Arcane Innovator

I snuck into the pitch-black kitchen, having to pause to let my eyes adjust to the darkness.

I could have summoned a small flame to light my way, but that would run the risk of blowing my cover the instant someone would walk in, and I wanted to remain hidden for as long as possible.

Luckily, the moonlight seeped in through the small windows under the ceiling, allowing me to see my surroundings somewhat.

Thus, I carefully weaved my way through the crates full of vegetables and other food items stored here while scanning the area with my magic sense.

To my relief, no one was in the kitchen, which was not too surprising given the late hour, so I had quite an easy time navigating the unfamiliar space.

That was until I entered the hallway and stumbled upon my first obstacle - a young maid busily scrubbing the floor.

I came to an abrupt stop, not daring to move as I tensely waited for a few moments, afraid I had been spotted.

The maid, however, smiled carefreely as she hummed a tune, seemingly oblivious to my presence.

Remembering to breathe, I sighed in relief as I took a measured step back into the kitchen's dark interior while I contemplated my next move.

'So how should I deal with her?' At first, I thought that simply hitting her over the head with something and rendering her unconscious would be the quickest solution.

But then I shook my head, dismissing the notion since using violence against an innocent bystander didn't feel quite right.

So, instead, in the next moment, a sudden gust of wind flew through the hallway, knocking over the maid's bucket and spilling the water all over.

The maid yelped, quickly turning around only to be left staring flabbergasted at the now empty bucket, which, propelled by the wind, continued to mysteriously roll down the hallway.

It took her a short while to collect her thoughts, but then she finally broke out of her stupor.

With wide eyes, she hurriedly jumped to her feet while shouting in panic, "Wha? W-Wait!" as she began franticly chasing down the lively bucket.

Meanwhile, I suppressed a chuckle before soundlessly slipping out of the kitchen and hurrying through the now-empty hallway in the opposite direction.

While keeping to the shadows, I cautiously made my way forward, quickly arriving at the end of the long corridor, which then opened up into a spacious hall.

I paused, letting my eyes scan my surroundings, but my lips soon curled into a smile as I realized where I was.

It looked slightly different in the dark, but seeing the myriad of elaborate statues and colorful paintings lining the walls, I remembered that this was the very same hall we had always walked through each time we came to deliver herbs.

Which meant I was in the central wing, close to the main entrance. 'So where should I go now?'

From here on, I had several options for where to go next, as multiple corridors connected into this hall, and a richly decorated split staircase led to the upper floor.

Weighing my options briefly, I decided to first check the upper floor, where I presumed Sir Konrad's office should be, and also the most likely place where he and the mysterious merchant went.

However, as I turned a corner, I froze before quickly jumping into a nearby alcove and hiding behind a statue of some mythical animal.

'Ugh... that was close.' I grimaced as I took a deep breath, trying to calm down my agitated mind.

I then carefully peeked out from my hideout, watching the peculiar scene before me.

A heavily armed guard stood in the corner of the hall, protecting what looked like a plain wooden door at the very back of the spacious room.

I had previously noticed a life sign coming from ahead, but at first, I simply thought it was just another maid going about her business.

Luckily, right when I stepped into the open, the guard was looking the other way, giving me enough time to seek shelter.

While I continued to cautiously observe him, I couldn't help but furrow my brows. 'Why is there a guard inside?'

Usually, the main purpose of a guard was to prevent intruders from entering the house in the first place, in addition to guarding their master himself.

So, if there was a guard inside, it meant that whatever was back there was important enough for Sir Konrad to not even trust his own servants with.

That's why it immediately piqued my interest, and I decided to check it out first. But before that, I had to do something about the guard itself.

From the man's vigilant expression, it was obvious that any bucket trick wouldn't work on him, and since he was positioned with his back to the wall, I couldn't sneak in on him.

Thus, I had to employ a more sophisticated approach. Taking a deep breath, I concentrated on the air around the unsuspecting guard, manipulating it to create a bubble of air around his head, which would then block oxygen from entering his body.

The guard widened his eyes, immediately realizing that something was deeply wrong, but he couldn't understand what, only that he suddenly couldn't breathe.

He then began wildly trashing his hands and tried to scream, but nothing could be heard as the air bubble completely blocked any sound from escaping his mouth.

His convulsing body quickly consumed the rest of the oxygen in his system, and he soon began heavily gasping for air before collapsing to the ground.

Seeing he had stopped moving, I quickly released my spell before he would suffocate for real and levitated his unconscious body behind a nearby curtain.

Full of curiosity, I then went on to check the unassuming door the guard was protecting.

I cautiously lifted the latch of what looked like an entrance to a broom closet from afar, only to see a long, winding staircase leading down.

'A staircase down to the basement? Hmm, interesting... What could you possibly be hiding down there?'

I donned a mischievous smile before slipping in and closing the doors behind me. 'I guess I'll check the basement first...'

Descending down, I entered a spacious area with a high vaulted ceiling supported by many evenly spaced pillars.

Taking note that no one was here beside me, I quickly summoned a bundle of flames as I began eagerly exploring this vast subterranean chamber.

Everywhere I looked, I saw countless crates of all shapes and sizes haphazardly scattered across the floor, covered by a thick layer of dust.

After gathering my bearings, I started peeking inside the various crates, wondering what the Alchemist might be hiding there. But to my dismay, it was all just various pieces of junk and old furniture.

Confused, I continued exploring the basement only to find more of the same old junk. 'Huh? Who would need a guard for this pile of scrap?'

Before long, I arrived at what seemed like the end of the large chamber, but I didn't find anything you wouldn't see in any other noble's basement. However, there was still one thing that didn't quite add up.

At first glance, it seemed like the basement simply copied the layout of the mansion above, But going by the length of the hallway I previously went through, this room was way too short.

Plus, there was the characteristic smell of fresh plaster I knew very well from when I renovated my own mansion back in Ereneth.

'I wonder if this wall right here was made just recently?' I thought as I came to a stop before an ordinary-looking wall.

I raised my hand with the flame in it higher to take a better look at it, and I immediately realized that this particular wall didn't quite fit with the rest, looking way too white and pristine.

So, I knocked at it and got back a dull sound suggesting an empty space behind it. 'Bingo...'

Making the flame in my palm burn much brighter, I went on to look for a way in.

I walked along the suspicious wall, and I soon noticed a particular spot on the floor where the everpresent layer of dust was much thinner compared to the rest of the basement, suggesting that this area was frequently traversed.

Raising my head, I looked back at the wall, carefully examining it, and although it was almost unnoticeable if you didn't know what to look for, I noticed that there was a door-shaped contour on the wall. However, there was no visible opening mechanism.

I knew that the obvious thing to do in such cases would be to go search for some hidden switch to open the secret entrance... but why bother?

I was a mage, after all, so all I had to do was focus on the piece of wall in front of me as I employed earth manipulation to take control of it. Soon, the stones crumbled to dust, revealing a vast, dark space beyond.