Chapter 70.2 - The First Year at the Academy - Saiji-to (2)
Chapter 70.2. The First Year at the Academy – Saiji-to (2)
The white light of the Fixed Light illuminated the mansion.
I cautiously stepped inside, but no sign of any other golems.
This Fixed Light belonged to Elphimia, who peeked ominously into the magic bag and lent it to me. And she is invoking the "Light" magic. What does it mean that she seems more of an adventurer than I am?
Elphimia also activated "Magic Search" and used "Magic Sight" to look around the mansion.
"I don't see any suspicious magic."
"Understood."
To the left and right of the salon were adjacent rooms, and the stairs to the second floor were visible in front.
The golem came to the next room on the left.
When we looked in that direction, we saw a sofa and table filled with countless pieces of debris, as if it were a break room. We saw the room center cleared of any debris. The scattered stones had brand-new scratches, probably from the golem's path.
The back of the restroom seemed to be a hallway, but we went back and peeked at the other side.
That is the dining room, and except for the fact that it is in disrepair. We saw nothing out of the ordinary.
We should probably follow the golem's footsteps first.
Elphimia had no objection, so we went through the dining room tunnel and into the hallway.
There are several branches, but most of them are buried under rubble. The golem's footprints followed one of the branches.
We followed the footprints to the far left of the compound.
After a while, a dark hole appeared at the end of the path.
We saw a scattered broken door, and the footprints led to a hollow in front of it.
I looked in the hollow, but there was nothing there.
"Probably a waiting area. The base golem returns to its designated spot when its orders are completed or no longer possible."
"So – this is the place you want to protect the most."
I tell Elphimia to wait and look around the room.
That room was covered in rubble, but I could see the remains of a large bed and an exquisitely carved table. It seems to be a bedroom.
We enter the room and illuminate it with a fixture light.
It looks strange.
The room seems large, but there is too much space. The furnishings cluttered against the walls. And apart from a bed, table, and chairs. There is nothing on the floor. It's like they're in the middle of cleaning.
"There doesn't seem to be any danger."
Elphimia looked around and said the same thing: "It looks like a bedroom.
"From the decor, I'd say it's the master's room. I don't know why it's so tidy – but it looks like there was something there."
I move the dust away with my foot and bring the fixture light closer to the carpet.
A dark stain. It was blood.
Blood stains are all over the place.
Was there a battle or just a murder? It could have been a monster or an animal too.
Was the collapse the result of a battle?
Once again, I looked at the furnishings by the wall.
Did they know there was going to be a battle? Is that why they were putting them away?
It's unclear why they're not putting the tables, and chairs away.
There is too little information. It's pointless to think about it now.
I checked the bedroom but left without seeing anything else.
The branches have collapsed, so we turn around and enter the dining room on the right.
It is still just as rough, and no blood or signs of battle.
The structure was similar to the one on the left, with a corridor beyond the dining hall.
This side was safe, but we proceeded cautiously because we did not know where it would collapse.
At the back are the kitchen and servants' quarters, and we find two sets of dishes that have been left unattended.
Whoever used them, it seems that the users of this place are not a group.
We return to the salon again.
The rest is upstairs.
We go up the stairs at the back.
The floor on the left is collapsed, as is the roof, so we head to the right. It's just above the dining room.
And the moment I peek into the first room, I jump back.
Behind me, Elphimia also gets into a fighting stance.
But – I didn't hear any noise.
I held my position for a while, but there was no change.
I signaled Elphimia to stay behind and quietly peeked into the room.
No movement.
"It's safe. There's someone ahead of us, though."
We cautiously entered the room, and Elfimir and I looked down at the guests.
The room was a study.
On the wall was a bookcase, and a desk was in front of it. In the center of the room was a rectangular table flanked by several good-sized sofas.
The previous guest sat on the sofa and plopped down on the table.
It was a skeleton.
I know from his short black hair, and then his clothes. That person appeared to be a man. At least, it did not look like her grandmother.
What kind of situation was this?
I looked around the study.
On the table were alchemical tools, bundles of parchments, books, and parchments scattered on the floor as if they had fallen from the table. Then on the skeleton desk were glass jars containing materials and spare alchemical tools. On the sofa opposite the skeleton was a luxurious-looking bedding that looked like it was used as a sleeping area.
Elphimia left the sofa to examine the room.
I left her to it and turned my attention to the skeleton.
The clothes looked expensive. Someone provided the bedding in the mansion, someone prepared the skeleton's clothes too. The skeleton must be wealthy.
The cause of death – stab wounds on the back?
There are several holes in the clothes. The fibers are cleanly severed, so it was probably a knife wound.
When I pulled up the skeleton body, the head rolled on the table with a light sound.
I laid the crumpled body on the sofa while wrapping it in clothes and placed the skull where it should be.
I examined the clothes from the front and found no other wounds.
Examining the bones would have gathered a little more information, but the fatal wound was a stab wound from behind. From the hole location, it would not be surprising if he died instantly.
I turned my attention to the table.
A ring was on the dismembered finger bone, and when I invoked "Appraisal" I found it was a ring that controls a golem.
That almost confirmed that it was not an intruder.
I continued to look at the man's body with "Appraisal".
Unfortunately, I don't know the skeleton's details even with "Appraisal". In this case, the body is described as a "human corpse". If I knew the corpse details, it covers the adventurer's equipment with information, and I would not be able to eat.
The man also had some other magical tools in his possession.
I laid them out on the table, trying not to touch them.
I was drawn to one, or rather two, of them.
Out of his pocket came an old skeleton key.
Both were of the same material and tooth shape.
After a bit of pondering, I picked up one of them.
Immediately, information flowed into my brain from the key.
Is it a magical tool that does not question its master?
I look at the key in the palm of my hand.
That is the key to passing through the warding.
Name: The Signpost to the Hidden House
Features: A guidepost for the warding and a key to the target structure, created by the highest level of magic, Trephas Masnito.
Characteristic: It does not function outside the deployed wards when it was created.
Trephas Masnito – is that the invisible mansion's real name? There was no keyhole in the forest warehouse is the building was also subject to the effect of "Trephas Masnito".
I compare the two keys.
After all, there is no difference. One is not the key to the warehouse, but this one must be a spare. Otherwise, only one person would be able to enter and leave.
But the name is meaningless.
People said that magical tools and magic with such names were relics from an age older than Veriates. Perhaps the Alphas faction had reprinted the highest level magic of ancient times. I knew they were crazy.
I put the signpost on the table and looked up.
Elphimia was examining a bookshelf.
I remove my gaze and look around the room once more.
On the table are alchemical tools and bundles of parchment. On the desk and shelves are documents and various other materials. On the floor are scattered pieces of parchment that must have fallen when someone killed the skeleton.
I pick them up, piece by piece, and look down at the skeleton.
It's about time you told us.
What were you working on?
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