Deity Investigation Report

Chapter 133 Burning of the Ancient Castle (Third Update)
Sure enough, he had already returned by then!

Han Su felt a slight chill. Luckily, he hadn't rashly summoned the door and rushed over, otherwise he and the bowl-cut man might have ended up in his arms.

Based on my previous experience visiting the castle, I knew that the old butler would return around midnight, about ten minutes after the black cat appeared. Since the key was with Princess Mononoke this time, the only time to steal the key was within that timeframe.

No matter what I do, there's no way I can get the key before the old butler returns; in other words, I can't escape him.

Moreover, at the time, he had no idea that with the black cat's help, the plan to save the pot-headed man would go so smoothly.

So, they never expected to completely evade this old guy and escape before he returned.

With this in mind, he arranged for the children on the first floor to help distract him or serve as a warning if necessary. But even though there was no movement downstairs, his footsteps echoed on the right-hand staircase.

So, after this cunning old fox returned to the castle and discovered the changes on the first floor, he secretly went upstairs to look for him?

'Since that's the case, then I'll find you some work to do.'

As he thought about it, he grabbed a candle, quietly pulled back his bowl-cut hair, and slipped into the room he had just passed through on his way upstairs. When he listened again, he could already hear heavy footsteps coming from the right stairwell.

Clearly, he had just heard his footsteps through a spell, which allowed him to pinpoint his location on the ninth floor.

Just then, Han Su felt a gentle tap on his back. He turned around and saw a naturally smiling bowl cut hairstyle.

He wouldn't speak if I told him not to, but his lifeless eyes stared straight at me, and he gestured with his hands as if asking if I had a knife.

What kind of knife is that?!

Who can you stab with a knife?

You're not the grumpy guy on the third floor...

Han Su waved to him, gently closed the door, and with his bowl-cut haircut, went into the room. He raised a candle and saw that the room was covered with cobwebs, row upon row of the Ghost Princess's clothes.

It was cool and slippery to the touch, and I didn't know what material it was made of, but the style was similar, and the overall style was old and luxurious.

Han Su tore off a piece of clothing, laid it on the ground, tore off a strip, carefully lit it, and made sure the fire would spread to the entire row of clothes.

The man with the bowl cut hair next to him, seeing his impulse to ignite the fire, seemed to finally have a spark of life in his dark, hollow eyes, though his head tilted slightly, looking somewhat strange.
Why didn't you select the top row?

'...'

"Let's go!"

Once Han Su was certain that the fire wouldn't be too intense, he took the candle and walked behind the cabinet against the wall.

He and the Duke just climbed up from here.

However, it was really inconvenient to go through the secret passage with a candle, so he also took an old kerosene lamp that was hanging on the wall.

Holding their breath, they passed through a series of dark passages and went straight down.

During this time, the man with the bowl cut followed him silently without making a sound.

The children in Han Su's escape team were either brave, smart, or obedient, but this guy with the bowl cut was, in a way, a bit strange, the kind of kid that adults couldn't understand.

But he never holds anyone back.

The two stealthily made their way to the third floor. During this time, Han Su was somewhat apprehensive, after all, his repeated escapes had instilled fear in him of the mysterious will within the castle that could change things invisibly.

Unexpectedly, things went smoothly this time. Every step of the plan met my expectations, and we eventually arrived at the revolving conference room on the third floor.

'This is the treatment I deserve...'

Han Su thought to himself, he had escaped from this castle many times before, and he knew the general location of all the monsters. He was also small in stature, so escaping should not be difficult.

But there was that mysterious will that always quietly patched up the loopholes he had exploited, which caused him to suffer setbacks time and time again. Perhaps the loophole he had just exploited last time would become a trap next time.

Now that the Black Cat Duke has shown him these secret passages, he has regained his advantage in the game of hide-and-seek.

And just as I had guessed last time, these secret passages were originally part of the castle, so they were not repaired by that mysterious will.

Along the way, Han Su used the candles from the lantern on each floor he passed, or on curtains, dresses, carpets, or decorative paintings.

I ordered everything I could for him.

As it descended, it left behind a trail of faint but precious flames, allowing them to quietly spread and grow stronger.

The boy with the bowl cut next to Han Su initially just stared coldly at him, but his expression gradually became more and more animated, and by the end, he was clearly excited, even showing a sense of admiration.

