The room had cobwebs running up the two staircases that led up to the second floor, and dust caked all of the furniture Naya could see. Between the two staircases was another door that would lead deeper into the mansion.
"Which way?" Rula asked. The trepidation was still in her voice, but it was easing as she clutched her sketchbook. It was almost like a magic charm that calmed her down.
Naya turned toward Sophia, who was turning slowly, analyzing every direction with her Arcana Vision.
Sophia sighed and shook her head. "Plenty of Malevolent Arcana underground is seeping through, but I can't see through walls."
"We head straight." Naya turned back toward the first door and moved toward it.
It was eerily silent. Naya couldn't hear even the sound of rodents that would usually haunt abandoned buildings.
[How did nobody suspect this?]
The house looked terrible inside, and it would have taken a long time to get that way. Suppose anybody wanted to visit, which Naya assumed would be expected of Nobility. In that case, they should immediately suspect something was going on.
--Well, we didn't really investigate anything. This could very well be considered an abandoned home. --
[That would still be a place worthy of investigation. ]
--As long as the outside doesn't draw attention, then nobody would disturb a noble in their homes. Not to mention, nobody would suspect a noble of being a witch. Remember, the world doesn't view them as an active threat anymore.--
[A shame.]
If they did, then perhaps her job would have been easier.
--Trust me, it's probably better this way.--
Naya didn't pursue that avenue of questioning, lest she end up in another argument with Lia. But it wasn't entirely lost on her. She could imagine how chaotic it would be if any woman got accused of being a witch.
The group soon reached the door to the next area, and Naya didn't pause; she opened it without ceremony.
The heavy door creaked like it would fall apart at any moment as it slowly opened, and the metal hinges squeaked.
A hallway stretched to the left and right, along with a wide gap leading to a large room.
The only noises that reached her ears were the light taps of her own party lightly walking behind her.
Naya looked around the room, and it appeared like a living room meant for entertaining guests.
Beautiful paintings dotted the walls, along with well-kept bookshelves, couches, and tables. It was a sharp contrast to the environment just a door away.
[Those paintings...]
--That art style is---
A scattering behind her, Naya whipped her head back to see Rula take a step back with her sketchbook now on the ground.
"What's wrong, Rula?" Sophia asked with concern and a frown. She followed Rula's eyes to the paintings hung on the walls. It seemed to click instantly.
"Rula-"
"T-those are mine..."
"How?" Naya's tone was cold.
"Surely you're not-" Sophia glared at her.
"No!" Naya shouted. "Rula, did you paint these before Carla's tower?"
Rula looked panicked and shook her head, and Naya's heart sank a little.
"Oh," Sophia muttered.
--This does not bode well..--[.]
"It may not mean they work together..." Sophia sounded unconvinced by her own words.
"Tell me what you remember about these," Naya spoke toward Rula.
"I... I wasn't always painting people Carla asked me to." Rula gestured toward a painting of a man with snow-white hair, pale skin, and red eyes. She then looked toward another painting of a magnificent golden longsword with various embedded jewels in its hilt and a sharp, deadly black blade.
Rula blushed slightly.
"Do those two specifically mean anything to you?" Sophia asked.
There were plenty of other paintings in the room as equally fascinating, but Rula only looked at those two in particular.
"My... Dad's a blacksmith, and he made that sword," Rula pointed at the blade, "For that guy." She pointed at the white-haired man painting.
"That guy is a vampire," Sophia said. "And for him to want a blade as gaudy as that means he's important." Sophia looked at Rula with newfound interest.
--Vampires love shiny things, but holding anything that would imply a greater station when untrue is frowned upon. --
"I don't know. I was really young, and I don't remember." Rula took a deep breath and picked up her sketchbook.
"Did anyone visit Carla?" Naya pressed.
Rula shook her head. "I... I don't know." She clutched her sketchbook tightly against her chest. "B-but I want those back!"
Naya stared at her for a moment.
--Probably had a different way in for meetings; I doubt she wanted to show Rula off.--
"We'll get them on our way out," Naya said with a light sigh.
Rula gratefully smiled at her, "Thanks!"
Sophia was silent, staring at the paintings with a frown and slightly furrowed brows.
The room turned silent. Naya looked at each of the paintings and the surrounding area. It didn't seem to hold anything else, just an area for people to gather.
[There were probably multiple witches in this room at some point.]
It was a dumb thought, but one that made her wish she could have been in Rozen earlier.
Her eyes widened slightly. "The Witch didn't relocate to Rozen; it's been here since the beginning."
