Chapter 63: Aftermath
Just as William had run as if his life depended on it, Richard also flew back toward Baron Xing’s mansion in the same manner.
The cold killing intent that had locked onto him earlier, when he had thought about chasing after William was so overwhelming that a trace of panic was still visible on his face.
For a dignified Overseer, who constantly traveled from one place to another and usely fought against monsters to be frightened to this extent, one could imagine just how terrifying the killing intent he had felt earlier truly was.
Only when Baron Xing’s mansion came into his sight and no one came after him did Richard sigh in relief.
But the next second, the somewhat relaxed expression on his face turned bitter.
Although the cloaked figure had said earlier that Lucas had not come to the crater, and Richard also hadn’t found any traces related to Lucas there, it was still very likely that if Lucas had indeed gone there, he had fallen into that man’s hands.
Suppressing the doubts and unease in his heart, Richard landed in front of Baron Xing’s mansion and asked the guard in a grim voice.
"Has Lucas returned?"
The guards at the entrance were somewhat stunned when they saw the grim expression on Richard’s face and quickly shook their heads.
"Lord Richard, Young Lord Lucas hasn’t returned yet."
Hearing that Lucas hadn’t returned, the suspicion in Richard’s heart grew even stronger, and he immediately ordered the guard.
"Immediately inform Lord Xing. There is something very important I need to tell him."
As he spoke, Richard looked outside the mansion and hoped that Lucas hadn’t been captured, or worse, killed by that mysterious man and was simply fooling around somewhere in town.
The guard didn’t dare delay after seeing Richard’s grim expression and quickly went inside to inform Baron Xing.
Just a minute later, Baron Xing came out with a confused look on his face.
"Richard, what happened?"
Richard immediately told Baron Xing everything that had happened earlier.
From the moment he went to look for Lucas, to his encounter with the cloaked figure and the terrifying killing intent he had felt, he didn’t hide anything.
The more Baron Xing listened, the grimmer his expression became.
It was already strange enough for that giant crater to suddenly appear on the outskirts of the barony, and now the appearance of that cloaked figure indicated that the matter surrounding the crater was far more complicated than he had initially thought.
"Edward, search the entire mansion and see if Lucas is here," Baron Xing ordered his butler, wanting to confirm whether that spoiled brat was truly missing or simply fooling around with a maid somewhere while hiding.
In just a few minutes, under Edward’s supervision, the guards searched the entire mansion but didn’t find any trace of Lucas.
"My Lord, Young Lord Lucas is nowhere within the mansion," Edward reported in a low voice, as he also understood how serious this matter was.
"Damn it," Baron Xing couldn’t help but curse when he heard this.
If it had been someone else, Baron Xing wouldn’t have cared much.
But Lucas was the sole heir of the Benlot Family, and if something were to happen to him within his territory, things will become complicated.
"None of you saw him leave the mansion?" He asked the guards stationed at the mansion entrance in a cold voice.
The guards trembled when they saw Baron Xing’s cold expression and hurriedly shook their heads.
"My Lord, we have been standing guard here since evening, but we truly didn’t see him leave the mansion."
Baron Xing took a deep breath upon hearing this and looked at Edward.
"Send out the guards to search the entire town. I want that brat found as soon as possible."
"Yes, My Lord," Edward bowed and immediately left to carry out the orders.
Watching Edward leave with the guards, Baron Xing turned and looked at Richard.
"Let’s go. We will head to the crater and see if we can find any clues."
Richard showed a hesitant expression upon hearing Baron Xing’s words and lowered his voice.
"Lord Xing, how about we wait for news from the guards first? If they find Lucas somewhere in town, then that’s for the best. If not, how about we go to the crater in the morning instead?"
Baron Xing paused when he heard Richard’s suggestion and narrowed his eyes.
He wasn’t foolish and immediately understood why Richard was refusing to go there.
"How strong was the person who directed their killing intent at you earlier?"
Richard remained silent for a moment before speaking with a sigh.
"Strong enough that I felt I wouldn’t even survive for a second against them."
Baron Xing felt his scalp tingle when he heard Richard’s words, as the appearance of such a powerful person within his territory was definitely not a good thing.
’Damn it. My territory is located in such a remote area. Why would such a powerful expert come here...?’
Baron Xing rubbed his forehead but didn’t mention going to the crater again.
He was stronger than Richard, but not by much. If he went there and encountered that mysterious person, his own life might be in danger.
He had no intention of risking his life for some spoiled brat who wasn’t even his son.
Moreover, it wasn’t his fault that Lucas had disappeared. That guy had left on his own without informing anyone.
Since he had disappeared after sneaking out alone, it was entirely his own fault and had nothing to do with Baron Xing.
Even Count Benlot, at most, would only be able to throw a few verbal threats at him without actually being able to do much.
A few hours later, Edward returned and reported the results of the search with a serious expression.
"My Lord, we searched the entire town but found no clues regarding Young Lord Lucas. We also questioned all the patrol teams that were on duty throughout the town during the night, but none of them saw anything."
Baron Xing rubbed his forehead. Seeing that the sun had already begun to rise, he looked at Richard.
"Should we go and take a look at that crater now?"
Richard nodded, and the two of them, along with a few guards, headed toward the crater.
After carefully searching the area around the crater, they indeed found a few faint traces of blood.
Moreover, there were also traces of ashes, as if someone had been completely burned there.
Richard and Baron Xing exchanged glances when they saw this, and their expressions turned ugly.
"My people searched this area before, when the crater first appeared, and there were no traces of blood here," Baron Xing said in a low voice.
"Then it can only mean that this blood appeared last night. As for whom it belongs to..." Richard looked at the ashes they had found and took a deep breath.
"My duty is to protect talented individuals and escort them safely back to the academy. Now that there may be danger here, I need to escort William back to the academy as soon as possible. We can’t allow anything to happen to a talent whose Aether Affinity is on the verge of reaching Perfect Grade."
Richard bowed slightly toward Baron Xing.
"Lord Xing, I would like to depart first thing tomorrow."
As for why he didn’t leave immediately, if he were to depart right after discovering that Lucas was most likely dead, Count Gavin might make things difficult for him in the future, claiming that Richard had been responsible for Lucas’s safety yet hadn’t even attempted to search for the culprit.
But by staying one extra day, he could honestly say that he had tried to investigate the matter but had failed to find the culprit.
In the end, to ensure the safety of an outstanding talent like William, he decided to escort him back to the academy as quickly as possible.
Baron Xing looked at Richard and instantly understood what he was thinking.
However, he didn’t say anything and simply nodded, as he also had plans of his own.
After confirming that Lucas was most likely dead, the two of them returned to the mansion.
But what no one, including William realized was that Lucas’s death would have a far greater impact on the future... a change significant enough to divert this timeline completely from its original course.