Chapter 201: A Contest of Hidden Cards

The diary hadn’t raised any warnings. Ralph was most likely done for.

Saul turned his head to look at the dazed knight Olaf, who floated beside him in stunned silence.

The resentment on his face had vanished. He stared ahead, dumbfounded like a child.

He even looked… a little sad.

Narrowing his eyes, Saul activated his mental energy and examined Olaf’s soul closely.

To his surprise, a second face had appeared on Olaf’s own—a face that belonged to the butler, Hunter, like a mask strapped to the knight’s head.

All of Olaf’s pain and hatred stemmed from that face.

“Your form is rather special, stronger even than many apprentice wizards I’ve met. Are you really just a powerless butler?” Saul asked curiously.

Hunter’s face first showed surprise, then turned venomous as his gaze locked onto Saul. “I underestimated you. You looked like nothing more than a wandering Second Rank apprentice, but you’ve got a lot of nice toys.”

His expression carried a trace of sorrow. “I really am just a regular butler… But my intelligence far surpasses you man-eating wizards! If not for my poor magical aptitude, no wizard in the entire Bloodthorn Family could compare to me. That pack of idiots wasted so many resources and couldn’t even comprehend the simplest rune constructs. If only… if only I had magic…”

Lost in his self-pity, Hunter calmed down slightly, his vacant eyes fixed on Saul.

“You win, kid. You’re a lucky one. I couldn’t protect the honor of the Bloodthorns. Now it’s fallen into the hands of a lowborn like you. But you’re smarter than I expected. Maybe the Bloodthorn legacy will truly thrive in your care.”

He let out a bitter laugh. “Now go ahead. Kill me.”

Saul stared at him in silence. At last, he realized that Hunter shared the same kind of talent he did: excellent mental aptitude but terribly poor magic potential.

Worse even than Saul’s. The man didn’t even have the qualifications to step into the wizarding world.

With magic aptitude lacking, one had to find ways to enhance it artificially in order to keep learning and advancing.

Wizard knowledge wasn’t simple knowledge. It carried its own radiation and contamination.

Had Saul not survived the transformation of his body, boosting his magic power, he would’ve been stuck as a First Rank apprentice forever, unable to learn deeper knowledge.

And from what he later discovered, staying too long at any apprentice level would eventually lead to death by unknown contamination.

In other words, a First Rank or Second Rank apprentice over thirty could die at any moment, either consumed by madness or turned into a monster.

The butler, Hunter, probably knew this. That’s why he ultimately stayed outside the wizarding world, only daring to gaze longingly at its dangers and wonders from afar.

Ironically, only after death, or rather, after being turned into a wizard’s tool, did his impressive mental talent finally find a use.

He’d helped his master escape Victor’s schemes and nearly tricked Saul, too.

Saul couldn’t help but feel a trace of admiration for him.

He raised his hand. Transparent worms appeared on his arm, and one shot out, landing on Hunter’s face.

Facing death, Hunter showed a flash of fear, but a small smile also curled at the corner of his lips.

“It’s finally over… I can go be with my master.”

But the transparent worm didn’t immediately dissolve his soul.

“Not quite,” Saul said with a sudden smirk. He took out the blood-red magic crystal and lightly tossed it up and down.

The wraith of the knight, still bound to the crystal, bobbed up and down in the air with it.

“Let’s talk about the magic crystal. Any other traps inside? Did you tamper with those scrolls?”

Hunter’s closed eyes snapped open. He stared at Saul with utter shock and a hint of horror.

“You… you…”

“How did I know you tampered with them? Hm… maybe I watched too much TV in the past?” Saul said with a teasing grin.

Hunter didn’t understand the reference, but he knew now, his final trap had been exposed.

He deflated completely, his soul flickering like it could collapse at any moment.

“Not going to talk? Well, you do seem the stubborn sort, ready to die rather than give up secrets. But that’s fine. I’ve got ways to interrogate souls. It’ll help pass the time while Ralph finishes dying.”

Hunter’s soul trembled uncontrollably as if he’d just seen the most terrifying demon in existence.

Five minutes later.

The basement finally fell silent. Hunter’s soul dissolved completely, full of unresolved resentment.

Without Hunter’s mental energy to support him, Olaf’s wraith vanished almost instantly.

Before disappearing, the knight gave Saul a glance filled with gratitude.

Poor guy. Ever since stepping into Ralph’s manor, he’d been used by everyone, both in life and after death.

This is why regular people should never get involved in wizard affairs. Even death doesn’t spare you from torment.

Saul had originally planned to mention Sid just to spite Hunter before the end.

But he held his tongue. The manor was still dangerous. Victor’s status remained uncertain. Best to keep some secrets buried.

Thanks to his years of experience in the mortuary, Saul had skillfully uncovered Hunter’s final trap.

Turned out, the last third of each scroll within the magic crystal had deliberately been scrambled. One had to read them in a specific order, otherwise, the information would seem plausible but ultimately be false.

If Saul had followed the false knowledge, it would’ve been like going mad from a cultivation error, ending in death or insanity.

“Looks like the information’s safe now. Hunter had nothing left but instinct by the end, no rational thought. What he said was most likely true. And I still have the diary to verify it.”

Satisfied, Saul tucked the blood-red crystal back into his coat.

“The legacy of a wizarding family… What a haul. Though I did have to burn that Second Tier scroll in the end.” He wiped the sweat from his chin with his sleeve.

Both the battle in the basement and the interrogation afterward had drained his mental energy.

Fortunately, Saul had a strong mental talent. Any ordinary Second Rank apprentice would’ve fainted long ago.

Of course, the victory wasn’t just his own doing. He’d used plenty of external aids, too.

Before the mission, the Tower Master had warned him, this wouldn’t be a simple trip. His life might be at stake.

So, after careful consideration, Saul had splurged on a powerful trump card.

He had just become a Second Rank apprentice and lacked a reliable killing move, thus, he bought a Second Tier spell scroll: Flame Pearl.

It was that scroll which had gravely wounded Ralph, allowing Saul’s antidote to work quickly.

Otherwise, the basement’s barrier, damaged by Morden’s brute-force entry and barely stable for an hour, might’ve collapsed before the worm-man died.

So yes, sometimes it’s better to invest in a single strong item than to collect a bunch of smaller ones.

Besides, most items weren’t as useful as Little Algae anyway.

Saul crouched by the door and placed his hand on the basement’s spell seal but didn’t activate it yet.

Instead, he ran through a simulation in his mind.

The diary told him: the worm was barely alive, but still lying in wait with its mouth open, hoping to swallow him whole.

Saul frowned. The barrier didn’t have much time left. If Ralph didn’t die soon, Saul would have to retreat and come back later once it was safe.

But he hesitated… glanced at the diary again… and crouched down once more.

He silently counted to twenty, then placed his hand on the door again.

This time, the diary said: the worm was on its last legs. If Saul went down now, he could die along with it.

He waited several more seconds and tried a third time.

Now, the diary said nothing about dying. It closed itself with a bored flutter and flew back to Saul’s left shoulder.

Ralph was finally finished. He no longer had the strength to drag anyone to hell with him.

Saul smiled and carefully channeled his magic to unseal the basement door.

(End of Chapter)

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