The Psychopathic Beast Emperor

Bahamut did not move immediately. His blindfolded eyes remained fixed on the elderly groundskeeper trimming the hedges inside the estate.

"Interesting." A faint smile tugged at his lips.

"I think... we’ve just found our first thread."

The others instinctively followed his gaze.

The old man looked completely ordinary. His back was slightly bent with age, his hair almost entirely white, and he wore the simple brown attire of a servant. In one hand was a pair of gardening shears, and in the other, a wicker basket filled with freshly cut flowers.

"What exactly are we looking at?" Lily asked quietly.

"The old man?" Alana tilted her head.

Exildra narrowed her eye, catching up on something, "He’s nervous."

Bahamut nodded. "He isn’t working."

"What?"

"He trims one branch..." Bahamut said softly. "And looks toward that alley. He’s repeating the same pattern."

Alya looked surprised. "I didn’t even notice..."

"You weren’t supposed to," Bahamut replied. "He isn’t making it obvious."

His perception stretched further, picking up the old man’s heartbeat, his breathing, and the minute contractions of his muscles... Everything painted a picture.

"He isn’t scared..." Bahamut murmured. "He’s expecting someone."

"Do we approach him?" Lily whispered.

"No." Bahamut immediately shook his head. "If he’s involved with the kidnappers, he’ll disappear the moment strangers question him."

"And if he’s innocent?" Alana asked.

"Then we’ll only frighten him."

He thought for a second before turning toward Alya.

"Can we enter that estate?"

She looked up at the massive mansion.

"The House of Viscount Elridge. Hmm..." She then smiled. "Actually... Yes."

Bahamut looked at her.

"The viscount’s wife loves exotic flowers."

"So?"

"So..." Alya suddenly smiled mischievously. "I happen to know one merchant who supplies them."

"You really know everyone," Lily commented in disbelief.

"I’ve lived here twenty-six years."

...

Less than ten minutes later, the five stood before the estate’s front gate. Two armored guards blocked the entrance.

"Halt! What business do you have with House Elridge?"

Alya stepped forward elegantly.

"My lord wishes to discuss a rare flower shipment with Lady Elridge."

One guard looked Bahamut up and down.

"Your identity?"

Bahamut calmly handed over the forged documents Victor had prepared. The guard opened them and his expression changed subtly.

"Lord Kai Valen?"

"Correct."

The second guard quickly bowed.

"Our apologies, my lord. Please wait while we inform Lady Elridge."

The gates opened shortly afterward, and they were escorted inside. The estate itself was beautiful. Rows of perfectly maintained gardens stretched around a three-story mansion built from polished white marble. Colorful flowers bloomed everywhere while small fountains decorated the pathways. Servants moved quietly between buildings carrying trays, linens, and gardening equipment. Everything looked... far too normal to raise any kind of suspicion.

Bahamut quietly observed every servant. No one laughed. No one chatted. No one even looked at the other. They just worked like machines, as if they were controlled or worse... His brows furrowed.

A middle-aged noblewoman soon greeted them warmly. She wore an elegant emerald dress decorated with pearls.

"My Lord Valen. It is an honor."

Bahamut offered a polite bow. "The honor is mine."

A servant immediately prepared tea while the two discussed. Lady Elridge smiled pleasantly.

"I hear your family specializes in rare flowers."

"So I’ve been told."

Bahamut answered without missing a beat. Lily nearly choked with laughter behind her composed expression. As tea was served, Bahamut allowed Alya to steer the conversation. She truly was remarkable. Within minutes, they were discussing flower cultivation, medicinal herbs, foreign gardens, and decorative vines, some of which Bahamut had never heard of.

It sounded completely ordinary until Alya casually asked,

"I noticed your estate employs many servants."

Lady Elridge sighed.

"Unfortunately, we’ve had staffing issues recently."

"Oh?"

"Several servants disappeared." Her expression darkened. "Without explanation, no resignations, and no letters. They simply... never returned."

Bahamut placed his teacup down after hearing this. There was a catch... he could feel it.

"How many?"

She hesitated, but answered all the same. She could feel that Bahamut was more than just some young lord.

"Eight."

The room became slightly quieter.

"Over what period?" Bahamut asked.

"About seven months."

"And the authorities?"

"They investigated," She forced a smile. "They found nothing."

"May I ask something?" Bahamut continued.

"Of course."

"Were all eight assigned similar duties?"

She went silent in thought. "I... I never thought about that."

She rang a small bell. Moments later, the estate’s head butler entered, a dignified elderly man.

"My Lady."

"The servants who disappeared. Were they connected somehow?"

The butler frowned deeply and answered in a grim tone. "They were."

Everyone’s attention sharpened.

"They all worked the western gardens."

Bahamut’s eyes flashed.

"The western gardens."

"Yes." The butler nodded. "Coincidentally..."

He looked uncomfortable.

"The disappearances stopped after we closed that section."

Lady Elridge slowly turned toward him. "Why was I never told this?"

The butler bowed deeply. "I believed it irrelevant."

Bahamut calmly stood.

"I’d like to inspect those gardens."

The butler hesitated.

"They’ve been abandoned."

"Even better."

Lady Elridge nodded.

"Take them."

A few minutes later, the group followed the butler through increasingly quiet sections of the estate. The cheerful atmosphere gradually disappeared, flowers became fewer, trees became thicker, and the pathways became narrower.

Finally, they reached a rusted iron gate; chains wrapped around it.

"This..." The butler said quietly. "...is where it happened."

Beyond the gate lay an overgrown garden swallowed by nature. Dead vines climbed broken statues, tall grass covered abandoned pathways, and even the birds seemed unwilling to sing there. Bahamut stepped closer, and his enhanced senses immediately reacted.

"Mana."

Exildra nodded, her golden eye glowing slightly. "I feel it too."

Lily slowly unfolded her fan.

"This place has been used recently."

The butler looked startled.

"Impossible. No one’s entered for months."

Bahamut crouched near the ground, his fingers brushing against the soil. The earth was soft, recently disturbed by footsteps, and many footsteps at that. Some were large, and some were small. Some were not entirely human. He slowly stood and looked toward the dense hedge at the far end of the abandoned garden.

"We’re not alone."

The instant the words left his mouth, a twig snapped. Something sprinted deeper into the overgrown estate forest at an impossible speed.