My esoteric uncle Jules

Chapter 146 Treatment
Jules, accompanied by the priest, sat opposite the baron.

Meanwhile, servants from the monastery served several cups of tea.

The baron didn't stand on ceremony; as soon as he put down his teacup, he grabbed it and drank.

Jules and the priest simply sipped their tea slowly. After the Baron finished his cup, Jules smiled faintly and said:

"Your Excellency, I have long admired your name."

The Baron gazed at Jules:

"Although I have never met you, I have certainly heard of you. My name is Bennett, and I am knighted in Blankoug. May I ask your name?"

He extended his hand, making a handshake gesture.

Hearing that the other party had actually heard of him, Jules couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

But he immediately realized that it was very likely that the information was leaked by the previous "traitor".

After all, he had been to the priest's place many times, so it was no secret to the servants there.

Thinking of this, he smiled, extended his hand, and shook hands firmly with the Baron:

You may call me Jules.

“Jules…” The baron had never heard of this name before, but he had memorized it deeply.

For a priest to treat someone with such respect, and even for a terrifying sorceress to suffer a setback, the other party must be more than they appear.

The Baron seemed to want to be polite, but Jules went straight to the point:

"Baron, please state your purpose. I do not believe you are here merely for tea."

His eyes seemed to radiate a chilling light that caused even the Baron to unconsciously look away.

"I……"

The baron's throat bobbed, and he said somewhat hoarsely:

"I'm looking for someone."

Jules knew perfectly well who the other party was looking for, but he didn't reveal it. He simply took another sip of tea and said leisurely:
"Excuse me, who are you looking for?"

"Her name... should be Ellen."

Upon hearing this, the air in the room seemed to cool down a bit.

The priest calmly downed his tea in one gulp, then looked directly at the baron and said:
“We have indeed met her, but before that, we would like to know, what is your relationship with Elaine?”

Upon hearing this, the baron hesitated, then subconsciously glanced at the butler beside him, casting an inquiring look.

The butler sighed softly:

"Sir, speak now, there's no way to keep it a secret about her."

Upon hearing this, the baron finally made up his mind, turned his gaze to the priest, and said in a deep voice:
“The attack and poisoning of you three days ago were indeed ordered by me.”

The baron expected the priest and Jules to erupt in fury upon hearing this, but to his surprise, the priest remained silent, while Jules took another sip of tea and calmly said:

"we know."

Seeing this, the Baron took a deep breath and said:
“But I did this for a reason—I was coerced.”

Jules' expression remained unchanged, and he nodded, saying:
“I understand, that’s what thieves say when they get caught.”

The baron, who had been wearing a slight smile, looked much worse upon hearing this, but still forced a smile and said:
"I...I admit that I did have some selfish motives during this process, but I was mostly manipulated by that damned sorceress! She was the one who forced me into this!"

His eyes were incredibly sincere, and he spoke with tears streaming down his face:
"My child is seriously ill and has only survived thanks to her secret method. If she disappears, my child's life will surely be taken by this strange disease!"

Although the sun was high in the sky, the light entering the room was dim due to the angle.

The lighting was dim, the aroma of tea mingled with a faint musty smell, and the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

The baron gripped the teacup tightly with both hands, his knuckles turning white, his eyes filled with pleading.

Jules leaned back in his chair, his gaze calm, while the priest remained silent, his breath faint, yet his eyes were sharp.

The two men's gazes exerted a powerful sense of pressure on the Baron, but he had no other choice.

After a long pause, Jules finally put down his teacup and said calmly:
"Coerced? Eileen forced you to poison us and attack us?"

After the Baron explained the background and reasons, he quickly guessed the general outline of the incident.

The baron nodded, his voice trembling:
"She threatened me with my child's illness, saying that only her secret method could save his life. I had no choice but to obey."

The priest coughed a few times and said hoarsely:

How long has your child been sick?

The baron lowered his head and said bitterly:

"It's been three years. During these three years, he has been plagued by a strange illness, and his vital signs have become weaker and weaker. I have sought medical help everywhere but to no avail."

Until this sorceress, Elaine, appeared, I was almost in despair; her appearance brought me hope.

