Chapter 201: Suspicions

“Did she really fall in the bathroom?” the priest apprentice asked in surprise.

“If she didn’t fall in the bathroom, are you saying I hit her?” Wu Qingsong said, trying to hide his discomfort. “Please just hurry and heal her. I’ll make sure you’re well compensated.”

The apprentice looked at the weak and helpless Xeila, shook his head, and began to concentrate on casting a spell.

Though he was still an apprentice, he could tell that these injuries were not simply from a bathroom fall. But many people have peculiar tastes. For example, the Grand Duke Sentalus, who had just returned this morning, was known for his infamous harem where women rarely came out once they entered.

This black-haired guy didn’t seem particularly capable, yet he was about to be ennobled. It wouldn’t be surprising if he had slept his way to the top, with his wife helping him climb the social ladder. Such things were not uncommon in Padamia, and encountering an elven noble with peculiar tastes during this process wasn’t unusual either.

Since Wu Qingsong had made a sufficient offering to the temple and personally compensated him well, the apprentice had no interest in digging deeper into the truth behind this incident.

He didn’t connect Xeila to the recent shocking assassination because she looked too beautiful and too delicate for anyone to suspect her of being an assassin.

An apprentice was, after all, an apprentice. It took nearly an hour for Xeila’s injuries to be mostly healed. She could move around freely, but vigorous activity would still cause her pain.

“Let the lady rest for a while,” the priest apprentice said to Wu Qingsong with a double meaning, but Wu Qingsong didn’t catch it.

After confirming the apprentice had no suspicions, he thanked him profusely and saw him out.

Xeila wanted to say something, but Wu Qingsong shook his head slightly, and she swallowed her words.

The two were then essentially placed under house arrest. The stewards said the Marquis was busy with official duties and had no time to handle his minor matter. Wu Qingsong and Xeila, however, were unsure if this was the royal family’s or the Sentalus family’s way of keeping everyone in place for investigation.

Wu Qingsong took every opportunity to chat with the stewards during meals, bribing them to find out when the ennoblement ceremony could proceed. In reality, he was trying to gather information about the aftermath of the assassination. As he spent more money, the stewards grew more familiar with him, and some details began to slip out inadvertently.

Xeila’s ability, once he awakened it, might be even stronger than he had imagined. At the very least, it didn’t leave any traces that could be tracked by magic.

It was said that several grand magicians from the Reformists followed a faint scent of blood to a nearby floating island, but since that island belonged to a core family of the Conservatives, it led to a conflict, causing a serious standoff between the two factions.

In the end, it was the royal family who stepped in to lead the investigation. However, apart from finding a small amount of blood in a private bedroom, nothing substantial was discovered.

The Sentalus family insisted that the Conservatives were involved and that this incident was a continuation of the previous conflict. Daan Sentalus, who was killed, was essentially the spokesperson for the Reformists. Many radical proposals and policies were brought to the Elder Council through him, and his death was undoubtedly a severe blow to the Reformists. Based on the principle of who benefits most being the prime suspect, the Conservatives naturally became the main suspects in this assassination.

However, the Conservatives vehemently claimed it was a conspiracy. They couldn’t argue that it was a setup because even they found it hard to believe someone would kill Daan Sentalus to frame them. Thus, they insisted it was an internal power struggle within the Sentalus family. After all, apart from gaining a bad reputation, the Conservatives didn’t receive any substantial benefits, whereas the Grand Duke of Sentalus genuinely inherited all of Daan’s assets. From the perspective of who benefits most, he was the prime suspect behind the assassination.

Some young elves from the Conservative faction had even concocted an entire story, reminiscent of a novel, about a family feud. The inexplicable events from before were also tied into this conspiracy, becoming part of the family’s internal strife.

“The people killed in Yagata City were actually Daan Sentalus’ subordinates. They had secretly uncovered information about the Grand Duke’s plans against their master but were unfortunately killed. The Grand Duke, fearing exposure, decided to go all out and secretly had his uncle killed.”

“That’s not right. I heard that those killed were actually spies loyal to the Grand Duke, who discovered evidence of Daan’s schemes against him. When they were killed by Daan’s men, the Grand Duke, in fear, sent someone to assassinate Daan.”

“How could a high-ranking magical warrior be so easily killed? The Sentalus family doesn’t have many such experts, and it’s unlikely they would sever their own arm. Besides, with the legendary mage Daran Sentalus overseeing things, how could his brother and nephew kill each other under his watchful eye? It must have been the Conservatives. Only they have such capability.”

“I heard it was actually the royal family…”

Various rumors circulated, which slightly eased Wu Qingsong’s mind, but he and Xeila still spoke cautiously. They didn’t dare utter a single unnecessary word.

A few days later, they were finally summoned.

It seemed that keeping a lowly half-elf in the house wasn’t proper, so Marquis Riniconia simplified all the procedures. He held a brief ceremony in his own hall where Wu Qingsong swore allegiance to him. The Marquis then awarded Wu Qingsong the rank of baron, complete with ceremonial robes, a medal, and documentation. He also accepted Wu Qingsong’s gifts, hurriedly concluding the matter.

“Keep your mouth shut when you get back!” a steward warned Wu Qingsong. “And leave as soon as possible. This isn’t something you should get involved in.”

‘Aren’t you the ones who have been spreading rumors all along?’

Wu Qingsong thought helplessly to himself but verbally agreed repeatedly. Finally, he and Xeila used the teleportation array to return to the lower city.

“Is it still the same result?”

“Your Majesty, this is the first time we’ve encountered such a situation. The Eye of Truth seems to be obscured by something, unable to give a specific result. All we can ascertain is that Daan Sentalus was killed by another Sentalus.”

“This result must not be disclosed.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”