Chapter 173: Ch 172: Anjou got away

"What the hell-"

Kael coughed as the rubble around him settled. The attack had taken him by surprise, causing him to lose sight of Anjou.

He quickly tried to sense the residual energy left behind by the attack, but he could not detect any.

Kael doubted the caster of the spell was powerful enough to escape his detection magic, which left only one option for him to consider—that attack he had assumed was a magic explosion had not been magic at all, but something else entirely.

"Hey, are you alright? Did you catch Anjou? Where is he?"

Gladion asked, quickly catching up to him. But he shrank back after seeing Kael’s displeased expression.

"Anjou managed to get away because he had help. I will track him down later. For now, we should check on your family and servants. I want to make sure all the magic has been drained from their bodies before we continue any further."

Kael told Gladion, and he looked hesitant. His eyes kept drifting behind Kael, and his intention to chase after Anjou was obvious.

But in the end, he decided to prioritize his family and turned around to head back inside.

"I understand. So, what is it that we need to do now?"

...

Cleaning up after Anjou was not difficult. Kael quickly dispelled the spell Anjou had cast over Marsha and the others, but their recovery would take time.

Everyone looked mortified when they realized what had happened and how they had been controlled.

Thankfully, they did not remember most of what had happened while they had been under Anjou’s control.

"Thank you for helping us. I don’t know how long we would have remained under Anjou’s control if you hadn’t freed us. If there is anything we can do to repay you for this, then please do not hesitate to tell me."

Gladion’s father spoke with determination, looking genuinely grateful for Kael’s help.

Kael accepted the sentiment as he sipped his tea before looking at the master of the mansion.

"Don’t worry about it. I simply carried out the task I was hired for. Your daughter is the one who made all of this possible."

That was not an exaggeration. Kael had concluded that Marsha had somehow broken free from the mind control for a short while and managed to seek him out.

Marsha’s father sighed before nodding and turning to discuss rewards with her. It was nice to see such a harmonious family, but Kael had bigger concerns than watching them enjoy a reunion.

cough

Kael coughed lightly to get everyone’s attention, and he immediately succeeded.

"From his actions, we can conclude that Anjou had been planning this for quite some time. Do you remember hiring him?"

Kael asked, and the master frowned.

"Actually, Anjou had been working here for the past thirty years, but he’s not the same person I remember. The Anjou I knew was older and much more obedient. He would have never betrayed us like this. I-I don’t remember when this Anjou changed..."

"Me neither..."

"My memory is hazy as well."

All three members of the family still seemed to be suffering from the aftereffects of the spell they had been under. It was going to take them years to fully recover, so Kael was not worried about their lack of memory.

What he did know was that he was frustrated with this outcome.

"I see. That does make some things much clearer. It is much easier to manipulate existing memories than to plant new ones. I am also certain that Anjou had an accomplice hiding somewhere."

It was the natural conclusion to reach, and Kael now had another target to track down.

However, the expressions on Gladion’s and his father’s faces looked odd.

"Grand Master Kael, I am grateful for all your help. However, I won’t be able to repay you for this. So if you are expecting something-"

"I am not expecting anything, nor will I charge you for my services. I simply offered a helping hand because I am curious about something."

Kael confessed, and the master finally relaxed. He likely could not afford to pay Kael even if he wanted to.

Not that Kael minded. He had his own reasons for being here.

His instincts were telling him that this case was connected to corruption, and he intended to get to the bottom of it.

__________

huff

"D-Did I manage to get away? Darn it! I planned everything so carefully and took care of so many details, and this is the result? This is not fair-!"

"What is not fair? I told you that you were not ready and that you should be careful. But you got too overconfident and ended up exposing yourself. You have no one else to blame but yourself."

Anjou clutched his racing heart as he looked behind him at his elderly accomplice. His heartbeat slowly calmed, and he let out a shaky sigh of relief.

"You scared me to death, sir. Thank you for your help back there. I was able to get away because you distracted Grand Master Kael for me."

Anjou thanked his accomplice, who simply sighed and nodded.

"It’s fine. But what are you going to do now? I doubt you can go back and harvest more souls. Are you going to change targets?"

The old man asked, and Anjou sighed.

"As much as I want to, I can tell that I don’t have much time left. The artifact is about to erupt, and it will swallow me if I don’t feed it more souls. But I cannot back down now. Otherwise, I am doomed."

He yelled, and the old man nodded without showing any concern.

"I see. However, are you sure this is the best course of action to prevent the future you saw? Once you take the final step, you won’t be able to change your decision."

The old man asked, looking Anjou directly in the eye, and Anjou nodded.

"I...have no regrets about my decision. I will survive, and if this is what I have to do, then so be it."