Wizard: I brought the wrong system.

Chapter 598 The Mysterious Man Yaro

The calls of bats mingled with the echoes from the underground palace, creating a chilling symphony that made the blood-stained, narrow passageway even more eerie.

Listening carefully, the entire corridor sounded unusually noisy, but Claire felt a strange quiet as she walked through it.

Even his deliberately slowed pace sounded particularly jarring.

tread!
Tread!

tread!
……

They walked on until they reached a deeper part of the area, and suddenly the surroundings became bright.

What came into view was a scene of broken walls and ruins, with a thick layer of blood-red bat carcasses on the ground. Flames still burned on the broken stone pillars, smoldering flesh and blood, emitting black smoke and hissing sounds. An even stronger stench assaulted the senses.

"Spare me! Spare me, Lord Yaro!"

A faint plea for mercy caught Claire's attention.

Lord Yaro?

Are there still enemies left to eliminate?
Claire tiptoed and carefully reached out.

In the dimly lit corner lay a man, his face as pale as paper, his lips trembling as if silently repeating "Spare me."

At that moment, he realized that the person who had just arrived was Claire. He was taken aback at first, then his face lit up with joy:

“Baron Claire? It’s me, Viscount Corey’s deputy butler! I’ve served you before!”

"No need for introductions, I know you. You were the former deputy steward of the Viscount's territory, and now the deputy chief steward. But I'm sorry, I've forgotten your name."

As Claire spoke, she stepped out from behind the bunker and looked him up and down.

Upon hearing Claire's reply, the old man struggled to sit up, then coughed painfully twice, panting as he said:
“My name is Bethlehem, but of course, you don’t need to remember my name, Baron… Baron, could you please help this old man out of this hellhole? I’ve been captured and am now injured, unable to get up.”

"is it?"

Claire remained noncommittal, carefully examining the bright red shoe print on his chest, which looked as clear as a stamp.

The old man, Bethlehem, felt extremely uncomfortable and instinctively covered himself with his arm.

But at this moment, Claire suddenly said:

"This was left to you by Lord Yaro, wasn't it? I'm very curious why Lord Yaro didn't kill you directly."

"Lord Ya...Yaro?"

Old man Bethlehem coughed repeatedly, as if he had choked, "What does this have to do with Lord Yarrow? I don't quite understand what you're talking about..."

"Stop pretending!"

Claire walked slowly to the old man in Bethlehem, looking down at the frail old man on the ground with cold eyes and an expressionless face, and said:
“I’m not afraid to tell you, I came in on Lord Yaro’s orders. Lord Yaro told me that there were a few survivors in the underground palace and asked me to come and clean up the mess. If you tell me the truth, I might let you go. Otherwise, I will have to interpret ‘clean up’ in a different way, one that you definitely don’t want to hear.”

Old Man Bethlehem had met many people, but this was the first time he had felt such a strong sense of oppression from one person, especially those eyes, which were practically shining, a blinding light!
He didn't need to say anything; just looking at him made him uneasy, and he didn't dare to breathe.

He lowered his eyelids to avoid Claire's scrutinizing gaze, and his aged face unconsciously revealed a fawning expression.

"I...I don't know, but...since Viscount Yaro did this, he must have his reasons!"

Of course, it's also possible that they didn't care about me at all, which is why they kicked me away.

Old Man Bethlehem had thought of this, but dared not say it aloud.

If you don't care, then whether you live or die is also irrelevant, isn't it?
Claire nodded slightly and calmly asked, "What is Lord Yarrow's deeper meaning?"

Driven by his survival instincts, old man Bethlehem suddenly thought of a possibility.

"Perhaps he wants to find the secret of the Viscountess's repeated resurrections from me?"

"Then you know?"

Old Man Bethlehem wanted to say that he knew, and if he really knew the secret, he would most likely be able to save his life now.

The problem is, if he says those words, whether he actually knows them or not, the Viscountess will not let him off the hook!

