Chapitre 107: Chapter 107: The Disappearance of the Secret
William clapped his hands and cheerfully said, "Alright, gentlemen, now that no one is disturbing us, you can continue."
The three of them breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that William hadn't killed the man. Teabing smiled at William. "William, you truly are Henry's grandson—decisive and clean in your actions. And you're much better than Henry at handling things. Ha ha."
"Thank you for the compliment, Sir," William replied, reverting to his polite demeanor, leaving Langdon and Sophia stunned. They couldn't believe that this gentlemanly man before them had nearly snapped someone's neck just moments ago.
Seeing him casually dislocate someone's arm and his apparent indifference to human life sent chills down their spines.
William noticed the fear in Langdon and Sophia's eyes. He smiled and said, "Don't worry, Professor, Sophia. I only act that way towards enemies. I promise I won't hurt you."
"Alright," Professor Langdon said, twisting his mouth. Sophia looked conflicted at the white-haired man on the couch. Now knowing that this man had murdered her grandfather, she felt torn between wanting him dead and handing him over to the police, especially since she herself was a police officer.
Teabing, sensing the lack of enthusiasm, shouted excitedly, "Unbelievable! It really exists! I've spent my entire life researching this and was nearly hopeless, but I never expected to see it—the relic under the rose—just before my death."
Hearing Teabing's words, Langdon and Sophia's attention shifted to the cryptex in Teabing's hand. They were eager to hear what he had to say.
Meanwhile, William inspected the wooden box containing the cryptex. He had already examined the cryptex itself, even scanning it with his mental power. Although he could sense the scroll inside, the tightly rolled paper prevented him from reading the text clearly.
Carefully scanning the wooden box with his mental power, he found that there was writing under the metal rose petal. Without alerting the others, William walked to a nearby table, picked up a pencil, and pressed it, dislodging the metal petal. He discovered some text underneath.
Upon closer inspection, he saw that the text was written in reverse. Knowing that reverse text needs to be viewed in a mirror to be read, he quietly found a glass mirror. Reflecting the text, he read: "The knight buried by the Pope after death, his lifelong achievements angering the Holy See. The holy orb should rest in the hero's tomb, the royal girl conceived will be eternal."
William suddenly found this phrase very familiar. Thinking it over, he realized with a curse, "Damn, isn't this one of the three passages written in the Oxford Charter that my family possesses?"
No wonder Grand Master Jacques Saunière had told him that the Devonshire family were the final protectors. Now everything made sense. Using his mental power, he quickly deciphered the text on the cryptex, realizing it matched the Oxford Charter's passage: "Under ancient Roslin, the Holy Grail awaits, guarded by blade and chalice, offered to the master's creation, accompanied in dream, she may rest in peace, gazing at the stars."
Cursing the effort spent on something he already knew, William walked to the liquor table and poured himself a glass of wine. Sitting down, he decided he couldn't let Langdon and the others continue investigating. These secrets must remain known only to the Devonshire family.
Since the secret was no longer a secret to him, William needed a flawless plan to make it disappear, ensuring it stayed only with the Devonshire family and keeping the Priory unaware.
Looking at the white-haired man on the floor gave him an idea. The man was struggling, enduring great pain to free his hands.
Seeing this, William subtly moved a shard of broken glass towards the white-haired man using his mental power. Soon, the man found the shard.
Scanning the room, William saw the white-haired man struggling with the glass shard and smiled. He stood up and asked the others, "Is anyone hungry? Would you like to join me for breakfast in the dining room?"
"No, thank you," the three were too engrossed in their work to care about William. They were busy trying different letter combinations on paper, scratching out the wrong ones.
"Alright, I'll go eat then. Does anyone want me to bring something up?" William asked again.
This time, they didn't respond, only Sophia waved him off.
Cheerfully, William went to the dining room, found some ham and eggs, and made a ham and egg fry-up in a few minutes. He put it on a plate, eating while heading upstairs, watching the castle grounds from the hallway.
In less than a minute, he sensed the white-haired man freeing his hands. Despite having his arms dislocated by William, the fanatic had endured the pain, using a shard of glass to cut the tape binding his hands after nearly ten minutes.
William winced at the thought. Dislocated arms meant his fingers could still move, but every movement was excruciating, especially holding a glass shard. The man was trembling in pain, sweating profusely.
After freeing his feet and resting for a few minutes, the man managed to reset his arm using the floor, with a faint crack that Langdon and the others, too engrossed in their work, failed to notice.
Breathing heavily, the white-haired man realized his time was short. He needed to act before William returned, aiming to subdue the three and take the keystone.
When the three were not paying attention, he suddenly rushed at Teabing, the easiest target due to his limp.
Teabing was startled, instinctively falling back. Watching from the hallway with his mental power, William smiled—this was his chance.
Using his mental power, William tripped the white-haired man, causing him to crash into Teabing. They collided with a thud, sending the cryptex flying towards the wall.
As the cryptex flew, William accelerated it with his mental power.
With a loud crash, the cryptex hit the wall and fell to the floor, bouncing a few times. William immediately sensed the glass inside shatter.
Feeling a surge of joy, William sprang into action, drawing his gun and rushing into the study. He was about to fire but was blocked by Sophia. "Move, Sophia," he shouted.
Realizing the situation, the white-haired man grabbed Teabing by the neck, holding a glass shard to his throat. "Drop the gun, or I'll cut his throat," he yelled.
Frustrated by the missed shot, William aimed at the man but kept his distance. "Let him go, or I'll shoot. I don't even know this old man," he said, trying to bluff.
The white-haired man hid behind Teabing's head. "Try it! If I die, I'll take him with me." He pressed the glass shard into Teabing's neck, drawing blood.
"NO, NO, NO, William, don't shoot! Be careful, Teabing," Langdon shouted. "Teabing, don't worry, we'll save you."
Ignoring Langdon, Teabing's eyes were fixed on the cryptex. He knew it was broken; the sound it made hitting the wall was clear. The glass vial inside must be shattered.
"Langdon, check the cryptex, forget about me, check the cryptex," Teabing urged.
Langdon, also concerned about the cryptex, walked over and picked it up. His face fell as he felt liquid and smelled vinegar.
Turning to Teabing, he shook his head.
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