By Zephyria 
First breath, we melted into the tree shadows. Before we could take a second breath, we were pressed against the main hall’s window. Whether it was because the structure was similar to other buildings, or because Hugh Benson’s skill was outstanding, we were able to silently widen the window gap enough for a head to fit through.
We waited for a moment.
Inside, the Knights were constantly moving back and forth in the corridor. Very occasionally, they would open a door to peer inside. We seized that chance and slipped through the window gap. The hall’s window, like the others, was adorned with several Mana Stones, casting scattered light that created garish shadows.
And then, half a breath.
It was a one-second strike, let alone a three-second strike.
The Knights flinched in surprise at the hands that reached out from behind us, but as soon as their Blood Points were pressed, they fell asleep. I know how to strike acupoints, but by what skill did Hugh Benson incapacitate the Knights? I glanced sideways and suppressed a chuckle. I figured he must have used one of the poison darts we’d bought sometime ago.
I asked via Sound Transmission.
[Where do we start looking?]
“Here.”
Hugh Benson casually rummaged through the fallen Knight’s waist. Finding nothing, he immediately went for the chest and pulled out a set of keys. Leaving the two Knights there, he opened the first door. I followed him.
Watching Hugh Benson unlock the first door, I realized something.
In the previous two buildings, all the doors were open, so I hadn’t noticed, but the seven rooms in this building all had to be opened and locked from the outside. The intention behind rooms with locks on the exterior was clear.
…It’s a prison. This comfortable room, which seemed to hold all these precious things, was meant for confining someone.
As we entered the first room, two people lay asleep on two separate beds. Naturally, Hugh Benson checked the person on the right, and I checked the one on the left. I took their wrists and felt for their pulse. There was nothing particularly alarming…
No.
In the center of their bodies, lying as still as if they’d been struck at pressure points, I discovered clumps of Contaminated Mana. I had encountered such things several times before. Not a physical poison, but a non-physical one. An intangible poison.
Instead of checking their pulse, Hugh Benson brought his nose close to their breath to check. After looking at their complexion and rolling back their eyes, he stepped back. With a single glance, we understood each other’s intentions.
Then, we hurried.
We closed the door completely as it was, then opened the next room. And again, and again. After checking and rechecking until we had gone through the last room, we closed the door. Those lying down included both men and women.
Each of the seven rooms held two people, and all of them were Aura Users. Most were Supreme Masters… They seemed to be top-tier Sword Experts, but their true abilities were difficult to gauge due to their lack of consciousness.
Seeing Hugh Benson dip a silver needle into an antidote, intending to administer it to the Knights he had subdued, I asked:
[Is there any?]
“…That’s the thing.”
Hugh muttered with distress.
“…Damn it, I don’t know. How can there be eight women among fourteen people, and not a single one with brown hair.”
“…”
While it was possible to carry one person away, it was obviously impossible to drag all fourteen out. Without a word, we quietly withdrew.
It was broad daylight. It was better to run hidden in the shadows than to walk on the rooftops. We avoided the servants’ eyes and entered the carriage storage, throwing ourselves into a familiar carriage. We moved the chairs and hid ourselves in the empty space beneath the carriage, one by one.
About an hour later, the children returned to the carriage.
Marianne opened the door and chattered in a cheerful voice, as if to be heard.
“Still, we got a pretty good price. More generous than I expected!”
“That’s right. When you deal with nobles in the future, you must act as sweet and docile as that.”
“Yes, Mom! What’s for dinner tonight?”
Clink. The carriage began to move. Tedros replied in a casual voice.
“Well, what do you want to eat? Mom’s going to make it herself today…”
“Ah, no! Let’s eat out.”
The presence of Knights approached. The carriage stopped, and the Knights knocked and opened the door.
“We need to check something briefly.”
“Yes? Yes! Oh, could it be that Lady Diamang wants to buy something else?”
“…No, it’s not that…”
While they inspected the interior, Marianne and Tedros were relaxed and nonchalant. Marianne kept chattering cutely, and Tedros played along well.
The Knights thoroughly searched the carriage. They opened the chairs to check the luggage compartment and tapped the carriage walls and floor. However, the carriage floor, prepared by the informant Tedros, was structured to be locked from the inside with pre-driven nails. The Knights could not find me and Hugh, who were hidden.
Tedros patiently waited for them to thoroughly inspect the carriage, and after about five minutes, he opened a coin purse with a clink and pulled out a gold coin, handing it to a Knight with a sly voice.
“Oh my, it’s been a while since I’ve been to Owen, so I’d forgotten how to take care of the Knights. My apologies.”
“…Ah! Do we need to take care of the Knights separately too?”
“There are estates like that. You should know that well.”
“Hmph… Yes. I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”
“No, it’s not that… Yes. That’s fine.”
Click. The door closed. The carriage rolled in the direction it was supposed to go.
However, even after we had completely left the mansion gates, neither I nor Hugh Benson moved for over an hour. We simply held our breath, listening to the presence of the group, and waited. At one point, Tedros, who had checked outside the window, spoke in a calm voice.