Sophia nodded with a deeper frown. "But then why suddenly make herself known?" It sounded like a question to herself rather than to Rula and Naya.
"I see you appreciate my masters' paintings." A male called out in a somber, monotone voice.
Naya snapped her head toward a closet in a corner of the room, which suddenly snapped open.
Sophia and Rula did the same.
A man dressed in a butler uniform, which consisted of black pants and a vest over a white shirt. The man's skin was white as paper, and his face was slightly sunken. If that wasn't enough, his eyes were glazed over.
Naya stared in shock. [How is that possible?!]
It wasn't that it was undead but that it spoke clearly and concisely. Such a thing should not be possible; most undead behave like wild animals. Deadly, but not intelligent.
--It's by the hands of a Devil; anything is possible.--
"Who is your master?" Sophia asked with a sharp, probing tone.
"Verala Nurdoan." He answered in the same monotone, solemn voice and walked forward slowly.
--Wait, don't kill him yet.--
He stopped before Naya and dipped his upper body in a deep bow. "Greetings. I hope you forgive my Master's absence."
Sophia stepped forward. "Where is she?"
He raised; there was no emotion in his face or eyes.
"Master's research has reached a crucial stage; I'm sure you understand how important the research into the mystic arts is for a prestigious member of Arcanum such as her."
"What?" Sophia's glared, "Your master works for Arcanum?"
"Master is a prestigious Arcanum scholar."
[Arcanum is the human organization Sarah worked for.]
--Yes, but they aren't a human organization. Arcanum is the only group in the world to be led by all the races, aside from maybe the United Academy we heard about a while ago.--
Naya had forgotten about that.
The United Academy was where Rula mentioned her sister went; the only mention of Arcanum was when Sora mentioned Sarah worked as a Vanguard.
"Do they realize your master is a witch?" Sophia pressed. She had a frown, and her brows were furrowed.
"Master is not a witch; you appear to be mistaken." His tone had no change, and he wasn't even glancing at Sophia. "But for now, I hope you find our amenities pleasant. I'm sure Master will be up shortly."
He gestured toward a red couch at the side of the room.
Naya moved.
She quickly stepped forward and stabbed her hand toward the undead's neck.
However, she felt like she had hit a brick wall and snapped her hand back.
A line of ivory bone had instantly extended from the top of his shoulder to cover his neck, similar to a necklace.
Naya was surprised; she had easily shattered bone before, but the one blocking his neck was much, much stronger.
"Bone magic." Sophia sounded disgusted.
"Eww~" Rula stepped back and flipped open her book.
[This is ridiculous!]
Naya hated how frequently she encountered people who weren't easily defeated by her physical abilities. In such a small part of the world, she had already encountered multiple people who made a physical confrontation risky.
The bone was obviously controlled internally, so she couldn't absorb the Arcana unless she could pierce the body.
"Violence is prohibited." His voice got deeper.
Two sharp bones pierced the top of his wrists and extended until they were well past his fingers.
He dashed forward.
His speed wasn't great, better than average, but Naya easily sidestepped.
The bone whizzed past her face, and Naya twisted her body to launch a fast, sharp kick aimed at the man's torso.
Naya felt and heard the audible crack. It was far more pronounced than she had ever felt as if the man's bones were made of glass.
He was flung away and slammed into a bookshelve, books spilling out and forming a pile above him.
[What, how?]
She didn't expect the kick to do anything other than push him away, but she felt it nearly shatter every bone in his torso.
[So, the magic can only be active on one part of his body at a time.]
The man didn't move from the pile of books he was buried in.
Sophia walked up to him and leaned down.
"Wait-"
It was unnecessary.
The man snapped his hand out with the bone protruding directly aimed at Sophia's throat.
However, a black portal instantly opened before her, and his hand, up to his forearm, entered.
Sophia smirked, and the portal closed.
The man pulled his now-handless arm back without any change in his deadpan expression. "Oh."
He repeated the action with his second hand, this time aimed at her chest, only for the same sequence of events to repeat.
"Oh..." He raised both of his handless arms up to his face.
There wasn't any blood, but it appeared as if his hands up to his middle forearm had been cut perfectly.
[Absurd...] For the portals to instantly open as a form of defense, even Naya couldn't imagine how she'd fight against something like that.
--I told you, she's probably the most powerful human alive.--
"No blood, good, don't wanna ruin my jacket." Sophia stared at the man. "So tell me, before you... I suppose die isn't the right word..." She chuckled. "Well, anyway, I want to know how long you've been dead."
