I'm not a Witcher anymore.

Chapter 152 Oscars Owe Me an Oscar

The morning sunlight streamed into the room through the cracks in the window, casting golden streaks of light on the floor.

Zig opened his eyes and lay on the bed for a moment, allowing his consciousness to fully awaken from sleep.

What happened last night is over.

István Tos, that venomous snake coiled in Skarlitz, should be dead by now.

Zig threw off the covers, sat up in bed, and began to get dressed.

No one knows István better than him.

This man was a thorn in Sigismund's side in Bohemia; his very existence was Skaritz's greatest threat.

Keeping him around will only bring endless trouble to Radji and the entire royalist camp.

Therefore, Zieg chose the simplest and most direct solution.

Kill him.

Clean and efficient, leaving no future problems.

Zig fastened his belt and hung Langrisser's scabbard at his waist.

Although this longsword can be added to the Book of Adventures at any time, in this world, a nobleman who does not carry a sword would seem out of place.

The sword is both a weapon and a symbol of status.

He walked to the window and pushed open the heavy wooden door.

A crisp mountain breeze swept over me, carrying a chill and the faint smell of sulfur wafting from the distant silver mine.

The town of Skarlitz has awakened.

Down the hillside, early risers were walking in twos and threes toward the silver mine, their figures appearing and disappearing in the morning mist.

Wisps of smoke rose from the town, and the air was filled with the aroma of baking bread and cooking porridge.

Everything seemed as peaceful as usual.

But Zieg knew that this peace would soon be shattered.

He turned away from the window and sat down in the oak chair in the room, awaiting the impending chaos.

Sure enough, not long after, a series of hurried footsteps could be heard in the corridor.

Bang bang bang.

The knocking was urgent and forceful, almost like a fist pounding on the door.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, are you inside?"

It was Haitar's voice.

The young servant's voice trembled noticeably, a reaction that only occurs when one is extremely nervous and fearful.

Zig stood up, walked over, and opened the door.

Haitar, standing outside the door, was deathly pale, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Your Highness, you're alright. I'm so glad you're alright."

When Haitar saw Sieg standing unharmed before him, he breathed a sigh of relief, but then remembered something and his face turned pale again.

"What happened?"

Zieg's tone was calm, but a hint of displeasure appeared between his brows at the right moment, like a nobleman who had just been disturbed and did not yet understand what had happened.

"Your Excellency István, the Hungarian from last night," Haitar swallowed hard, his voice strained. "He's dead, murdered in his own room."

"What?"

Zig paused.

Those eyes instantly deepened, revealing a heavy concern and regret: "You mean—His Excellency István has been murdered?"

Haitar nodded and said, "Yes, Your Highness, the specifics are still unclear. It was the servant who delivered the meal this morning who discovered it. He opened the door, saw Lord István lying in a pool of blood, and screamed as he ran out."

"The entire castle is in chaos right now. Lord Radji has sealed off all entrances and exits and is investigating the murderer's whereabouts."

Zieg's brow furrowed even more.

He remained silent for a moment, seemingly processing the sudden news.

Then, he took a deep breath, and his panicked expression was gradually replaced by a forced calm.

"Take me to see it."

"Your Highness, things are chaotic there right now, and the killer may not have left the castle yet. Your safety—"

"Hytar".

Zieg gently interrupted the servant, his tone low but carrying an unwavering logic that left no room for argument.

"Last night I discussed important matters with His Excellency István, only to witness his tragic end. Both morally and practically, I should go and bid farewell to this ally. If I lack even this basic courtesy, who will dare follow the banner of Geerlitz in the future?"

He straightened his clothes, stepped out of the room, and walked with a composed gait.

"Let's go."

Hightoar opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing and silently followed behind Sieg.

The castle corridors were in complete chaos.

The servants huddled in small groups in a corner, whispering amongst themselves, their faces filled with fear and unease.

Several fully armed soldiers were patrolling back and forth along the corridor, gripping their spears tightly, as if ready to deal with an assassin lurking in the shadows at any moment.

When Zieg appeared at the end of the corridor, all the servants and soldiers turned their gazes toward him.

Their eyes held fear, curiosity, and a hint of barely concealed relief.

Fear stemmed from the innate aristocratic aura emanating from Sieg; curiosity arose from the desire to know how the young duke would handle this sudden turn of events; and relief came from—

At least, it wasn't His Highness the Duke who died.

Istvan's room was located on the east side of the castle, separated from Sieg's room by most of a corridor.

When Zig walked to the open door, a strong smell of blood hit him, and even from several steps away, he could clearly smell the nauseating odor.

He stopped and took a deep breath, as if preparing himself mentally.

Then, he stepped inside.

The scene in the room was enough to make any normal person feel uncomfortable.

Istvan's body lay face up on the floor, beneath him a large pool of congealed, blackened blood.

He had a shocking wound on his chest, a mark left by a sharp blade. The edges of the wound were horribly clean, as if it had been pierced by an extremely sharp weapon.

His eyes were still open, his pupils completely dilated, and his expression was twisted into a strange confusion and resentment, as if he hadn't understood what had happened until the moment he died.

There were a few other people in the room.

Two soldiers in charge of the investigation were squatting next to the body, carefully examining the traces around them.

A middle-aged man who looked like the castle's butler stood by the window, his face ashen, seemingly deep in thought.

Zig stood at the door.

"Has the murderer been caught?"

His voice didn't reveal much emotion, but it instantly calmed the somewhat chaotic atmosphere in the room.

Upon hearing the voice, the two soldiers looked up and saw Zig, and immediately stood up and saluted.

"We haven't found him yet, Your Highness," one of them replied respectfully, with a hint of shame in his voice. "The killer's methods were extremely clean and efficient, leaving no obvious traces."

"Where are the windows?"

"The windows are locked from the inside; it's impossible to get in from the outside."

"So that means the killer came in through the door?"

"That should be true, Your Highness. But the soldiers on night duty in the corridor swear that they didn't see anyone suspicious pass by all night."

Of course they didn't see it.

Because this is inside the castle, the soldiers who are on night watch here either find a place to hide and take a nap or play dice.

It would be a miracle if someone could see that.

Sieg silently walked to the body and looked down at Istvan's unseeing face.

"Your Excellency István," he said softly, a hint of regret in his voice, "we were just discussing how to join forces against Sigismund last night, and I never imagined you would be here this morning—"

He didn't finish speaking, but just let out a heavy sigh.

Just then, hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor.

"Make way, all of you make way."

A dignified yet urgent voice rang out, and then Radji Kobila appeared in the doorway.

"Your Highness the Duke!"

Radji spotted Zig standing in the room at a glance, and a look of relief instantly appeared on his face.

He strode forward, looked Zieg up and down, and only after confirming that the young duke had no injuries did he breathe a long sigh of relief.

"Thank God, Your Highness, you are alright." Radji's voice was filled with genuine relief. "When I heard about the murder in the castle, my first concern was for your safety."

"Lady Lauradej is concerned." Sieg nodded slightly, his expression grave. "I just didn't expect that our ally, who was clinking glasses with us last night, would be so cruelly murdered this morning."

He paused, his gaze falling on the corpse on the ground.

"His Excellency István came to Bohemia to fight against the tyranny of Sigismund. His death is a great loss to our common cause."