Chapter 177 - 146: Eerie Assassination (Part 3)

"It’s okay, it’s been taken care of."

Luo De waved his hand,

"It was an assassin, not sure how they got in."

His tone was calm, as if he were merely discussing what he had for dinner.

But in reality, Luo De was cursing endlessly in his mind.

"It’s our negligence!"

The guards immediately knelt on the ground, admitting their mistake with lowered heads, their voices full of self-blame.

An assassin infiltrating the manor implicated everyone.

"It’s not your fault, this assassin was beyond your imagination."

Luo De did not blame the guards.

He had seen the strange form of that thing, so it was normal the guards didn’t notice.

If he didn’t possess supernatural abilities, and without Vivian’s assistance as a witch, he might have already been killed.

Let alone disposing of that entity.

Such things are an "uncontrollable force" for ordinary people.

"Your power humbles us!"

The Guard Captain was full of shame, then immediately asked, "Where did they escape to? Should we pursue them?"

Luo De smiled, "It’s alright, we’ve already killed the assassin."

Luo De knew the Guard Captain hadn’t seen the body, so he thought the assassin had escaped.

So before the Captain of the Guard could ask more, Luo De pointed at the congealed blood on the ground and said, "This is the assassin."

"Huh?"

The Guard Captain was stunned.

The Guard Captain’s first reaction was that Luo De was mocking them for inadequate protection.

But then he realized that their Lord rarely used such subtle ways to punish them over such matters.

—For mistakes, guards usually received the whip.

"So that’s what you meant by beyond imagination!"

The Guard Captain quickly caught on, finally understanding Luo De’s earlier statement.

But even thinking for a long time, the Guard Captain couldn’t understand how a mass of blood could assassinate the Lord.

"Hmm, tomorrow I’ll explain this process to you in detail."

The guards certainly needed to understand this so they could be prepared next time it appeared.

Only, Luo De himself hadn’t figured it all out yet.

"Rest assured, my Lord! We will definitely strengthen our defense!"

The Guard Captain promised loudly, his eyes full of determination.

"Alright, you may leave now."

Luo De waved his hand, and the guards bowed and withdrew.

After everyone left, Luo De used paper to scrape up all the blood clots on the ground and put them into a wooden box.

He carefully observed these blood clots, yet could not discern any information.

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed a body could directly become a mass of blood and escape.

But seeing Vivian beside him, thinking about it wasn’t so surprising.

After all, Vivian could blend into shadows and become completely invisible, so an extraordinary person turning into blood wasn’t too shocking.

"Did you see their face? Male or female?"

Luo De looked at Vivian and asked.

Vivian shook her head and said, "I can’t say he’s a man just because he’s ugly."

"But he truly was ugly, his entire face’s features twisted together, completely unrecognizable."

Vivian squinted her eyes, recalling, "However, when my short knife pierced his chest, I noticed his chest seemed flat, like a man’s."

"His voice was somewhat hoarse, indistinguishable."

Vivian nodded, as if confirming her own conclusion,

"So I can’t determine whether he was male or female."

Luo De initially wanted to label the other as a witch.

But from Vivian’s description, the person seemed more male.

A wizard apprentice?

Luo De thought this matter might need consultation with the Dawn Society.

But regardless of gender, such extraordinary abilities were truly terrifying.

If not for Vivian’s early warning, Luo De might indeed have died in the attack.

"How did you discover him?"

Luo De looked at Vivian and asked.

"I wasn’t asleep."

Vivian said casually, "I told you I’m not sleepy."

"It’s already past midnight, and you’re not sleepy?"

Luo De looked at Vivian in surprise.

"I now prefer the night and dislike sunlight, so I enjoy resting more at midday."

Vivian was a bit helpless, "I don’t know why, but I’m always very alert at night."

"Just now, I was merely resting my eyes and hadn’t fallen asleep,"

Vivian explained, "I heard a rustling liquid sound, opened my eyes out of curiosity, and then saw him about to kill you."

Luo De nodded.

He hadn’t felt it then, but thinking back now, he couldn’t help but feel a chill.

It seemed he needed to keep Vivian by his side from now on.

With Vivian’s presence, his life would be more secure.

"Huh?"

Vivian stood up, curiously looking at Luo De,

"Who do you think wants to kill you?"

This question caught Luo De slightly off guard.

Luo De had been pondering what sort of thing was trying to assassinate him, but hadn’t started thinking about why.

He didn’t immediately answer Vivian’s question, standing there in thought.

Currently, his only foe was Count Hawk, making him the primary suspect.

The remaining possibility was Marquis Cold Blade, but without solid information, there was no need for an assassination.

Then there was the alien race, though very unlikely.

After all, the assassin spoke the language of the Empire.

And the alien race lacked strong motivation.

Unless every lord in the Desert was being assassinated.

The last somewhat plausible suspect was Baron Halon.

He might scare Luo De to push him into his faction.

But recalling the earlier scene, the assassin aimed straight for his life.

"Most likely, it was Count Hawk."

After some thought, Luo De concluded.