The Unfortunate Rheinhebo Heir

Drip.

Cold raindrops fell into the muddy puddle, creating a ripple.

“The deceased is Mark Rheinhebo, nineteen years old…”

The young law enforcement officer listened quietly to her subordinate’s report. Her composed expression instantly changed the moment she heard, “The cause of death is magic suffocation.”

Magic suffocation was a unique ailment, afflicting only mages born with innate magical abilities. When a mage remained in a state of magic depletion for too long, they would perish from the lack of magic, suffering a hundred times more agony than an ordinary person dying from oxygen deprivation.

Clatter, clatter, clatter…

A flurry of hoofbeats echoed through the rain. The young law enforcement officer glanced sideways, her eyes falling upon a black-haired youth in opulent attire who had just disembarked from a carriage.

His hair, inherited from his mother, was as dark as the night sky. His stark black-and-white eyes stared blankly at the corpse submerged in the rainwater. When he saw the grotesque face of the deceased, twisted in immense agony from before his death, he couldn’t help but cover his mouth and sob, letting out a hoarse cry like a wounded beast: “Third Brother!”

The young law enforcement officer watched the weeping, black-haired youth in silence. She took a report from a subordinate and flipped through it with a seemingly indifferent air.

“Reyn Rheinhebo… Perhaps I should address you as Count Reyn Rheinhebo? What an unfortunate coincidence. Your father and three half-brothers have all died, one after another, within the last three months. Aside from your father, the others all succumbed to magic suffocation caused by magic depletion. Tell me, how can such a series of coincidences occur in this world?”

Reyn stopped crying. He looked up blankly, his voice trembling as he asked, “Officer, are you saying this is a premeditated serial murder? And that I, the sole heir of the Rheinhebo family, might be the next target?”

The young law enforcement officer narrowed her eyes, observing Reyn, then suddenly let out a cold laugh. “Who knows? Though I imagine no one else will die for now. That’s a wrap!”

****

After the law enforcement officer and her team departed, the one-eyed bodyguard, who had been holding an umbrella for Reyn, slowly inquired, “Master, how should we handle the body?”

Reyn gazed down at the corpse at his feet, speaking softly, “Even though Third Brother always bullied me, he was still my brother. Bury him with Father, First Brother, and Second Brother. Let’s go back; I’m a bit tired today.”

The carriage journeyed back to the gates of a grand manor. A figure cloaked in black stood silently in the pouring rain, seemingly having waited there for a long time.

The one-eyed bodyguard, driving the carriage, instinctively placed his hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist. At that moment, the black-robed figure voluntarily pulled down their hood, revealing a cascade of purple hair and a face as beautiful as an angel’s.

The bodyguard’s tense body immediately relaxed. He then reported to Reyn inside the carriage, “Master, it’s Miss Vivian.”

Reyn swiftly pushed aside the curtain, looking at her with surprise. “Vivian? Why are you here? Honestly, you haven’t been waiting for me for a long time, have you? What if you get sick?”

Expressing his concern, Reyn moved to Vivian’s side with his umbrella and led her into the manor.

By the roaring fireplace, Reyn placed a cup of hot tea before Vivian. He asked gently, “Is it a lack of funds?”

Vivian cradled the warm tea, shaking her head. “Young Master always sends us ample funds, and the small business we manage ourselves has been doing quite well recently. So, we don’t need any additional money for now.”

Reyn, however, couldn’t help but frown. He glanced at the panel only he could see, then cleared his throat. “I think I’ll still give you a bit more funding.”

He called it the ‘Funding System.’ When he first transmigrated into this world, he possessed a magic-less constitution. This system allowed him to gain a minuscule amount of magic based on the amount of money he provided.

Starting from the age of ten, after establishing his own businesses, Reyn had continuously funded seven young girls on the system’s list over the past eight years. Vivian was one of them.

Vivian’s fair cheeks suddenly flushed crimson, her gaze becoming elusive, as if she dared not meet Reyn’s eyes. Biting her red lips with her pearly teeth, she spoke in a small, nervous voice, “Young Master, we’ve done very well, haven’t we?”

Reyn was momentarily stunned. Had they done something? Was she referring to their small businesses? Regardless, he decided to praise them first.

He offered a gentle smile, reaching out to pat Vivian’s head. “You’ve all done very well.”

Vivian’s cheeks burned hot. Her sapphire-blue eyes suddenly fixed on Reyn with a somewhat intoxicated look. She squirmed slightly, then whispered shyly, “Please… Young Master, forgive my greed. I want… some special reward.”

‘Special reward?’

Reyn instantly felt awkward. Including his previous life, he had been single for a total of forty-eight years and simply did not understand a maiden’s heart. What exactly did ‘special reward’ mean here?

Yet, seeing Vivian’s expectant gaze, he found it difficult to ask directly. After pondering for a moment, an idea suddenly sparked in his mind.

Reyn cleared his throat with a feigned air of importance, then said gently, “A special reward, you say? If it’s just that much, it’s far from enough, you know.”

Vivian’s heart instantly grew anxious. “Young Master, what level do I need to reach?”

Reyn gently lifted his hot tea, blew on it, and said warmly, “Well… that depends on what kind of reward you want.”

The blush that had almost faded from Vivian’s cheeks reappeared. Her fingers nervously clutched the hem of her clothes. She whispered, “I… I want to… spend—spend a day with Young Master!”

Reyn raised an eyebrow. ‘Just that?’

He considered it, then replied, “Things have been quite chaotic lately. Let’s talk about it another time.”

Over the past three months, his First, Second, and Third Brothers had died one after another. It was clear the killer was targeting the Rheinhebo family. Until the culprit was found, he didn’t want to involve an innocent Vivian.

Vivian’s small face instantly turned pale, her brows furrowed as she pondered the meaning of Reyn’s words.

Reyn sighed, pulling a few gold coins from his pocket. “It seems I’m being watched here. Don’t stay overnight. Take this money and find an inn in town.”

Vivian stared at the gold coins on the table, then suddenly lowered her head, her face filled with self-reproach. “I understand. I was too careless. Someone like me, who can’t even do such a simple thing well, doesn’t deserve Young Master’s reward.”

She didn’t even bother to take the gold coins from the table. Utterly distraught, she left the manor.

Vivian wandered alone on the forest path, allowing the rain to soak her clothes. Suddenly, she punched a large tree nearby—one that three people couldn’t encircle—sending it crashing down. As the tree fell with a thud, she could no longer suppress the fear in her heart, and she began to sob softly.

“Vivian!”

A girl with long, fiery red hair burst out from the bushes in the forest. Seeing Vivian crying uncontrollably, she instantly panicked, grabbing Vivian’s shoulders. “What’s wrong? Did Young Master scold you? Could it be that Young Master actually had feelings for his three brothers? Even if they wanted to kill him, he couldn’t bring himself to harm them?”

Vivian shook her head vigorously. It took her a long time, and many tears, to finally manage to string together words. “I didn’t do well. I caused Young Master trouble and made him a target for the law enforcement officer. Anna, what should I do? What if… what if Young Master doesn’t want me anymore! I… I can’t live without Young Master! A world where Young Master abandons me has no value whatsoever!”

Anna watched as Vivian’s eyes suddenly grew dim and she muttered, “Might as well just destroy the world.” Anna immediately shook her fiercely, her voice anxious. “Vivian, calm down! What exactly did Young Master tell you in the manor? Tell me every single word!”

Vivian slowly regained her composure. Still sobbing softly, she described her conversation with Reyn.

Anna listened patiently. After a long while, she looked at Vivian with a serious expression. “In short, we just need to resolve this law enforcement officer issue safely, right?”