Led by the butler, Eze walked through the crowd of guests, left the banquet hall, and ascended the ornate spiral staircase, arriving at the study on the mansion’s second floor.
Unlike the lively, seemingly harmonious atmosphere outside, this place was a different scene altogether.
Sheehn sat behind the desk at the far end of the room, arms crossed, eyes half-closed, a faint, elusive smile lingering on his face.
In each of the four corners of the room stood more than a dozen soldiers clad in full armor, hands resting on their broadswords, standing motionless like statues.
The atmosphere was eerie, making one reluctant to enter.
Upon seeing Eze arrive, Sheehn immediately stood up from behind the desk.
The candlelight on the desk flickered with his movement, casting shifting shadows across his features, making him appear somewhat menacing.
“Mr. Ain, welcome, welcome~ I wonder, did tonight’s banquet suit your taste?”
“Mm… well, ah… yes, it was satisfactory, very satisfactory…”
“That’s good to hear. The banquet was hastily prepared, so if anything was lacking, I ask for your understanding… Why are you standing by the door? The room is quite spacious, come in and have a seat.”
Sheehn’s smile remained polite, but his hands were quite direct, pulling Eze inside without giving him a chance to refuse. The door slammed shut behind them.
Clearly, the host had ulterior motives.
Eize observed the room even more carefully.
The study was long and narrow, with bookshelves presumably lining both sides, now completely concealed by curtains.
The floor was covered with a luxurious carpet, and thanks to the heightened senses of a Hero, he could faintly make out several drops of crimson liquid that had not yet dried.
At the same time, from the moment the door closed, the boisterous sounds of the banquet outside were completely cut off.
The room grew so silent that only breathing and heartbeats could be heard.
By now, Eze had already pieced together most of the situation.
Still, he cooperatively put on a flustered and bewildered expression, asking in a hesitant, slightly trembling voice:
“Viscount, what is the meaning of this…?”
“There’s a small matter I’d like Mr. Ain to help with. Come with me.”
The young noble led Eze to the desk. The broad tabletop was divided into two sections. On one side lay all kinds of armor, weapons, potions, and other equipment commonly used by adventurers.
On the other side were various remains: fragments of black chitinous shells that gleamed faintly, something coiled up that looked like tentacles, and so on.
There was even a small glass bottle containing a thick, inky liquid.
Sheehn pointed to these items and said with a smile:
“You remember this morning, Mr. Ain, you told me that dealing with a Crystalrock Centipede requires different equipment compared to other centipede-type monsters, and that its shell, tentacles, venom, and so on are quite distinct.”
“Please help me identify what species these monster parts belong to. There will be generous compensation afterward!”
“Mm… alright.”
Eze did not refuse. He took the gloves handed over by a nearby soldier and stepped forward to examine the items one by one.
“The shell is black… no, more like dark blue, not covered in crystalline material, relatively soft in texture. This bottle of venom… no strong volatility, no corrosiveness, and the color doesn’t quite match.”
“These pieces of equipment… only standard antidotes, no anti-corrosion agents or protective enchantments needed for a Crystalrock Centipede, and the weapons… emmmm, the weapon quality is average, likely not enough to pierce a Crystalrock Centipede’s hide.”
After carefully inspecting each item, Eze reached a conclusion:
“The properties of the venom need further analysis, but I can say for certain, this is definitely not from a Crystalrock Centipede. The likelihood of it being a Nocturne Centipede is over 95%.”
The result was expected, but when it was confirmed, Eize couldn’t help but click his tongue.
The bounty for the two monsters differed by nearly tenfold, and yet these people had the nerve to cause trouble and demand double the price.
Such insane money-grabbing would even make a capitalist say, “You’re a bit extreme.”
No wonder Sheehn was so furious and eager to deal with them.
Having gotten the answer he wanted, Sheehn snorted heavily and clapped his hands lightly. The curtains on one side of the room were drawn open, revealing a hidden space behind.
There, four tall men were tightly bound, pinned to the ground by soldiers, and gagged to prevent them from making a sound.
They were probably the adventurers sent to subjugate the monster, caught in the act.
Sheehn stepped forward, a mocking expression on his face as he pulled the rag from one man’s mouth and asked:
“So, even now you’re not going to tell the truth?”
The adventurer, who had been thoroughly subdued, glared with rage.
He ignored Sheehn’s question and instead turned to Eize, roaring hoarsely:
“Who are you!? Who the hell are you!? Dare to meddle in our affairs, tomorrow you’ll be dead with no grave!!!”
This was not entirely an empty threat.
The Adventurers’ Guild’s business included not only monster subjugation and ruin exploration, but also certain black operations open only to select nobles.
Assassination, intimidation, kidnapping, and so on.
On the surface, the Guild never admitted to these activities, but in reality, they kept many assassin- and thief-type adventurers on hand specifically for dirty work.
Besides working for nobles, these people would also conveniently deal with anyone who posed a threat to the Guild.
They wouldn’t dare touch nobles, but if a scholar with no backing exposed the Guild’s lies, that scholar would likely vanish mysteriously in the coming days.
After some time, he would be found hanged in the forest, drowned from an “accident,” or shot in the back with seven arrows, ruled a suicide.
Eze’s current status was as the husband of a noble’s daughter—half a noble himself. The Guild wouldn’t go so far as to target him, but if he became their enemy, they would still be cautious.
That’s why Sheehn had staged this elaborate show.
First, he gave Eze a reception far grander than his status deserved.
Then, while Eze was still riding high, he brought him here to give him a scare.
While most people would be dumbfounded by the contrast, he had Eze identify the items.
Once the identification was done, he let the captured adventurers see Eze’s face, completely cutting off his way out.
This way, Eze would have no choice but to cooperate with Sheehn and go head-to-head with the Guild.
Very clever, but unfortunately, it was all within Eze’s calculations.
On the surface, though, he still had to play along.
“Viscount, this…”
Eze pretended to be frightened by the adventurer, retreating and shaking his head. Seeing this, Sheehn quickly signaled the soldier holding the adventurer.
The soldier understood at once and immediately slapped the man across the face, left and right, cursing as he did:
“This gentleman is the Viscount’s honored guest! Who do you think you are, daring to speak to him like that? Looking for a beating, are you!”
The sound of slaps and screams echoed through the room, harsh and unpleasant.
Sheehn only smiled faintly, turning to Eze and bowing his head with practiced sincerity:
“My apologies for startling you, Mr. Ain. Don’t worry—as long as you’re in Tafia, no one can harm you.”
“Uh… thank you.”
He was the one dragging Eze into this mess, but after all these maneuvers, not only was it hard to find fault, it even seemed like he was doing Eze a favor.
Quite skillful. A bright future ahead.
Eze even nodded in appreciation.
Unaware of this, Sheehn stuffed the rag back into the adventurer’s mouth, stood up, and let out a quiet breath.
“Mr. Ain, we have the evidence we need. I’ll be confronting the Guildmaster next. You’ve already helped me a great deal—for your own safety, it’s best not to show yourself directly from here on.”