Chapter 24: The Man’s True Identity

In the midst of these monsters sat a middle-aged man atop a giant wolf. He had a full head of golden hair, and his facial features were as sharp and chiseled as if carved by an axe, exuding a fierce and imposing authority.

He wore a uniform in the same style as those of the giant wolves, though his was far more exquisite and sophisticated. The blue stripes and various insignia adorning it clearly marked him as a person of significant status.

He carried a sword at his waist in a traditional manner, rather than the high-power, high-lethality, rapid-fire super magic bullet guns that Zohan worried about most.

Snap.

The longer a fifth-tier spell is maintained, the greater the increase in magic power consumption. There was no need for Zohan to sustain it, so he ended it immediately.

The pillar of light and the screen of light shadows shattered into the air, emitting an extremely faint sound, like a calm lake disturbed by a single small pebble.

The effect of this spell was to reconstruct the scenes that had occurred within a certain timeframe based on the traces of residual magic power at the site. Although it was only a fifth-tier spell, the difficulty was immense. Had he not had a teacher like Jormungandr, Zohan would have had to spend significantly more time and energy to master it.

Zohan memorized the appearance of the middle-aged man, feeling that a person who led a pack of monsters to such a place was unlikely to be anyone good.

Recently, Zohan had been so immersed in the role of the "adulterer" that he found it hard to extricate himself, yet deep down, he still believed he was essentially a good person.

When a good person encounters a bad person, they must be vigilant. If one wants to play it safe, the best course of action is to strike first—go to their doorstep and take them out!

After pondering it briefly without reaching a firm conclusion on what to do, Zohan decided to return first and ask Lady Aldous if she knew anything.

"Let's go."

Zohan gestured to Gwen.

Gwen gathered all the jars and pots Zohan had left behind for his wilderness survival, packed them up, and carried them on her back, trying her best to look small but strong.

Zohan smiled slightly and raised his staff, pointing it at the bundle on her back.

The bundle flew up, hovering in mid-air. Gwen, thinking it was about to fly away, jumped up and reached for it, only to realize then that it was the work of the mister mage!

The return trip was free of any incidents, and the two arrived back at the Aldous estate at a leisurely pace.

Located in a rural town, the estate could not be called exquisite or luxurious, falling far short of Ye-Lantis Island, but it was certainly not lacking in comfort and enjoyment.

At the very least, it was much better than the camp Zohan had built at the foot of the mountain.

In the living room, the fire in the fireplace burned brightly, as if melting away the winter chill.

Plates were piled high with nuts and dried meat, and fine wine swayed in glass goblets, revealing a luster as vivid as the color of Lady Aldous's lips.

She waved her hand, dismissing the two tall, slender maids—having accurately gauged Zohan's preferences, she had sent the two maids who originally served Master Aldous to help in the accounting office.

Those two were sturdy and plump, with large frames; in any case, Zohan looked at them more often than he looked at the other maids.

Of course, if Zohan had taken the initiative to demand their service, Lady Aldous would not have minded joining them, but for now, there was no such need.

"I ran into Mahait today."

Zohan took a sip of wine, suppressing the urge to taste Lady Aldous's red lips, which were even more enticing than the wine. He frowned slightly and said, "He should be relatively well-behaved for a while. You must take full advantage of this to seize as much of the power and resources he controls as possible."

"What did you do?"

Lady Aldous understood immediately. Mahait would never be obedient for no reason; Zohan must have done something. A wave of joy washed over her, and she looked at Zohan with eyes brimming with adoration.

Zohan felt light and comfortable all over. A young girl like Gwen would only act cute out of respect for him, but Lady Aldous was different.

She knew how to express her admiration for a man—that look of worship and affection—regardless of how much of it was genuine, was incredibly gratifying.

Just like a fruit picked by force, it might not be sweet, but it truly slakes one's thirst!

"He was stalking Gwen..."

Zohan gave a brief account of what had happened.