He paused and then said:
"Although I later realized that she seemed to have ill intentions, when even the gods were unmoved by my pleas, what other choice did I have but to turn to her for help?"

Jules was silent for a moment, then suddenly thought of a bold but reasonable hypothesis.

He slowly raised his head, looking directly into the Baron's eyes, his gaze incredibly sharp:

"So, do you think it's possible that your child's illness was actually caused by her?"

The baron instinctively wanted to retort, opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a sound.

The butler, unusually, lowered his head and remained silent—as if he had already guessed his master's condition.

The baron's knuckles were clenched so tightly they turned white, and his face was as pale as a vampire's.
"No, no, I've checked. The characteristics of this disease match perfectly with a rare illness described in ancient texts, and it doesn't seem like poisoning."

That being said, everyone could see his wavering.

Even the butler could only let out a silent sigh.

The priest shook his head and said:

“Bennett, your child’s illness has thrown you into a panic.”

His tone was very weathered, yet even tinged with affection, like an old man's helpless sigh for his child.

These words struck the Baron like a heavy blow; he lowered his head and remained silent.

Jules broke the silence, his tone calm:
“Baron, you have been used by Elaine. The child’s illness is most likely a scheme she set up to control you, use your power to help her break the seal on the ghoul graveyard, and obtain other things she needs.”

The baron suddenly looked up, his voice hoarse:
"Impossible! I've checked ancient texts, that disease..."

"Ancient books?"

Jules shook his head, his face filled with pity:

"If I'm not mistaken, she should be a sorcerer of the Winter's Law, faking illness would be a piece of cake for her. You trust her, but not your own judgment?"

The baron had clearly heard of the Winter's Code, and upon hearing this, a look of confusion flashed in his eyes.

The butler whispered:
“My lord, the priest is right.”

These words shattered the Baron's last line of defense. He slumped into his chair, muttering:
"Then my child..."

The priest coughed a few times and slowly said:

“Bennett, the child can still be saved, but you must confess Elaine’s plans.”

The baron gritted his teeth, remained silent for a moment, and finally spoke:
"She ordered me to send men to attack you to prevent the seal on the ghoul graveyard from being reinforced, so she could go inside and get the gravedigger's fragment."

She said the torn pages could break the curse and heal my child, and I... I believed her.

As for anything else, I have absolutely no idea; she won't let me get involved.

Jules squinted:

"She's in the cemetery now, and there's been no news for three days. I'm afraid she's probably dead."

The baron said bitterly:
"That's why I came to you for help in finding her—if something happens to her, my child will surely be killed with her." After going around in circles for a while, the topic eventually came back to the beginning.

The priest glanced at the baron, then at Jules, and said in a deep voice:
"Perhaps we can go and check on your child's illness first."

The baron paused, looking at Jules with suspicion, and said with some distrust:

"Priest, I consulted you before, but you were also helpless. Could it be that Mr. Yu Le has the answer?"

To become a baron, one is certainly not a complete fool, and he quickly figured out the source of the priest's confidence.

“You can give it a try,” Jules said, patting the priest on the shoulder with a smile. “The poison that the priest was afflicted with was dispelled by me.”

The baron's expression shifted between light and shadow, but finally, he gritted his teeth and said:

“Alright! If you can cure my child’s illness, Mr. Jules, you can name whatever reward you want! I’ve been operating here for so long, I have some savings.”

Jules simply smiled faintly:

"Let's take a look first and then talk."

He could naturally tell that Baron Bennett's tone of voice had become much more respectful.

But he knew that this was only based on the hope of curing his child—moreover, the priest was now practically crippled.

If the Baron were to discover this fact, he would inevitably have other ideas.

……

The Baron's estate is nestled in the hills of Blancco, with vines climbing the stone walls and sunlight streaming into the courtyard, yet unable to conceal the faint deathly atmosphere in the air.

This was the first time Jules had visited a nobleman's manor house under a formal invitation.

Previously, when I went to Rose Manor, I either sneaked in or forced my way in with an official mission, which basically made me a hated place.

But now it's different—he truly understands what it means to be "welcomed with lining the streets."

He followed the baron into the mansion, while the priest, leaning on a cane, walked slowly behind Jules.

The servants lined up to greet them, their eyes respectful yet filled with curiosity.

