Chapter 464

Chapter 471: Betrayed by a Familiar (Please Subscribe!)

Ais’s gaze swept across the room, and upon finding no peculiar objects, she let out a small sigh of relief.

Generally speaking, the final core area is usually the most dangerous place; nothing strange appearing here would be unusual.

What Ais feared was opening the door only to have a pitch-black ghost dart out from behind it.

While being scared to the point of developing psychological trauma might not reach that level… acquiring an unpleasant memory was certainly guaranteed.

Now, with nothing found in the final room, this outcome was naturally the best possible.

“Looks like it’s just an ordinary room? It somewhat resembles your Magic Workshop, Izay…”

“Not somewhat, this is a Magic Workshop… The many materials arranged around are still usable.”

Walking together with Ais towards the display case near the wall, Izay casually fiddled with the bottles and jars on it.

From the traces here, it seemed that the Sage had yet to realize that his Magic Workshop had been intruded upon by a group of children.

Perhaps because the children hadn’t recklessly entered critical areas, only moving about on the lower levels, they hadn’t truly caught Fels’s attention.

It made sense.

If those kids had reached this room on the third floor, how could these bottles and jars still be arranged so neatly?

Not to say all children are unruly brats who touch everything they see.

But when young children play, they often don’t pay attention to their surroundings, whether it’s breaking items or bumping into things and getting hurt. These are quite common occurrences.

In comparison, the fact that this room remains intact indicates that the group of children hadn’t stepped foot inside.

As her eyes followed Izay scanning the display case before them, Ais’s pale complexion gradually faded.

After hearing this, she began contemplating the situation of the room.

“So… Could this be the domain of some magician?”

“Hmm.”

In response to her speculation, Izay nodded nonchalantly.

Then, spending some time, the two affectionately searched every corner of the room. Apart from discovering some suspicious traces Ais personally deemed noteworthy, there wasn’t anything particularly special.

The ghosts the little girl spoke of… seemingly did not exist here?

With a feeling that was hard to describe, Ais clung to Izay as they started to leave the third floor.

Reasonably speaking, after confirming the safety of this mansion, she should feel relieved.

However, Ais couldn’t achieve that state now.

A hint of doubt even sprouted in the young girl’s heart.

This doubt stemmed from a strange sensation, what could be described as a sixth sense honed through battle.

Ever since earlier, Ais felt as if something was watching her.

Although this feeling was subtle, it undeniably existed.

It was akin to having a hard splinter mixed into tender fish meat, making it extremely uncomfortable once it enters your mouth.

“Izay… Did you feel anything…”

“Something watching us?”

Grasping the hand clutching his sleeve, Izay voiced the words Ais wanted to express first.

Because he too had sensed something watching them.

Upon hearing this, Ais faintly furrowed her brows, her tone trembling slightly, and she even had the urge to curl up: “You… noticed it too? Could it be… a ghost?”

“I think it’s unlikely, probably the magician’s familiar?”

As he spoke, Izay glanced out the window beside him, intending to negate the idea—yet a massive bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, preventing Ais from hearing his subsequent words.

At the moment Izay shifted his gaze, the young girl followed suit.

The decrepit window locks were battered by the rainstorm outside, unable to close completely, allowing a bit of rainwater to seep in.

Through the window beside them, they vaguely saw a shadow swaying on the tree directly facing this window.

“————”

Raindrops roared down, and under the fleeting illumination of the lightning, ghostly-like eerie heterochromatic eyes appeared.

“!!!!!”

Taking the disappearance of the thunder god as a signal, Ais tightly gripped Izay’s hand.

In an instant, the young girl turned like a frightened animal.

“【Tempest】!!”

“Eh!? Ais, wait!!!”

Without giving Izay a chance to speak, in her panic, the young girl unleashed a storm that ravaged the interior of the mansion, breaking through the torrential rain to escape.

Seeing her fierce demeanor, the owl familiar observing the interior of the mansion from outside the window was startled, hastily flapping its wings to evade the residual power of the storm, its black cloth used for sheltering from the rain and concealment blown away…

“What is Izay and his 【Sword Maiden】 doing in my Magic Workshop?”

Fels, on his way to the Dungeon’s Water Riddle City area, expressed utter confusion upon receiving feedback from his familiar.

Tilting his head while observing the situation through the crystal eye, he watched the two who fled in fright.

“Only two people, braving the rain to run off to my secluded Magic Workshop, is this the new trend among the youth? Are secret rendezvous now held in such desolate places?”

The Sage remained perplexed…

…

Not long after, two figures silently appeared at Twilight Manor.

Initially, though Ais had used the storm to break through the rain, she took a deep breath and led Izay in a sprint out of the remote northwest area.

However, after rushing near the Adventurers’ Street, she quickly dispersed the magic and stopped her steps.

Panicked as she was, Ais hadn’t lost all reason.

Had she charged straight into the bustling Adventurers’ Street with her magic, the resulting damage and casualties would have been incalculable.

It would be considered one of the greatest calamities in Orario in recent years.

Thus, the young girl promptly applied the brakes.

Then, Izay sighed several times in succession. After Ais calmed down slightly, he used Space Magic to bring her back to Twilight Manor.

The landing point was Izay’s personal room.

The two appeared soaked in the room but didn’t leave immediately.

Izay fetched a spare towel and carefully dried Ais off, then began soothing her emotions.

He hadn’t anticipated that Fels’s owl familiar would ambush them at the last moment.

Originally, everything was going smoothly, and after safely returning to Twilight Manor, they could share this story as post-meal entertainment with their companions. Izay had even planned how he would cuddle with Ais upon his return.

But plans can’t keep up with changes, and they ended up betrayed by an owl.