Lord of Mysteries: The Assassin's Dark Path

In the days leading up to mid-November, just a few days shy of the mission's deadline, the old Viscount Stout held another grand social banquet.

Varina finally got the opportunity he had been waiting for.

As before, both he and the gardener donned butler uniforms during the preparations and joined the other servants, bustling about like industrious worker bees in the massive hive that was the manor's main building.

Entering through the grand front doors of the manor, one would pass a spacious and elegant foyer before reaching the main hall, large enough to accommodate dozens, if not hundreds, of guests for dancing.

The hall's center was covered with a vibrant, plush carpet, while the edges featured polished marble tiles. A grand piano and marble statues were on display, and intricately decorated stone columns supported the second floor.

To the left of the main hall was a side hall connected to it, where long tables awaited a variety of foods for guests to eat, rest, and converse.

On the right side of the hall, beyond a series of tall French windows, lay a verdant lawn and a meticulously maintained garden, their beauty visible to the guests through the glass panes.

On both sides of the main hall were staircases leading to the second floor.

The second floor featured a square-shaped balcony overlooking the carpeted dance floor below. From this vantage point, guests could lean against the railings and enjoy a clear view of the festivities.

Numerous rooms were situated on the second floor: drawing rooms, lounges, living quarters, dining rooms, powder rooms, billiard rooms, and an abundance of guest bedrooms—accommodations prepared for any guests who might wish to stay overnight.

Naturally, these corridors were reserved for the host and their guests. The servants had their own paths.

Hidden on the manor's right side was a concealed corridor with a staircase—a nexus of servant pathways.

Using this route, the staff could traverse nearly the entire manor unseen by the host and guests. The only exception was the third floor—the private quarters of the viscount—accessible only to his personal attendants.

During the preparations for the banquet, Varina busied himself in these servant paths, moving items and arranging settings.

By 8 p.m., the guests began to arrive.

With the setup complete, the servants found themselves with fewer responsibilities. Some even managed brief moments of respite, leaning against walls in secluded corners.

This was the window Varina had been waiting for.

Finding an opportunity, he slipped into a second-floor lounge and turned on a gas lamp near the floor. He then removed its deliberately blackened glass shade and extinguished the faint blue flame.

This didn't affect the room's lighting, as a brighter chandelier hung from the ceiling.

In fact, this particular gas lamp wasn't supposed to be on at this time.

It would normally be lit later in the evening when the exhausted Viscount Stout followed his routine of retreating here to rest. At that point, his personal valet would turn on the floor lamp and switch off the chandelier, creating a dim ambiance conducive to relaxation.

It was this routine that had inspired Varina's plan.

In this era, while medicine was beginning to advance, progress was hindered by limitations in chemistry, biology, and other foundational sciences—not to mention the dominance of extraordinary potions that could produce miraculous effects.

Carbon monoxide poisoning was one such blind spot.

With the widespread adoption of gas lighting, people inevitably succumbed to gas poisoning. However, the medical community lacked the knowledge to identify the cause, often attributing deaths to conditions like lung disease, asthma, or even superstitions about demonic possession.

When Varina devised this method, he couldn't help but feel a surge of critical disdain toward Roselle.

Roselle had brought so much change to this world, almost single-handedly ushering in the Industrial Revolution. That was undeniably a monumental achievement.

But wasn't it better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish?

Scientific discovery isn't just about inventions or laws of nature.

No, the most crucial aspect is scientific reasoning.

Scientific logic is like a beacon in the dark, illuminating the path of progress. Guided by it, someone will eventually rediscover past breakthroughs and rebuild the edifice of scientific knowledge.

Clearly, Roselle failed to deliver this.

And by that standard, the so-called "God of Steam and Machinery," once hailed as the "Enlightener of Civilization," fared even worse than Roselle. he had even dared to claim the title of "God of Craftsmen"?

Where was the enlightenment in that? No wonder she had failed to fully digest her potion.

As the banquet continued, Varina carefully tracked the time.

Around 9 p.m., he returned to the second-floor lounge and turned off the gas lamp he had previously lit.

This ensured that when the valet came to light the lamp, he wouldn't notice anything amiss.

By this point, Varina had done all he could. All that remained was to wait and hope.

The Viscount didn't disappoint.

Shortly before 10 p.m., after bidding farewell to several key guests, he made his way to the second-floor lounge, accompanied by his personal valet.

Once the Viscount was comfortably settled into a recliner, the valet lit the floor lamp, extinguished the chandelier, and exited, leaving the Viscount to his rest.

The valet, shaking off a slight dizziness, patiently stood guard outside the door.

Meanwhile, the banquet continued downstairs without the Viscount.

By 11 p.m., as the guests began to leave, the valet entered the lounge to wake the Viscount so he could see them off.

However, he was too late.

The Viscount lay peacefully in the recliner, no longer breathing. His eyes were wide and bulging, a horrifying and unnatural sight.

Terrified, the valet stumbled out of the lounge, screaming incoherently:

"The Viscount is dead... The Viscount is dead…"

Panic spread rapidly, engulfing the household and guests alike.

The chaos was short-lived.

Among the guests were several composed individuals, including a senior official from Scotland Yard. Under their direction, some servants began restoring order while others rushed to the nearest police station and Saint Samuel's Church to report the incident.

Once the situation was somewhat under control, the younger Stout and a few key guests entered the lounge to examine the Viscount's body.

After a brief inspection, the family's private nurse reached a preliminary conclusion:

"The Viscount died of acute respiratory failure leading to asphyxiation."

The younger Stout wasn't satisfied. "My father occasionally coughed, but he didn't have any lung issues. How could he suddenly die of respiratory failure?"

The nurse nodded timidly and stepped back, not daring to speak further.

It was under these circumstances that a Night Watcher team from the Church of the Evernight Goddess arrived.

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