Berserk: The Prophet

Princess Furda was a voluptuous beauty; from her appearance alone, it was almost impossible to tell that she already had a grown son. She possessed beautiful blonde hair and sharp eyes.

It's clear that Edward's handsome appearance was inherited from her. However, Princess Folda's most striking feature was her high, straight nose and the unbalanced look created by her rather large lips.

Her features are not perfect, but she gives people a strong sense of approachability.

Of course, wrinkles and a little extra weight are inevitable as one gets older. However, Princess Folda proved with her own experience what it means for a woman to become more charming with age.

While He Kun was still young, before his sister poisoned and harmed him.

Folda was Hokun's mistress for many years, but even so, many nobles still proposed to her and flocked to her. However, Hokun eventually used his power to take her away.

However, who knows if Grand Duke Hochkun truly loved Folda. Back then, Folda, the matriarch of the Halvorsen family, enjoyed immense prestige and had no connection to the local religion, leaning towards the French Royal Household. Therefore, rumors circulated that Grand Duke Hochkun married her for political purposes.

Every time Edward heard this rumor, he couldn't help but think: Nonsense, which royal marriage wasn't for political purposes?

When Edward arrived at the gates of his mansion, he found two luxurious carriages parked there. The knights who were on guard were resting.

Therefore, it is clear that these two carriages indeed belong to the royal family. In other words, Mother Fulda has also returned home.

Edward inquired about the situation from the servants and learned that Grand Duke Hokun was also there, and the two were in their bedroom.

These two can't possibly do *that* in broad daylight, can they? Edward decided to greet them first.

When he reached the bedroom where the servants had been dismissed, he could hear the two people inside arguing, and Edward stopped in his tracks.

"Why didn't you spend the night in the harem?!" He Kun's voice sounded somewhat exasperated.

“I already showed up at the palace during the day.” In contrast, Princess Folda’s voice sounded somewhat indifferent, and it was difficult to hear clearly through the door.

Rumors of their recent marital discord naturally reached Edward's ears; in other words, Folda and Hokun were now a couple in name only.

Folda, who lost her husband shortly after her marriage, had to enter into a political marriage with Grand Duke Hokun in order to protect the Halvorsen family. Therefore, Folda did not wholeheartedly love Grand Duke Hokun.

Furthermore, the fact that the children of Grand Duke Hokun and his ex-wife were in the order of succession to the throne made Fulda feel very uncomfortable.

Oh, speaking of Grand Duke Hekun's ex-wife, that was Hekun's sister.

She was also the murderer who poisoned He Kun. He Kun's body deteriorated to the point that even women were too lazy to respond to him, and his ex-wife deserves a lot of credit for that.

He Kun used to love his cousin very much. In a country where polygamy is practiced, marriage between close relatives is not uncommon.

When He Kun learned that it was his own sister who wanted to harm him, only heaven knows how his mindset changed. In any case, from that day on, the originally cowardly Grand Duke He Kun often harbored a helpless rage in private, and began to take revenge on those nobles who were dissatisfied with him and harbored disloyal intentions.

The rumors are being exaggerated, which is inextricably linked to Ho Kwan's lack of public support!

"I'm Edward." Edward knocked on the dormitory door with a little more force. Even though it was true that he and his wife were having marital problems, Edward didn't intend to continue eavesdropping on their argument outside the door.

"Come in!!" He Kun roared back.

Edward chose to ignore his ugly and irritable father and walked straight to his mother. The boy who used to only nestle in his mother's arms had grown into a man much taller than her.

"I've heard about it, Edward. You've returned victorious again, haven't you?" Folda greeted her son with a smile as she approached him, checking for any obvious injuries.

Edward smiled and said, "The Dragon's Nest still stands."

Aside from his bloodlust on the battlefield, when he was with his mother, he remained the same gentle, humble, and polite child he always was.

"Hmph!" Grand Duke Hekun looked displeased. For some reason, he was not happy at all about his son's military achievements.

