The end of Merchant's Quarter opened into an affluent residential district.
The Bonaparte estate was located here, among the finest properties in the city.
Their carriage proceeded down the cobblestone avenue into what resembled a private park. Gray-white stone walls enclosed the area in a large oval, creating an exclusive enclave for the wealthy.
The Bonaparte manor stood on the left side of the district's entrance.
Black iron gates adorned with red lanterns marked the entrance, while white snow blanketed the two stone griffins flanking the doorway, lending the estate an air of quiet dignity.
The carriage halted before the manor gates, which opened smoothly as servants emerged to greet their young master's return.
As Napoleon and Petite entered the courtyard, they spotted two figures standing elegantly on the stone bridge to the right—a man and woman who formed a picture of aristocratic perfection.
The man was strikingly handsome, with refined features, sharp eyebrows, and starry eyes that spoke of noble breeding and scholarly cultivation.
The woman was graceful and gentle, her constant soft smile framing features like a painted portrait. Her slender figure and dignified bearing marked her as a true lady of high society.
Napoleon's thoughts cleared somewhat at the sight of the pair, and his mood lifted as he approached to greet them.
"Sir Aldrich, dear cousin has been thinking of you for many days. What brings you here only today?" he said with a smile as he walked across the bridge.
The gentleman turned and smiled warmly upon seeing Napoleon.
"Ah, young Napoleon! I was away on official business investigating a case, and came to visit Isabelle as soon as it concluded. Please don't hold it against me—orders from above brook no refusal."
"A case? Has there been some major incident in the city requiring Sir Aldrich's personal attention?" Napoleon was well aware of this man's position.
Sir Aldrich Thornton served as Sheriff of Millhaven County under Oxenfurt's jurisdiction, responsible for coordinating all matters of public safety and law enforcement.
The Sheriff position ranked just below the County Magistrate—essentially the chief of police for the entire county.
"Some trouble at the fishing villages, though that's concluded now," Aldrich replied with gentle warmth. "But Napoleon, when do you plan to join me? You promised to help oversee security planning for Millhaven."
Napoleon had no memory of what this body had previously promised, so he laughed it off and quickly changed the subject.
"The fishing villages—wouldn't that be related to those undead creature rumors?"
"What undead creatures? It was merely a madman, driven completely insane by grievances and trauma, who went about murdering innocent people. I personally cut him down on the spot." Aldrich shook his head dismissively. "The case is closed, so let's speak no more of such unpleasant matters. Napoleon, do you remember what I promised Isabelle last time?"
"A pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Sacred Rose, with some countryside touring?"
Napoleon responded quickly with a smile.
"You certainly remember the recreational activities clearly," Aldrich said helplessly. "You're not getting any younger—nineteen this year, aren't you? It's time you found some proper work. You can't spend your entire life like this, can you?"
Having watched Napoleon grow up due to their families' long friendship, Aldrich had always regarded him as a younger brother and felt compelled to offer guidance.
Napoleon shook his head with a laugh.
"Sir Aldrich, would you have me enter government service or pursue commerce?"
"Government service, naturally—it's your father's wish as well. Your uncle and grand-uncle both hope you'll come help them soon. After all, you are the Bonaparte heir."
Aldrich urged.
"Let's not discuss this matter. No rush, no rush. I'm still young—there's no reason to push the family heir out so hastily," Napoleon deflected with casual arguments.
Both Aldrich and Isabelle fell silent, unable to press him further.
Not wanting to continue the career discussion, Napoleon deliberately changed the subject and headed toward his chambers with Petite.
Returning to his room, he changed clothes and decided to visit the rear gardens rather than pay respects to his father, his hand unconsciously moving to touch his chest where the strange tattoo lay hidden.
Sir Aldrich came from the Thornton family, which like the Bonapartes was among the most prominent households in northern Oxenfurt. Their family had spread throughout the region, with members holding important positions across the city.
Napoleon's impression of Aldrich remained positive—he was an honest man without selfish motives, genuinely fond of Isabelle, and treated Napoleon with brotherly affection.
But still...
Napoleon touched his chest where the tattoo burned slightly, recalling yesterday's events and the coincidental conversation he'd overheard at the city gates about the undead creature's destruction.
"Do supernatural creatures truly exist in this world? Are there immortal beings...?"
He gazed at the snow-filled garden, feeling an inexplicable restlessness in his heart.
"Perhaps Sir Aldrich is right—just mistaken rumors."
He shook his head, clinging to a thread of hope.
That evening he retired early, washing and sleeping soon after returning to his chambers.
The day's events had left him confused and mentally exhausted from overthinking.
He slept until dawn the next morning, just as the sky began to lighten.
BANG BANG BANG! BANG BANG BANG!!
Urgent knocking erupted at his door.
Napoleon's eyes snapped open as he bolted upright in bed, looking toward the sound.
"Who is it!"
"Young Master, terrible news!" came Petite's voice.
Napoleon quickly got out of bed to open the door. The moment he did, he saw Petite's face was ghastly pale, drained of all color.
The young girl's chubby cheeks were trembling violently.
"Sir... Sir... Sir..."
Napoleon felt an ominous premonition rising in his heart.
