Miss Koran and I went down a steep staircase with only a lit torch in hand. Miss Koran went first to see if their were any traps ahead, but it seemed to be just an ordinary hidden stairway.

At the end of the stairway, we reached the room that resembled a research lab. I found the same glass bottles used by my Teacher as well as in the murder cases.

"A potion lab..." Miss Koran said.

"A potion is a liquid with healing, magical, and or poisonous properties, yes?" I asked Miss Koran. Potions were not mentioned in the novel neither. It almost feels like a different fantasy world from the novel I read. "What kind of potions are out there?"

"It is impossible to name them all. The most popular ones are typically stamina and healing potions, but there are a variety of different kinds of potions out there," Miss Koran said as she began looking at the glass vials. "These are typical generic vials that can easily be purchased in a apothecary shop by anyone really, but I doubt that any regular customer would purchase thirty bottles if they were not a Witch practitioner themselves."

If there are magic potions, there must be Witches as well...

"Does Miss Koran know a lot about Witches?" I asked.

"I have dealt with a lot of them before, so it is understandable that I know quite a bit about them," Miss Koran said bluntly.

Dealt with...is just a fancy way of saying that she has killed or fought with a lot of them before.

"What constitutes as a Witch anyways?" I asked.

"They are able to make potions with magical properties," Miss Koran said.

"Can they use magic?" I asked.

"Oddly enough, Witches are incapable of using magic themselves," Miss Koran said as she put a bottle into her pocket. "We could try going to an apothecary shop and ask if they have seen who had purchased these many bottles before. If they are specifically using these bottles to commit atrocious acts, it is highly possible that a Witch is directly or indirectly involved with the murders."

We soon made our way to an apothecary. When showing the bottle, the owner seemed to have trouble remembering the face of the person who bought the large quantity of bottles. It was not that he had a poor memory but had no recollection of seeing the customer's face. They seemed to use a potion on themselves that would make anyone else looking at them unable to recognize or recall their face.

"Another potion again?" I asked.

"Witches are tricky to deal with because they are unpredictable...I am almost eighty percent sure that a Witch is directly involved with this matter," Miss Koran said. "If that is determined to be true, the Duke will have to make his move on this matter as well."

"Something still bothers me...The mansion was stripped for its valuables but only that room remained untouched," I said.

Miss Koran suddenly brought me to the residence of the Furst Family or more specifically Teacher's only living relative in this world with a letter of recommendation from the King himself in her hands.

I was not filled in upon Miss Koran's plans, so I let her do most of the talking in the beginning.

"Greetings, Lady Lemaire and Lady Koran," Baroness Furst said.

Baroness Furst was a woman with silver hair and piercing red eyes. She had bags under her eyes and sunken cheeks that not even makeup could cover up. It was a bit saddening to see someone so young looking so dark and haggard.

"It is good to see you well again, Baroness Furst. I have come here with Lady Lemaire with the intent of doing business with you," Miss Koran said.

Miss Koran is such a mysterious person. I still have no clue about her household, but it seems like she is the daughter of a very important family.

"What kind of business are you seeking, Lady Koran?" Baroness Furst asked.

"We recently heard that your distant nephew had recently passed away and left behind his mansion and valuables behind. Have you thought about what to do with his belongings?" Miss Koran asked.

I could finally see where Miss Koran was leading to. The owner of the building had changed. That is why the research room seemed as if it was recently in use.

"Yes, we have sold most of the belongings," Baroness Furst.

According to the rumors, Baroness Furst's husband had carried a lot of debt on his back after taking favors from strangers. It makes sense that she would sell away anything she could as soon as possible. Only that room remained intact, so it must have been the owner of the research room to have asked that it be left that way. The value of that room alone was worth more than anything else in the mansion.

"Please allow time to give my condolences for such a tragedy to befall upon your distant nephew. It is difficult for anyone to hear the passing of a family member," I said with a hand over my heart and smiled. "The location of where the mansion sits actually has significant memorabilia to me. I would like to purchase it along with the land it currently sits on in order to build a new orphanage."

"My...My apologies for having you all come here for nothing. If I knew that such a young and wonderful young lady was going to purchase it, I would not have sold it so soon," Baroness Furst said apologetically.

"That's terrible...I really hoped to purchase the land. I had already promised the orphans that I would find them a larger piece of land to live on," I said.

Baroness Furst began showing signs of discomfort at me flaunting philanthropy around.

"I really do apologize," Baroness Furst apologized once again.

"There is no reason for Baroness Furst to apologize. I am sure that the person who bought the residence will put it to good use," I said as I placed my hand over my heart.

"To tell you the truth, it was Baron Gysel Kruger who bought the mansion from me," Baroness Furst said.

"Kruger?" I asked.

Baron Gysel Kruger was Elze's uncle in the story. He was not mentioned much and only came up when the novel mentioned that Elze had received a recommendation letter to study abroad from him.

"He told me that he was close with my nephew and offered me a good sum of money and that he would like to leave the mansion as it is. I am sure that he would be much happier if the mansion he bought would benefit orphans," Baroness Furst said with a gentle smile. "If you would like, I can introduce you to him and ask if he is willing to open up an orphanage for you."

Baroness Furst is a kind person. I can tell this much from talking with her. I feel bad for manipulating her to get the answers I desired now.

"I appreciate the generosity, Baroness...but it seems as though I am already acquainted with Baron Gysel Kruger. He is actually the uncle of my dear friend," I said.

"What a coincidence," Baroness Furst said.

"Yes, what a coincidence. I had not heard that Baron Kruger had purchased your nephew's mansion. I will go ask him personally about whether he would be willing to open an orphanage at that location," I said. "Thank you for your time, Baroness."

"It was my pleasure, Lady Lemaire and Lady Koran," Baroness Furst said.

"I do hope that you will come by for tea at one of my tea parties one day," I said as I took her hands into mine.

"I would be more than glad to," Baroness Furst said with a smile.

Miss Koran and I made our exit after that. We decided to go eat together before going to our room at the Inn.

"I wanted to ask before, but are you acquainted with Baron Gysel Kruger?" Miss Koran asked.

"Not at all...I have not met him and the novel did not mention him much either. All that I know about him is that he was Elze's benefactor when Elze started studying abroad," I said.

"The timing is just a bit odd," Miss Koran speculated.

I agree with Miss Koran, but we cannot do anything on speculation alone.

It is a bit unsettling seeing how all these new people are popping up without being mentioned in the novel...