Reincarnated as incubus: I didn't mean to seduce you!

Baron Newman, still concerned about Kael, nonetheless did not intend to say anything disheartening when he saw the young man’s resolute eyes.

After Kael had left, Newman sat in the living room for a long while.

Elanna sat opposite him, watching her father’s expression change.

"Father, what’s wrong?"

"Elanna, would you blame me for tying you to Kael’s chariot?"

Elanna sighed deeply and said softly, "I’ve said it before, Father. Since it’s already a done deal, I won’t back out halfway through...

Even if our future may not necessarily turn out successful, the issue isn’t Count Rezhe’s coercion, but other more pressing realities that we need to consider."

Baron Newman did not speak, his gaze gradually became distant.

Anthony, have you really thought it through, bringing that child into this whirlpool of danger? Are you not afraid that one careless move could shatter him to pieces?

...

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Kael boarded the carriage back to his territory.

Once inside the carriage, his expression changed dramatically, and he thought to himself, "Why is it her?"

His face went through several changes.

Previously, it had been but a fleeting glance, so naturally, he hadn’t seen the girl’s features clearly. When Elanna turned around a moment ago, out of politeness he had taken a longer look at her, which sent a subtle shock through him.

It wasn’t simply because of what he termed an "eye-catching" issue, but because of the storylines that had occurred within the original timeline of the game.

Kael’s desire to distance himself from the Charles family was precisely because the Charles family would be embroiled in the Duchy’s political turmoil in the future.

It seemed that the Federation Secret Agents had found extremely damning evidence against the Charles family, and in a very short time, the family was completely destroyed by the governing officials and the joint law enforcement department.

However, the notoriety of this mission and the attention it garnered from countless players, even leading to replays, had another reason.

The story began with a murder case in the Newbie Village of the Lancaster Territory, where a noblewoman from one of the domains (considered big shots to players who had just started playing) died at the Lancaster Manor.

That’s right, not inside the Manor.

The red-haired noblewoman, deprived of her knight’s spear, was impaled and nailed to the wall outside the second floor of the Lord Mansion, her crimson blood coating the wall.

This incident caused quite a stir among the small group of players who were part of the initial limited beta test.

On one hand, it was because the noblewoman was indeed very attractive, and on the other, many players in the Lancaster Territory had received a lot of help from her.

According to players who had interacted with the noblewoman back then, she came to the Lancaster Territory to investigate the news of her fiancé’s death, the previous Lord of Lancaster.

In the 1.0 version of the story line sorted out by "Underworld’s First Paparazzo" [Irresponsible Fish], this professional paparazzo, known for "being seen on camera but not in person," rarely added personal emotion in his reports, but did so in this case:

"That NPC was quite interesting. Just say you’re loyal to the Lancaster Territory, and willing to assist in investigating her fiancé’s death, and she would offer you great help.

It could be a simple, unadorned Newbie Sword, perhaps a Mage Potion, and she would also assign us missions.

Every time we brought her some relevant clues, an undisguised smile would always appear on her troubled face.

Back then, when the game had just entered open beta, most players were a group of ruthless task machines, and few were willing to stop and truly understand the stories behind the quest chains. I happened to be one of the few who did.

In my spare time, I asked her how an NPC like her got the resources to distribute as rewards, and if someone specifically delivered them to her.

The girl who didn’t seem much older than me would look at me with surprise and say, ’How could resources simply appear out of nowhere in this world? All of these I obtained from the Dungeon and exchanged for in Fransburg.

’I’m really grateful for your help in finding so many clues. I don’t have much money and can’t give you anything nice. All I can do is try to kill more monsters in the Dungeon to give you some things that you might find useful.’

Her smile was truly beautiful. When I looked at her scarred hands, I was at a loss for words to describe my feelings at that moment. I just felt she was a flesh-and-blood NPC. Later... later she died.

I don’t want to know what conspiracies lie behind this, nor do I care if the damn developers’ coffin is nailed shut. Right now, all I want to know is who did it, who to kill, and how many—I just want to go on a killing spree!"

The attached screenshot showed a girl in armor lying as if asleep, her red blood mingling with her long hair like blooming blood roses—

Then this story arc went viral thanks to the female boxers on the Garbage Bin APP.

Although "The Gate to the Underworld" was very popular in a small circle at that time, it was still a while before Kael joined the game.

He only heard a rough outline of the game’s story during that period, and was not very clear on the details.

However, the incident recorded by the explosive outing of the female boxers left a deep impression on him.

He had seen that photo of Elanna’s death, circulated with accusations of the game’s unfairness to women, over a dozen times.

Yes, it was indeed his beloved paper-character wife.

The real world’s bustling chaos clearly had nothing to do with the game world. Back then, the open beta players’ investigation of the clues led to the involvement of the Charles family.

The exact circumstances were unclear, but it was known that the players who couldn’t keep their mouths shut had attracted the attention of the Federation Secret Agents.

Later, the Charles family was promptly cooled down after being tangled up in this investigation.

Of course, whether they cooled down or not didn’t matter, because now the concern was not just about Elanna’s life or death.

[RampantLittleFish] That dead paparazzi who loved to hype up CPs exposed another piece of information—

The previous Lord of Lancaster, Elanna’s fiancé, had died before they even met Elanna.

Considering Old White’s plan and Baron Newman’s character, it is likely that in the game’s original timeline, my former self also took the path to formally engage Elanna.

And then, without leaving even a name behind, just died in the street.

Without even knowing how it happened.

"The plan to level up must be prioritized immediately. In a world where personal strength rules, power is the foundation that secures everything."

He rolled down the car window and gazed at the lush scenery around him, his eyes gradually hardening with determination.

Let’s start with that Dungeon, get reacquainted with my new powers, and then enter the next phase as quickly as possible.

Kael admitted that he had been a bit slack, but after being awakened, a sense of urgency suddenly surged within him.

And so, without another word, he returned to the Lord Mansion, heavily preoccupied with his thoughts.