Chapter 34
Having successfully infiltrated the inner grounds of Marquis Cherville’s estate, Isabella and Cedric concealed themselves behind a nearby thicket, cautiously surveying their surroundings.
Lowering her voice, Isabella spoke with a somewhat troubled expression.
“The security here is really tight, isn’t it?”
It hadn’t even been five minutes since they entered, and already, they’d spotted six people, guards and servants, on night patrol. If they stepped out from their cover now, it was only a matter of time before they were discovered.
With a troubled tone, Isabella murmured again.
“Hmm, what do we do? We’ll need to move in deeper. It doesn’t look like Lady Cherville’s room is anywhere near here.”
As they approached the mansion, Isabella felt a faint trace of murky magical energy lingering in the air, convincing her that the Tears of Infernus had to be somewhere nearby. However, the energy was so diffused that it was difficult to pinpoint its exact location.
Leaning against a wide tree trunk, Cedric had been silently listening. Straightening up slightly, he finally spoke.
“Please wait here for a moment.”
“What? Where are you going?”
“I’ll find Lady Cherville’s room.”
“What?! On your own?!”
Startled, Isabella raised her voice before Cedric quickly clamped a hand over her mouth. But as if burned, he withdrew his hand almost immediately and turned his gaze toward the mansion, answering firmly.
“It’s the fastest way.”
“But…”
Her words trailed off as she hesitated. She knew full well that it would be far more efficient for Cedric to act alone. And that was exactly why it worried her.
Cedric was the head of a ducal house. He had no ties whatsoever to the dark artifact, and the fact that he had become entangled in this matter was already troubling. If he were to be discovered, even by accident, the consequences would be grave.
Just as Cedric was about to take a step forward, Isabella reached out and grabbed the hem of his coat.
“No. We’ll go together.”
“That increases the risk of being found.”
“No, we won’t be caught. I promise.”
Her voice was firm, unusually so. Cedric narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, “…Do you have a plan?”
“Yes. Just… like this.”
After a brief hesitation and a furtive glance at Cedric, Isabella shut her eyes tightly and grabbed his hand. In the next moment, dark magic began to spread from their joined hands. Slowly, their bodies began to fade from sight.
Seeing this with his own eyes, Cedric frowned sharply.
“My lady, this power…”
But Isabella swiftly cut him off.
“I know! I know I shouldn’t use it carelessly. But this really is the best option.”
“Didn’t you say earlier it comes at a cost?”
“Well… yes, but it’s fine! I can use it for ten minutes a day without any consequences.”
The problem was, once those ten minutes were exceeded, her lifespan would be shortened in direct proportion to the duration, and if she miscalculated the 24-hour cooldown period, things could get messy. But she didn’t explain that part.
She didn’t want to burden him with those details, especially since her unstable power was already more than enough to deal with. Suppressing her thoughts, Isabella forced a cheerful smile.
“…”
Cedric silently stared into her eyes, as if trying to read her mind.
Worried he might see through her, Isabella quickly tugged on his hand to break the moment and hurried him along.
“Come on! At this rate, dawn will break. Let’s hurry and find Lady Cherville’s room!”
Now invisible thanks to her Ghost Form ability, the two of them stepped out from the bushes.
The mansion was larger than expected, and tracking the dark artifact’s presence was proving more difficult than anticipated. As they wandered along the cobblestone path, still unsure of their destination, they suddenly spotted a patrolling guard up ahead, his boots echoing with each step.
But since they were invisible, Isabella paid him no mind and continued walking forward. Then…
“Wh-What the hell is that?!”
The guard, now only about three meters away, suddenly turned pale and stumbled back in terror.
‘Huh? What’s wrong with him?’
Puzzled by the guard’s behavior, Isabella glanced behind her. There was no one there except Cedric.
‘Hmm… Maybe he’s just frail or paranoid?’
Unable to speak while in Ghost Form, Isabella dismissed the odd encounter and resumed walking. But then…
“G-Ghost! It’s a ghost!!”
‘A ghost? Wait… Can he see us?!’
As the guard fled in a panic, practically tumbling over himself, Isabella looked down at her hand in disbelief. Still invisible.
But then, through her transparent hand, she saw something she shouldn’t have.
‘Wait… why can he see our shoes?’
A pair of black dress shoes were clearly visible, moving forward in stride. She quickly turned to Cedric’s feet.
Gasp!
It was a bizarre sight, just the shoes walking by themselves. She instantly understood why the guard had been so terrified.
