Chapter 199 Casefile 7: Lich Formation (2)

"...So, Mi Funa collaborated with Dresi to kill King Rudolf, the Crown Prince, and the Queen. But due to a blood curse cast by someone within the Twin Kings' Tomb, Dresi accidentally killed herself, undoing all her efforts...?"

After listening to Mebucha's story, Jiangyou summarized it neatly.

"While it's true that His Majesty has gotten a great deal, given his relationship with Dresi, if this matter were to be exposed, people might think they were accomplices in the conspiracy. In that case, His Majesty's normal succession to the throne would also be seen as a conspiracy."

Andre also continued.

"Excellent summary," Mebucha praised. "In this matter, our family has indeed become a vested interest due to some unintentional circumstances. So I helped Mi Funa, bought her a brewing workshop, and allowed her to settle down in Eston West City."

Jianyou scratched her head. She had never expected that the crazy idea she had after listening to Aunt Wolf's gossip would actually be mostly true... Hey, could she be the famous detective Jianyou?!

Mebucha continued, "As long as she lived a peaceful life, I would be indebted to her and owe her a debt. So when she asked me to take Mi You as my disciple, I did not refuse, nor did I suspect any conspiracy."

"But you still found something unusual." Andre said affirmatively.

Mebucha nodded, “About four or five years ago, I noticed someone was buying some specific potion ingredients.

"These magical plants originated from the Ximan Kingdom and can be used to create a special poison... It was this poison that caused the Ximan Kingdom to fall apart, severely damaging its vitality, and it has yet to recover.

"I had people monitoring the merchants selling these materials long ago. When they showed any unusual activity, I followed the clues and caught Mi Funa, who was in disguise, in a small alley in the black market of the royal capital."

He took a deep breath and confessed to the two, "I killed Mi Funa. She broke our agreement and attempted to brew a forbidden poison. I cannot risk allowing her to bring disaster to our country and my brother."

Takuya sniffed the sadness emanating from the Great Mage. She could tell that Mebucha was telling the truth. The Great Mage must have been deeply troubled when he made the decision to kill his friend.

Then again, this great magician held a high position of power, second only to the King. There was no need for him to lie about such matters.

...Oh, wait, I'm afraid we can't use "kill" here, we have to say "execute".

"Although there is no trial procedure, Mi Funa has a long criminal record. For the crime of murdering the royal family of the previous dynasty alone, she deserves to die several times. If it is to prevent her from causing a greater disaster, there is nothing wrong with this treatment." Andre said with understanding.

Mebucha smiled bitterly, his eyes etched with sadness and regret. "My entanglement with Mi Funa and Mi You is profound. I made this decision to protect my country and my family, but ultimately, this isn't something that can be dismissed simply with words like 'reasonable' or 'legal'."

"It's true that it was Mi Funa who committed the crime, but it was I who took Mi You's mother away from her life. This is the sin I must bear. I am aware of this."

He sighed deeply. "However, at the time, I had no idea that Mi Funa had accomplices, nor did I know how much of a plan I had disrupted. In fact, it wasn't until Andrei spoke with me after the enfeoffment ceremony that I pieced all the pieces together."

He smelled of regret, self-blame, and irritability. He tapped his slender fingers on the back of the sofa several times as if to vent his frustration. "I now suspect that in Mi Funa's eyes, Mi You has never been a daughter. Instead, she's just a 'magic ingredient' that can bring her power and wealth."

Jiang You sucked in a breath of cold air. Born in a normal family in a peaceful world, she could hardly understand how there could be such a mother in the world. Her upper and lower jaws creaked and opened and closed several times, but in the end she said nothing.

She didn't know what to say.

"Everything had actually been foreshadowed long ago, but I never truly understood the truth behind it: Mi Funa was too harsh on Mi You. She didn't care about Mi You's personal preferences, forcing Mi You to learn magic that she had no interest in and was not good at...

"I originally thought this was a reflection of a strict mother's hopes and concerns for her children's future. I thought Mi Funa simply didn't know how to raise her daughter and was overly controlling... But in reality, Mi Funa just wanted Mi You to have enough strength to sacrifice her body and soul in the magical ritual, allowing Drexi to be resurrected in Mi You's body."

"Wait a minute," Jiang You raised his bone claws obediently like a studious student, "I have a question."

Both pairs of eyes turned to her.

"You killed Mi Funa three years ago for other reasons, but it was only a few months ago that Mi You accidentally created me using a magic circle. Is there something wrong with this..."

"You're very perceptive." Mebucha nodded approvingly. "I suspect that Mi You is indeed the body that Mi Funa prepared for Deresi, but she probably already used some kind of necromancy with the people of Evil Eye Moon to summon Deresi's soul.

"The activities of the Evil Eye Moon began shortly after my brother ascended the throne. At that time, Mi Funa was already running a workshop in the west city of Eston, and Mi You was still a baby. It was impossible for Drexi to be resurrected in the body of a baby.

"However, Evil Eye Moon was able to use the connections and wealth of the previous royal family. If Deresi didn't leave a backup plan, then someone must have summoned her soul and allowed her to control everything behind the scenes.

"You know, there are many types of necromancy. Creating a lich is the most difficult of all. Creating a phylactery requires countless materials and the completion of specific magical rituals. The failure rate for creating one's own lich is over 80%, let alone creating a lich from a soul that has already entered the netherworld. That's twice as difficult.

"But if we had just used Dracy's own body at the beginning, summoned her soul back, and made her a living corpse, that would have been much easier."

Mebucha paused, then added, "Oh, don't let my wording mislead you. All necromancy magic is extremely difficult. Resurrecting the dead as a zombie is only relatively simpler than creating an immortal lich. Accomplishing this still requires a great deal of investment and preparation."

"So Mi Funa has accomplices," Andre concluded. "The old nobles who once secretly supported Dresi have suffered just as heavy losses as Mi Funa. They may think that resurrecting Dresi will be more beneficial to them."