"What's wrong? Take a breath first!"
He patted her back firmly.
Only then could Petite breathe properly, and through tears she gasped out her words.
"The Thornton family... Sir Aldrich's entire household... they're all dead!!"
Napoleon froze.
Petite quickly helped Napoleon dress, and without another word they rushed toward the outer courtyard.
The Bonaparte patriarch, Lord Marcus, stood with his hands behind his back, his expression dark with a trace of trembling. His face showed the strain of terrible news.
Three black carriages waited beside him.
Napoleon joined his cousins and other family members, quickly paying respects to Lord Marcus before everyone boarded the vehicles.
Napoleon sat with his father. Neither spoke during the carriage ride, both lost in grim silence.
Lord Marcus was over sixty, with a white beard and lean build. His handsome features made him appear more like a scholar or man of letters than a merchant.
The carriages proceeded without pause, soon reaching the gates of Oxenfurt.
The moment Napoleon stepped down, he was stunned by the scene before him.
On the snowy ground to the left of the gate road lay dozens of corpses arranged in neat rows.
From elderly to young, male and female—every single one was from the Thornton household!
They wore the distinctive robes of the Thornton family style. Aldrich lay in the third row center.
His face was iron-gray, his entire body rigid, eyes tightly closed with an expression of utter terror, as if he had witnessed something unimaginably horrible.
Napoleon watched constables maintaining order at the scene, saw his father Lord Marcus approach an elderly corpse and stand silently with clenched fists.
The Provincial Governor had also arrived upon hearing the news.
His face was as white as the surrounding snow.
Napoleon took a deep breath and slowly approached one of the constables.
"How did they die?"
The constable recognized him and knew his identity, sighing heavily.
"Every single one was found hanged by water weeds from the rafters in their own manor. We don't know where the weeds came from..."
"Isabelle! Isabelle!!"
Suddenly cries erupted behind him—clearly his cousin had fainted.
Napoleon took a deep breath, remembering what Aldrich had told him just yesterday.
He had just returned from concluding the fishing village case...
Fishing villages...
Water demons...
That mysterious tattoo on his chest...
Napoleon's mind raced with connections.
Having only arrived in this world a few days ago, he felt little emotional attachment to Aldrich. So while he experienced regret and shock, he lacked the grief others expected.
It wasn't that he'd never seen death before.
He simply hadn't seen this many corpses at once.
"Where is the Thornton family's Master Redbeard?" he heard Lord Marcus asking the captain of constables.
"Found elsewhere, sir. The body was torn into several pieces, some parts gnawed by wild beasts..." the captain replied in low tones.
Silence fell over everyone—the Bonaparte family, the Provincial Governor, and the gathered townspeople at the city gates.
"Master Redbeard wielded a swift blade, even stronger than Uncle Zhao..." Lord Marcus's voice trailed off.
Captain Zhao was the most experienced mercenary captain the Bonaparte family had hired as their head of security.
If Master Redbeard, who was even stronger than Uncle Zhao, had also perished...
This case had transcended simple murder—it threatened everyone present.
Among those gathered, how many dared claim superiority over the Thornton family?
Including the Provincial Governor, no one would make such a boast.
Napoleon stood silently by the roadside. He had originally assumed this world was safe—merely a medieval European version of his previous life with minor curiosities that posed no real threat.
But now it seemed...
He touched his chest where the tattoo lay.
The tattoo was burning and throbbing with sharp, stinging pain.
He couldn't help but scratch at it through his clothing.
This thing might bring disaster upon him.
The Thornton family, with foundations as solid as the Bonapartes, had been completely annihilated overnight.
This filled Napoleon with extreme unease.
The tattoo's burning and stinging became unbearable. He couldn't resist scratching harder, unconsciously clawing at his chest through his shirt until his nails broke through the fabric and scratched his skin.
Without him noticing, a few drops of blood seeped through his shirt and soaked into the tattoo beneath.
In that instant, while Napoleon remained unaware, the dark tattoo on his chest flashed and transformed into a blood-red pattern.
"Young Master?" Petite followed close behind him, worried. Her small face was streaked with tears—clearly Aldrich's death had devastated her as well.
Napoleon's body froze in place.
A peculiar melody suddenly echoed in his mind.
'Welcome to the Deep Blue Skill Enhancement System.'
Napoleon's eyes went blank for a long moment.
Then, after what felt like an eternity, he snapped back to awareness.
He stared at the translucent blue interface that had appeared before his eyes, clearly displaying his name and acquired abilities.
"This is... the little cheat program I coded for my phone?!"
Napoleon felt like he was losing his mind, experiencing one hallucination after another.
Being reborn as a powerless wealthy heir was one thing.
But now he was seeing things that couldn't possibly exist!
In his previous life, during moments of boredom, he had downloaded a small martial arts game called "Chaotic Swords Heroes." Finding the game too difficult, he had coded a simple cheat program to modify the game's martial skills.
He had named it the Deep Blue Enhancement System. In fact, he had personally recorded that welcome message using voice modification software.
But this was impossible...
Napoleon examined the interface carefully.
The display was extremely simple—just rows of small boxes arranged in a grid.
At the top it read:
Napoleon——
Abilities: None.