These servants, of course, had all seen the priest before.

But the fact that Jules, a guy they had never seen before, was walking in front of the priest and even acting like a leader naturally piqued their curiosity.

Inside the hall, a faint fire burned in the fireplace, the air was damp, and it carried the musty smell unique to old houses.

The baron led them straight to the second floor and pushed open a carved wooden door.

The room was dimly lit, the curtains were drawn, and the boy on the bed was as thin as a skeleton, his face was pale, and his breath was weak, as if he would die at any moment.

"This is my only son, who has been bedridden for years." The baron's voice was filled with lingering heartache as he said this.

Jules approached, listened intently, and began to sense the pulsation of blood within the boy's body.

Unlike the smooth flow of blood in others, the boy's blood flowed with a noticeable sluggishness, and his moans were also much heavier and slower.

"The blood seems very thick..."

He then placed his hand on the boy's arm, sensing it more deeply.

He quickly noticed that the boy's blood seemed to carry an unnatural chill, somewhat similar to the poison in the priest's body, yet mixed with other forces.

But overall, it wasn't as troublesome as the poison the priest had been given—the sorceress Elaine, in order to control the baron, obviously couldn't have used a potent poison to kill his child directly.

Therefore, only with a slow and continuous flow of water can the toxicity be significantly reduced.

Jules' brow relaxed considerably, and he said in a low voice:

"The traces of the Winter's Code are indeed the work of that sorceress."

The baron trembled, his voice shaking:

Can you cure it?

"We can give it a try, but what if something goes wrong..."

"It's alright, it's alright, please feel free to try!"

Upon hearing Jules's assurance, the Baron was almost moved to tears. Fearing that Jules might be afraid of taking responsibility and refuse further treatment, he quickly said:

"Rather than let my child die after a long period of suffering, it's better to end this life cleanly and decisively!"

He was a father with a tragic fate...

Jules sighed, closed his eyes slightly, and began to draw upon his abilities.

Blood mist rose from his fingertips, serving as the medium through which he manipulated the body, slowly seeping into the boy's body and stripping away the cold, corrosive force.

After expelling the toxins from the priest's body over the past few days, he has gained some new experience in manipulating the blood of others.

For example, the discovery that one can extract one's own blood, integrate it into another person's body, and use it as a "surgical tool" is a new development.

Thanks to his experience over the past few days, he was able to quickly separate some of the toxins from the boy's blood.

However, in order not to hurt the other party, he had to perform very precise operations, so he soon became exhausted and covered in sweat.

Finally, after a few drops of black, foul-smelling liquid seeped from the boy's body, Jules stopped and wiped the fine beads of cold sweat from his forehead.

But before he could speak, the baron leaned closer and said urgently:

"How's it going, Mr. Jules? Is there any hope?!"

"...Your face was almost touching mine."

Upon hearing this, the Baron awkwardly stepped back, but still cast an expectant glance at Jules.

Jules cleared his throat, took a few deep breaths, and said:

"It can be cured."

thump.

Upon hearing this, the Baron immediately knelt down.

He kept kowtowing on the ground, choking back tears as he said:

"Thank you, thank you!"

Jules was somewhat speechless, and quickly helped the Baron up, saying:

"There's no need for that. You haven't even checked on the child yet. This is going too far."

"Oh right, I haven't checked on my child's current condition yet."

The Baron snapped out of his daze, broke free from Jules, and rushed to the boy's bedside.

At this moment, in his field of vision, his child's face, which had been as pale as a dead person, had visibly become rosier.

Even her previously withered lips regained some color.

“It really works…”

At this moment, the Baron could truly be described as "weeping with joy".

He hugged the boy, and like a real boy, he began to sob softly.

Jules, on the other hand, seemed somewhat at a loss.

Until the priest patted him on the shoulder and said:

"Let the Baron vent his emotions first. The butler has arranged lunch for us. We can talk about the specifics after we finish eating."

Jules turned his head and saw the butler already standing at the door, looking at his master with a somewhat helpless gaze.

"It's alright. The master is always a man of strong character. Let's go first. He'll follow us later."

After saying that, he turned and left, with Jules and the other man following closely behind.

(End of this chapter)