Yes! He was convinced that the Viscountess was still alive and might be watching him from some corner right now!
"I don't know," was all the old man Bethlehem could say.

"Then you're useless..."

"Wait! There's more!" Old Man Bethlehem said urgently, "Several survivors... If we're talking about those with the best chance of survival, it's definitely the blood slaves in the Black Dungeon! Yes! Them! Those girls! I know where they came from, I can send them back!"

Where is the Black Prison?

“Right now…” Old Man Bethlehem said hastily.

"Okay, I understand. You kidnapped those girls?"

Claire's voice was devoid of any emotion.

Old man Bethlehem quickly protested, "It wasn't kidnapping! It was buying. I bought them from several gangs of bandits. I can send them back..."

"Bought from a bandit gang? Do they even have any family?" Claire interrupted again.

"I didn't ask them..."

Old man Bethlehem was sweating profusely, whether from anxiety or pain, he didn't know.

“Oh! So you can ask them,” Claire changed the subject. “Then why can’t I just ask them directly? What’s the point of keeping you around?”

"This...that..."

Old man Bethlehem was speechless for a moment, his teeth chattering, his eyes darting around anxiously, searching for any chance of survival.

"Alright, let's think about it slowly when we get to hell..."

……

"Teacher, why didn't you kill the deputy steward? Wasn't he a clear traitor to you?" Bevin asked, puzzled.

"Because by keeping old man Bethlehem around, we might be able to extract a lot of useful information from him."

Yaro explained, “For example, how did he suddenly appear here when he had been living peacefully in the Viscount’s mansion? Are there any other people in the Viscount’s mansion who, like him, maintained contact with Viscountess Corey? Many, many questions can be answered by old man Bethlehem.”

Bevan was a little worried: "Teacher, what if my father didn't think of these things and killed him?"

Yaro, however, looked relaxed.

"So what if we kill them? They're not really a problem. The key is with Viscountess Corey. As long as we can really kill Viscountess Corey, they're no threat. Keeping old man Bethlehem around might just alert them. So, let your father decide whether to keep him or not."

Based on Yaro's current strength, a formal knight should have around two thousand experience points, and a slightly stronger one might have four thousand.

Just now, Viscountess Corey's experience points were only a little over a thousand.

It's quite obvious from the system's experience points that if it were a one-on-one fight, even Viscountess Corey wouldn't be a match for Claire.

Bevan asked worriedly, "Teacher, what should we do with those girls? My father is still carving the remains of the sky-mending site, isn't he? We can't let them be there watching him carve, can we?"

Trust your father; he will handle things properly.

……

"Are you the great hero that the mysterious man spoke of?"

In the dimly lit, clean dungeon, a young girl dressed as a maid mustered her courage and asked. She was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a graceful demeanor, lacking the rigid manners often associated with nobility. Her slender fingers and delicate skin suggested she came from a merchant family.

Behind her, several other girls, around fifteen years old, huddled in a corner, looking fearfully at the tall figure in the light source.

These girls may come from farming families, but they are still young, so their skin is in relatively good condition.

"Mystery man?"

Claire raised an eyebrow.

Needless to say, the mysterious person who can utter the word "hero" must be Lord Ya Luo.

“Yes,” the maid described, “he wore a skull mask, a magnificent black suit of armor, and a greatsword that was burning with flames. When we asked what we should call him, he told us that he was called ‘The Mysterious Man.’”

Of all the descriptions, only the greatsword burning with flames matched the appearance of Yaro that Claire had just seen.

But he wasn't surprised; he had known for some time that Lord Yaro had the ability to conjure things out of thin air.

He just didn't quite understand why Lord Yaro used the code name 'Mysterious Man'?
"What...what did the mysterious man say?" Claire asked again.

The girl gave a slightly awkward maid's bow: "Your Excellency, the mysterious man wants us to follow your instructions."

"Will you follow my instructions?"

Claire pondered.

Clearly, it's not convenient for him to take them away right now.

