Chapter 301: The Storeroom

The packaging of the gifts alone indicated their value—each one exuded a luxurious aura.

However, most of the packaging was in pristine condition, as if the gifts had never been opened.

It seemed that after receiving them, Amisha had simply stored them here and forgotten about them.

Amisha didn’t care much for these gifts, as most of them were from people she had little to no connection with.

She only valued gifts from friends—those were the ones she would personally open and keep.

The gifts piled up in the storeroom were mostly from business associates or social obligations, which Amisha didn’t particularly like.

She found such gifts too mundane, lacking any real sentiment or friendship.

As a result, these gifts had been relegated to the storeroom.

Even though many of the items were valuable, since they were Amisha’s birthday presents, no one dared touch them without her permission, and they had been left there ever since.

Over time, Amisha herself had forgotten about them.

“Amisha, do you know which of these gifts is the wooden sculpture?” Helag asked, though he didn’t have much hope for an answer.

Amisha glanced at the pile of gifts and said hesitantly, “I… I don’t know.”

Helag smiled. It seemed he couldn’t rely on Amisha for this.

If even Amisha didn’t know, then Blank and the servant likely wouldn’t either. He would have to search for it himself.

Though Helag didn’t think it was necessary to search, he still had to go through the motions.

“Miss Amisha, would you mind if I used magic to sense where the wooden sculpture might be?” Helag asked.

Since these were Amisha’s personal belongings, it was only respectful to ask for her permission before using magic to investigate.

“Of course, go ahead. You can take all of them if you want,” Amisha replied.

Helag chuckled. “No need to take them all. I just need to find the sculpture. Since you’ve given permission, I’ll begin.”

With that, a wave of magical energy rippled from Helag’s body.

In his perception, the contents of the pile of gifts became clear.

There were delicate dolls, precious gemstone necklaces, coral from the sea…

Helag noted the variety of gifts—most were expensive, though some were not as valuable but still unique.

It was clear that some of the gift-givers had put thought into their presents, but unfortunately, Amisha had never even opened them.

After scanning the entire pile, Helag found no trace of the wooden sculpture.

He had expected this outcome but couldn’t say so outright.

Helag turned back with a frown. “I didn’t find any wooden sculptures. Miss Amisha, are you sure all the gifts are here?”

“They should be. I haven’t paid much attention, but no one would dare touch my things,” Amisha replied, though she sounded uncertain.

Blank, sensing something from Helag’s tone, glanced at Muse, the servant, and asked, “Muse, you’re responsible for the gifts, correct?”

Muse looked at Blank and nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Are you certain all of Miss Amisha’s birthday gifts from last year are here?” Blank asked sharply.

Muse’s heart skipped a beat, but he kept his face calm. “Yes, sir. After Miss Amisha selected a few gifts, I placed the rest here. No one has touched them since. I remember clearly.”

Helag said nothing, stepping closer to Muse. “Look at me.”

Muse clenched his fists, visibly nervous. He looked up at Helag, his gaze shifting. “What can I do for you, sir?”

“Did you steal Miss Amisha’s birthday gift?” Helag asked directly.

“No! Absolutely not! Stealing from Miss Amisha would be a death sentence. I would never do such a thing!” Muse quickly shook his head, denying the accusation.

“You’re lying,” Helag said flatly.

Muse’s eyes widened. “I’m not! I didn’t lie! You’re accusing me unfairly!”

Helag smiled. “I’m a formal wizard of Seranthiel. Why would I waste my time accusing a servant like you?”

Amisha fixed her gaze on Muse. “Did you take something of mine?”

Amisha trusted Helag’s words. There was no way he would accuse a servant without reason.

If Helag was making such a claim, it meant he had noticed something.

Muse was responsible for managing the storeroom, and if he had stolen one of her birthday gifts, it would have been difficult for anyone to notice.

Every year, most of Amisha’s birthday gifts were stored in the storeroom, and she never bothered to check them.

Even if a few went missing, no one would ever know.

If Muse had been stealing, it would have been hard to catch him.

“I didn’t, Miss. I swear I didn’t. I wouldn’t dare,” Muse insisted.

Helag spoke calmly. “It’s fine. We’ll find out soon enough. Mr. Blank, where does Muse live?”

Blanc glanced at Muse and replied, “He lives in the servants’ quarters on the west side. Muse has his own room.”

“Got it. Let’s check his room,” Helag said.

Muse’s heart began to race, but he said nothing, still clinging to a sliver of hope.

Blank placed a firm hand on Muse’s shoulder and said in a low voice, “Let’s go check your room. If there’s nothing there, Mr. Helag won’t accuse you unjustly.”

Muse nodded silently, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

The Mori family’s servants’ quarters were quite well-built, consisting of three-story buildings with densely packed rooms.

Most servants had their own rooms, though some of the larger rooms housed two or three people.

The group arrived at Muse’s room and opened the door, revealing a narrow space inside.

Helag entered first, scanning the room. At first glance, there was no sign of the wooden sculpture.

After a moment of thought, Helag released another wave of magical energy, casting a sensing spell.

Using Deep Blue’s environment detection would have been more effective, but in front of the others, it was more appropriate to use magic sensing.

After scanning the room, Helag’s gaze settled on the wardrobe.

As he looked at the wardrobe, Muse instinctively clenched his fists.

Helag walked straight to the wardrobe, and as he opened the door, it creaked loudly.

He moved aside a pile of clothes and tapped on the bottom of the wardrobe, hearing a hollow sound.

Placing two fingers on the wooden panel, Helag pressed down, and the panel cracked, revealing a wooden rose sculpture.