Chapter 297: 008's Potential New Master

Chapter 297: 008's Potential New Master

Leonard finally took the opportunity to express his true thoughts on the matter.

He didn't want his team to be running around like headless chickens, and this was also a reminder.

Perhaps everything they were doing was orchestrated by someone else.

After a moment of silence, Illya tapped her right index finger twice on the table to attract everyone's attention before speaking, "This is a reasonable assumption, but it is not the truth."

"??"

Leonard looked puzzled. Could the old man's judgment be wrong?

Or was the Eye of the Goddess just a hollow title?

The other members of the Red Glove squad also showed confused expressions.

Illya observed their reactions but did not explain further, "Continue to follow the lead on Viscount Stran. We are not far from the answer."

If it weren't for the other party's status, Leonard would have asked more questions.

In the afternoon, they continued to investigate what had happened to Stran before his death, why he invited Ince Zangwill to his home, and why Ince Zangwill killed Viscount Stran.

Without sufficient reason, Ince Zangwill would not have killed a noble who had helped him in his time of need.

Halfway through the investigation, Leonard was shocked to find that Hastur's name was also among those who had contact with Viscount Stran before his death.

He frowned, feeling a bad premonition that this matter might be related to Hastur.

It was an intuition; if he had to find a reason, it would be that extraordinary people always do extraordinary things.

After collecting the contact list, Ms. Illya assigned personnel to investigate the people on the list.

Standing silently to the side, Leonard prayed that the task of investigating Hastur would not fall on him.

He didn't want to treat his first friend in Backlund as a suspect.

"Leonard, you know this Earl Hastur Campbell, right?"

Illya's question shattered Leonard's hope, and he could only nod reluctantly.

"Well, then it's up to you."

"..."

Leonard sighed inwardly, feeling that his luck had been quite bad lately.

The Red Glove squad was efficient, and by ten o'clock that night, Leonard was already at the gate of Hastur's castle.

"Sir, do you have an appointment with our lord?"

At the flowerbed in front of the castle gate, a gardener holding large shears, who was chatting with a coachman, blocked Leonard's path.

Although it was strange for the gardener to be holding large shears at night, Leonard still smiled and said, "I am a friend of your lord in Backlund. You just need to inform him that Leonard is here to visit."

"Well, wait here."

The coachman spoke, instructing the gardener to watch Leonard while he went inside to report.

Leonard maintained a calm smile, but the gardener's gaze made him feel uneasy.

Especially the large shears in the gardener's hands, which looked like the long legs of an adult man, and the way he stared at Leonard was like looking at livestock ready for slaughter.

Feeling uncomfortable under the gardener's gaze, Leonard initiated a conversation, "When does your lord usually rest at night?"

"That's the lord's freedom; we have no right to interfere."

Leonard continued, "The flowers here are growing well. Your skills are impressive; it's hard to find a gardener in Backlund who can compare to you."

The gardener's expression softened slightly, "Pruning flowers is much easier than pruning people. I enjoy this job."

"..."

Leonard felt the conversation was going nowhere and decided to stop talking.

About five minutes later, Hastur personally came out of the castle to greet his friend from Backlund.

Leonard straightened up slightly, glanced at the gardener, and saw him looking at Hastur with almost fanatical eyes.

What was going on?

Leonard was puzzled but didn't overthink it. He quickly walked towards Hastur.

"Welcome, my friend."

"I'm glad to be here."

"Let's talk inside."

After a brief exchange, Hastur led Leonard into the castle.

The moonlight at ten o'clock was cold, especially in the outskirts of this remote town, where the wind was colder than elsewhere.

Entering the castle, Leonard shivered involuntarily.

In the first-floor living room, Hastur invited Leonard to sit and had a maid bring the best tea to entertain his friend, who was clearly on a mission.

Given Hastur's understanding of Leonard, there was only one reason for his sudden visit at night: a task from the Red Glove squad.

It was clear that the Red Glove squad was suspicious of Ince Zangwill's death and had traced it back to Hastur, prompting Leonard to visit under the guise of a friendly call to investigate.

They chatted about recent events in Backlund, and Leonard deliberately mentioned Ince Zangwill's death, but he didn't catch any useful information from Hastur's expression.

Hastur didn't continue the topic or ask about Leonard's purpose for visiting, instead engaging in casual conversation and hosting a banquet for him.

This made Leonard hold back several times from mentioning his true purpose, feeling embarrassed by Hastur's hospitality.

"Time flies; it's almost midnight. You've had a long journey, so you should rest early. We can talk more tomorrow."

Hastur glanced at the clock on the wall, ending the conversation.

Leonard agreed that it was too late to discuss serious matters and decided to wait until tomorrow, giving him time to organize his thoughts.

Following a young and beautiful maid through a corridor adorned with famous paintings and up a staircase, Leonard finally reached his room for the night.

It was his first time seeing a house with three staircases from the first to the second floor.

Lying on the soft, fragrant bed, Leonard almost fell asleep immediately.

He hadn't had a good night's sleep in days due to the journey.

He tried to stay awake and called out to the old man in his mind, wanting to hear his thoughts on the matter.

But no matter how he called, the old man didn't respond, not even a word.

Was the old man deliberately trying to see him make a fool of himself in front of Hastur?

Leonard thought this was the most plausible reason.

After forcing himself to think for a while, he couldn't resist sleep and fell into a deep slumber.

In the middle of the night, Leonard was awakened by the rumbling of his stomach.

He rubbed his stomach and sighed, "You really can't handle good food. You couldn't even take a little extra tonight."

He had no choice but to get up and go to the washroom.

The washroom was the third room on the right side of his room, as the maid had explained earlier.

Half an hour later, Leonard emerged from the washroom, feeling refreshed after washing his face. He was now wide awake.

Looking at the brightly lit corridor, Leonard marveled at the extravagance of noble life, thinking that the cost of lighting for one night could cover a family's expenses for a week.

Should he take the opportunity to explore the castle?

The thought crossed Leonard's mind, and seeing the empty corridor, he decided to walk a bit further.

He saw a room with light seeping out and heard the faint sound of writing.

Originally planning to return to his room, Leonard instinctively walked towards the room.

Before he reached the door, the writing sound stopped.

Soon, the door creaked open, and an elderly woman, about sixty years old, smiled and said, "Is the guest not sleeping well? Or is there something else you need? If so, feel free to tell me."

Leonard quickly explained that he was up because of his stomach.

After a brief conversation, Leonard learned that the elderly woman was Mrs. Lisa, who was staying up late to write a book, likely to leave a mark in her remaining years.

Leonard accepted Mrs. Lisa's invitation to sit in her room for a while, relieved that the quill on her desk was not 008.

Feeling more relaxed, he didn't stay long, not wanting to disturb the elderly woman's peace.

After the brief interlude, Leonard returned to his room to sleep.

The next morning, Leonard woke up in the comfortable bed around nine o'clock.

Seeing the clock on the right side of the bed, he realized it was 9:46.

He quickly got up and dressed. As he opened the door, a young, cute maid with a gentle smile was already waiting for him.

(End of Chapter)