Chapter 302: Betrayal from Within

Helag picked up the wooden rose sculpture and examined it closely.

The rose was intricately carved, showcasing the sculptor’s exceptional craftsmanship—it was a true work of art.

However, the wriggling purple worm inside the rose turned this beautiful piece into something far more sinister.

From the moment Helag first saw Muse, he had known that the servant was an Abyssal cultist.

The overwhelming Abyssal energy emanating from Muse was painfully obvious to Helag.

But he couldn’t accuse Muse without evidence.

Helag quickly pieced together what had likely happened: someone had gifted Amisha a wooden sculpture made by Max, but instead of Amisha becoming a cultist, her servant, Muse, had fallen under the sculpture’s influence.

Helag kept his suspicions to himself and, after confirming that the sculpture wasn’t among Amisha’s birthday gifts, he had a pretty good idea of what had transpired.

A few more questions directed at Muse, combined with his observations of the servant’s breathing, heartbeat, and eye movements, confirmed that Muse was lying.

Now, with the discovery of the wooden rose sculpture in Muse’s room, Helag had undeniable proof that Muse was indeed an Abyssal cultist.

Holding the wooden rose, Helag turned to Muse and asked, “How do you explain this sculpture?”

Muse’s breathing became erratic as he stammered, “I… I don’t… I don’t know. Maybe it was left here by someone else. It has nothing to do with me.”

“Miss, please step back,” Blank immediately positioned himself in front of Amisha, ready to protect her in case Muse tried something desperate.

Even though Amisha was a formal wizard and Muse was just an ordinary person, Blank’s instinct was to ensure her safety.

“Muse! I can’t believe you dared to touch my things!” Amisha scolded angrily.

“No… I… I didn’t…” Muse was panicking, his mind a blank.

He knew exactly what had happened. Last year, he had secretly stolen two of Amisha’s birthday gifts, intending to sell them on the black market for some extra cash.

He hadn’t dared to take anything large, only two small gift boxes.

Taking anything bigger would have been too obvious and difficult to sneak out.

The wooden rose sculpture had been in one of the small, narrow boxes. Muse had slipped it into his clothes and walked out without anyone noticing.

This wasn’t the first time Muse had done something like this. He knew Amisha didn’t care about the gifts in the storeroom, so even if he took a few, no one would notice.

But this time, he had been caught.

When Blank had called him to the storeroom earlier, Muse hadn’t realized the gravity of the situation. He thought they were just retrieving some items.

But when he heard they were looking for last year’s birthday gifts, his heart sank, and a sense of dread washed over him.

Even then, he clung to a sliver of hope, thinking it might not be about the two items he had stolen.

But when Helag used his magic sensing and mentioned the word “sculpture,” Muse felt as if the sky had fallen.

He knew that the wooden sculpture allowed communication with a powerful entity from the Abyss Plane, granting some of its power.

He also knew that those who used such items were called Abyssal cultists, and once discovered, they were as good as dead.

Muse had been silently praying to the dark gods, hoping they would protect him and help him escape this situation.

But when Helag broke the bottom of the wardrobe and pulled out the wooden rose, Muse’s last shred of hope was shattered.

It was over.

Muse’s mind went blank for a long moment before he snapped back to reality.

When he did, he found Blank watching him warily, with Amisha standing behind him, glaring angrily.

Across from him, the young man named Helag was smiling, holding the rose sculpture in his hand.

Run!

That was the only thought in Muse’s mind.

If he didn’t run, he would die. If he was caught, he would die.

Muse didn’t think about how he, an ordinary person, could possibly escape from a wizard.

As soon as he tried to turn and flee, he felt his entire body freeze, unable to move.

“Dark Bind,” Helag muttered, casting a spell that immobilized Muse.

Helag was quite pleased. He hadn’t expected to catch an Abyssal cultist in the Mori family estate—this would earn him more contribution points.

He pulled out a vial and, after snapping the wooden rose in half, used tweezers to extract the purple worm from inside and placed it into the vial.

This little creature was solid evidence—and more contribution points.

Amisha’s face turned pale when she saw the purple worm, and she instinctively took a step back.

She felt a wave of relief wash over her, grateful that she had never opened the gift box.

Who would have thought that such a beautiful rose sculpture could contain something so terrifying?

The thought of it made Amisha shudder.

Helag placed the vial into his spatial ring and took out a communication stone to send a message to Pruis: “While investigating at the Mori family estate, I discovered that one of the servants is likely an Abyssal cultist. I found a worm-like creature inside a wooden rose sculpture.”

Pruis quickly replied, “Excellent! Bring both the person and the evidence back. I’m too busy to come over myself. How strong is the servant? Can you handle him?”

If the cultist was too powerful, Pruis would send reinforcements.

But if Helag could manage on his own, it would save manpower.

“He’s just an ordinary person. No problem. I’ll head back immediately,” Helag responded.

“Good. Be careful on your way back,” Pruis advised.

Helag put away the communication stone and turned to Blank. “Miss Amisha, Mr. Blank, I suspect that Muse is an Abyssal cultist. I’ll need to take him to City Hall for questioning.”

Since Muse was a servant of the Mori family, it was only polite to inform them.

Of course, it was more of a courtesy than a request.

Blank nodded. “Understood. I’ll prepare the carriage and take you there.”

When it came to matters involving Abyssal cultists, Blank didn’t dare delay, nor would he try to stop them.

Now that a cultist had been discovered within the Mori family estate, things were bound to get complicated, and the entire household would undergo a thorough investigation.