CHAPTER 179: A GOOD DEATH

"No, it's precisely because fighting spirit is something instinctive to us that we actually can't manipulate it with fine control. It's like how you can't consciously control your heartbeat or other autonomous bodily functions, right?"

Edward pointed to the side of his chest.

"Is that so?"

Edward had a point. Wang Yu had experienced the same thing. His physical constitution and instincts had continued to strengthen over time, whether in combat or other aspects of life.

However, as his instincts grew, his control over his own body had actually increased.

The rhythm of his heartbeat, the frequency of his breath, the tempo of his pulse—these were normally autonomously controlled by his body. But as Wang Yu's strength grew, he was gradually able to start controlling them himself.

As for fighting spirit, a newfound power he had only developed in this world, it was something he had been able to control from the very start, just as easily as he moved his limbs. It felt like he had an extra hand—an indescribable sensation, yet one that was completely natural.

"Fighting spirit is the same way for us. We only have strong control over fighting spirit during the brief moment when our vortices output it in earnest," Edward explained.

"That allows us to utilize various techniques for defense, or, say, piercing attacks.

"But as far as secret arts are concerned, we can only memorize its complex internal structure and attempt to reconstruct it quickly when using it. With enough practice, we can become proficient, but being able to control it as effortlessly as you do—I've never seen or heard of that before..."

There was a hint of admiration in Edward's voice. After discussing Wang Yu's power today, he realized just how unique Wang Yu was in the history of knighthood.

This kind of precise, almost microscopic, control was, in Edward's view, an innate talent beyond compare.

"I see... Then how do you awaken to your potential? If you don't understand how it operates, how do you obtain its power?" Wang Yu asked, puzzled.

"It happens naturally."

"I see. So for people of this world, a potential is something that awakens on its own, without any need for study or training," Wang Yu mused, nodding slightly.

"I understand now. It seems I'll need to research how to awaken my own potential further."

Wang Yu turned his gaze toward the distance, where a squad of city guards had just arrived. Flying at the forefront was the magician who had requested assistance earlier.

"Thank you for your help, Nightblades. The incident happened out of nowhere, and there were no other Nightblades teams nearby. You were the only ones we could contact. I didn't expect the culprit to be a grand knight. I sincerely apologize for the danger this put you in."

The magician bowed to Wang Yu in gratitude.

While the capital's overall strength was more than sufficient to deal with grand knights, they were considered high-level combatants who were rarely seen, if at all. The fact that the culprit who killed the viscount was a grand knight was shocking.

"There were no other Nightblades teams nearby?" Wang Yu confirmed.

"None at all," answered another subordinate whom the magician had turned to, the city guard responsible for communications.

"That's a bit strange. Normally, there's always at least one Nightblades team patrolling in the vicinity."

"Even if the teams were spread out, the chances of all four neighboring Nightblades squads all being far from the scene are extremely low," Charles analyzed.

"It looks like the killer did his homework. He probably wasn't acting alone—at the very least, someone was helping him with intelligence gathering and surveillance," Wang Yu murmured.

Just who was the culprit who slew Viscount Glenn? What intelligence did that culprit have access to? Was it someone from Selwyn again?

But who would go to such lengths to assassinate an obscure viscount?

"Let's go to the crime scene. We might find some clues," the magician suggested.

"Alright." The three of them exchanged glances. Right now, their best bet to track down the culprit was to examine the crime scene firsthand.

Following the magician, they quickly made their way to Viscount Glenn's residence, where the murder had taken place.

On the way, Wang Yu closed his eyes and tried sensing his surroundings, only to find nothing.

He had intended to use the same method he had previously used to mark Hela—embedding a ripple within his own blood and attaching it to the killer, allowing him to track them later.

However, the black smoke shrouding the killer seemed to have vaporized his blood completely, rendering this method useless.

The team moved swiftly and arrived at the viscount's estate in no time. It was a well-kept, luxurious manor within the city.

Except for the fact that it was missing farmland, the estate had all the elegant features expected of nobility.

At the moment, the area was heavily guarded by the estate's private security, preventing anyone from approaching. No one dared ignore their warnings—these guards were deadly serious about enforcing their orders.

The magician showed his identification, allowing them to enter. A butler-like figure led them through the manor.

As they walked, Wang Yu extended his ripples outward, though their effective range had shrunk considerably. He carefully searched for any residual energy—yet he found nothing. There wasn't even a trace of the void.

Instead, he detected some magical fluctuations. Upon closer inspection, he realized they came from the estate's protective enchantments for security. They had nothing to do with the assassination.

