Around midnight, Aaron was ready to move. He watched the mansion for around two hours, and he didn't find any holes in the security of the place… at least against ordinary people.
Aaron did some tests, and he confirmed that Thousand Step was more versatile than he had thought. While it could be used to cross large distances in a moment, it also could be used to do things like jumping from one roof to another. With that in mind, he looked for the tallest building in the area that was also close enough to the mansion and then climbed to the top.
"I guess this is good enough," Aaron thought when he reached the top of a warehouse that had a clear view of the garden of the mansion.
If he used Thousand Step there, he would reach the middle of the garden, but that much was fine since Aaron had another plan.
After visualizing the whole thing several times, Aaron used Thousand Step, and just like he had imagined, in the next moment, he appeared in the middle of the garden… the skill considered everything. The distance that he would cross and his fall and Aaron did at the same time.
Aaron didn't move, and Silent Step was activated. Thanks to it, no one noticed him. He used Thousand Step again and then appeared in front of a window that was a bit open. He looked around, and none of the guards in the garden noticed him since they had their eyes on the wall… Aaron slowly opened the window and then closed it after he crossed it.
Inside the mansion, Aaron saw flickering candlelight casting dancing shadows upon the stone walls, enhancing the atmosphere of the ancient place. The grand hall stood in the middle of the mansion, its high vaulted ceilings disappearing into the darkness above. The faint glimmer of moonlight peeks through stained glass windows, creating quite the atmosphere.
"Cliched," Aaron thought.
The air was thick with the scent of burning logs in the colossal chimney, their crackling providing a comforting warmth. Soft whispers of the wind echo through hidden corridors, creating an enigmatic symphony that resonates throughout the mansion's chambers.
The place was completely empty, so Aaron decided to confirm that was the case before finding the elder of the city. The first room that he found ahead was the dining room. He found there a long oak table adorned with silver candelabras, and he imagined a sumptuous feast fit for royalty. Shadows dance and play tricks on the eye as the candlelight flickers, giving the impression of unseen guests occupying the room.
On the left side of the mansion, Aaron found a library. Tall shelves filled to the brim with weathered tomes line the walls, their leather bindings exuding a faint scent of aged paper. The soft glow of candlelight illuminates the desks and reading nooks, inviting visitors to lose themselves in the history of that land.
Aaron found some sleeping rooms on the right side, but they probably were for servants, so he headed to the second floor. He found larger bedrooms there, only three, though. One was empty, the one in the middle had two people, and the third had a small presence.
"A couple and a kid, huh," Aaron furrowed his eyebrows.
That will be difficult. Threatening one to speed would be a lot easier than two… keeping one sleeping during an interrogation was definitely impossible. Killing one of them will only enrage the man and make the woman panic… probably.
Aaron could interrogate them for so long, so he couldn't waste time hesitating, so he decided to move. After twisting the doorknob, he confirmed that it wasn't locked… it was probably a countermeasure for them to escape as soon as possible in case of attack. The people never imagined that such a thing would cause them so many problems.
Just as he had expected, Aaron found a large bed and two people in it. He approached them and then quickly put one of his weapons on the throat of the woman before covering her mouth.
"Holy shit… what the hell am I doing with my life?" Aaron thought. "I thought that I would go on a journey to save Earth, but it seems that I am going on a dark journey to become a monster…"
It didn't take long for the woman to wake up, and then she panicked when she saw a pointy horn against her throat. Still, she couldn't mutter a sound since Aaron's grip strength was too high; her husband woke up when she began to move her arms violently, and soon, he realized the situation.
"If you open your mouth without my permission, she dies, and you will die," Aaron declared. "Your one hundred guards didn't stop me from reaching this place, and they certainly won't arrive in time to save your ass. Unless you want your kid to grow up without their parents, you would do better cooperating with what I want."
The man opened his eyes widely when he recognized Aaron. He probably heard or saw what Aaron did during the day and he could tell that he wasn't there to joke around. If he entered his mansion without being noticed, he wasn't an ordinary man… so he ended up nervously nodding to convince Aaron not to do anything that would dirt the bed with a ton of blood.