In a room deep within House Marstchel’s residence, Pri sat with a lingering smile, admiring the gemstone held between her fingers.
Jewels decorated every corner of the chamber, creating a scene that could only be described as a Jewel Garden. To ensure she could fully appreciate their brilliance, Pri had adjusted the lighting according to her own meticulous standards, using various methods to fine-tune the glow.
"Every time I look at you, I feel as though I might be sucked into that deep blue," she whispered. "Gazing at you like this is more than enough... but today’s ritual will make you even more beautiful. I wonder what color you’ll take when it’s over? Please, show me that even lovelier form as soon as possible."
She doted on the gem with an entranced expression.
Fortunately, the sacrifice for today’s ritual was a relatively famous adventurer. That being the case, the brilliance of that life was sure to polish the jewel to an even greater luster.
This was a sweet, blissful escape spent with her beloved treasures. Ordinarily, Pri would never permit anyone to disturb her during such a moment, but the sound of the door opening forced her back to reality.
"MASTER. INTRUDERS DETECTED."
The words caused Pri’s hand to stop mid-stroke.
"Intruders? Let those Holy Light Religion fanatics handle them."
"ONE OF THEM POSSESSES EXTREMELY HIGH MAGIC POWER."
The hand that had been about to resume its petting of the stone froze again. The voice coming from the puppet was raspy and difficult to decipher, but as its creator, Pri could understand it without issue.
"High magic power? Could it be Elena, the one who came here the other day?"
"NO. HOWEVER, THERE IS ONE INDIVIDUAL WITH MAGIC POWER EVEN GREATER THAN HERS. AND WHILE NOT REACHING THAT LEVEL, THERE IS ANOTHER WITH HIGH MAGIC POWER AS WELL."
The doll paused briefly before opening its mouth again.
"ALSO, THE PRESENCE OF BYUNE FLAUT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED."
As the doll finished its explanation, Pri’s irritation at having her bliss interrupted vanished. A smile spread across her lips—though it was a grin so sinister that any observer would have recoiled in dread.
"Byune of House Flaut? Well, well. To think she would walk right into my hands. And we have someone with magic power exceeding even Elena’s, plus another of high caliber. I suppose this must be the Blessing of the Goddess of Holy Light for my good behavior?"
Pri muttered the mockery toward a deity she didn't believe in for a second, then turned her gaze to the doll.
"How many of the Holy Light Religion people are left in the residence?"
"ABOUT TWENTY. THIRTY DEPARTED A SHORT WHILE AGO."
"And Oricule is here?"
"YES."
At the doll’s confirmation, Pri held up her right hand, her rings catching the room's light. She smirked.
"Then coordinate with the other dolls and capture them. Forty should be more than enough. Those two with the high magic power will undoubtedly make for superb materials. And..."
She turned an entranced gaze toward two specific gems decorating the room—one an orange-red and the other a light blue.
"Since the opportunity has presented itself, let’s reunite Byune with her parents. She’s only ten or so, I believe? She must still miss them dearly. I’ve long thought it would be lovely for the three of them to live together happily."
The doll seemingly understood its master’s intent. It lowered its small head and exited the room.
After a brief glance at her loyal creation, Pri returned her attention to the jewels, her mind racing with thoughts of the precious materials that had wandered into her grasp.
For a fleeting moment, the image of Bosk, the Head of House Silwa, crossed her mind. At first glance, he appeared to be a muscle-brain one could easily manipulate, but in reality, he was a man who instinctively evaded the underhanded traps she had laid out for him countless times.
"It might become a nuisance if that man sticks his nose in... but given the House Rebisole situation, he probably won't be able to make any reckless moves."
She muttered this to herself, deciding he wasn't a threat.
Had she considered the identities of the intruders more carefully, she might have realized that the individual with the immense magic power was Rei, the adventurer known by the alias Crimson; that Rei was connected to Elena; and that because of the Anomaly Species incident, those two were connected to Bosk.
However, Pri was too preoccupied with doting on her jewels. The news that Byune—a target she had pursued for some time—was among the intruders had filled her head with visions of the gems she was about to obtain. This obsessive fixation was Pri’s greatest flaw.
Believing her victory was certain and that top-tier jewels were within her reach, she returned to her blissful, private moment.
"There really is nobody here..."
Rei and his team had successfully infiltrated the residence, but as expected, the building was eerily devoid of people.
Light Magic Items were installed at regular intervals along the corridor walls. However, for Nakt and Byune—who had trained their Night Vision to handle traps and dark dungeon floors—and for Rei, who possessed natural Night Vision, the lights were only a hindrance. They served only to illuminate their presence, making stealth more difficult. Even Vihera, while not quite on their level, could see through the darkness far better than any ordinary human.