"How rude; I am not dead yet." The undead man put his arms on his book-covered lap.
Sophia's expression morphed into one of pity. "How cruel."
"What's going on?" Rula whispered beside Naya.
"Probably something built into her magic itself to brainwash them," Naya explained.
"It likely would have worked without it, but an undead finding out they're undead might not be a pleasant thing to deal with." Sophia stood. "What's your name?"
"You come here to kill my master and me, then have the audacity to ask for a name?" The man asked in his usual monotone voice.
"Yes."
"My name is Samuel."
"No surname?"
"I forgot."
Sophia sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"How many people do you think she has that are like him?" Rula whispered sadly.
"All of them," Naya spoke with an ice-cold tone.
To rob the dead from their gods wasn't something Naya took lightly. Although she initially thought all living beings went to Aleria's grasp, it didn't change if they believed in something else.
Messing with the soul was one of the vilest taboos a mage could commit.
Sophia walked back to Naya and looked her in the eyes. "The only way to truly free them is to kill the witch and her devil." She appeared just as upset as Naya was.
"They don't feel pain, and she has so many..." Rula muttered.
There was a clattering of books as the man tried and failed repeatedly to get himself up.
It was a pitiful sight as if the man wasn't aware of the extent of his injuries.
Naya, along with Sophia and Rula, only stared at him.
"Do... do we leave him?" Rula spoke hesitantly.
"Yes." Naya immediately turned and walked out the door.
Sophia and Rula followed.
"Do you see anything?" Naya asked Sophia.
She didn't want to have to roam the manor until they found access to the basement.
"No, whatever caused the earlier leakage is gone."
--That's not a good sign.--
"Then we have no choice."
Naya chose the right side of the hall and walked through it.
First, she noticed a lavish kitchen that appeared unused as rotted food dotted the dusty counters. There didn't appear to be anything in the room, and after a quick glance, she continued.
Then, there was another door, which Naya opened without ceremony.
It was a bedroom, not the master room, but one that was fairly simple and likely meant for servants.
"Good evening." A monotone female voice spoke from within the room.
A woman dressed in a maid outfit walked to greet them at the doorway. Similar to the man, she had pale skin and slightly sunken cheeks.
"Where is the basement?" Naya tried asking.
"That's the master's private area; guests are not permitted." Bone snapped from the top of her wrists, and she immediately charged at Naya.
There was no movement in her rush, just a straight path toward Naya, and Naya's response was to use her own momentum against her.
She weaved her body to the side, raised her leg, and snapped it out to a hard kick at her stomach.
The kick connected with the bottom of her ribs, and Naya felt the same shattering of bone as when she kicked the butler.
The maid was flung back into the room and slammed into the wooden edges of one of the beds in the room.
"Violence is prohibited." Suddenly, multiple other monotone female voices came from the various beds as blankets were thrown off and people still dressed in maid clothing got up.
The one Naya kicked into the bed also stood unsteadily, though unable to entirely do so. "I will let you handle the intruder." She spoke and sat down on the floor. Her glazed eyes were glued to Naya.
"Let me." Sophia touched Naya's shoulder and smiled when she turned back. "They won't die, but I can hold them until the Witch dies."
Naya nodded. Sophia was right, and Naya saw no point in battling opponents who knew nothing.
She stepped back and let Sophia move to the door.
The maids began to rush forward in the same lazy, fast movement as the others, all aiming to throw a punch with their extended bones.
Yet all that happened was that each maid ended up running into the portal. There were at least 10 maids. Even when the ones in front charged in only to disappear, the others still continued.
--This is just sad.--
[None of these people are... were awakened. She likely keeps the real threats with her in the basement.]
--Right, I have no idea what to expect. She grants them a weak ability to use bones and can grant them some level of sentience. The only question is how much power the undead she keeps with her kept from when they were alive.--
Sophia closed the portal and moved to the one sitting on the ground.
"Where are they?"
The maid kept attempting to stand and failing.
Sophia leaned down and touched the ground, and then a black portal opened underneath the maid.
"I will ensure everyone is properly buried," Sophia spoke solemnly.
"This is... disgusting..." Rula frowned and wiped her teary eyes.
"Attempting to dabble in any form of necromancy is grounds for instant execution in nearly every mortal land." Sophia ruffled Rula's hair. "And we will deliver justice to the Witch and her devil along with her."
Naya's face was blank, and she turned and left the room.