He had known about this person during his investigation of the Duke's mansion, but in his memory, after the "Crack Earth" server opened, the Duke's mansion in Holier City no longer had this person. So, Rody didn't know much about him, only assuming that the butler was concerned about the Duke's safety and had rushed in—after all, his actions had left some traces, and it wasn't hard for the butler, who was always by the Duke's side, to notice.

Thinking this, Rody had no intention of killing to cover his tracks. He slowly retreated, trying to keep a distance from the butler to reduce the chances of being discovered. However, before he could take a few steps, the butler's muttering made him frown—

"Who is it... Damn it! Damn it!"

"Someone must have given you the antidote! It must be!"

"Lord Ansadin will not forgive me... Damn it..."

The butler paced back and forth in the darkness, and Rody, through the dim light, saw that he held a long sword—apparently the decorative sword from the wall. He walked to Duke Angmar's bed several times, hesitating with the sword raised, as if considering whether to strike down.

This scene made Rody's eyebrows rise. He might not understand everything, but the name "Ansadin" the butler mentioned seemed familiar.

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