"Nakt, Byune, where do you think they’d keep someone captive in a place like this?" Rei asked.
Nakt wore a troubled expression. "Normally, I'd expect an underground cell or something similar..."
"Nn," Byune agreed, her eyes scanning the hallway.
Rei felt the same way. Since the kidnapped adventurers had been found in a basement at the Holy Light Religion hideout, the probability was high.
"Why don't we just start destroying rooms at random?" Vihera suggested, having no personal connection to Tibia. She had joined because Rei was an acquaintance, and since this was House Marstchel, she had expected to find powerful enemies to fight. Finding the place empty of even servants had made her impatient. "If we do that, someone will eventually come to us, and then we can just catch them and interrogate them."
"I'm sorry, but please hold back for a little longer," Nakt pleaded humbly, knowing Vihera was called the Crazy Beast for a reason and wanting to avoid upsetting her. "At least until we've rescued Tibia..."
"Fine, I get it. Honestly, it might have been more interesting if I'd gone with the group heading to House Silwa."
"If you were with Elena, you’d almost certainly cause a scene, so please don't. Anyway, if we suspect an underground cell, we should look for a way down."
Judging that further talk was a waste of time, Rei reached for the door of a nearby room. When he opened it, he froze.
"There’s... nothing?"
The room was completely empty. There wasn't a single piece of furniture; only a polished floor greeted them. The cleaning had been impeccable; in the areas lit by the hallway's glow or the moonlight through the window, not a speck of dust or trash could be seen.
"It’s impeccably maintained for an unused room," Nakt remarked, peering over Rei's shoulder with a tilt of his head.
"It is a bit strange that even the empty rooms are so clean when there are so few servants... but then again, this is House Marstchel. Maybe it's not that odd?" Vihera suggested.
"...I suppose."
"Anyway, let's finish checking this place. If there's nothing here, we'll check the next one. If that one is as clean as this, then it just means they keep every room in the mansion spotless."
Nakt and Byune nodded at Vihera's words and immediately began investigating the room. Rei joined in to help, but Vihera remained at the entrance. Seeing her attention fixed on the hallway, Rei realized she was standing guard and continued his search.
Then, a voice rang out. "Hey, you've got to be kidding me."
Nakt was inspecting the walls. Ignoring the others' gazes, he continued to manipulate a section of the masonry. A faint click echoed through the quiet room, and a portion of the floor swung open to reveal a set of stairs leading down.
"I can certainly understand the sentiment," Rei muttered, staring at the opening.
In a mansion this vast, they had stumbled upon a hidden staircase leading underground in the very first room they had searched. He couldn't help but feel that this was intentional.
"But our decision to enter this room was a total coincidence, wasn't it?" Vihera countered. "If we'd entered from a different side of the house, we wouldn't have even looked at this room. I think it’s just luck. We’re simply fortunate."
"...Nn..." Byune tilted her head. It was suspicious, but as Vihera said, their choice of room had been random. The conflict between that fact and the convenience of the discovery was clearly weighing on her.
"And besides," Vihera added, "even if this were part of someone's plan, do you really think they could have constructed a hidden staircase in the moments after we slipped inside?"
"Fair point."
Without a counterargument, Rei had to accept their discovery as a stroke of luck.
"Well, we found the stairs, so let's head down. If there's a trap, we'll just have to smash through it."
Rei shifted his mindset, and the others nodded. Nakt was determined to save Tibia, Vihera was hoping for a strong opponent below, and Byune had no love for the Marstchel family. They began their descent.
Byune led the way, followed by Vihera, then Rei, with Nakt bringing up the rear. Nakt had taken the rearmost position to guard against anyone following them down the hidden passage. Rei was confident in his own senses, but he was happy to leave the task to a professional.
They reached the bottom after a few minutes, finding a single door waiting for them.
"Nothing but a door. How typical," Vihera noted. "What now?"
There was only one choice. Byune and Nakt exchanged a silent look, reaching a thief’s consensus, and Byune reached for the door. Rei and Vihera braced themselves, ready for anything.
The door wasn't locked. It swung open with a metallic groan, and the sight beyond left them all wide-eyed with surprise.
"This is..."
A massive hall stretched out before them, easily seven hundred square feet in size.
"It’s huge, but just like the rooms upstairs, there’s nothing here," Vihera muttered as she stepped inside and scanned the area.
True to her word, the vast space contained only a few tables and chairs. However...
"Looking at that wall, I can see why it was so easy to find those hidden stairs," Rei said.
Rei was staring at the far wall. It was lined with a staggering number of identical doors, stretching out in a long, silent row.