Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 195

In the Sun Duke’s office, Vivian lounged on the sofa with the ease of someone strolling through their own bedroom. She casually bit into a ripe apple, the crisp sound echoing in the silence.

The Sun Duke watched her intently, his gaze unwavering even as her pale thigh peeked out from her dress. The room was silent until he finally spoke, his voice heavy with displeasure, “Why have you come to my domain?”

Vivian didn’t look at him, her attention seemingly on another fruit, “Hmm… just because?”

“Just because?” The Duke scoffed, a hollow laugh escaping him before the room suddenly grew hot, the temperature rising rapidly.

Amidst the growing heat, Vivian simply smiled, unaffected. “Testing my patience, are we, Vivian?”

The Duke’s fiery aura swelled into flames that filled the room, yet they dared not touch the sofa where Vivian reclined—a testament to her power. Her specialty was curses, often deemed inferior to magic but now, with her rise, they were considered equal, if not superior.

Noticing a talisman between her fingers, the Duke frowned, “A charm?”

If magic had its circles, curses had their charms. Vivian’s charm craft was so peculiar it could deceive the very laws of the world. The flames that couldn’t reach her were likely repelled by a similar trick.

She looked back at him, a playful taunt in her gaze, “Why so heated?”

“And if I caused such chaos in your realm, would you still be smiling?” he challenged.

“Of course,” she grinned, causing a crease to form on the Duke’s brow.

Her laughter filled the room, “Ahahaha! Don’t be so stern, Judy.”

With her last word, the charm in her hand ignited into ashes—the Duke’s flames had finally invaded her space.

“If you call me that again, I won’t let it slide,” he warned, his face set hard.

“Aww, but we had fun, didn’t we?” she teased.

The Duke’s teeth ground together at her words, but Vivian found his frustration amusing, clapping her hands in delight.

After a moment, she wiped a tear from her eye, “You’re too cute when teased, Judy. Always have been.”

“Enough nonsense. Tell me why you’re here,” he demanded.

Her eyes twinkled mischievously, “You know why I’m here, don’t you?”

“For that boy?”

“Maybe for you, Judy.”

“You really…”

“Ahahaha! Just kidding. You’re right, though.”

The Duke closed his eyes, resigned. This vexing woman took pleasure in mocking him, a past he desperately wished to erase.

“If it were any other noble, I’d have settled this with a duel,” he thought, but Vivian’s power was the antithesis of his own—unpredictable and enigmatic.

They had clashed before, and he knew subduing her was nearly impossible. A life-or-death battle might change the outcome, but pillars of the empire couldn’t clash recklessly.

He sank into his chair, deciding to ignore whatever she said next.

But then Vivian tilted her head, “Didn’t expect you to get so angry.”

“What do you mean?”

“You knew from the start. That it was my doing.”

The Duke remained silent. He had known, sensing something off when he first saw the corpse of Viscount Morris and confirming it upon closer inspection.

Everyone present had fallen under a spell, and only Vivian could have cast it.

Yet, he had watched without intervening because…

“You wanted to see his abilities for yourself, didn’t you?” Vivian asked slyly.

She was right. He had been curious about Yan, whose skills had been praised by Merriott and whose reputation was growing throughout the empire.

But he wouldn’t admit it aloud, not wanting to give her the satisfaction.

Vivian, however, saw right through him.

“I’d love to tease you more, but I’d rather not have you throw a tantrum like before,” she thought.

She had used a significant amount of her power casting a large-scale spell with the charm she brought.

With a bitter smile, she conceded, “I thought he was just a lucky kid at first, but his skills are indeed remarkable.”

The Duke’s eyebrows twitched.

“In terms of mental and spiritual strength, he’s among the empire’s top?”

Her next words left the Duke speechless.

“That kid resisted my curse. Not completely, but significantly.”

The Duke’s eyes widened, “Your curse? Are you sure?”

“Do I look like an amateur who can’t tell the difference? For some reason, the kid wasn’t affected by the curse.”

Vivian recalled the spell she had cast on the brash young boy. It was meant to erase memories and implant false ones.

