Chapter 501

501 If it succeeded once, can it succeed twice?

[I quickly checked around the place, and only two people were in one room. There are two women in a bedroom. One is young and sleeping peacefully, while the other is a middle-aged maid with a frown on her face.]

[I thought the old woman’s expression was out of place, so I naturally entered the bedroom, but when I entered, my body reacted to chaotic mana distortion.]

[I used Mana Sense promptly and detected what my body was feeling. I discovered how the bedroom is strangely filled with chaotic mana, which was suffocating to me with my mana body.]

[I discern something weird is happening in that bedroom, and we should always stay alert.]

-I understand. I will remain vigilant and scan everything I am given.- Vincent looked at the house with a frown and continued saying telepathically. -I hope I will have no reasons to defend myself and turn Beckly into a criminal.-

[Yeah.]

Kazumi agreed. She didn’t want the name which reminded Vincent of his parent to become tainted, and on the first day at that.

“Please follow us to the living room.” One of the two butlers requested when his master went inside, and the other butler tended to the horse and the carriage.

“Sure.” Vincent accepted without showing caution in his voice.

.....

Vincent and Sofy entered the house. It made them wonder if it was a house or a shed, as every corner was filled with a plant pot.

Some plants were long, others short, and a few others completely harvested with the stem remaining as if it might regrow one day.

The house was larger than Tula’s family but looked smaller than theirs because of the plant pots with various plants taking space.

Vincent and Sofy entered the living room a couple of steps later. They sat on a sofa not too far from a fireplace with one small log burning.

The crackling sound of the fireplace set a calming mood. The next calming thing arrived on wheels. On it were a wine bottle and three wine glasses.

The butler eloquently filled the three glasses and gave one to the lord of the house first and later to the guests.

“This is my best and most favorite wine. ” Aceon said. He raised his glass, gently swirled the wine, took a whiff, and later took a sip. “Best wine ever.”

Vincent remained cautious while Sofy was only going to drink in front of a noble if Vincent decided to drink. Not only because she was a servant but because Vincent would only drink if it were safe.

Vincent raised the glass and checked for poison while swirling the wine to buy time. Fortunately, it wasn’t poisoned, and the details showed how it was made from sweet grapes.

Vincent raised his mask enough to take a sip. His lips arched a smile before it was hidden again by the mask.

“This is really good.” Vincent praised, giving Sofy the okay signal to drink. She took a sip and couldn’t stop.

“Haha. Looks like your servant is a wine lover. ” Aceon casually said.

Sofy blushed, and her ears became red when she became the center of attention. She placed the empty cup on the tea table and said in a low nervous voice, “Thank you for the wine. It was delicious.”

Up until now, the reception was friendly. They were given a ride and later a cup of delectable wine. However, what remained could change the situation from pleasant to sour. It was time to talk business.

“This honorable one likes this wine very much. We can talk business now because I feel pleased by the welcoming reception lord Aceon has graced this honorable one and this honorable one’s servant.”

After saying this, Vincent placed an empty wine glass on the tea table.

The wine glass was empty because Vincent stored the remaining wine when Aceon and his butler’s gazes were focused on Sofy gulping wine like juice.

“I invited a person such as yourself to this humble house unbefitting to a Viscount because I hoped I could make a connection with an importer not from this continent. Furthermore, you purchased a book about Sigil Mages, and it made me more interested in you.” Aceon explained.

Aceon placed his wine glass on the tea table and pointed at the plants. “I have collected wide varieties of plants from the auction house, but their cost is based on the competition to win the auction. I want to buy at a fixed price, and I also want rare and special plants or crops.”

Vincent and Kazumi understood why they were invited now.

Viscount Aceon Ponalis requested to become one of Vincent’s clients after believing he was a person from a different continent. Not to mention one where the Graymoon family would give him VIP status.

*Sigh* “This honorable one regrets to inform you it will not be possible.”

“W... why?” Aceon became shocked to hear the rejection.