"Oh, my goodness... You did so well! Now that you have Mahait by his lifeblood, how could he ever dare to look at me with lustful eyes again?"

Lady Aldous wore a fierce expression, gritting her teeth. "Next time, I'll have someone slap him across the face directly!"

She then looked at Zohan, becoming as docile as a little fox pampered by a tiger. She left her seat, leaned softly into Zohan's arms, hugged his neck tightly, and began to nuzzle against him, offering up hot kisses.

"Keep this with you, just in case he doesn't listen to you. You can take it out at a critical moment to intimidate him." Zohan took out a glass bottle and placed it to the side. It was already sealed and required no special storage conditions.

"Is he afraid of bugs?" Lady Aldous asked, breathless, turning her head with a hint of confusion in her glistening eyes.

Her legs were tucked together on the sofa, one stretched out straight, and she nudged the bottle with her toe, unable to fathom how this thing could intimidate a man like Mahait.

"Wait—"

Before Zohan could explain, Lady Aldous realized.

Suddenly, she could no longer maintain the elegance and allure of a beautiful lady. One hand remained on his neck while the other pressed against her abdomen, and she laughed until she trembled, as if snow were falling to the ground.

"They are brothers, after all... Haha, and he actually used to brag about how capable he was whenever he was drunk..."

Lady Aldous’s tone was filled with contempt. "I was wondering where one would find a grub in the middle of winter—his is at most one-tenth—no, one-twentieth of yours—"

"If he doesn't listen, just smash the bottle in front of him."

Zohan was confident that as long as she had leverage, Lady Aldous could manipulate a man like Mahait however she pleased.

Don't let this woman's fawning behavior in front of him fool you, like a dog wagging its tail; but what dog doesn't bite?

The moment she turned away, she would be ready to sink her teeth into someone else's throat.

"Very well."

Lady Aldous took the bottle, got up to hide it behind the sofa for the time being, and then closed the living room door.

Turning back, her eyes and body were already radiating an invitation, mixed with an impulse for unrestrained indulgence.

"Wait—I have something else to say." Zohan was now certain that he was indeed hungry, but Lady Aldous was hungrier than him.

Last night, he had been very diligent and professional, not slacking off in the slightest.

"Can we talk... while we do that..." Lady Aldous had found her own personal spring in the winter of Red Hazel Town.

She approached with hazy eyes, then lifted her skirt to let him admire her carefully selected lingerie and her new open-toed high heels.

She had already confirmed that the black-faced, red-soled high heels from yesterday had special magical effects. As for this pair?

They had been carefully chosen based on his actual performance.

"I need to concentrate my mental energy... wait a moment..."

Despite saying this, Zohan did not stop Lady Aldous's clinging behavior.

He took out paper and pen and quickly sketched the facial contours of that middle-aged man.

"Mahait—he is actually a collateral branch of the Aldous family, an illegitimate child, so he was never accepted. I suspect that due to his bloodline, he's just a small fry."

Zohan's drawing skills were excellent, and simple strokes captured the distinctive features of the face.

Lady Aldous glanced at it and recognized him immediately, her tone still filled with contempt—a feeling that made her feel quite buoyant.

So, being with a truly powerful man meant one could look down on these so-called "big shots" as lowly.

She paid no mind to Mahait, humming a little tune while wrapping her arms around Zohan, rubbing against his shoulders and neck.

She was like a little cat, neglected by its owner, stubbornly demanding to have its head patted or its belly rubbed.

"Ah... wait, are you really sent by Mahait?" Lady Aldous suddenly came to her senses.

At first, the butler, Linde, had suspected that Zohan was sent by Mahait, and later, Lady Aldous had thought the same.

It wasn't until Zohan's series of operations to kill Master Aldous, without showing any sign of a connection to Mahait, that Lady Aldous had dismissed the idea.

But now—

If he wasn't sent by Mahait, how was he so familiar with Mahait's appearance?