“…Are you there?”
“Yes.”
As the floor opened, Marianne quickly reached out and pulled me up. It wasn’t that I particularly needed support, but I accepted the child’s kindness and emerged. As I smoothed out my wrinkled clothes, Hugh Benson also lifted the floor panel over there and emerged, sitting back in his place.
As soon as we sat comfortably, I asked.
“How was it?”
“The Contaminated Mana was clumped, but it wasn’t derived from Black Magic. Lady Diamang was covered from her left shoulder to her upper chest with Contaminated Mana originating from nature.”
“From nature?”
“Yes. Mana originating from the Yuil Mountains gathered…? I’d heard it was possible, but this was the first time I’d seen mana clinging to the surface of a body like that. I couldn’t lift her dress to check, but…”
At that, Hugh Benson clicked his tongue.
“It’s common in Owen. About one in five people have it. It’s nothing special.”
“Common? But.”
“I had it too.”
Hugh Benson briefly lifted and lowered his long bangs.
But his eyes… were clear. Hadn’t I confirmed it with my own eyes several times already? If Contaminated Mana had seeped into those eyes, Marianne would have noticed…
Nevertheless, Hugh Benson’s explanation, as always, was definitive. As if his words were truth and gospel, making them impossible not to believe.
“I’m a Sword Master. It’s extraordinary to be born in a place teeming with such high-density mana and grow up without any issues. Usually, people either die early or go to learn swordsmanship or magic.”
“But Lady Diamang wasn’t a swordswoman or a wizard?”
“Then she must have received help from a priest. She has a lot of money.”
“Ah.”
Is that so? Marianne was speechless for a moment. Hugh Benson crossed his arms and leaned back deeply into the seat. For a while after he started traveling with us, before trust was built, he kept his eyes hidden. But he had been a Sword Master since I first saw him. Why, then?
He asked Marianne again in a composed tone.
“So it’s not a trace of Black Magic?”
“Yes. I don’t think so.”
“And that slave, did you see him?”
“No. He wasn’t in his place, so I couldn’t see him.”
It felt like we had only obtained half the information. My mind was complicated with various thoughts. Hugh Benson rubbed his smooth chin with one hand and spoke again.
“We also saw Contaminated Mana on our end… I’m talking about those presumed to be Mercenaries.”
“Ah, you found them? How were they?”
Marianne sat up abruptly, her eyes sparkling.
“There are more than Raul mentioned. Fourteen of them. They were locked in a strange room, and it looked like they had all been fed Rose-Bat Fruit.”
“Rose-Bat?”
This was an explanation I hadn’t heard when they were alone. I couldn’t help but ask.
“What are its effects?”
“The flower is an A-11 type poison, but it reproduces through its roots. The fruit and seeds are called Fruits of Deception and are classified as F-32 type clumps of Contaminated Mana. The flower’s meaning is ‘Eternal Sleep’.”
“Hallucinogen?”
“It can be a hallucinogen, and it can be a sleeping pill.”
Marianne answered vaguely, then looked directly at Hugh Benson again.
“Besides that, what about Dan? Did you find him?”
“…”
I answered in place of the silent Hugh Benson.
“He said he couldn’t recognize his face.”
“…Ugh, you idiot!”
“…I don’t think he was there.”
Hugh Benson mumbled defensively, and Marianne glared, placing her hands on her hips. Her sharp voice scolding Hugh was quite formidable.
“What do you mean? Isn’t this usually how you start, saying ‘You’re just like when you were little’?”
“Start what? It’s not like that. No, if his eyes were open, I could recognize his features, but they’ve all grown so much more than I expected…”
“Ugh. Ugh!”
“Hey! Stop sighing!”
“Ughhh!”
He’s such a mischievous fellow. Seeing Marianne tease Hugh was so amusing that I also let out laughter several times. All the while, I was unaware of what had happened at the lodging.
❖ ❖ ❖
Rubel was gone.
Benjamin was also gone. The door was closed properly, but the inside of the room was a mess. Traces of the children swinging their swords remained clearly on the walls. The wardrobe, which had been set up, was half-dented, revealing its interior, and the headboard of the bed was broken, littering the floor.
“…”
I blinked a couple of times in disbelief. But the scene that came into view remained the same.
I picked up Ruben’s veil, which had fallen to the floor and was crumpled, in my hand.
While the flustered group examined the room, it was difficult to swallow the rage that rose to the back of my throat. My Upper Dantian burned hot, while my Middle Dantian grew cold.
At that moment, a faint violet light settled on my tightly clenched fist.
…It was Marianne’s Healing Magic. Was I injured? I raised my head in a daze.
Marianne advised coldly.
“Relax your hand, Michael.”
“…Yes.”
Red blood seeped into Ruben’s veil. It wasn’t Ruben’s blood. I knew it was my own, freshly shed. Even knowing that, I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the agonizingly clear red color.