Movira’s heartbeat thumped like war drums in the quiet space.
Reason told her she shouldn’t take advantage of the situation. She should stop these inappropriate thoughts.
But the emotion wasn’t so easily dismissed; it tugged insistently at her heart. Almost as if under a spell, she slowly leaned down.
The carriage slowly came to a stop in front of a manor gate around noon.
Compared to the magnificent Saint Roland Magic Academy, this place felt understated and elegant. Lush green vines climbed the gray stone walls, and the brand-new wooden gate showed the manor had only recently been completed.
The manor sat on the edge of town, backed by a bleak woodland now blanketed in a thick layer of pristine white snow.
After the driver silently helped unload their luggage, he drove the carriage away.
The two pushed open the gate and stepped inside. The interior followed a classic medieval style.
Bluish-gray stone slabs paved the pathways, and the main building’s walls were constructed of solid masonry.
Entering the hall, they found a large fireplace already stocked with dry firewood, prepared at some unknown time.
Most of the furniture was made of sturdy dark oak. Several high-backed chairs stood around a long table.
Everything looked brand new, lacking the warm, lived-in feeling of a long-occupied home. The air carried a faint scent of fresh wood and stone.
While they were surveying their surroundings, a faint light gathered before them, forming an envelope that floated in the air.
Seraphina reached out, took it, and unfolded the letter. It was written in Dekalorin’s handwriting:
“When you see this letter, it means you’ve arrived at my new home. All the facilities inside are new, so choose whichever rooms you like. However, the kitchen’s food reserves might be quite low, if I remember correctly. You’d best head to the town market and buy some supplies. I’ll return in a few days. —Dekalorin”
The letter was simple and straightforward.
The pair spent some time exploring the main building. On the first floor, aside from the hall, there was a kitchen, a study, and a storage room.
The second floor contained several simply furnished bedrooms, each equipped with basic beds, wardrobes, and other essentials.
Although it was said to be the two of them exploring, in truth only Seraphina enthusiastically pushed open every door to inspect the rooms, while Movira mostly followed quietly behind her.
Once they finished exploring, hunger quickly set in. Returning to the kitchen, they found exactly as the letter described—only a small amount of flour and a limited selection of seasonings.
Seraphina looked at the nearly empty kitchen and suggested, “Looks like we’ll have to visit the market. Want to go together?”
“Mm… You go ahead. I’m feeling a bit tired and want to rest for a while.” Seraphina’s face showed clear reluctance. After the long journey and the initial excitement, the thought of going out again made her lose all motivation.
“All right, I’ll be back soon.” Movira nodded and turned toward the main door.
Just as she opened it, Seraphina, who had followed behind, reached out and gently caught her fingers.
Movira paused, turning back to look at her.
Seraphina seemed startled by her own action. She quickly let go and lowered her head, not daring to meet Movira’s eyes. “Um… Be careful on the way.”
In her heart, she couldn’t understand her own behavior at all. Why was she worrying about her!?
In the end, she could only awkwardly rationalize it as not wanting Movira to run into any trouble that would force her to take care of her afterward.
After all, there were very few people in this world capable of harming Movira.
Yet even this simple sentence and small gesture filled Movira with warmth.
“Okay.”
Once she stepped out of the manor gate, Movira—both out of vigilance toward the unfamiliar environment and concern for Seraphina’s safety—turned and began gathering her magic power, preparing to secretly set up a protective array around the manor.
However, just as her magic extended outward and swept across the area in front of the gate, a faint but ominous magical fluctuation carrying a strong scent of blood and malice emanated from beneath a large rock not far away.
The fluctuation was so well hidden that even Movira, while suppressing her own power, nearly missed it.
After quickly laying down the array, she outwardly appeared to simply pause and observe her surroundings. In truth, her perception spread out like the finest threads of water, locking onto whatever lay beneath that giant stone.
Once she confirmed she wouldn’t be detected, she quietly approached and used magic-enhanced strength to effortlessly push the massive rock aside.
Buried in the soil beneath the stone was a dark-red, sinister totem. Its twisted lines emitted the exact bloody aura she had sensed earlier.
This was definitely not Dekalorin’s doing!
Should she destroy it?
If this were the Demon Realm, Movira could not only destroy the totem but also instantly drag out the mastermind behind it. But they were currently in human territory. To avoid unnecessary trouble—especially anything that might affect Seraphina—she decided not to alert the enemy.
Movira calmly returned the rock to its original position, as if she had never noticed anything.
She did, however, embed a surveillance magic node near the totem, ensuring that any unusual activity involving it would not escape her detection.
With everything taken care of, she walked away with a calm expression, heading toward the town. To avoid drawing attention, she used magic to slightly alter her appearance and pulled up her hood.
Setting up just a single totem without activating it would be pointless. There was only one reason—it required multiple totems working together!
While swiftly purchasing bread, meat, vegetables, and fruit at the market, Movira quietly released her magic.
Sure enough, she detected the same aura in several inconspicuous corners of the market. They formed an invisible net quietly spreading over the entire town.
She still found it puzzling. Such actions might make sense in an ordinary small town, but this wasn’t just any town.
With both Dekalorin and Saint Eustacia in the vicinity, would anyone truly dare to do this?
Unless… Movira recalled the words Dekalorin had used earlier. The phrase “new home” surfaced in her mind.
Had they not stayed here before?
After finishing her shopping, she immediately returned to the manor.
Seeing her come back, Seraphina visibly relaxed. She came forward to help carry some of the bags. “You’re back? Was everything smooth on the way?”
“Mm, very smooth. The town seems nice,” Movira answered lightly, saying nothing about the totem, and carried the ingredients into the kitchen.
Looking at the groceries, Seraphina frowned again. “We have the ingredients now… but, Sister, can you cook?”
Of course, given her status, she had never needed to learn such skills. She remembered that back at the Demon King’s Castle, Movira had never once entered the kitchen.