In an inconspicuous corner beside the oak bookshelf against the wall, after a thorough search, Feliel’s gaze finally settled on a leafy ornamental plant. There sat a half-human-tall stone flower pot, with a lush ornamental plant growing inside.
She approached the flower pot, and her hands met its cold, rough surface.
The pot was heavier than expected. A thin layer of dust lined the edge where its base met the floor, but one section of that ring was noticeably cleaner, indicating it had been moved recently.
So Feliel gripped the pot with both hands and slowly slid it aside.
There, etched into the stone floor beneath the pot, was a palm-sized dark red magic circle.
Feliel murmured to herself, a flicker of understanding passing through her black eyes. “Just as I thought…”
This magic circle was surely the key to opening the hidden door.
Feliel quickly scanned her surroundings, confirming that the corridor beyond the door was silent, before drawing her wand.
Hovering it a hair’s breadth above the circle, she took a deep breath and channeled her mana into the array.
The runes within the circle lit up one by one, like awakened veins, and then a low, muffled rumbling echoed from within the walls.
The heavy oak bookshelf began to tremble.
With an extremely steady, slow motion, it silently receded into the wall, revealing a tunnel entrance descending into the floor behind it.
A gust of air, tinged with stale dust and a sweet, cloying stench, drifted up from the depths, brushing against Feliel’s cheek and making her instinctively hold her breath.
Feliel tightened her grip on her wand, her fingertips growing slightly cold.
This should be the core area where those “things” lurked, the place where the Fourth Seat may have met his end, and the key to unraveling every secret. The crucial clues were definitely down there.
Yet, the danger Sefina had warned about earlier still echoed in her ears.
Even a seventh tier mage, skilled in concealment and escape, had been silently lost here…
Would going down alone be too reckless?
Just as Feliel was locked in an internal battle, weighing the risks, she felt a gentle tug on the hem of her clothes from behind, almost simultaneously.
“Who?!”
Feliel’s body instantly tensed, mana instinctively gathering, but the next second, a familiar, reassuring voice whispered against her ear.
“Shh! Don’t speak, it’s me.”
It was Sefina.
The taut nerves abruptly relaxed, but confusion soon followed. Feliel eased her resistance, allowing Sefina to gently pull her back a few steps from the tunnel entrance before letting go.
“Step back, don’t get near this.”
Sefina’s voice remained low, her wine-red eyes especially calm in the dim light, carrying an unquestionable caution.
Feliel stepped back as instructed, until her back met the cold wall on the opposite side.
Sefina followed closely, standing shoulder to shoulder with her in the shadows, but her gaze was locked tightly on the dark, open tunnel.
“It could be very dangerous inside. Don’t go in yet,” Sefina explained quietly, her eyes never leaving the tunnel entrance.
“Something moving in there?” Feliel nodded, replying in a hushed tone as well. “You heard it too?”
“Yes.” Sefina’s voice was so low it was nearly inaudible.
“Those man-eating creatures in there have extremely sensitive perception. Even just getting close to the entrance, leaking a trace of presence or making any abnormal sound, could be detected. Any slight disturbance from them could potentially lure out that ‘Pope.'”
She paused, recalling past events, her tone carrying a grave warning.
“Last time, when I infiltrated as ‘Holmes,’ I was forced to expose myself and fell into danger because I startled one of them. The Fourth Seat… I suspect he might have also barged in recklessly or triggered something, which is why he…”
The sentence trailed off, but the meaning was clear. Having endured such a painful lesson, Sefina was being especially cautious now, not daring to take even the slightest risk.
“Then how do we collect evidence?” Feliel frowned, her black eyes fixed on Sefina.
“Without solid proof, based only on our account, someone as suspicious as Deputy Fu would hardly believe us easily.”
But Sefina seemed to have prepared for this. Calmly, she took out a black, cube-shaped demon tool about half a palm in size from the small pouch at her waist.
“I requested this from the Deputy after acquiring the [Teleportation] Magic Codex, on the grounds that ‘deep reconnaissance in dangerous areas requires additional surveillance tools.'”
Sefina explained in a low voice, her fingertips brushing the demon tool’s cold casing.
“It can record and store the images and sounds within its line of sight for a specific period.”
“In my past life, there was something called a ‘surveillance camera.’ In short, this demon tool works just like a surveillance camera.”
“Evidence recorded with a demon tool provided by the Deputy himself will carry much more credibility. At the very least, he can’t easily claim the tool itself was tampered with.”
Sefina showed the demon tool to Feliel.
A gleam of understanding flashed through Feliel’s eyes, and she nodded in agreement.
It was indeed a safer approach, both securing evidence and minimizing the risk of direct conflict.
So, Sefina raised her left hand, her wine-red eyes glinting softly.
An invisible force field spread out silently, and [High-level Levitation Spell] gently lifted her petite frame, rising steadily until she hovered near the ceiling above the tunnel entrance.
She carefully selected a corner that offered a full view of the entrance while remaining inconspicuous from below.
Sefina securely placed the black cube-shaped demon tool between the stone crevices, injecting a spark of activation mana.
A faint glimmer briefly flickered across the tool’s surface before it returned to its unremarkable black, quietly beginning its work.
With that done, Sefina landed lightly. She checked the surroundings once more, confirming no obvious traces were left, then signaled Feliel to come forward.
Together, they carefully restored the heavy oak bookshelf to its original position, fitting it seamlessly against the wall until it showed no signs of disturbance.
Next, Feliel moved the stone flower pot back into place, covering the dark red magic circle.
The archive returned to its original state, as if no one had ever set foot there.
“Let’s go, that’s enough for today.”
Sefina cast one last glance at the restored bookshelf and flower pot, her wine-red eyes deep and thoughtful.
“Next, it’s just a matter of waiting patiently.”
Feliel nodded, and the two slipped out of the archive like cats blending into the shadows, quietly pulling the heavy oak door shut behind them.
Outside in the corridor, the stillness of the Church at night remained, only the faint sound of wind passing in the distance.
The first step of the plan was complete. If things went smoothly from here, they would achieve the outcome Sefina most wanted to see.
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