If affected, he should have recalled the false memories and believed he was the killer.

But he acted as if he simply had no memory of the event.

She remembered him pressing his temples several times when she was disguised as a child named Kasa.

A hypothesis formed in her mind, “Could it be…”

As her expression hardened, the Duke asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Judy, could it be…”

She stopped herself and shook her head, “It’s nothing.”

Standing up, she turned to leave, “Well, thanks to me, you now know he’s quite skilled. Let’s call it even?”

“You…”

“See you next time, if there’s a chance. Don’t look for me too much.”

Vivian cut him off and quickly exited the office.

The Duke frowned and followed, but only Merriott stood there with an apologetic look.

And Vivian’s presence was nowhere to be felt.

* * *

After the commotion of Vivian’s curse magic had settled, Viscount Morris and Kasa, who had been trapped together in the bathroom cleaning closet, were immediately escorted to the investigation room by the knights.

The interrogation was not as forceful as before. It was nonsensical to hold them accountable when the culprit was one of the four great dukes, Vivian herself.

However, it was necessary to understand how they had been ensnared, so the investigation proceeded with a simple Q&A format.

Yan waited in a chair next to the interrogation room for Kasa to emerge. Unfortunately, the first to come out was Viscount Morris.

As he stepped out, his eyes met Yan’s.

‘Tch, it would be troublesome if he makes a scene again.’

Yan inwardly clicked his tongue and stood up.

“Are you alright, sir?”

Viscount Morris didn’t answer Yan’s question; instead, he looked around hastily, seemingly checking for the presence of other nobles.

Yan’s gaze darkened at this behavior, suspecting that the Viscount was about to cause another inconvenience.

Just then, something unexpected happened.

“I apologize!”

Viscount Morris bowed deeply after confirming there were no other nobles around, which took Yan by surprise.

Even though he was of a slightly higher rank, Yan hadn’t expected Viscount Morris to show such humility.

Viscount Morris, sensing Yan’s inner thoughts, gave an awkward smile.

“You don’t have to look at me like that. I’ve heard from others. You are the empire’s only executioner…”

“Still, in terms of rank, you are above me, Viscount Morris.”

“No, not at all. Only those who know nothing boast about their titles. True worth lies in one’s abilities, doesn’t it?”

There seemed to be other reasons as well, but…

‘Well, what’s good is good.’

Yan coolly decided to accept Viscount Morris’s apology.

“If that’s the case, I’ll accept your apology. Please, raise your head. It’s uncomfortable for me. Haha.”

“Hehe, thank you for accepting my apology.”

Yan chuckled lightly.

It seemed as though Viscount Morris, who liked to be noticed, had been rude, but his apology was sincere.

Of course, it could be due to the achievements and status Yan had built up to now, but his nature didn’t seem so calculating.

‘And owing a favor to a superhuman might come in handy someday.’

Considering his presence was faint in Yan’s memory, it seemed Viscount Morris hadn’t played a significant role in his past life, but he had skills nonetheless.

“Are you leaving already? The banquet has only been over for a day.”

“Ha, haha. It’s a bit uncomfortable for me to stay.”

Viscount Morris decided to leave for his domain immediately after the investigation.

He grinned.

“Ha, it’s fortunate that the executioner is such a magnanimous person. If you hadn’t accepted my apology, I’d already be feeling dizzy.”

“It’s nothing.”

“That’s why I wanted to say… I would love to invite you to my domain sometime. If you’re ever free, please come visit. I’ll treat you to the special cheese from the Morris territory!”

“It’s an honor to have the chance to taste the special cheese from the Morris territory.”

As Yan was bidding farewell to Viscount Morris…

Zap.

Something touched his senses.

Yan bid Viscount Morris farewell with an unfazed expression.

‘Didn’t Viscount Morris feel anything?’

A strong energy was felt, and if Viscount Morris, who was considered a superhuman, didn’t sense it, there was only one answer.

‘It’s calling me.’

Yan turned with a stern face and walked towards the source of the sensation.