Primordial Draconic Incubus With A Gourmet Chef System

However, the Magical Beasts and the Magical Herbs were confused as to why the gardeners had come today to harvest. The last harvest had been merely a week ago.

Normally, the gardeners would only come to harvest once a month.

Suddenly, while a young Kobold woman was harvesting the Netherbane Chives her eyes narrowed as she saw a spot where a Netherbane Chive should have been.

"How is this possible?" The young Kobold woman, Kaida, dropped to her knees and began examining the soil for any clues. Yet, she found nothing. There were no fingerprints on the surrounding soil or even on the other Netherbane Chives. It was as if the Netherbane Chive had vanished.

Kaida then stood up and checked the surroundings, quickly noting there were no footprints on the ground. The Netherbane Chives had not been trampled either…

Soon, her eyes widened as she discovered several more empty spots where the Netherbane Chives should have been.

"This is bad! This is really bad!" Kaida exclaimed, instantly attracting the nearby gardeners, who were working on their plot of land.

Each gardener had a region they were assigned to. Kaida was given the duty to grow, watch over, and harvest the Netherbane Chives.

If even a single Netherbane Chive went missing, she would be in tremendous trouble.

With that in mind, Kaida wasted no time. She summoned her sword, jumped on it, and rushed straight toward the central courtyard where the overseer of the garden resided.

"Master Orn," Kaida called out while enhancing her voice with Mana.

"What is it?" A gruff and stern voice responded from within the building.

"The Netherbane Chives… they're missing. Over a dozen of them!" Kaida panted, struggling to catch her breath after using up almost all of her Mana to arrive at the courtyard and using Voice Amplification.

Hearing her words, an old man with a head full of white hair, a muscular chest that was laid bare, and four muscular horse legs galloped out of the building.

"What happened, Kaida? You wouldn't be here if the Magical Beasts ate a few Netherbane Chives." The Centaur, Orn, asked curiously.

By this time, Kaida had already recovered her breath and had enough Mana to speak normally. "That's right, Master Orn. I've checked my region and there were no signs of the Netherbane Chives having been eaten or trampled. It's as if they simply vanished."

"Vanished? How is that possible? This is the personal garden of the Ravenscroft Family! How can a Magical Herb simply vanish? " Orn frowned with a darkened expression. However, he did not suspect Kaida.

She had always been the most diligent and straightforward in her work. Out of all the gardeners, he liked her the most, unlike them, she did not pocket her region's Magical Herbs.

"Master Orn, isn't it obvious who stole the Netherbane Chives? The Ravenscroft Garden is protected by multiple Runic Formations."

Just as several plausible reasons for the disappearance of the Netherbane Chives flashed through Orn's mind, a grating voice interrupted him.

'What is Grax doing here?' Orn frowned as he suspiciously turned in the direction of the green-skinned Goblin.

"Do you know who stole the Netherbane Chives, Grax?" Kaida looked at him like she was looking at her savior.

However, Grax shook his head and replied in a disappointed tone, "Miss Kaida, you should know in your heart what my words meant. If not, allow me to explain. Who in our First Layer could possibly enter the garden? The other three families? Or maybe the Ruler? That is possible; however, why would they?

The Ruler is out of the question. If he wanted, he could simply take the entire garden. In fact, the entire First Layer of Hell is his. While the other three families would not dare trespass into the Ravenscroft Garden, otherwise they would provoke a war." Experience more tales on empire

Kaida's face paled as she understood what he was implying, and she hurriedly shook her head in denial.

"I-I would never." Kaida turned her pale face toward Orn and implored, "Master Orn, you must believe me!"

Orn nodded and said reassuringly. "I believe you, Kaida, don't worry."

Hearing this, a little bit of rosiness returned to her pale face until she heard Grax's next words.

"Master Orn, how can you believe her words so easily? Don't be fooled by her innocent appearance. People like her are the most evil; scum hidden behind a false mask of innocence."

Grax was a tad bit livid, but he continued to smile. This was his chance to obtain the overseer, Orn's favor.

The current Ravenscroft Family was not as united as it once was. The family was divided into three factions, one led by the current Family Head, Alaric Ravenscroft, the second faction led by his younger brother, Cedric Ravenscroft, and the third was a collective group of people who were part of the Neutral Faction.

So far, no big disputes had occurred between the two opposing factions because they were worried that once war broke out, the other three families would swoop in and take everything that belonged to them.

But that did not mean that small-scale skirmishes were not allowed between the two factions.

The Ravenscroft Garden was akin to the lifeblood of the family. All kinds of wondrous Magical Herbs from Grade 1 to even Grade 8 could be found in the garden. Depending on who could obtain the garden, the other faction would be mortally crippled and forced to wage war for the garden or watch as the other faction grew stronger, leaving them in the dust.

Currently, as much as Alaric and Cedric now hated each other, they were forced to comply for the sake of the family and give rulership of the Ravenscroft Garden to the Neutral Faction.

This meant that both factions were trying to please the Neutral Faction into joining their side, who in their eyes were just a bunch of fence-sitters. Obtaining their support meant gaining more backing and possibly tilting the tide in their favor.

Furthermore, the person who helped change the tide in their favor would become the hero of their faction. That was exactly what Grax was aiming for! He wanted to win over Orn, then use him to change the Neutral Faction's stance and become the right-hand man of Master Cedric.

As for more than that? He dared not dream bigger than being his right-hand man. Master Cedric was a force to be reckoned with. He was a true bloodthirsty demon. Unlike most others who were born in Hell, he resembled more like the Sinners.

"That's not true!" Kaida denied with a shake of her head. With the current balance of the Ravenscroft Family, if Master Orn believed Grax's words her life would be over. Even if Family Head Alaric was known for his benevolence, she was unsure how the others would react.

"Of course, Miss Kaida wouldn't agree to stealing." Grax sighed and kindly guided. "But you should know, if you tell the truth, your punishment might be lessened."

Hearing, Grax repeatedly trying to frame the girl, Orn's face sank as he shouted, "Enough! I will investigate this matter and hold whoever is behind the Netherbane Chives' disappearance accountable."

Grax's smile faltered for a moment, but he quickly composed himself, as he said, "Of course, Master Orn. I am merely concerned for the well-being of the Ravenscroft Family. If Kaida is innocent, then an investigation will surely clear her good name."

Orn nodded. "Kaida, since you are in charge of the Netherbane Chives, you will stay here until the investigation is complete."

"Yes, Master Orn," Kaida obediently nodded.

Orn then turned to Grax, "And you, Grax. If you find any evidence or information that can help in this investigation, tell me."

Grax bowed slightly, hiding the sinister and cunning smile. "I will do my best to assist, Master Orn! I will now take my leave to speak with the other gardeners and see if anyone noticed anything unusual."

With that said, Grax left the courtyard as many thoughts crossed his mind of how he could manipulate the situation to his advantage.

Meanwhile, Orn gestured for Kaida to follow him into his home.

They soon entered a large chamber filled with books and scrolls; a place Orn used for research, planning, and furthering his Alchemical knowledge.

Orn did not expect he would be taking someone into his home; therefore, it was quite messy.

However, cleaning his home could wait because the Netherbane Chives' disappearance took priority.

"Kaida, sit," Orn instructed after sitting down at his desk, pointing to the chair before him. "Tell me everything you observed before you noticed the Netherbane Chives were missing. Don't leave even the tiniest detail out."

Kaida was still nervous, but after taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she began recounting her daily routine of tending to the Netherbane Chives, and the exact moment she discovered the missing Netherbane Chives.

Orn listened intently while writing down each of her words in a booklet.