268 Leo’s Finding (2/2)

His wrinkled face looked a bit pale, as if he was trying his best putting up with something. And on the face, Lucien also saw fear.

”Are you alright?” Seeing that all the butlers and servants had followed their masters to the rooms upstairs, Lucien asked Leo in low voice.

”You look tired, my lord. Maybe you want to take a rest now.” Leo gave Lucien the eye.

”Alright.” Lucien got it right away.

When they went back to the guest room, and after they carefully checked the place, Leo said to Lucien in fervent hatred, ”My lord, I saw the smuggler… in the party.”

”The smuggler who killed all your family?” Lucien slightly adjusted his monocle.

Leo nodded seriously, ”Yes, it was him. I remember his face all day and all night. When I was waiting for you beside the hall, I saw him with his new assistant. I was afraid that he might recognize me, so I hid behind the pillar. I saw him walking into the main hall.”

”…What's his name?” asked Lucien thoughtfully.

Leo lowered his voice even more, as if he was using this way to restrain his emotion, ”He's changed his name. I heard other nobles and butlers calling him… Mr. Ivanovszki”

”I thought so…” Lucien slightly nodded. Carleena's acquaintances were either swindlers or smugglers, which meant that she probably had many secrets as well. She was just playing the role of a widow whose heart was filled with vanity. And very possibly, Sergey worked for Ivanovszki.

However, Lucien was now even more confused. If Carleena knew the big smuggler, why would she kept throwing herself in his arms? For what?

Although Lucien's sword, Frost, was quite pricy, for Carleena, twenty thousand Thales was nothing. She had several manors and three major mines from the baron, not to mention the gold. Also, as the niece of the second wife of Count Witte, it was just absurd that Carleena would approach Lucien because of the sword, unless she was crazy about wealth, which was very unlikely to happen.

”No worries, my lord. I'll not break my promise, since I've signed the compact, and you've saved my life. One day, I can break his neck.”

”I trust you, Leo. But you can tell me more about him.” Lucien nodded. Although he felt sorry for Leo, in Schachran Empire, he could not take the risk to take revenge for Leo, since big smugglers like Ivanovszki were always under lots of protection. And if Lucien was going to take revenge for Leo, it was very likely that the north church would notice that a sorcerer had arrived in the empire.

Leo had great grief in his eyes, ”When I first met Ivanovszki, he was already the most famous smuggler in the East Haven. It was said that he had a big noble and two city lords behind him. He was also connected to some ancient sorcerers, so he could sell magic items and potions. Ivanovszki's so influential that he can ignore all the nobles other than the count.”

Lucien nodded. He was listening to Leo carefully.

”He has several good magic items. He always has middle-rank sorcerers or grand knights protecting him. His smuggling business accounts for at least twenty percent of the industry in the empire. When I worked for him, mostly just trading some materials in Brianna like Black Nightingale, I protected him once, and I helped him connect to the southwest black market of the empire, so I was awarded with the magic potion and awakened my Blessing.” Leo continued, ”After that, once he planned on robbing a village and selling all the villagers to an ancient sorcerer as his experiment material. I could not bear this… so I told his plan to the church, and he suffered a great loss from it. After that, I changed my name and everything. Although I thought I did this secretly, he still managed to know it was me who did it… Before I could send my family to a safe place, he…”

Lucien rubbed his chin, ”He could escape from the north church… It sounds like Ivanovszki does have the support of a big noble…”

Knowing that Ivanovszki was protected by some middle-rank sorcerers, Lucien had decided that he should leave Ural as soon as possible.

After getting more information from Leo, Lucien did not go to sleep immediately. After Leo went back to his own room, Lucien blew off the candles and sat down in the couch. He started to build the magic model of the fourth-circle spell, Professor's Infrasound Resonance, while looking at the moonlight outside of the window.

Lucien sensed the smell of danger. He wanted to wait for the daylight.

”Remember me whenever you see the moon…” Thinking of the past, Lucien suddenly smiled.

At this time, Lucien heard someone knocking on the door.

”Who's it?” asked Lucien calmly but alertly.

”It's me, Ivanovszki. Can we talk, Mr. Peter?” the man's voice sounded friendly and relatively familiar.