Book 4 Chapter 90 (1/2)

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A lot of the information about the shadow killer came from the investigators who had written reports about the murders.

The main contents of the doc.u.ments were the witnesses' statements, the victims' autopsy results. The conclusions of each case were all the same. 'Unfeasible'.

To quote, “This is definitely the work of a devil!”

'This is troublesome.'

There was a lot of content, but none of them could help him identify the criminal.

After reviewing all the doc.u.ments piled up on the desk, Woohyuk organized the events that had occurred in his mind.

The first victim was Count Cromwell.

He did not leave his office for two days after receiving the notice, but was eventually killed by the shadow killer.

According to the testimony of the soldiers with him at the time, Count Cromwell's shadows began to move freely and strangled him.

It had happened so suddenly that they were incapable of stopping it.

The second victim was Baron Duncan.

He was taken over by fear once he received the notice and ran away from the city. However, he was discovered dead two days later in a wooden hut in the forest outside the city.

His face had been cut off by a sharp weapon and he was hanging upside down facing a mirror on the wall, just like one of the punishments of h.e.l.l in the Book of the Dead.

This gruesome incident sparked chaos in Neferti and the n.o.bles began to s.h.i.+ver in fear of this killer.

'And the murders didn't stop there.'

The shadow killer was an expert.

Even if the target was surrounded and protected by priests, he never failed to reap the target's soul. And if the target ran away, he somehow managed to find them and kill them.

There currently were a total of six known victims.

If Woohyuk couldn't uncover his techniques and methods before the sun set, Count Oswald would become the seventh victim.

'The possibility of the use of illusion magic or curse magic is very high.'

He had seen many demons during his previous 40 years in this world, but he had never seen one who could control his opponent's shadows.

Therefore, the shadow killer was using a secret trick to commit his crimes.

These kinds of results could very well be caused by high-level illusion spells or curse spells.

'Then I must stay with Count Oswald no matter what.'

Within this tightly guarded city, it was necessary to approach the target very closely to leave behind a powerful curse marker.

He had probably already accomplished this task before even sending the murder notice.

After his deductions, Woohyuk went to look for Count Oswald.

“There are a few things I would like to ask you about the shadow killer.”

“Go on. I'll answer anything I can.”

Count Oswald was lifeless as he had spent the night awake.

Woohyuk observed his appearance for a while before asking.

“Did you see a suspicious individual before receiving the notice?”

“Suspicious individual? Not that I know of. If I had seen someone like that, I would've had him captured and sentenced immediately.”

A witch hunt was currently ongoing in the capital city of Neferti.

They weren't hunting actual witches, but sentencing innocent people by accusing them of being the shadow killer.

Woohyuk frowned as he listened to Count Oswald.

'I see that paranoia is spreading.'

If he used his undeads or his demonic energy in this situation, he would face the wrath of the entire Izuna Kingdom.

He could always use his Jester's Mask to change his appearance, but the problem was Choi Kayoon.

Not only did she have an adventurer's watch, she was also a monster tamer. She was the perfect scapegoat.

'I have no choice but to hide my powers.'

An unfavorable condition.

However, he was confident he wouldn't lose as long as the opponent wasn't as powerful as the 72 demon kings.

As he calmed himself down, Woohyuk reached his hand out to Count Oswald.

“With no disrespect, you look like you'll fall over in any second. I wish to check your condition.”

“Do, do as you wish.”

The count was aware that Woohyuk was a trustworthy man through Tinia's letter.

When Count Oswald expressed his cooperation, Woohyuk used his inner demonic energy to scan every corner of his body.

'As I thought.'

A stigma made of dark energy was on his heart.

It was most probably an interconnector that linked the curse caster and the target.

Although he had to erase it right away to protect Count Oswald, he decided to leave it untouched.

'It would be problematic to lose my only trace of him.'

If he learned that his plan had gone down the drain, the shadow killer would find a different method or would run away.

Therefore, it was safe to say that leaving the stigma alone and tracking down the criminal was a wise decision made by Woohyuk.

After observing the black stigma for a while longer, he activated the Memory Pendant.

'It wouldn't hurt to try.'

The chances were low, but he could discover some useful information, just like he did with Tinia and Choi Kayoon.

As the pendant activated, a certain scene appeared in Woohyuk's mind.

'A ball.'

A large hall where n.o.bles dressed in fancy and luxurious clothes were dancing.

It appeared to be inside the royal palace in the center of the city Neferti.

'Maybe there was a woman who caught his interest.'

The Memory Pendant only shows memories that mean a lot to the target.

Woohyuk watched the scene through Count Oswald's eyes when a woman in a black dress approached him.

“Would you have a moment to spare?”

“Oh, of course My Lady. Apologies, but your name is…?”

“Amy. Amy Klein.”

She had neatly tied black hair and purple eyes, along with a voluptuous body that didn't suit her slender face.

Amy was glamorous and captured the attention of many men surrounding them.

“I am Count Oswald. If I may ask, are you looking for a dance partner?”

“No, I simply wish to talk with a handsome man like you for a short moment.”

Amy smiled mysteriously and laid her hand on the count's chest.

A rather obvious beauty.

However, Count Oswald had already fallen for her seduction and was making a dumb face.

'How unsightly.'

Woohyuk clicked his tongue as he watched the events transpire.

At that moment, the woman's ring caught his eye.

'Hm? That's…'

A somewhat familiar pattern.

Woohyuk rummaged through his memories to remember what the pattern meant, and he froze when he found out.