Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 672

"Oh, the doctor has been here for a year and hasn't left since. It seems he has no family outside the manor."

The butler explained, while the doctor beside him gave a silent nod, unwilling to discuss the topic.

The rate at which an Enchanter advanced was difficult to gauge; it was heavily dependent on talent. Jenkins couldn't determine whether the doctor had become an Enchanter before or after starting his work here, nor could he tell if the man had any connection to the disappearances of his friends.

After a brief inspection of the room and a glance at the doctor's bookshelf, they returned to Miss Mikhail's bedchamber. She had still not awoken. The doctor proposed injecting her with some medicine to maintain her health, but Jenkins refused.

People of this era had a very superficial understanding of diseases, and their methods of treatment were simplistic and often terrifying. More importantly, they were completely oblivious to blood-borne illnesses. Metal syringes were often used repeatedly, and Jenkins was unwilling to let his friend contract some strange infectious disease due to a minor oversight.

The next to be examined was the key keeper, Mr. O'Dell. He was ancient, and the only reason he continued to work here was the profound trust the master of the manor placed in him.

Mr. O'Dell didn't live in the manor itself, but in a small, separate cabin out back. It was closer to the steam furnace that heated the estate, so the workers who managed the furnace were essentially his neighbors.

His room was filled with a musty, damp odor, a smell that seemed common to the rooms of the elderly. The furniture was as old as Mr. O'Dell himself, and the wooden floorboards creaked with every step. The black-and-white photographs hanging on the wall were, ironically, the newest-looking things in the room.

The old man was the only ordinary person among the three suspects, which allowed Jenkins to relax his guard slightly.

He recalled the classic trope from detective novels and posed the question.

"No, sir. I believe such things exist only in detective novels. I've worked here for nearly ten years and have never heard of anything of the sort."

The butler replied, then turned his gaze to the key keeper, who was the most senior staff member at the snowstorm manor.

"I am also unaware of any such passages in the manor."

Jenkins nodded. Another lie. So, there really was a secret passage.

By the time they trudged back through the snow from the cabin to the manor, it was nearly ten o'clock at night, but no one felt the slightest inclination to sleep. Quake's body was still in his room, and until the murderer was found, no one dared to rest peacefully.

The good news was that Miss Mikhail had woken up. Jenkins wasn't sure if his clandestine healing had anything to do with it, but the priority now was to ask her what had happened to the group that went outside.

She was still weak. Though she had managed to sit up, she had to lean on Miss Lindsay to keep from slumping over.

"Not long after we went out, the blizzard grew much heavier. We discussed heading back early to avoid any accidents, but in the blink of an eye, Jennifer was gone. We followed her footprints and found some strange tracks in the bushes, away from the path. From that point on, it looked like Jennifer had started running..."

This must have been where Miss Lindsay had gotten separated from the others and encountered the giant spider. Of course, to everyone else, Jenkins and Laurel had claimed she ran into a wolf pack. As for the tracks, they were now completely buried under the snow, so he trusted no one would dwell on that detail.

Miss Mikhail took a deep breath, and Jenkins immediately reached out and took her arm to help her calm down.

"Then, we saw a strange person in white clothes, holding a shotgun, with their face completely covered. He fired a shot at us, and Hathaway grabbed me and we ran. We got separated from the others during the chase, and by the time we stopped, I had no idea where we were."

"Then where is Miss Hersha now?" Dıscover more novels at N0velFire.ɴet

Jenkins fought to keep the anxiety from his voice.

"I'm sorry, I was just so exhausted. I fell asleep not long after we stopped. When I woke up, I was here. Jenkins, what on earth happened? I thought I heard you say Quake is dead..."

She reached out with her right hand and clasped his. The girl's hand was very warm, a sign of good health.

"Fell asleep suddenly... could it be Hathaway's 'Lullaby' ability? What could they have possibly encountered that would make Hathaway put Miss Mikhail to sleep in a place like that? Was it really a Mysterious Realm? But even then, there's no reason to leave her alone in the pine forest."

Although Miss Mikhail hadn't provided any useful information, her safe return was the greatest comfort to everyone in the manor. Miss Lindsay gradually recounted the events that had transpired. When she mentioned that Hathaway was still missing, she looked at Jenkins with pleading eyes.

"You'll find her, won't you?"

Burning with anxiety, Jenkins wished he could charge back out into the blizzard and resume the search immediately, but he knew that now, more than ever, he needed to remain calm. Miss Mikhail couldn't have just teleported from the snowy forest back to the manor. There had to be a logical explanation for her appearance in the basement.

With this thought, he left the small cat, Chocolate, with the women as a bodyguard and headed back to the basement with the butler, the key keeper, and the doctor, hoping to find the hidden passage.

The room, which had been full of people just moments ago, fell silent. The two women looked at the cat resting beside the pillows. After a moment of quiet, they began to talk again about the terrifying events at the snowstorm manor.

"Was it Jenkins who found you?"

The blonde girl on the bed asked again.

"Yes. They were attacked by a wolf pack, and three footmen were killed. Mr. Williams bravely fought off the wolves with his shotgun and later found me by the cliff's edge."

As she spoke, she kept her head down, staring at her own knees to avoid letting her lie show. Miss Lindsay's toes shifted uneasily against each other; she was a terrible liar.

Although Jenkins had already coached Miss Lindsay on how to answer people's questions, not everyone was blessed with his talent for deception.

Fortunately, Miss Mikhail wasn't actually trying to learn the gruesome details of what had happened. She was just looking for something to do, anything to keep her from thinking about the terrible fate Hathaway might be facing. As a result, she didn't notice Laurel's unease.