Master Feng looked at him with her usual serene expression, her calmness perfectly held together by her impassive demeanor. However, there was something different about it. Something… judging and calculative.
"So, you're light-footed, huh?" Glancing back to the Mansion, she wordlessly walked away, her gait perfectly even, without the slightest hint of hesitation, as though she exactly where her feet would take her and what lay beyond it.
She didn't use her walking staff, just like yesterday, which made Lieren more uncomfortable than usual. How did she know what lay ahead of her without sight and vision? It baffled him to no end how the blind woman acclimated to her severe disability.
And yet, he felt he had an inkling as to how she performed such a monumental task.
Above all races and species in Lucifica, humans stood above as the most malleable and flexible creatures when it came to unexpected situations… in most cases. Being the most bland and weakest of all intelligent species, humans tended to be on the middle ground of everything. They are unlike the resistant dwarves and intelligent elves, standing at the border of everything, leaning neither to one side, while employing the tactics and abilities of both, incorporating it into their culture, then using it against those they inherited such abilities from. It was also why, above all other races, humans were the most plentiful and dominating, except for the great Vritra, of course.
Acclimating to such a harrowing disability was extraordinary, yet within expectations. Especially with Master Feng's clarity and insight, it was not difficult to imagine her adjusting to blindness.
It was nothing short of inspiring, to say the least.
While a smile unconsciously crept up his face, Lieren followed Master Feng with a spring to his step. He felt lighter, for some reason, and some of the weight on his shoulders seemed to have disappeared.
Walking through the halls of the Mansion, Master Feng sharply turned right, forcing Lieren to follow suit.
'I wonder where we're going,' He silently thought to himself, walking down the winding halls silently. Only his footsteps echoed in the halls, while Master Feng's did not.
They walked for a couple minutes longer, and Lieren finally realized just how big the Mansion really was. It was enormous! Easily able to fit a couple hundred, possibly even thousands of people within its halls and rooms. The shells involved in such a production must have bordered on millions; seven digits, at least.
For some reason, he suddenly felt inclined to stand up straight and walk with his head held high. His gait became a little steady, as well, but nowhere near as splendid as Master Feng's.
The sudden click of the blind woman's heel made Lieren tense up and stop dead in his tracks, his arms on his side and palm faced inwards. It felt like being in the military all of a sudden, though he did not really have any inexperience in such matters.
Following Master Feng's gaze — rather, where she was facing — Lieren's brows rose up naturally.
'That's… not ominous,' Sarcastically regarding the reinforced iron doors, Lieren fully turned towards the out-of-place vault at the very end of one of the main halls, perfectly situated opposite of the young scion's own red gates, as if it was some kind of seal to Hel. Numerous indecipherable runes and inscriptions wrapped around the reinforced iron doors, blanketing it. Though Lieren could not recognize most of them, he was able to decipher a few. The warding inscription mostly consisted of protective seals, as well as an infinitely lesser version of his Magic Resistance. It was able to ward off lesser offensive magic for a short amount of time, just the right amount for reinforcements to arrive.
Two guards wearing full plate armor and enchanted spears stood on either side, their gaze unmoving and their figure still as a statue. With their helmets only having a thin slit to see, it was easy to mistake the armored suits as some kind bourgeoisie decoration for the extremely wealthy. It was too bad that there were actual people inside of them; he would have liked to play with one.
Taking a bold step forward, Master Feng regarded the two guards and greeted them, stated her reason for being here. The two men listened intently the whole time, gripping their enchanted spears the whole time, then saluted, produced two amulets from within their armor — one scarlet and one gold — and joined them together, afterwards touching the reinforced iron doors and unlocking it with a couple of reverberant clicks and a bright flash of mana.
With a loud thunk, the heavy iron doors opened on its own, and the two guards stood on either side once again after beckoning Master Feng inside.
"Come on," Beckoning him with a shrug, she stepped inside the tomb with a glance.
Following suit, Lieren threw a furtive glance to the two guards and stepped inside. He could feel their silent judgement searing the back of his head, but chose not to engage. He did not know these people, and neither of them knew him. There was no conversation to be made between the three of them.
Feeling a cold sense of foreboding, Lieren stepped into the tomb.
◇◆◇◆◇
'More walking…'
The air was damp and the world was dark. Other than the simple lighting artifact Master Feng held, the world was seemingly devoured in the cold embrace of darkness. It sort of reminded him of the enchanted forest, as well as the tide of darkness that almost asphyxiated his Aegis with a harrowing illusion.
At that time, it was his Resistance that saved his most trusted confidant, shared through his spiritual link with him, made during whatever ritual had been made during the bandit attack. It was an amazing facet of his mysterious ability, but an equally dangerous one. What were the dangers of having a tyrannical overlord know of this? Lieren did not know, not did he want to.
His footsteps echoed much louder here. The steep staircase leading down to whatever horrifying being the ominous tomb led to was very sharp. Master Feng led him down the tomb, with her presence here, he felt somewhat assured and safe, though he couldn't shake the ominous feeling that he was somewhere most people probably have never been to, nor even aware of.
Looking for something to ease his mind, Lieren's inquisitive gaze fell on the simple lighting artifact on Master Feng's neck. It was a simple, unadorned necklace with chain bindings and an intricate brooch with a clear gem embedded in the middle, sitting in the middle of a golden plate with simple runes that allowed for the efficient transfer of mana through Imbuement. The chains where the brooch hung were tightly linked, with a link at the back. It let out a soft, incandescently light, lighting the winding staircase.
Looking back down, he noticed another pair of doors, this time more regal and impressive than the first. Master Feng's voice echoed beside him:
"We're here."