Moreover, no one can guarantee that these people are without problems. Not only could there be spies of Viscountess Corey among them, but there is also the possibility that Viscountess Corey herself is in disguise. It is necessary to stay and observe for a while.

After a moment's thought, Claire made up her mind and looked up, saying:

"I have things to do right now and don't have time to see you off. I'll have to trouble you to stay here for a while."

"Still living here?"

The girl in the lead turned deathly pale instantly.

Although the girls behind them didn't make a sound, it was obvious that their bodies were trembling violently.

Seeing this, Claire had no choice but to soften her tone and explain gently:

"Of course we don't live in this underground palace. The underground palace is now full of dead giant bats. There are too many of them, and with our limited manpower, we simply can't clean them all up. Living in here would make you sick."

This is what I think.

I see the ruins of a village ahead. You can collect some supplies in this underground palace first, and then go live in the village ruins. I will come back to pick you up after I finish what I have to do.

What do you think? "

The girl in the lead finally regained some color in her face.

She hesitated for a moment, then looked back at what was behind her.

A voice faintly came from behind her saying, "Listen to your sister," which made her decide.

Turning around, she clasped her hands tightly to her chest and mustered her courage to pray:
"Great hero, there were actually many sisters here before, but now only a few of us are left. We sisters are all terrified of this place. Could you please take us away from here? We're fine with staying anywhere, as long as it's not around here!"

Faced with the girl's pitiful gaze, Claire slowly but firmly shook her head.

"No, you can only stay outside."

The cold words were like a heavy punch, shattering the girl's illusions.

The mournful cries of my companions as they died echoed in my mind, and my remaining courage was washed away like a sandcastle hit by a wave.

She jolted, instinctively performing an awkward maid's bow, and hurriedly apologized:
"I'm sorry! Sir, please forgive my intrusion!"

"..."

Claire remained silent for a moment.

They were only allowed to live in the ruins of the village outside because the existence of those ruins indicated that the environment there was habitable.

Moreover, it's not far from this underground palace, so there's no chance of encountering other dangers.

The question is, why was that girl so scared?

Claire was wondering if she had said something wrong, but when she saw the girl still maintaining a maid's bow and not daring to look up, and her whole body trembling more and more violently, she suddenly realized that she had not yet answered.

After a quick thought, he casually replied:
"Ah."

The girl in the lead relaxed a little, raised her head, and said respectfully, "I will take them to organize the supplies."

"Don't go far, don't leave my sight," Claire said coldly.

Claire didn't know if the danger in the underground palace had been completely eliminated. They were all gathered together and within his sight, so he could protect them.

The leading girl tensed up and immediately agreed:
"Yes, I understand! Neither of us will run away, and I will keep an eye on them!"

Claire: "?"

What doesn't seem to be right?

Forget it, they're all minor issues, I'm too lazy to think about them.

"Let's go."

Claire turned and walked out.

The girls exchanged glances, feeling uneasy, but they had no choice but to follow.

……

"Teacher, come quick! My father is out! But what is he carrying on his back? Why is it such a big pile? Oh, and behind him are one, two... five girls!"

Bevin, who was staring intently at the entrance to the underground palace, called out in a low voice.

Yaro stood up and glanced at the load, then said confidently, "Your father is carrying grain, over a thousand catties of grain, probably for those girls."

"Teacher, how did you know?" Bevan asked, turning around in confusion.

Yaro smiled slightly: "Of course, it's because I searched the entire underground palace, so I recognized those food bags."

And I must say, Viscountess Corey was incredibly wealthy.

Although no extraordinary items were found inside, there were several thousand gold coins, enough to fill Claire's wicker basket that held the slate scraps!

These thousands of gold coins greatly boosted Yaro's confidence, and for a short time, he didn't need to worry about the fuel for his magic spells.

Bevin's attention was drawn to Yaro's words, and he asked curiously, "Teacher, did you find any treasure inside?"

"A treasure? Believe it or not, there really is one."

"What is it?" Bevan asked quickly.

"The Heaven-Mending Technique!"

"what?"