Wang Yu noticed that Charles was gripping his Wheel of Fate tarot card, his brows slightly furrowed. The card was supposed to reveal past events—was there a problem with it?

From a distance, Wang Yu could already hear the sharp cries of a woman at the end of the hallway.

Upon entering Viscount Glenn's study—the scene of the crime—they saw Viscountess Glenn sobbing uncontrollably. Her face was streaked with tears, her eyes bloodshot and swollen.

Wang Yu paid her little attention. A grieving widow crying was normal.

His gaze swept across the room and eventually landed on Viscount Glenn's corpse, which lay near the windowsill. A massive cavity in his chest was the cause of death.

One fatal strike. Whoever had killed him had struck with terrifying precision, completely ripping out his heart, without leaving signs of collateral damage on the surrounding flesh.

The window was open. Wang Yu suspected it was the killer's entry and exit point. He informed the magician as they stepped toward it together.

"Wait—" The butler's warning came a second too late. By then, Wang Yu and the mage had already entered.

"Have you caught the killer, the one who murdered my husband?" Lady Glenn's sharp wailing ceased as she turned to Wang Yu and the magician, her expression eerie and her voice unnervingly calm.

"Not yet, ma'am. The culprit was a grand knight. We need more time to gather clues. Please don't worry—"

Before the magician could finish, Lady Glenn cut him off with a hysterical shriek. Her high-pitched voice made the magician's eardrums ache.

"My husband was murdered! What are you even doing?! Find the killer now—or you useless fools will join him in the grave! What am I supposed to do without him?! How do I go on?!"

"Madam, the capital will help maintain your family's stability and handle the aftermath. You needn't—"

"Ah! My poor Glenn! It's all these worthless fools' fault! They couldn't even catch the murderer! I want them all to die with him!"

Her voice suddenly turned sharp as she lunged at the magician.

The magician was caught off guard—his weaker physique left him no time to react.

A powerful hand shot out, seizing Viscountess Glenn's slender throat and stopping her mid-charge.

Wang Yu didn't budge despite the fact that she was clawing at his arm with all her might—her strength was pitiful against his.

"You... dare... choke a noble lady?! My family... will make you pay...!" she gasped, her eyes filled with venom.

Wang Yu watched her carefully—not her face, but the corners of her eyes. There was no sign of void corruption.

"Let go of me—mmph—" Before she could finish, Wang Yu forced a potion down her throat. Her body went limp, and she collapsed.

"What did you do?!"

"How dare you?!"

"Hold it!"

The guards from the surrounding estates shouted angrily and charged toward Wang Yu.

Wang Yu had been too fast. Before they could react, he had already administered the drug to Viscountess Glenn and knocked her out.

They were shocked and enraged, not having expected Wang Yu to act so boldly under so many watchful eyes.

"Stop!" the magician sternly ordered the approaching guards. The city guards who had entered alongside him reacted quickly, restraining the estate guards and preventing them from getting any closer.

"It's just a sedative. The Viscountess isn't harmed. Given her condition, she might have some temporary mental issues, but it's not void corruption or anything like that.

"She likely ingested some potion with side effects—I don't know exactly what, but judging by the severe shock of her husband's death, her already fragile mind might have temporarily broken down."

Wang Yu propped up the unconscious viscountess and handed her over to the restrained estate guards so they could take care of their sedated mistress.

He had been observing her carefully. Her mental state was off, and if it wasn't due to void corruption, then the most likely cause was drug use.

Wang Yu confirmed this suspicion via subtle marks by the corners of her eyes. He had heard that some nobles in the capital indulged in psychoactive substances, but today he had witnessed it firsthand.

Hallucinogenic substances weren't an issue for those with a knight's physique, but for ordinary people, taking them was practically a death sentence.

Then again, nobles probably had access to high-grade antidotes that could neutralize toxicity.

And that faint scent he had picked up earlier—could it have been ghostwood fungus? That was hardcore. That stuff was potent even for him before he became a full-fledged knight. Tsk, tsk.

"Thank you," the magician said to Wang Yu.

Wang Yu waved it off casually. The viscountess posed no real threat to anyone.

The butler took the viscountess away, but he gave Wang Yu a strange look, likely because Wang Yu had spoken too openly about... certain things.

Not that Wang Yu had been speaking recklessly—no one present cared much about such matters. If other nobles had been around, he might have considered their "dignity" and kept quiet.

But in this sort of situation, stating the truth outright was the best way to avoid any misunderstandings.

"The viscountess comes from one of the major noble families in the capital. If her mental instability persists, they might try to hold you accountable later, Mr. Wang Yu. Please be cautious."

