Chapter 207: The Owner of Tecas (1)

Since Harthol City was situated near the Tabor River, foggy nights were common. Now, long past sunset, the city was once again shrouded in thick night mist. The streets were empty. Citizens had long since retreated to their homes, leaving only the occasional night watchman making rounds.

Through the deserted streets, a group moved silently. They were clad in black robes for concealment, yet heavily armed beneath. It was Karnak’s party.

Scanning their surroundings, Lapicel murmured softly, "There's no one nearby, just as expected."

Aura users could perceive their surroundings without relying on sight. Now that Lapicel had awakened her aura, her heightened perception allowed her to move unnoticed even in this dense fog.

Karnak’s group kept out of sight as they continued toward their destination. Eventually, through the mist, a large three-story building emerged. It was a dignified piece of architecture made of elegant granite. But being located in the heart of the city, it lacked a garden and was closely nestled between other buildings. But aside from that, it could have easily been mistaken for a noble's mansion. This was the Tecas merchant guild's manor, their target.

Hidden in the alley opposite the building, the group observed the premises. There were no guards standing at the entrance, nor were any patrolling the grounds.

Leven muttered quietly, "The security isn't particularly tight."

That wasn't unusual. It wasn't as if this was a military fortress in the middle of a war. There was no need for constant night patrols. A few magical barriers and guard dogs were more than sufficient for standard security. And given that this building was within the city itself, there was no need for additional sentries.

Good. I’ve had Serati review it, and now I have a relatively humanistic plan...

Nodding to himself, Karnak whispered, "Begin the operation."

***

Karnak's relatively

humanistic

plan was simple.

"We're going to kidnap Banner Ralphstadder."

The plan was to infiltrate the estate at night, abduct the target, then drive a needle into his head to determine his true identity. If Banner really was Jedex?

"If we manage to abduct him, we settle things there and then. And even if we fail, we'll be forcing him into a fight when he's unprepared, which gives us a significant advantage."

And if he had nothing to do with Jedex?

"We'll just wipe his memory and dump him somewhere in the streets. He's a grown man. He’ll find his way home when the sun comes up."

After nodding, Serati asked seriously, "So from Banner's perspective, he'll go to sleep as usual, only to wake up dumped in the middle of the street with no memory of how he got there?"

"That's right."

"I thought you said you wouldn't harm innocent people?"

"This is being considerate. Isn't it?"

Karnak's confidence made her hesitate. To be honest, even by Serati's standards, this wasn't a major problem. As a former mercenary, she had seen worse. But by the standards of an average civilian? It was still a pretty cruel thing to do.

So, she offered an alternative. "What if we confirm his identity first?"

Rather than breaking into a stranger's home right away, they could take the time to gather intelligence. It wasn't a bad idea. If anything, they might uncover unforeseen complications and prepare accordingly.

"You're not wrong." Karnak agreed surprisingly easily.

"So, how do you plan to do that?" Serati asked him.

"We can put in a request at the Adventurer's Guild. There must be one in this city."

"Do you know anyone there?"

"Of course not."

She had only ever worked in Derath City in the distant northern continent. There was no way she had connections this far south.

Karnak posed a question. "Meanwhile, Banner, or whatever his real name is, is a local here."

"I suppose so?" Serati responded.

She was met with a sarcastic comment. "One side is a well-known resident, and the other is a suspicious outsider suddenly asking questions about him. Yeah, that's definitely going to be a discreet investigation."

As an alternative, she suggested another idea. "What about disguising ourselves as servants or workers to infiltrate the estate and gather information first?"

It was a common method in adventure stories she had read.

Karnak nodded, considering the suggestion. "That's a reasonable idea."

Then, he asked, "So, have you ever done an undercover infiltration before?"

"Uh, no."

She had spent her entire life as a mercenary. Every problem she faced she had solved with her sword. Infiltration and deception weren't exactly in her skill set.

"Then who's going to do it?"

Karnak and Varos had considerable experience living under false identities. In the past, when they had been weaker, they had spent years in hiding, constantly on the run. However, that was about survival, not espionage.

"Well, there is the option of continuing our current disguise as merchants, keeping an eye on him over time, and looking for anything suspicious..." Karnak trailed off, clicking his tongue. "But that would take too long, and the longer we stay, the more likely our cover gets blown. Not a great idea, is it?"

Serati remained silent. She couldn't think of a better suggestion.

Honestly, though... this is within acceptable limits, isn't it?

She had argued against excessive cruelty, but kidnapping a target was a common enough tactic, even outside of Karnak's usual methods.

And it's not like we're causing him any lasting harm.

His life wasn't in danger, nor was his body being damaged. He would just go to bed peacefully and wake up in an unfamiliar place, confused but unharmed.

In the end, she gave a small nod. "Let's kidnap him."

***

A head suddenly popped up over the eastern wall of the Tecas manor, illuminated faintly by the moonlight. It was Varos, a rough-looking blond man in his twenties.

Good. No one nearby.

He had already confirmed it with his aura perception, but it never hurt to be cautious. At his signal, the others followed, leaping over the wall one by one—Serati, Leven, and Lapicel all landing in succession.

Lastly, Karnak floated over using levitation magic. Even with so many intruders slipping into the manor grounds, there was no response. That was thanks to the perception-dampening spell Karnak had cast over the entire group in advance.

Serati noted in admiration.

—This spell works surprisingly well.

