### Chapter 73: Familiar Faces
Back at the mansion entrance, I found Barry looking like he’d just seen a ghost, gripping his sword like it was a lifeline. Ryan and Uncle Doug were no better, staring into the distance with necks craned like a couple of startled pigeons.
When I floated down from the air like a graceful feather, I gave Uncle Doug quite a scare! He nearly chucked a half-brick he found somewhere at me, thinking I was an enemy.
“Little Shay, are you alright?”
The three of them were clearly on edge, but Barry, being somewhat experienced in big showdowns, quickly composed himself. “What’s going on? Are those church folks? And the Sword of Kanli? I think I just saw Brother Rect! What in the world is happening?!”
“Let’s head back.”
I didn’t have time to elaborate while tossing away the leftover fruit core, striding back to the mansion. “Stay with Grandma, don’t let her worry.”
“Little Shay…”
Barry hesitated, but along with Ryan, he obediently followed me.
Uncle Doug, however, continued to gaze at the courtyard for a moment longer. Seeing that the commotion seemed to have settled down, he finally relaxed and soon followed suit.
Once inside, I spotted Ryan’s mother in the hall, clutching a broom with a look of pure panic. Uncle Doug hurried over to comfort her.
“Aunt, Uncle Doug, please close all the windows in the mansion.”
I instructed them and then swiftly made my way upstairs with Barry and Ryan. Pushing open Grandma Claire’s room, I found her half-sitting on the bed, busily sewing a dress with a needle and thread.
It was clear she hadn’t heard any of the ruckus outside.
I breathed a sigh of relief. I was worried she might get startled. After all, Grandma can’t handle surprises…
“Grandma!”
I dashed over, first checking outside for any signs of trouble in the alley, then I shut and locked the window with a flick of my wrist.
“What’s going on? Why are you three here?” Grandma Claire paused her work, looking up at us with a mildly astonished expression.
Seeing her calloused, yellowed hands nervously gripping the needle, I couldn’t help but scold, “Grandma! I told you, no need to sew for me! You shouldn’t be doing this in the dark with your eyes! It’s freezing outside; what if you catch a chill?”
“Look, the snow from the windowsill is blowing right in…”
“Oh dear, I was just getting restless! I can’t sit still without finding something to do,” Grandma replied.
From behind, Barry couldn’t contain himself and asked, “Grandma, is there nothing wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, why would there be?” Grandma Claire found it puzzling. “What’s with you three barging in here all flustered?”
“There’s a mouse outside,” Ryan answered after a moment’s thought.
“A what?”
His voice was too soft for Grandma to hear clearly.
“I said, there’s a mouse outside! We came to see if it got into the house!”
“A mouse?”
Now Grandma Claire understood but clearly didn’t believe us. “You three must be the mice…”
“Barry, stay here and keep an eye on Grandma. Don’t let her chat too long; she needs to rest.”
I gave Barry a quick reminder, flashed a smile at Grandma, and turned to leave the room.
Outside, everything was deathly quiet…
Time to see how Rect was handling things.
With that thought, I hurried downstairs. The big floor-to-ceiling window in the living room was locked, and Ryan’s mother was closing the last few small windows. When she saw me, she gave a sheepish smile, her earlier tension still lingering, and her face looked a bit pale as she spoke, trembling, “H-have you finished chatting?”
“Finished chatting?”
I didn’t quite grasp what she meant and just smiled back, “Yep, we’re done! I’m heading to the courtyard to check. Where’s Uncle Doug?”
“He’s sitting over there,” Ryan’s mother pointed toward the dining area.
I followed her gaze and saw Uncle Doug seated at the lengthy dining table, his back to the door. It was dark in the dining room, and I couldn’t tell what he was doing. Not really my business anyway. I nodded, “Is everything alright? Has anyone come by to check on the main building?”
“No.”
Ryan’s mother replied, “The maid came earlier and said to tell you to hold off on leaving until you found her.”
?
Who?
As I reached the door, I stopped abruptly.
“What?”
I instinctively turned back to the aunt, confusion on my face, but she looked even more anxious, gesturing toward the dining area. “It’s… it’s the maid! I don’t know her name, but if you go look for her, you’ll find out!”
“Oh…”
I frowned seriously, nodding at her, “Okay, I’ll go find her. Aunt, you should head upstairs and take the medicine pot down, wash it, and get it ready for tomorrow morning.”
I made a quiet shushing gesture toward her and subtly pointed to the kitchen. Seeing her panicking and nodding vigorously, I realized someone must have snuck into the inner courtyard while I was upstairs for that brief moment.
Was it the little girl Rect mentioned, the one who ran away?
Uncle Doug was sitting at the dining table, his back to the door, so I couldn’t see his expression. From my angle, more than half the table was blocked from view, and in the absence of light, there were no shadows, making it impossible to gauge the intruder’s position.
If someone was hiding, I could easily subdue her. But I was worried she might harm Uncle Doug first…
“Moving out, Aunt~”
I said normally, opened the door, and closed it behind me while waving my hand at Ryan’s mother, signaling her to keep quiet and hurry upstairs. I crouched down, keeping my eyes fixed on the dining room entrance, ears perked to catch any sounds.
Ryan’s mother hurried upstairs, her slippers creaking on the wooden stairs—the noise was like nails on a chalkboard.
Moments later, mingling with that sound, a faint rustle of fabric came from the dining room, and I could vaguely hear someone exhale slowly.
Then, Uncle Doug, who hadn’t dared to move a muscle all this time, suddenly glanced towards the darkness on his left side, where the wall blocked his view. As if getting a cue, he cautiously raised his hands and slowly stood up from the table.
Then he turned around.
He saw me, and our eyes met for a fleeting moment.
Uh-oh…
In that instant, Uncle Doug’s expression subtly changed. Though it wasn’t overt, he quickly looked down as if to hide it, but it was too late. I heard a “clang”—someone in the darkness had drawn a weapon!
Uncle Doug immediately panicked, about to bolt from the dining room. Just as his foot lifted, a figure sprang out from the wall’s shadow, circling around behind him, a glimmer of silver in hand, preparing to place a sharp kn*fe against the man’s neck.
But that also revealed their position!
In the blink of an eye, I “boom” stepped with my Moon Step, disappearing into a burst of splinters, and in the next moment, I was at Uncle Doug’s side, hand raised, grabbing the slender arm wielding the kn*fe. With a gentle kick, I sent the attacker sprawling while my other hand swiftly clamped around their neck.
So slim…
It was a girl.
Wearing a cloak from the Choir of Saints.
“Game’s over, little one.”
Boom—
With a muffled thud, the girl, completely defenseless, was pressed to the ground with her kn*fe flying from her hand, her head cracking against the floor and her hood askew, revealing most of her face to me in a flash.
“Don’t you dare—”
I had intended to taunt her, but as soon as the words left my mouth, they got caught in my throat. Staring at that familiar yet unfamiliar little face, I froze in place.
