Sieghart and his father Greldine arrived at Duke Hermann's mansion, where they were met by his mother Elena and stepmother Martha. Stella, the Duke's third wife, was crying deeply— it was clear that something was amiss; her only child was missing. Greldine instructed Sieghart to stay around the mansion while he spoke with Duke Hermann and his fellow Viscount, Sonova Beech.
Sieghart nodded and slotted his hands into his pockets before walking past the consoling women. Elena waved goodbye to him, and he shot her a quick wave in response before exiting the room. He then decided to take a little sightseeing tour before his father was done with his discussions.
He climbed up the stairs and entered another part of the mansion, walking quietly.
Then, Half of Celestia appeared as an ethereal form from Sieghart's chest and faced him directly.
"So, what's the plan, Lord Sieghart?" Celestia asked.
Sieghart sighed.
"Can't I just take a walk without you interrogating me?"
Celestia smirked.
"You know that's not how this works. What's your plan?"
Sieghart shrugged.
"I don't really have one. I just wanna see what this mansion's all about. Maybe find some cool hidden spots. Why?"
Celestia looked at him curiously.
"I just have a feeling you're up to something."
Sieghart rolled his eyes.
"Trust me, Celestia. I'm just killing time until my dad is ready. Nothing more, nothing less."
Celestia paused for a moment before speaking up again.
"You definitely have a plan, you're just not ready to tell me yet."
A sigh escaped her breath.
"Ready to tell you? I'm not interested in telling you.." he stretched his neck a bit.
The frown on Celestiaʼs face was quite prominent, but Sieghart ignored it to the point that it didn't exist.
"Here's how it works... you tell me what makes Velice so special and I'll tell you how I plan to save her, easy right? Now tell me." Sieghart's voice was a tad jaded.
Sounding exasperated, Celestia told him, "As I said before, it's good that you don't know for now... especially when I'm not sure."
"I'm your master, shouldn't my word be absolute?" he raised an eyebrow.
"It's not that simple," Celestia said. "You may have summoned me, but that doesn't give you full control over my actions. I exist to serve the greater good, and sometimes that means making decisions that may not align with your wishes."
"Good for you." Sieghart sighed.
They walked in silence for a moment before Celestia spoke up again.
"I'll just tell you this. She's more than just an ordinary girl. In fact, she's not completely human."
"What do you mean?" Sieghart asked, his interest piqued.
"I can't reveal much, but you need to protect her at all costs. She's important to the future of this world."
Sieghart frowned.
"Why do I feel like you're not being entirely honest with me?"
Celestia gave him a sad smile.
"I apologize. There're forces at work here that are beyond both of us. Just trust me when I say this."
"Whatever."
Walking through the dimly lit corridors of the Duke's mansion, Sieghart's mind raced with thoughts of how strong Velice's captors would be.
He had to find her, even if it meant having to interrogate each and every servant in the mansion.
The reason he was doing all this:
90% = Wants to fight.
9.5% = So Celestia stops pestering him.
0.5% = With great power comes great responsibility.
As he walked, his gaze fixated on the empty spaces around him.
Suddenly, Sieghart stopped in his tracks to share his plans with Celestia.
After all, she did give him some information on why Velice was so special.
"I plan to ask the maid that was around Velice yesterday some questions, maybe there's a chance she knows something."
Celestia nodded thoughtfully, "That's a good plan... I guess. I hope she'll be able to provide some useful information."
Sieghart replied with a nod, "I hope so too", and continued his search.
"But why the maid especially...?"
"Easy, I have a hunch," he yawned.
For someone like Sieghart, his hunches were 8/10 in most cases.
His Extra Skill: 「Elder Wisdom」 was at level 14.
At its peak, this skill granted one immense knowledge, calculative and strategic abilities as well as a formidable spatial and acute world awareness.
However, at its current level it was mostly good for hunches. Ones that usually turned out to be right. In most cases, it could tell when a person was lying.
"Understood." Celestia closed her eyes and smiled.
Her ethereal body slowly faded into a dim light and she was no more.
"I feel like I've passed this place before."
In other words, Sieghart he was lost.
He looked behind and before him, a tad confused.
All the time he spent talking with Celestia made his sense of direction deviate.
"This mansion is large... It's like ours three times over."
Suddenly, he found himself standing before Nune, the maid he was looking for just moments before.
"Oh, speak of the devil," he said, his voice indifferent.
"Oh?!"
Nune was a bit startled by his sudden appearance.
"Yo," he waved once.
"I'm sorry, young master... I was just a little startled by you," she smiled, her hand atop her chest.
Sieghart felt the same way too. After all, he got lost and ended up finding the same person he was searching for.
She bowed her head and greeted him respectfully. "Good day, young master."
"Nune, I have some questions for you. Can we talk?", Sieghart asked with the confidence of a seasoned adventurer.
Nune looked up at him, surprised by his direct approach. "Sure, what would you like to know, sir?", Nune asked with a faint smile.
Sieghart drew a deep breath and asked, "You don't seem too sad about Lady Velice being kidnapped. Do you know something that you're not letting on?"
He took the bull by the horn.
Nune's eyes widened in disbelief, "Excuse me? What're you talking about?"
Sieghart's voice grew cold, "You heard me. Do you know something about the disappearance of Duke Hermann's daughter?"
Nune's indignation surged within her veins, fueling her voice with fury as she vehemently protested Sieghart's accusation. "How dare you accuse me of such a heinous act? Your words are unfounded and unjust!" she exclaimed, her eyes ablaze with anger.
Sieghart's response was swift and merciless as he materialized before her, his hand gripping her collar tightly, forcing her down to his level. "So, you honestly think you can raise your voice against me? You've made a big mistake, woman," his eyes narrowed coldly. "Mistakes are inevitable, but your audacity won't go unpunished."
The strength of his grip constricted her throat, leaving her gasping for air and desperately attempting to expel the excess saliva that had accumulated in her mouth.
Struggling for air beneath his tightening grip, Nune desperately gasped, trying to speak. "Sieghart, please... I-I didn't do anything wrong..." she choked out, her voice strained and filled with both fear and disbelief.
With a single motion, Sieghart cast Nune aside, her body crashing onto the ground with a sickening thud. Coughing violently, she tried to gather herself, to flee the room, but his commanding voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Stay put," he ordered, his tone unyielding.
「Slime Rulerʼs Sword — Devouria」 (Lv. 20)
Suddenly, Sieghart's weapon appeared in his hand, a slimy, otherworldly sword forged from grotesque substances. The sword morphed into a razor-sharp blade, ready to inflict harm.
Time seemed to slow as Nune's eyes widened in horror.
Terrified, she mustered all her courage and pleaded, "Sieghart, please, listen! I swear I'm innocent. There has to be a misunderstanding."
Her voice trembled, desperate for him to understand, to believe her innocence.
Sieghart's expression remained cold and unforgiving as he drove the blade into Nune's vulnerable back, causing searing pain to erupt from the wound. Her anguished cries filled the room, mixing with the sickening sound of blood escaping her lips.
Through her tears and agony, Nune continued to plead, "Stop! Please, I beg you to stop! I... I didn't do anything! This isn't right!"
But Sieghart silenced her cries with an authoritative demand. "Can it," he commanded, his voice cutting through her distress.
Gritting her teeth, Nune bit down on her lip with desperation, trying to contain the overwhelming pain.
But it proved futile, the pain proving too immense to bear.