Chapter 94 Duke's Castle, Midnight Murder
They left the lake, heading toward the forest. A quick pack up and the watery sounds were gone, replaced by the singing birds.
"See this? A track of a beast called Haechionx," Glen said.
Damian was knowledgeable about beasts, but there was a limit to it.
"What the hell is this?"
Glen chuckled, "a beast similar to a sloth, but it walks with four legs, and it's fast."
The description did not add up, but Damian dismissed any doubts, trusting Glen's words.
"Is it powerful?"
"Not much, but we should kill it. It is still dangerous, and I have a family to care for."
They were doing the hunt for a reason, not for fun. Glen led, and Damian followed, asking for hunting tips periodically.
"One thing I don't understand is the number of beasts. The entrance to the dungeon is within my castle, so from where are they coming? Have any idea, Damian?"
"Maybe another dungeon entrance, one that you are unaware of?"
After Damian shared his thoughts, Glen wondered about many other things, such as his son's disappearance.
Glen believed his son went missing inside the dungeon, but the one within his territory. If another entrance was possible, perhaps Glen had looked in the wrong place all this time?
Other people found it almost impossible to find a new dungeon entrance, Glen included, but Damian had recently found one, so it was not impossible for him.
They kept going, following the footprints left by the beast, founding its nest in no time.
There were around eight of ten, but despite their number, Damian and Glen did quick work of them.
Glen did most of the work as Damian preferred to keep his skills a secret. One never knew when trump would save his life.
After killing the beasts, Glen wished to keep going, and instead of only searching for beasts, search for another dungeon entrance!
"Damian, can you help me out while you are here?" Glen asked.
"Of course, but I also need to deal with a murder in a nearby noble castle. Things are pretty insane in this area."
"Oh? So you are the one going there to solve the mystery? I was away with the whole full-moon problem, so Neil took care of things for me."
"Have any tips for me?"
"Let me see," Glen said, entering a thoughtful state, "you are going there at night, so the killer does not notice you, correct? So, you want to look for a decent disguise, which would be of a servant."
"A servant?"
"Yes. This position has the highest number of people in a noble house. Guards may have a similar number, but it is a strict position, and people would realize the addition of a new member, but a cleaner or a cooker? Never."
Damian did not know many things about the noble houses, so the small stuff Glen shared with him was necessary and would undoubtedly improve his success rate.
"Thanks."
They kept looking for clues about a dungeon entrance but returned to the castle as the sun almost set. Damian went to his room, packed up his stuff, and went with Neil.
"Change to this clothing before entering the castle," Neil said.
Perhaps he and Glen had organized everything because the clothing Neil gave him was identical to the servants' clothing.
Astrid was there to say goodbyes to Damian, and she hugged him, making Neil and Glen smile.
"Look at you two, hehe," they said.
~~~~
A black car went close to the castle where Duke Hagrid lived, quiet outside and inside, as it was a late night.
Damian said goodbyes to Neil, leaving the car and going into a nearby bush to change clothes, looking now precisely like a new-hired servant.
The whole thing was set up perfectly for Damian. Duke Hagrid opened a window on the third floor, which Damian quickly climbed through.
Someone was waiting for him there, a person Duke Hagrid trusted with his life, his daughter.
"Your room is downstairs; take this key and go there. People will not suspect you, don't worry."
The Duke's daughter had a mature look and sharp eyes. Damian could tell she was not simple.
He asked no questions. He couldn't because the woman left after saying those things to him.
There was nothing for him to do on the third floor. Damian was not supposed to be there in the first place, so he closed the window he had just used to enter and headed toward his room.
"Each servant has its own room, which is quite impressive."
The castle was massive, just like the one of Joffrey's family. They had many people working under them, yet despite the number, everyone had proper treatment, even better than the bosses of these big companies.
"Some even get more money working here than in the city."
Damian headed toward his room from the third floor to the first. Some servants passed him, some guards, and no one found him strange.
It was customary for the Duke to hire more people, and he did not need to warn anyone about it, so no one asked.
Once Damian reached the first floor, an entire area of the castle belonged to the servants.
That was where their rooms were, a garden, a gym, and they even had an open pool for them to use! A person there would have a wonderful time, yet no one was happy.
Everyone who Damian met was gloomy with the recent murder. They were all scared they could be the next, and some wondered why the Duke did not hire someone to investigate.
No one knew Damian was there to do just that. People would never associate a young male with an investigator. Those jobs were usually for middle-aged people who were famous superhumans, capable of dealing with any type of murderer.
Damian did not look like that, but he was, and his disguise was his strong point.
He unpacked his stuff when he reached his room, and his job started soon because when the clock hit midnight, a scream came from the other side of the castle.