Han Su knew that starting fires to burn things was one of the three great hobbies of the guy with the pot lid.

She first discovered his uniqueness when she was searching for a source of fire and met him, who also shared her interest in fire.

And he himself, looking at those sparks, also felt a sense of relief:

This damned castle, I've wanted to burn it down for ages!

……

They were also quite fast, and with their deliberate control of the fire, the castle remained quiet when they reached the third floor. Han Su dared not delay, so he handed the lantern to the pot-lid-headed man and secretly cast the No. 07 cipher spell once again, listening carefully.

Hearing the faint sound of a child sobbing coming from inside the conference room, he frowned slightly: "Did someone really run over from the cellar?"

"When the old steward returned to the castle, he must have already discovered them. Why didn't he capture them?"

"Are you trying to hook me?"

"..."

A cold smile involuntarily crept onto his lips: The old man still thinks he can fool us like children!
Let's see if you've hooked me this time, or if I've taken your bait and run away.

……

At this point, they already had a pot lid head, and even if they only took this one, they would have broken even. But since they calculated the time and the fire was about to start burning, they might as well take a gamble.

He listened intently, but heard no footsteps from the old butler. He then used Abyss Spell #01 and slowly emerged from the shadows. He went straight into the revolving conference room opposite and approached a corner.

There were three dark, shadowy figures huddled together, not daring to make a sound.

Han Su suddenly spoke up: "Are only the three of you coming up?"

While he was invisible, the three children didn't notice him. When he suddenly spoke, he startled them so much that they almost screamed, but they immediately held back.

"They...they didn't dare to come. Some...some were afraid, so they went back..."

One of the bolder children explained, looking at Han Su with pleading eyes: "Where...where is the adult?"

With courage far beyond their years, they sneaked all the way here because Han Su had said that an adult would meet them here. But in reality, all they found here was the strange woman's shrill laughter and the deathly darkness.

In response to their questions, Han Su said in a low voice, "I am the adult."

"I came here to save you!"

As he spoke, he gripped the key tightly and led them to the back door, which was less than twenty meters from the corridor.

Looking out, one could vaguely see flames falling; judging by the time, Princess Mononoke's dress must have caught fire.

it's time!

Han Su turned around and whispered, "No matter what happens later, run with me. As long as you can reach the end of the corridor, I can take you out."

"Understand?"

Influenced by Han Su's attitude, the three children could only nod in bewilderment.

But they didn't really understand why they rushed to the end of that seemingly empty corridor; their panic simply rendered them powerless to ask.

The man with the bowl cut hair next to him glanced at Han Su, then at the dark stairwell, and seemed to be deep in thought before moving closer to Han Su.

"Follow me!"

Han Su let out a heavy sigh, took a few steps closer to the door, silently gripped the key, and muttered to himself:

"The door, the door should be appearing..."

The key in my hand felt icy cold, as if it sensed my intentions and a strange activity was activated, triggering something deeper. In this deathly and oppressive castle, an invisible force seeped in and changed everything inside.

At the end of the corridor, on the wall that was originally empty, a door quietly appeared.

It was firmly embedded there, as if it had always existed.

The green "EXIT" lettering above seemed to bring a touch of vitality to this despairing and dark castle.

"run!"

Han Su suddenly spoke in a low voice, then gritted his teeth and strode towards the end of the corridor.

The other children immediately followed him, even the one with the bowl cut. His injured leg was actually very serious, something that ordinary adults couldn't bear, but he limped along as if he didn't feel any pain and ran faster than anyone else.

No monsters came to stop them, nor were the subordinate monsters alerted.

The angry shouts of the young man were coming from the other end of the corridor, but the doctor seemed oblivious to the commotion.

There is hope...

"Oh dear, if I hadn't discovered these scurrying little mice, I wouldn't even have known that an external force had invaded the Emperor's domain..."

But at that very moment, a cold and strange laugh suddenly rang out.

The sound descended from the empty stairwell like a thunderclap, terrifying all the children. Most strangely, with each additional word spoken, the sound seemed to draw closer.

It seemed that the voice was rapidly approaching them. As soon as the words were spoken, it appeared to be right above their heads, and then, after turning a corner, they were about to collide.

The old man has finally arrived?
A primal fear flashed through Han Su's mind, but what followed was an unprecedented ruthlessness.

"You still have time to worry about me? You should take a look at your own place first!"

(End of this chapter)