Chapter 35 Follow-Up
Sharon sat in the living room listening to a report from her maid.
According to the intelligence gathered at the scene, almost all of the Hughes household staff had died in the fire.
The colossal mansion had also turned into a charred ruin.
The only piece of good news was that Hughes’ parents were fine.
They had gone to visit an old friend tonight and hadn’t returned, thus escaping the disaster.
Sharon felt relieved for Hughes.
Beyond that,
The people who died in the jungle have also been found out.
After investigation,
It turned out they were all part of society’s unemployed and unemployable group, mostly scoundrels who survived by doing bad things.
As for any traces of odd nobles being involved, it was unclear whether those traces had already been promptly handled.
But since the attack happened at this time on Hughes, the only ones capable of doing so were the War Merit Nobles.
Sharon sunk into deep thought, feeling very uneasy.
If she could confirm that the attackers who assaulted the Hughes residence were sent by the War Merit Nobles, she could definitely unite other nobles under Hughes’ influence to put pressure on them.
The problem was lack of evidence.
Moreover, another issue—
The attacker did it too easily.
By some method blowing up the house to the point where Hughes was nearly driven to desperation was definitely abnormal.
Hughes isn’t some minor noble.
His status alone was enough to make any noble take him seriously.
He had built friendly relations with many nobles; while they weren’t inseparably close, it was safe to say they were mutually supportive allies.
That was Hughes’ network, gained through sincere effort; he wouldn’t remain indifferent.
“How did they manage this?”
While Sharon was fretting over this, Night Lan was also thinking.
“How could they launch a surprise attack? These guys are really despicable.”
She looked out the window at a moonless, starless night shrouded by clouds.
She, too, believed that the War Merit Nobles were responsible.
Only people of noble birth would dare such an assault.
And Hughes had always been a gentleman of high repute; even if some nobles envied him, they dared not lay a finger on him.
So only newly embittered War Merit Nobles would do such a thing.
Plus, she had a premonition.
There was something fishy about the involvement of a Ballad Conductor.
Not picking up his Star Eclipses waves didn’t mean he wasn’t involved.
In Night Lan’s mind, War Merit Nobles were already the main pawns for the Ballad Conductor.
Though they hadn’t managed to take down Hughes this time, perhaps it’s just a small detour for him.
“d*mn… I wish I knew where you are.”
Night Lan took a deep breath and turned back to check on Hughes.
A spirit power depletion-induced coma just needed a bit of rest before waking up.
She calculated the time.
He should be waking up soon.
—
At the same time,
Yuri was on the rooftop looking at some direction.
“I remember that place is where Gentleman Hughes lives. This seems like a vendetta?”
He had no interest in this internationally renowned gentleman.
He wouldn’t even know about Hughes if not for Night Star mentioning him.
A figure appeared beside him, none other than Night Star.
“Mm, Hughes got attacked.”
“He dead?” Yuri glared at her.
“No way.”
“Strong life force, as long as he isn’t dead, there’s still hope. Go back and sleep well.”
Yuri lightly patted her head and turned away.
Night Star puzzledly covered her own head.
“Is this guy trying to comfort me? Rarities like these show up once in a blue…”
But Yuri was right.
As long as Hughes is alive, there’s still a chance.
This big grudge—no matter how much of a gentleman Hughes might be, he wouldn’t let his enemies off easily.
Back to Night Lan’s perspective.
Hughes has already woken up.
Although there isn’t any major physical problem, he still looks pretty exhausted.
Sharon handed him a cup of water.
Hughes grabbed it and drank it all in one gulp.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. What happened?”
“Andrew, one of the War Merit Nobles, I saw him here during the attack.”
Hughes’ expression grew colder.
If not for Night Lan and Sharon arriving in time, it could have been disastrous for him.
Hughes remembered that Andrew’s influence wasn’t particularly strong among the War Merit Nobles.
It wouldn’t have been possible for someone of his caliber to carry out a silent raid on a noble’s mansion unseen.
So many people approaching shouldn’t have stayed quiet.
Unless someone else came into play.
Could there be other War Merit Nobles involved?
Hughes unconsciously thought of this.
Upon seeing Hughes wasn’t continuing, Sharon quickly had someone investigate Andrew’s situation.
Soon after, shocking news came in.
War Merit Noble Andrew was actually murdered in his own house!
“Pawn.”
Hughes and Sharon immediately realized this.
Even Night Lan could guess.
Looks like some greater force is manipulating behind the scenes.
Sharon tried to comfort Hughes after noticing his gloomy expression.
“Relax, Hughes. The truth will come out eventually. I’m here for you.”
Night Lan quickly chimed in.
“And me!”
“Thank you both. Having friends like you is a stroke of luck.”
Hughes sighed, visibly relaxing a bit without his previous melancholy.
Looks like those insolent thugs have ticked him off pretty badly.
But anger can only be hidden inside.
He couldn’t afford to lose his composure in front of the two anxious ladies.
Sharon continued, “Hughes, you’ll stay at my place tonight. I’ll send word to your parents. Only when your energy is restored can you face future challenges.”
“Alright, I’ll take your advice, Sharon. Thanks for your efforts.”
Sharon and Night Lan left the guest room without disturbing Hughes’ rest.
“Night Lan, you should head back to bed too.”
“Alright.”
Night Lan obediently nodded and returned to her room.
Her presence made Sharon’s home a safer refuge, unlike Hughes’, who was silently attacked.
No words were exchanged during the night.
Morning arrived.
With a yawn, Night Lan stepped out of her room, rubbing her eyes and looking around the living room.
She saw Sharon sipping coffee at the round table, seemingly holding some documents.
“Sharon? Did you get a decent night’s sleep?”
“Of course, staying up late is no friend to a lady. But I sent someone to investigate last night’s anomalies. They will check the results.”
Night Lan nodded understandingly.
Rest in peace, the workers who lost sleep last night.
“How is Hughes doing?”
“He’s already gone to handle things. Fortunately, Hughes has more than one of his houses, and he’s probably with his parents now, investigating what happened yesterday.”
“Oh.”
Night Lan went to wash up and returned to sit next to Sharon.
“Any new findings?”
“Not much. No other nobles have reported anything unusual. It’s likely those perpetrators used some means to sneak into the mansion.”
“Wow… that sounds really troublesome.”
“Not at all. Knowing our enemy is likely within the War Merit Nobles is sufficient,” Sharon calmly stated.