“Regrettably, this honorable one does not have a lot of connections. However, this honorable one knows a special person who can harvest a plant and create a seed through a meticulous alchemy process that even this honorable one does not understand.”

Aceon became happy to hear this. He pointed at a couple of plants in the corridor and said, “I have a few plants that stopped fruiting. It would be great if they could...”

“The process takes time.” Vincent interrupted. “Additionally, it will take months for the plants to regrow and later fruit.”

Aceon’s smile faded, and he looked like a person without hope.

[Poor man. I think it might be because of his daughter.]

“Lord Aceon. Is there a reason you require imidate need of plants with special properties?” Vincent asked without revealing how he knew two women were in a nearby bedroom.

Aceon clasped his hand together and anxiously asked, “I want this to remain a secret, okay?”

“Yes.” Both Vincent and Sofy said promptly.

“My daughter is suffering from a unique condition, and I have spent almost all my family fortune buying unique herbs, plants, potions, and crops to help my daughter relieve some of her pain.”

*Sigh* After exhaling a stressful sigh, Aceon continued, “My friend Duke Bobstrider Von Milloween is currently helping me with most of the funds.”

[Bobstrider Von Milloween? Isn’t he the owner of Okan Village? You also gained some reputation points with him because of the Promised Quest as well.]

Vincent rubbed his mask’s chin and thought of something related to why he was invited.

-Kazumi. If Aceon became interested because I bought the Sigil Mage book, could it be that his daughter suffers from uncontrolled mana and sigil spell?-

[Are you thinking his daughter is suffering like Ester?]

-Yeah.-

[I can’t be sure because, as I mentioned, the bedroom was unusually filled with disrupting chaotic mana. However, it didn’t look like she was using a sigil spell while sleeping.]

[Well, thinking about it, she looked like a person who was in deep sleep or unconscious.]

Vincent stood up and requested, “Can you take this honorable one to your daughter? I want to use the special inspection gemstone embedded inside the mask to check her condition.”

Aceon pondered for a while before agreeing. “Okay, but wait for a while. My maid needs to help my daughter wear appropriate clothing and prepare the room to receive guests.”

The butler understood and went to inform the maid. He returned a while with a frown on his face.

The butler approached Aceon and whispered, “The herbs stopped working all of a sudden, and the young lady is in a trance again. We have not restocked to give the young lady another dose because we believed we had two more days.”

[Vincent! I sense great chaotic mana expanding from the bedroom!]

Vincent felt the temperature suddenly become warmer. He looked at Aceon and bluntly asked, “I can feel uncontrolled mana coming from a nearby room. Is your daughter perhaps a Sigil Mage?”

“... yes”

“This honorable one needs to see her promptly. You look like a man that doesn’t know what to do. Place your trust in this honorable one as a human being that wants to help another.” Vincent said. Afterward, he quickly headed for the bedroom, but the butler rushed to block his way.

“No entry unless my lord allows entry. ” The butler warned.

Vincent turned his head at the distraught Aceon and demanded, “This honor... No! I might be able to save your daughter. Let me in, or I will plant your butler into the wall like the rest of the plants.”

Aceon stared at Vincent when he heard a hopeful sentence. He stood up and asked, “Can you really help my daughter? I don’t have much, but I will offer whatever I can. But can I see who you are under the mask? Please put my doubts to rest.”

Vincent removed the mask and looked at Aceon with a determined gaze.

“I am Vincent Lionheart. Become my loyal ally, and I will do my best to save your daughter. I can invite you next time to my home if you want proof. My Sigil Mage wife is living an ordinary life after saving her from the brink of death.”

Aceon couldn’t believe what he had heard. The man in front of him is the infamous commoner man who married a widow for nobility.

However, Aceon had no other ropes of hope to grab left. He had to believe in the man who revealed his identity as a member of the Lionheart family.

“Allow entry and lead my daughter’s savior to her bedroom. ” Aceon ordered. He got up and hastily followed after them alongside Sofy.