“H-Haha…”
A dry laugh escaped her lips. It wasn’t the first time this had happened. Because of how unstable her powers were, she’d made mistakes like this before as a child whenever she used her Ghost Form ability.
But for it to still happen now…
‘Of course it did. Typical me.’
Isabella sighed inwardly. But then she shook her head, forcing herself to be optimistic.
‘No, no. Back then, even my clothes used to float around! Only the shoes showing is a huge improvement! Totally!’
Just then, she remembered she wasn’t alone. Turning to Cedric, she was relieved to see him examining the mansion, seemingly unaware of the shoe mishap.
Thank goodness.
What she didn’t know was that Cedric’s throat had bobbed slightly. Unaware of the truth, Isabella continued on with Cedric at her side.
“Kyaa! Th-The shoes are moving by themselves!”
“Dear gods! I-I swear I’ll never slack off during patrol again!”
“Mommy!!”
Since she was afraid of messing up again by reapplying the Ghost Form spell, she left the shoes as they were. As a result, everyone who crossed their path screamed in horror at the sight of two pairs of shoes moving with no bodies in sight.
Isabella scratched her cheek, feeling a little guilty, but she didn’t bother fixing it. Frankly, their reactions were hilarious. And besides, a ghost rumor was much better than news of intruders getting out.
After a while, Cedric suddenly called her.
“My lady, I believe Lady Cherville is in that room.”
Unlike Isabella, Cedric had summoned a spirit to help track Diana’s location. He pointed to a balcony room on the second floor. But something felt off.
“That room?”
She had just checked that room a moment ago and hadn’t sensed the distinctive murky aura of the dark artifact at all. It was strange, but wind spirits were unrivaled when it came to tracking scents and flows in the air.
Trusting the spirit’s guidance, she changed her thinking.
‘Maybe there’s a barrier around it?’
If so, it was worth checking out.
Isabella headed in the direction Cedric had indicated.
Reaching the balcony, she placed her hand on the ground and whispered, “Grow.”
At once, a black vine ladder, just like the one they’d used to climb over the outer wall, shot up and anchored itself securely to the balcony railing.
Once she confirmed it was sturdy, Isabella glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then placed a foot on the vine.
“If I let go, the Ghost Form will end. So you’ll need to climb up as fast as you can.”
As soon as she released his hand, she started climbing swiftly. Once she reached the top, Cedric took a running leap and landed directly on the balcony, bypassing the vine entirely.
His graceful movements left Isabella clapping in admiration.
“Wow! Can all knights climb like that?”
Cedric shot her a glance, then quickly turned his head away.
“If a knight couldn’t manage that much, he should retire.”
His voice was strangely forceful. Isabella’s eyes widened at the unexpected response. With a small cough, Cedric moved to open the balcony door.
“Ahem. Let’s go in. We’ll be discovered if we linger.”
“Yes!”
She was beginning to realize something, people revealed themselves over time. For someone as stoic and stern as Cedric, his hidden layers came as a delightful surprise.
Her heart light, Isabella followed him in with a bright smile. But the smile didn’t last long.
The moment she opened the balcony door and stepped inside, it felt like slamming into a wall of overpowering sweetness. Her head spun.
“Wh-What is this smell…? Ugh!”
It was just a single door, but the air on either side was worlds apart. The sickly-sweet scent was so thick it made her stomach churn.
Suddenly, a soft teal handkerchief covered her nose and mouth. A cool, crisp scent, like winter wind, soothed her nausea.
Regaining her senses, she turned to the owner of the handkerchief. Cedric was grimacing, deeply affected by the smell. His face had gone pale, his enhanced sense of smell apparently making things worse for him.
“Your Grace, you should use this instead…”
Worried, Isabella tried to pry his hand away. But Cedric didn’t budge.
“I can bear it. More importantly, look over there, my lady.”
It was obviously a lie. But Cedric didn’t seem interested in explaining. Instead, he simply pointed toward something.
Isabella followed his gesture. And then…
“…!”
Her words caught in her throat.
In the room was a wide bed, completely surrounded by a suspicious black dome. Inside it floated Diana, as if suspended underwater, groaning faintly in her sleep.
Around her neck was a red necklace, glowing softly and swaying in the air. Sensing something was terribly wrong, Isabella covered her mouth with the handkerchief and approached the dome to examine her more closely.
Seeing Diana’s condition, she whispered under her breath like a sigh.
“…You said you’d be fine…”
It had only been three days. While Isabella had been recovering from her injured ankle, Diana had grown visibly weaker.
……
T/N: Oh, my poor Diana 🥺
