Alvis was listless all day but rekindled his interest in the evening and asked Alex to dinner to talk about some "strange" news. While dining, Alvis was discussing a recent enquiry with Alex when Rolt, Alvis's personal bodyguard, burst in with urgent news: Baron Albert and nine adventurers from the auction house had been killed. The fact that Baron Albert owned a well-known mining firm and was a well-known person in Alex and Alvis were stunned by Parslov City.
Baron Albert was a senator of the Northwest Provincial Council and owned a distinguished title in the southern region of the Kingdom of Alzora. He had a greater impact than the influential Goldert family over the whole Northwest Province. Alvis posed a series of inquiries in an effort to put together the sequence of incidents that resulted in the deaths of the foreign adventurers and the three female elf captives.
Being there at the morning auction where the slaves were bought gave Alex the impression that the Baron Albert was somehow involved. Alvis couldn't help but believe they were behind the killings given the strange figure's constant presence and the Baron's apparent tendency to follow them everywhere.
An older guy wearing a black tuxedo and white gloves walked into the room without waiting for Rolt to respond. He gave Alvis a proper salute, and Alvis and Alex both stood up and did the same.
Everyone in the Goldert family held Butler Edger in great regard, and Alvis, as the family's successor, was aware that he should be treated with respect. Edger said that he had been sent by the family's head to go with Alvis to see Baron Albert.
Alvis said yes right away and requested Alex to accompany him. The trio made their way to the castle's gate, where a plush carriage with the Goldert family insignia was waiting for them. As is appropriate for their roles as stewards, Alex and Edger followed behind Alvis and took seats in the smaller chairs at the door after the valet had opened the door for them.
Viscount Ashby Goldert, Alvis's father, was seated inside the carriage and had a dejected expression on his face. He didn't change his look when the three individuals got inside the carriage, so nobody could tell what he was thinking. In his late forties, Viscount Ashby was a tall, respectable man with a reputation for having served in the army as a young man and for having the strength of a senior apprentice knight. However, as he became older and heavier, he started to look more like a businessman than a knight.
"Father!" Alvis exclaimed, clearly a little scared as he sat down opposite Viscount Ashby. The older man simply grunted in response, his eyes scanning Alex's body before turning back to his son and asking in a flat tone, "Did you go to the auction this morning?"
Alvis nodded and admitted, "Yes, I heard that three elves arrived last night, but they seemed to have something to do with 'weird', so I gave up." Viscount Ashby's eyes flashed with relief at this response, saying, "Yes, it's good that your mind is still sober. You know how to understand the situation and control yourself."
"Thanks father, for the compliment," Alvis replied, secretly relieved that his every move did not escape Viscount Ashby's notice.
As it approached 25 Westbrook Street, the opulent residence of Baron Albert in the affluent town of Parslov, the carriage drove easily down the street. Alex and the others realised that the street was teeming with bustle as they got closer. The police had established a perimeter to keep people away from the mob that had assembled.
Alex saw that many important people from the community, such as the mayor, the head of the municipal council, and the police chief, had already come. Alex and the others were permitted to walk through the barrier and enter the mansion with Viscount Ashby by their sides.
They heard a woman's cries coming from the living room as they entered. They came saw a young, attractive woman in her 20s sobbing and receiving comfort from the chubby president of the Parslov City Chamber of Commerce. The first commoner-born heir to the Baron's inheritance, Alex discovered that this woman was the baroness.
Viscount Ashby greeted the woman formally before heading towards the study on the first floor. Alex and the others followed but were stopped at the door as the room was crowded with the mayor, the chairman, and the chief of police, as well as forensic personnel from the police station. Despite being blocked from entering, Alex could see through the open door that the Baron's body was still hanging in the air, the victim of a murder that had taken place in his own study.
The rope was hanging from the lamp base of the crystal chandelier, and the corpse below was a pale blue colour. Its eyes were protruding, and its tongue was sticking out. Its hands and feet were twisted and appeared to be broken, making it clear that this was not a suicide.
The police station's forensic physician started his investigation as the body was lowered. After a little while, the seasoned senior forensic physician lifted his head and informed the police chief that this was not a typical murder but rather something more because the corpse clearly had psionic reflexes.
The chief muttered an expletive while realising they would need to alert the Special Bureau and inform them of the peculiar murder. Alex listened to the talk from outside the door and his mind began to run, especially when psionic reactions were brought up.
Knowing that psychic strength was the basis for superhuman skills in this world, he had a strategy taking shape in his head. He had accidently triggered the cemetery inside of him when he had earlier absorbed the psionic energy contained in the half-bone whistle, but he required additional psionic energy to complete the activation.