Chapter 106 - Chapter 106: Chapter 102 Negligence (1/2)

Chapter 106: Chapter 102 Negligence

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Amid the distribution of consolation money and the holding of the funeral, a quiet internal investigation within the Fischer family also began.

Irene called each person into the room individually to have a detailed conversation with her.

She deftly guided their malicious words and, through the ability “Listening for Malice,” sensed the deepest thoughts within everyone in the Fischer family.

To make everyone willing to accept the command, even Byrne himself was no exception to her scrutiny.

Although there were a few servants and guards who were found to have some malice or who had stolen from the family, the entire round of investigation did not turn up the so-called traitor.

A few days later, around noon, Byrne paced back and forth in the great hall. After much thought, he suddenly said to the Guards Captain standing not far away:

“Theo, call your wife over.”

Theo was stunned for a moment, immense fear rising in his heart at the possibility, but he still followed Byrne’s orders.

“Alright, understood. I’ll go right away.”

He lived on the estate and seldom went home, visiting at most for a day or two in a month. In reality, his relationship with his wife had not been very good lately.

Although the work was exceedingly hard, Theo’s monthly salary was five times that of ordinary guards, and his annual bonus was ten times as much.

So he had always been hard-working and compliant, harboring no dissatisfaction towards the Fischer family in his heart.

Theo’s wife was also brought into the family estate. It was her first time inside the grand estate, and she was extremely astonished, staring at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling for a long time.

“How beautiful. How much does this cost?”

A few servants saw her impoverished demeanor and snickered privately.

Irene communicated with her in the room alone, skillfully using words to probe for any deep-seated malice in her heart.

She indeed harbored malice, but it was only dissatisfaction with the Fischer family for always keeping Theo tied down, and she had no other thoughts beyond that.

It seemed that Theo’s wife was not the informant, and both Theo and Byrne were relieved after getting the response from Irene.

Byrne truly did not wish for the problem to lie with Theo’s wife.

Theo, that man nearing fifty, was not only his swordsmanship teacher, Guards Captain, and coachman.

He was also a warrior who had accompanied the Fischer family for many years, and, like Vanessa and the other young men and women, he could be considered as half a family member, a trusted figure within the Fischer household.

If the traitor turned out to be his wife, according to the Fischer family’s rules, they would definitely have to execute her secretly.

Even if Theo agreed with the Fischer family’s punishment, he would still harbor negative emotions afterwards, and Byrne could no longer trust him with important tasks, but it was also impossible to let him leave the family.

The worst-case scenario would be a marginalized Theo eventually overwhelmed by negative emotions, impulsively choosing to betray the family.

Although all these were speculative possibilities, just thinking about them made Byrne’s head tingle with dread—it was practically the development he feared the most in his personality.

Theo was also truly relieved; after his wife left, he pondered for a long time before taking leave from Mr. Lucius, saying he was truly a bit exhausted recently and wanted to go home.

In fact, the reason he gave was true.

Tired.

This small-scale nighttime defense battle had cost the lives of only seven family guards—a loss that appeared negligible in the eyes of Extraordinary Exponents.

It was instead considered worthy of great fanfare; they had casually dealt with a Level 2 Extraordinary Exponent who had attempted a night raid!

But Theo’s mood was completely different.

He had eaten daily with those guards, and he remembered one young guard who, when he had first arrived at the Fischer estate, was always lively and humorous, often able to make everyone laugh heartily after training.

But Theo had heard that at the start of the battle, the young man had been eaten alive by a worm, losing half his body while wailing in front of everyone, only to be put out of his misery by a mercy shot from a friend.

The guard who had delivered the mercy shot had also told him the previous night that he had decided to quit and was planning to work in a factory in Fein City.

Not just him.

Theo remembered every detail about each of the deceased guards—their names, faces, personalities, and hobbies.

They were all once living beings.

Therefore, he had to attend seven funerals, seeing the relatives and friends of those people crying bitterly seven times.

Theo had once been a boatswain on a merchant ship that hustled across the sea, most of the time engaged in trade, occasionally turning to piracy.

The feeling of killing and robbing was not pleasant, but Theo knew he was the captain’s man and had to remain loyal to the ship.

Because it was difficult for his wife to take care of their son by herself, and after a severe injury in a naval battle, Theo decided to spend the rest of his days in Nasir Town and to cease sailing the seas.

But, living off the sea, Theo could only earn a living as a carpenter, and the household income plummeted starkly.

After the birth of their second child, no longer able to stomach the hardships of poverty, Theo discussed with his wife that he had to find a way to earn more money.

Later, through an introduction by sea merchant John, Mr. Lucius met him immediately.

“Lucius, Theo is a very capable battle commander. I even wanted him to be my boatswain, what a pity,” said John.

At that moment, Theo immediately said, “Sorry, I really don’t want to go back to sea anymore.”

He remembered how that lazy-looking man had sized him up for a long time before nodding and saying:

“Theo, heh, you have a remarkable gaze, one that only comes from a man who has seen many battles.”

“If you can withstand three strikes from me, you can join the Fischer family as the Guards Captain. But you must use real weapons, not wood. Do you have the courage?”

“Fine,” Theo nodded.

He not only blocked Lucius’s three consecutive strikes but also swiftly dodged away from a surprise fourth strike aimed at his arm.

“You’re quite good. You understand that once weapons are drawn, there are no rules in battle. Our Fischer shield needs to be not only tough but also nimble!”