S.C.I.谜案集 (Special Criminal Investigation) Book 2

Case 2. Love Murderer: Chapter 24. Too Clever For One's Own Good

Bai Yutang was surprised by what Zhan Zhao said, so he asked, "is there really such a thing?"

"Yep, but there is no history to prove it." Zhan Zhao shrugged. "However, the Middle Ages was a dark era. It was bound to be dark when the aristocracy held power and the army existed. At that time, the land, the people and the peasants belonged to the aristocracy. Therefore, they had the right to execute people within their jurisdiction, not to mention the prominent position of the Bathory. There seemed to be something hidden within all this. Of course, it has something to do with the later reform as well. However, a considerable number of scholars believe that this is simply made up, mainly because the royal family coveted Bathory's property."

"What about immortality?" Bai Yutang asked.

Zhan Zhao thought for a moment and then said, "it's not about immortality, but eternal youth... I'm not too sure about this. Legend has it that when Mrs. Bathory was in her forties, she looked like she was in her twenties, young and beautiful."

"That Zhao Jue is a perfect example." Bai Yutang said. "He's in his fifties, but he looks like he's only in his thirties... Hmm."

"Yes..." Zhan Zhao touched his chin. "Indeed."

"What happened next?" Bai Yutang shuffled closer to Zhan Zhao, then stretched out his finger and gently poked the lion cub's butt.

The cub moved its butt slightly, then used its paws to scratch it. Then, it adjusted its posture and went back to sleep.

"You mean Count Bathory?" Zhan Zhao asked.

"Mmmm."

"He invented a set of tools to feed on the blood of the living." Zhan Zhao blinked mysteriously.

"Oh..." Bai Yutang realised something. "The set of tools used by vampires? No wonder it's considered his glory..."

"Count Bathory used an ingenious trick." Zhan Zhao said, "at that time, many people were after the Bathory family. The whereabouts of almost all the family members had been found, except for the youngest daughter, Paris Bathory. Later, people found a clue in a letter from Bathory to a good friend. The letter reads, 'in the early spring of May, when the spring blossoms, I lost my beloved daughter, who left me. Three days later, I personally buried my glory and let her wear the cross badge that symbolized the dignity of the Bathory family, to leave this disgusting world and go to another broader and more vibrant world.'"

"Hmm..." Bai Yutang thought for a moment and said, "he only said that he had buried his glory with his own hands, but he did not say that he had buried his daughter with his own hands! Leaving and losing something doesn't mean his daughter is dead."

"Correct." Zhan Zhao nodded and said, "guess, what does 'a broader and more vibrant world'mean?"

"Outside the continent of Europe." Bai Yutang said.

"Hmmm." Zhan Zhao nodded. "Then the Duke of Bathory was hunted. He kept hiding everywhere, but was soon caught and burned. In the years that followed, the descendants of the Duke of Bathory were captured and executed, and the last descendant was executed for a series of crimes in 1913."

Bai Yutang frowned slightly and said with a smile, "but the war began in 1914, and the pursuit of posterity could no longer be carried out, so the Bathory family may not be extinct."

"Yep." Zhan Zhao nodded. "That's why this author added some extra remarks here. It looks very interesting."

"What?" Bai Yutang asked.

"That period was a period of war, and in the early 19th century, after the end of World War I, vampires were reported in local newspapers in North and South America. There were records that a young man wearing a mask was caught attacking humans, and then everyone thought he was the devil and burned him to death. The name provided by the man at that time was... Bathory"