I Died and Became a Noble's Heir

Chapter 659: [Caspian Alyon]

The documents had been finalized within the hour. S had delivered the document needed to finalize the contract.

Grom’s seal, affixed in wax alongside Jack’s signature, formalized a binding agreement for a shamanic oath.

This agreement stipulated trade rates at three times the standard cost for Jack, included an explicit mutual defense clause, and arranged for an introduction to a mysterious individual in Krogar, contingent upon opportune circumstances.

Grom meticulously reviewed the final document, his gaze carefully analyzing each detail and recognizing the significant implications of every word.

Grom rose from his seat, and Jack took this as a dismissal.

"Your introduction will be arranged," Grom stated, his ancient eyes fixed on Jack with unmistakable intensity. "But know that Krogar does not forget those who stand with us in dark times. And we do not forgive those who betray that trust."

"I do not betray allies," Jack replied, his tone carrying absolute certainty.

Skarl appeared as though summoned, his massive frame filling the doorway that led to the villa’s interior corridors. The green-skinned Orc’s tusks caught the torchlight as he inclined his head toward Jack.

"I will escort you to the perimeter," Skarl said, his earlier contempt replaced with grudging respect. The Kaiser name carried weight. And Jack’s demonstrated power had rendered further posturing irrelevant.

They moved through the villa’s interior passages in silence. The herbal smoke that had permeated the air during Jack’s initial arrival seemed thicker now, as though the shamanic preparations were intensifying.

The Orc warriors advanced through the corridors with a determined gait, their expressions grim in anticipation of preparations beyond mere diplomatic exchange.

The outer doors were massive, solid wood bound with iron bands etched with runic patterns that Jack recognized as protective sigils. Skarl grasped the handle and pulled, and the doors swung open to reveal the platform he had come from.

The late morning light struck Jack’s face as he stepped across the threshold.

And then his nostrils flared.

The stench was unmistakable. Rotten sulfur mixed with the acrid bite of burning ash. A scent that carried demonic essence, the way a corpse carried decay.

Jack’s eyes found the source immediately.

Draped across the Krogar property line, positioned at the border between the villa and the Elven-controlled street, was the pale body of an Elven palace guard. The corpse was fresh. No more than minutes dead, the blood still wet against the stone.

Jack moved forward without hesitation, stepping over the threshold onto the platform. Behind him, Skarl’s breath came in sharp gasps as the Orc recognized the implication of what lay before them.

"How long?" Jack asked, his tone remaining level despite the complexity of what he was observing.

"I do not know," Skarl replied, his massive frame tensing. "The body was not here when you entered. I am certain of it."

Jack approached the corpse and knelt beside it, his white hair catching the morning light as he examined what had been done.

The Elven guard was young, no more than a hundred years old, with the sharp features and blonde hair that marked him as pure-blood nobility. His skin was pale, not from death, but from the draining of life force that had preceded it.

Jack reached down and pulled back the guard’s armor, exposing the chest beneath.

The mana veins were visible through translucent skin.

Bulging, blackened, packed so tightly with demonic residue that they had begun to rupture. The substance inside them pulsed with a sickly violet luminescence that matched exactly what had been found in Korva Stonefoot’s body.

Jack’s hand traced the pattern, feeling the texture of the corrupted mana. The work was methodical. Whoever had performed this ritual understood exactly what they were doing and why.

’Why here?’ Jack’s mind processed the variables. ’Why now? Why position the body on the Krogar threshold specifically?’

The answer crystallized with cold clarity.

Someone had murdered an Elven palace guard, a servant of the crown, and placed the body at the boundary of Krogar territory with demonic residue infused into his mana veins.

The timing was perfect. Jack had just concluded negotiations. Within minutes, this body would be discovered.

The Elven guards would arrive, and the accusation would be simple: the Kaiser emissary and the Krogar delegation had conspired to murder a member of the palace guard, to defile his soul with forbidden demonic essence, to commit an act of heresy against the Crown itself.

The conspiracy had layers. Deeper than initial appearance.

The Council was not merely concealing demonic activities; they were actively leveraging them as a strategic weapon.

This involved fabricating evidence against the opposition, thereby creating a pretext for severe crackdowns and utilizing assassinations to gain political leverage.

Jack rose to his feet and stepped back, his eyes still fixed on the corpse.

"We need to move," Skarl said, his voice carrying urgency. "If the guards discover us standing over this body, they will assume..."

"They will assume exactly what they are meant to assume," Jack interrupted, his tone cutting through Skarl’s urgency with absolute calm. "That is the purpose of this corpse’s placement. Someone positioned this body here knowing it would be discovered within minutes of my departure."

Jack surveyed the platform. The adjacent street appeared deserted, raising concerns about why no one was present, aside from Skarl and the Orc security personnel who remained within the villa.

Someone had created a stage. Arranged props with the precision of a theatrical production.

’The question is not who did this,’ Jack’s consciousness processed the variables with clinical precision. ’The question is why they did it now. What changed? What triggered the escalation that they would want to frame me?’

The answer arrived as Jack’s mind reviewed the conversation with Grom. The Shaman had revealed his suspicions about the demonic activity.

He had unveiled the Council’s deceit, thereby compelling the conspirators to act. They could not permit Krogar to align with Jack Kaiser, nor could they allow the investigation to proceed unimpeded.

So they had moved to eliminate the threat before it could solidify.

Jack turned his attention to the villa’s entrance, where Skarl remained, his imposing physique radiating palpable intensity.

"When the guards arrive," Jack said, his voice carrying absolute certainty. "Refrain from engaging or defending. Allow them to approach and discover the evidence. Permit them to voice their allegations. The truth will be revealed in due course."

"You would allow yourself to be arrested?" Skarl’s voice rose with disbelief. "A Kaiser prince would surrender to..."

"I would not surrender to anything," Jack replied, his white hair catching the light as he turned his attention back to the corpse. "I would simply allow the situation to develop according to its design. Sometimes the best strategy is to let your opponent’s trap close around them instead of you."

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the streets.

Jack’s senses had detected the approaching guards thirty seconds before auditory cues became apparent. A full squad of elite palace guards, their armor bearing the insignia of the crown’s direct military force.

Behind them, moving with the stride of political authority, one of the Council Members had arrived.

Jack used flawed sight to see who he was.

[Caspian Alyon.]

[3rd High Seat of the Council for Queen Morvana]