"To celebrate your victory, I'm planning to visit the 'Dragon's Nest' to reward your troops." Fulda's sharp yet gentle eyes seemed to hold a hint of anticipation.

"Huh? Mother..." Edward was startled.

"Anyway, the 'Dragon's Nest' isn't far from Norucahuati."

“That’s true…” Edward finally understood why He Kun was so unhappy.

Many rumors have been used to attack Grand Duke Hochne – among which the most humiliating is the rumor that his wife, Folda, "wanted to conceive a child with Grenbeld."

"Hmph!" Grand Duke Hekun left in anger.

.........

General Kirsten, on the other hand, stared into deep thought at the woman's corpse, which had been severed in the tendons and ligaments, beaten to a bloody pulp with bones exposed, and even had its teeth and tongue cruelly pulled out.

The method was the same, but this time the killer targeted an ordinary girl.

"What are the clues?" General Kirsten asked the barber who had been studying the corpse with the captain of the Royal Guard since the last time.

The barber examined the body carefully, his brow furrowed. "The murderer was left-handed and very familiar with human anatomy. Judging from his modus operandi, he must have studied some surgical techniques or received related training, always managing to keep these female corpses alive for two or three days after they had been persecuted in life."

General Kirsten nodded, a few left-handed dignitaries seemingly already forming in his mind. "Anything else?"

Kirsten knew that the barber had given her more than just this one clue.

The barber looked up and presented General Kirsten with a tuft of wolf fur, dyed brown and kept in a cloth bag. "I found this not far from the scene."

"General, perhaps we can start by examining the victims' social relationships to see if there are any commonalities."

The general pondered for a moment, then sniffed the air and immediately understood. "No need," he said, "I already have a clue."

This is a dye reserved for the Grant royal family, and it originated from the ancestors of a sea-hunting people.

"...No need to investigate anymore, you deserve a lot of credit for this matter."

Upon hearing the general's words, the barber showed a hint of doubt on his face, but dared not ask any further questions and could only respectfully retreat.

General Kirsten stared at the wolf pelt in his hand, his mind racing. He knew that this matter involved the royal family and was bound to be complicated.

Of all the royal family members, only Grand Duke Hokun is left-handed, and this strand of hair happens to be unique to the Shadow Hands clan, who are loyal to the king.

All the clues seemed to point to one person: Grand Duke He Kun.

Kirsten: "..."

As a renowned general of the Duchy of Grant, he dedicated his life to fighting for his country and its people. He could not stand idly by while the Grand Duke was harming the common people.

Kirsten frowned, pacing back and forth. He knew all too well the uproar that would ensue if this were truly the Grand Duke's doing!

Grand Duke Ho Kun, who was already unpopular with the people, was bound to be overthrown by the united uprising of the populace and nobles.

However, without sufficient witness testimony and physical evidence, it was all still just a bold speculation. He decided to investigate secretly first, looking for more clues, so as not to alert the enemy.

Kirsten's eyes were resolute as he secretly sent people to gather more evidence and at the same time strengthened surveillance over the capital.

General Kirsten decided to begin his investigation by examining Grand Duke Hochschild's daily activities and the people he associated with. He secretly summoned his most trusted confidants and instructed them to monitor the Grand Duke's every move, paying particular attention to his behavior and words when he was alone.

To avoid arousing suspicion, Kirsten continued to handle the Duchy's military affairs with the Royal Guard as usual, but in private, his mind was entirely focused on this thorny case.

He also secretly contacted some elderly people who had served in the palace, hoping to glean some unknown secrets about the Grand Duke from their memories.

However, Grand Duke Hokun and his shadow men were no ordinary people, and they quickly realized that Kirsten was deliberately spying on them.

Grand Duke Hokun knew that Kirsten was not easy to deal with, so he ordered the Shadow Hands to interfere with Kirsten's investigation and temporarily refrained from persecuting other girls.