The magician discreetly relayed a warning to Wang Yu through a communication spell.

"It's fine. Technically, I count as a noble too, even if I don't have a fief." Wang Yu responded privately with his ripples.

Then, Wang Yu began examining the room for any traces that the culprit might have left behind. After a thorough search, he found... nothing.

There were a few clues, he supposed: traces left by the murderer on the floor, and footprints imprinted in the soil in the small graveyard nearby.

It seemed the killer had indeed slain Viscount Glenn with a single strike and then quickly fled through the window.

However, aside from footprints, the culprit had left behind no other identifying marks—nothing that could be used for tracking. Even astrology, which required a medium, couldn't be used for detection.

Wang Yu had also examined Glenn's wound. It was useless as evidence. The only conclusion he could draw was that the killer had punched Viscount Glenn with the strength of a grand knight, piercing straight through him.

It made sense—even a full-fledged knight like Wang Yu would suffer broken bones and torn muscles from a punch like that. For an ordinary person like Viscount Glenn, death would have been instantaneous.

His gaze shifted to the tarot card in Charles' hands, the Wheel of Fortune. Wang Yu had high expectations for it.

This tarot card, which Charles had previously used to reveal past events, should have provided valuable clues. Yet Charles hadn't used it, and Wang Yu wasn't sure why.

Noticing Wang Yu's gaze, Charles sent him a magical message.

"The Wheel of Fortune only reveals events of significant importance. Its criteria are based on their impact on reality and the void. However, what happened in this room is not considered a valid target. Instead, something that occurred in the graveyard outside is.

"My intuition tells me that releasing that information right now would cause trouble... I'll share it with you privately later."

Wang Yu raised an eyebrow, then climbed out the window to inspect the graveyard. He brushed aside some moss covering the gravestones and examined the inscriptions.

"Hmm, Old Walker, gardener, Martinez, cook... seems to be just servants from the estate. Doesn't look suspicious."

It seemed the gravestones were for estate servants who had died of old age or illness. It was nothing unusual.

But just as Wang Yu finished his initial inspection, new footsteps approached the door. Looking up, he saw Hugin and Sieg arriving, along with an organization Wang Yu found particularly familiar—the Noble Investigation Bureau. This was the same group that had previously tried to use Sieg to pressure Wang Yu and Avia's mother.

"We're taking over from here. All unrelated individuals, as well as members of the Nightblades and city guards, return to your posts," Hugin announced with a serious expression.

Wang Yu noticed Sieg discreetly signaling him. Ah, the Professor knew what was up—getting entangled with the Noble Investigation Bureau would mean unnecessary trouble.

The special ops team members left without another word. Before parting, Charles assured them he would reveal the tarot card's findings to them later.

That evening, Wang Yu returned to his small house on Redmaple Street. By the time he opened the door, Avia was already back from the academy, sitting at the table and tinkering with an unfinished alchemical device.

"I bought some food from a popular place in the west side of the city. Charles recommended it—let's eat together."

Wang Yu placed the dinner on the table. Charles had good taste in food, and both he and Avia enjoyed his recommendations.

As the aroma spread, Avia took a deep sniff and smiled in delight. "Wonderful."

"When did you become such a glutton? Be careful, or you'll get fat," Wang Yu teased, gently tapping her nose.

"It's your influence!" Avia stuck out her tongue playfully.

"Hold on—where were you earlier? Why do you have traces of necrotic energy on you?"

Avia had been about to continue speaking, only to notice a lingering aura on Wang Yu. She stood up and approached him to examine it more closely.

"Were you injured again?" Her first observation was the still-healing, ghastly wounds on his hands. She immediately cast a healing spell, her voice filled with concern.

"They're just minor wounds." Wang Yu scratched his head, feeling slightly awkward.

Avia let out a soft sigh. There was nothing she could do—Wang Yu was always like this.

She extended her perception to carefully trace the source of the necrotic energy. As she did, Wang Yu recounted everything that had happened.

"I can see it—a few scattered soul fragments. I'll use Whispers of the Dead to trace their final moments."

A soft gray glow flickered in her palm. Under the influence of her necromantic spell, the residual necrotic energy around Wang Yu dissipated, transforming into information that flowed into Avia.

Her expression darkened as she processed the information. When she reopened her eyes, she looked at Wang Yu grimly.

"Younger souls, tormented and suffering..." Avia's tone was heavy.

Wang Yu blinked, recalling what he had seen at the Glenn estate and Charles' concerns about the burial ground. He pieced the situation together and clicked his tongue.

"As a knight, I should bring the killer to justice. But honestly? Yeah... serves Viscount Glenn right."