Varos smirked.

—Of course. You think this is our first time sneaking into someone's property?

Since there was no garden, the wall led directly to the side of the merchant guild's building.

Karnak gestured toward a window.

—Move in.

Sticking to the shadows cast by the high walls, the group swiftly advanced toward the mansion. No one noticed their presence. To perceive their cloaked movements, one would have to be an exceptionally powerful aura user, mage, or priest.

But this mansion didn't house anyone of that caliber. They had already confirmed this during their earlier scouting. It wasn't that the Tecas merchant guild was careless. Rather, for a city like Harthol, this was normal.

Even in Derath City , the largest northern city of the Eustil Kingdom, aura users were rare. In fact, Serati was the only one there. The strongest mage, Riltaine, had barely reached the early stages of the sixth circle. Truly powerful aura users and mages tended to stay in major capitals, rarely venturing into the provinces.

As for the Church of the Goddesses, they did have high-ranking priests stationed in smaller cities, but they usually remained within their temples rather than residing in private estates. With magical assistance, the group quickly reached the mansion's outer walls.

Standing before a locked window, Leven's eyes gleamed. "Shall I pick the lock of the window?"

***

The interior of the mansion was dark. Only a few scattered candles provided faint illumination.

Serati relayed her observations through telepathic communication.

—No one's awake. Not that I expected otherwise.

Only places like royal palaces or military barracks had sentries on duty at night. In any normal residence, people slept. Still, it was almost too quiet.

Scanning the surroundings, Varos murmured.

—Are we sure Jedex is here? This place is way too empty. You’d expect at least a few concealed necromantic barriers...

For a supposed stronghold of a high-ranking member of the Dark Cult, the mansion's defenses were suspiciously lax. Yet there wasn't a trace of necromantic energy here.

Karnak had already checked. Most necromantic spells were incapable of escaping his detection.

—Still, stay alert. When it comes to Tesranach, there are things even I don't know.

At that moment, Lapicel gestured with a hand signal. She indicated that they should move up to the second floor. Serati sighed.

—I feel a little bad.

Lapicel had been carefully using hand signals this whole time, silently and diligently maintaining stealth.

—We're all chatting with telepathy, but she's stuck signing everything in the dark...

After ascending the stairs to the second floor, Varos extended his aura perception, scanning the hallway. They hadn't been able to determine Banner's exact sleeping quarters in advance, but in a manor like this, the owner's bedroom was usually in a predictable location. It wasn't difficult to narrow it down.

—That one. The biggest room.

—What if it belongs to someone else?

Leven voiced his concern.

Karnak answered without hesitation.

—Then I'll stick a needle in his head and ask where Banner's room is.

—Ah. Right.

Satisfied, Leven moved toward the bedroom. Gripping the doorknob, he spoke.

—Opening the door.

True to his reputation, there wasn't a lock Leven couldn't pick. The bedroom door opened without a sound.

***

As they entered the bedroom, they saw a man in his thirties lying in the center of the bed, deep in sleep. Karnak cast a soundproof barrier to ensure no noise escaped outside, then gestured.

"Varos, wake him up."

Sticking a needle into someone while they were still asleep was less effective. They might think it was just a dream and start rambling nonsense. They needed him to be fully conscious.

Varos stepped forward and shook the man. "Come on, wake up."

The man mumbled groggily, his eyelids fluttering open. "

Mm

? Is it morning already?"

Then, his eyes widened in shock, and he bolted upright. "An intruder!"

But Varos was faster. In an instant, he moved behind the man and pressed him down, restraining him completely. It was the skill of someone who had taken down countless targets before.

Rendered immobile, the man rolled his eyes in terror. "Wh-Who are you people?"

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Karnak frowned. At a glance, the man genuinely seemed to be trembling in fear.

He doesn’t feel like Jedex at all...

Was he just a good actor? Or was he really someone else?

Well, I’ll know soon enough.

He raised a finger, summoning a needle of magic. And without hesitation, he drove it straight into the man's crown. The man convulsed, his eyes rolling back as foam formed at his lips.

Lapicel gasped in horror. "Lord Karnak, what was that?!"

"Hm? What? I'm interrogating him."

"B-But..." Flustered, she turned to the others for help.

And then she was even more shocked. Varos and Serati were simply looking at her as if wondering why she was so worked up.

Serati clicked her tongue, suddenly realizing,

Ah. Right. This is an absolutely horrifying sight to a normal person, isn't it?

She had seen it so many times now that she had grown desensitized. Even Leven, despite witnessing it a few times before, still had a stiff expression.

This is bad. I've been too exposed to this.

With a sigh, Serati reassured Lapicel. "It's fine. There aren't any lasting effects. It just looks bad."

Is that true? Am I just too young to understand, and this is actually no big deal?

"It's better than pulling out his fingernails or burning him with a branding iron, right?"

"Yes." Now that she thought about it, that was true.

Her panic subsided. Karnak turned his attention back to the man on the bed. Manipulating the needle, he asked, "What's your name?"

"Lorenzo Paland."

"Wrong room." Karnak let out a wry chuckle.

He had a feeling this might happen. "Then where is Banner sleeping?"

The man's voice suddenly changed. "Are you looking for Banner Ralphstadder?"

"

Huh

?"

The voice was like metal scraping against metal, an eerie sound as if echoing from the depths of hell itself.

"You have come, our enemy!"