Chapter 105: More Trouble

Elias chuckled, having immediately understood that Stella wanted him to wipe the gravy from her lips just as he had done for Natasha the previous day.

’How troublesome,’ he remarked inwardly, although the faint smile on his face revealed that he was not particularly bothered.

He reached for the cloth beside his plate, rose from his chair, and gently wiped the gravy away.

"There, it is all clean now," he said.

"Thank you, my husband," Stella giggled, giving Natasha a brief, smug look before stepping away from the table.

Natasha watched her with a confused expression, but her eyes soon narrowed as she reached out, grabbed Elias’s sleeve, and tugged at it.

He looked down at her and saw her pointing at the side of her lips.

There was still a trace of gravy there.

’You too?’

For a moment, he felt like laughing, but he managed to suppress it and instead gave her a soft smile. He took the cloth again and carefully wiped the gravy from her lips.

Natasha smiled in satisfaction, then rose from her chair and glanced toward Stella with a haughty glint in her eyes.

Stella immediately clicked her tongue.

The exchange had been so subtle that no one except the two women was able to notice it.

Suddenly the dining room doors opened, and Benjamin entered with a troubled expression.

"My lord!" the old butler called out, drawing everyone’s attention.

Elias’s faint smile disappeared as he studied Benjamin’s face.

He glanced toward Sara and Lena and ordered, "You may leave."

The two maids exchanged a quick look toward the butler, then hurriedly bowed and left the dining room.

He turned toward Stella, who was staring between Benjamin and him while biting the tip of her nail like a child.

"Stella, go to my room and play with your big sister, alright?" he said.

"Okay!" Stella replied cheerfully, her earlier irritation vanishing at once.

He then looked at Natasha and sent her a Mental Whisper.

[Go to my room.]

Natasha glanced between him and Benjamin, immediately understanding that something serious had happened. She nodded, then approached Stella.

Stella linked her arm through Natasha’s and smiled brightly.

"Let’s wash our hands, and then we can play Sword and Staff!"

Natasha gave Elias one last look before allowing herself to be led away.

The moment the two women disappeared, Elias turned his attention back to Benjamin.

"What is wrong?" he asked. "You seem troubled."

Benjamin stepped closer, his expression remaining grim.

"The knights found two more dead bodies," he said in a dry tone.

Elias’s brows drew together.

"What?"

"The bodies were discovered this morning, my lord," Benjamin continued. "The knights have already begun investigating the area."

Elias rubbed the lower part of his face and leaned back slightly in thought.

"You are telling me that the killer is still active even after the increase in security?" he questioned.

"Yes, my lord," Benjamin confirmed with a solemn nod.

Elias exhaled slowly through his nose.

The city had already been tense after the discovery of the first five corpses, and the additional deaths would only make matters worse.

More importantly, the killer had managed to strike again despite the guards being placed on higher alert, which suggested that the murderer wasn’t just skilled with the sword.

"Is there anything common between those deaths?" Elias asked.

Benjamin shook his head.

"Nothing that we know of. One of the two victims was a merchant, while the other was an ordinary citizen."

"A merchant..." Elias muttered, his expression becoming thoughtful.

The first victims had also been commoners, but a merchant was a different thing altogether.

A merchant employed the citizens, brought trade and sold items of the city, held connections with other merchants or, in some cases, nobles, so a merchant’s death had a way more negative effect than what appeared on the surface.

It would directly affect the city’s economy.

Elias lowered his hand and looked directly at the old butler.

"I believe your trouble is not purely because of the murders," he said.

Benjamin’s expression darkened a little before he nodded.

"It is not, my lord. The truly troublesome matter is that the City Lord has decreed the closure of the city gates."

Elias’s expression hardened.

"What?"

"No one is permitted to leave the city unless they have been granted the right to do so," Benjamin explained. "The order was issued in response to the murders, and the guards have already begun enforcing it."

Elias remained silent for several moments.

’Even if the gates had remained open, we would not have been able to leave because of Monica’s condition,’ he reminded himself. Now, however, the entire city has become a cage.

"Anything else?" he asked.

Benjamin blinked in surprise.

He had expected Elias to become angry or anxious after hearing that the city gates had been closed, especially since his master had been preparing to leave Kilmir for some time. Instead, Elias appeared almost unsurprised, as though he had already considered the possibility that their plans might be obstructed.

"There is one more thing," Benjamin said.

"Which is?"

"The rift past the eastern gates..." Benjamin began, his voice becoming heavier. "It is widening much faster than it should."

Elias blinked a few times, unable to process the old butler’s words.

’The rift is widening faster than usual?’

He had indeed heard about the increase in the appearance of spatial rifts, but he hadn’t heard anything like this.

If such a thing was happening, then most of the current world would soon be replaced by the rift space.

The very structure of the world would change, and there wouldn’t be any guarantee that Berlic Draveon or anyone else wouldn’t use it as an opportunity to get rid of him and his wives.

He had to do something about it before anything unfortunate came to pass.

"My lord?" Benjamin called out as he watched Elias clench and open his fists a few times with trembling eyes.

"Benjamin," Elias muttered.

"Yes?" Benjamin tilted his head in confusion.

"I suddenly feel like meeting that obnoxious man, Olide."