A Treacherous Return to the Manor

In the evening, the Head Maid and a retinue of servants stood before the ducal manor’s gates, a group of roughly thirty individuals.

The early summer breeze swept through the desolate streets. Beside the grand entrance, new leaves on the birch trees seemed to peer down, observing familiar faces with an air of unfamiliarity, as if after a long absence.

Vanessa, the Head Maid, gestured to the gatekeeper with a wave of her hand.

“Where do you come from?” the gatekeeper inquired, his voice devoid of emotion, performing his routine duty.

“From outside the city,” she replied. “We also stopped at the tailor’s to order some hats.”

The gatekeeper nodded in understanding, offering no further words. The manor’s gates swung open, welcoming the group inside.

“May your hunt be fruitful,” he uttered in the ancient tongue of sorcerers.

Vanessa lifted her suitcase, and the others followed her steps, entering the ducal manor in a synchronized procession.

“Remember,” she instructed, “keep a low profile. Don’t reveal yourselves; there are many former ‘colleagues’ still inside.”

“Understood.”

****

Throughout the afternoon, Rhine and the others within the ducal manor had been meticulously packing items they could take with them. Abandoning the city was a painful and unavoidable choice, but at least they could salvage some important possessions. Each of them was bustling with activity.

Ursula and Audrey were still engaged in a fervent discussion about the rice cultivation research. In Ursula’s view, the entire breeding room was indispensable; she was determined to transfer everything, no matter the cost.

Yet, transplanting rice was, after all, a time-consuming and arduous task. The servants found it utterly baffling why so much effort would be expended on transporting mere mud instead of more valuable gold and silver.

Rice was ubiquitous, whereas gold Koller was a universal currency. Compared to some insignificant seeds, the relative importance of the two was glaringly obvious.

Consequently, Ursula’s pleas were largely disregarded, even though, as an introvert, she had poured her heart into finding every possible word.

Audrey, though understanding Ursula’s urgency, knew the situation was indeed grim. She could only agree to help transfer the most precious experimental data, reasoning that if the experimental rice was destroyed, it would merely take time to cultivate a new batch.

In this race against time, every extra hand meant additional strength. Fortunately, some servants who had returned to their hometowns for visits had rushed back at this critical juncture, a welcome relief.

The ducal manor remained a scene of frantic activity, yet for some inexplicable reason, Audrey felt a profound sense of unease.

She couldn’t quite articulate the feeling, but it was as if a familiar scene had been mirrored and inverted.

“Hey, you down there, did you just get back today?”

“Yes, Young Miss,” the questioned servant replied, adhering to proper etiquette.

“How many days were you home? And why did you return today?”

“Three days. I came back as soon as I heard the Duke’s household needed us back early. Anything else?”

“Nothing. You may carry on with your work,” Audrey said, waving her hand casually.

From the second floor, Audrey turned away, a shadow gradually deepening in the corners of her eyes.

‘It seems a good deal of filth has infiltrated the house,’ she mused.

She muttered to herself, quickening her pace significantly.

‘I need to call Colette and Daniel over. I also have to inform Father that it’s no longer safe here…’

****

Meanwhile, in another part of the manor, Rhine was assisting with packing vegetables and meats in the kitchen. Rows of ingredients were meticulously arranged in the steel trolleys typically used for serving meals.

While others concerned themselves with wealth during their escape, his sole focus was on provisions.

According to his seemingly obvious principle: ‘If a person doesn’t eat, they will die. One can be poor in all things, but never in the stomach.’

He had a profound understanding of hunger. Grass stalks were utterly indigestible, their fibers impossible to process, serving only to temporarily fill the stomach before causing severe pain.

Surveying the now-cleared kitchen, he let out a long breath and stepped out, just as he caught sight of Vanessa, the Head Maid, peering around curiously in the distance.

Initially, he felt a wave of relief and familiarity. With Vanessa present, he knew arrangements would be handled with utmost precision.

Soon, however, a peculiar feeling crept over him. Logically, she should have been the busiest person, as she typically oversaw everything personally. It was highly improbable she would now stand by like a mere supervisor.

Regardless, he decided to approach and greet her.

“Good evening, Head Maid Vanessa.”

“Hello, Rhine. So it’s you.”

“Yes. Have you been back to your hometown these past couple of days?”

“Indeed… I felt a pang of nostalgia.”

“Nostalgia for what?”

“Nothing in particular. The scenery back home is quite lovely.”

“What kind of scenery? I’d be quite interested to hear about it.”

“Jasmine flowers, for instance. You know, it’s the season for them to bloom now.”

“That’s true. Did you bring any souvenirs back for everyone?”

“Ah, souvenirs. Right. How could I have forgotten? Look at my memory…”

“…It’s fine. I wasn’t really expecting much, truly.”

Perhaps he had imagined the golden expanse, the charming sight, the fragrance carried for miles, the sweet taste on the tongue—the citrus that existed only in imagination and captivating words.

But now, none of it truly mattered.

For he was not, by nature, a sentimental man.

“I’ve mostly finished tidying the kitchen. Could you send a few more people to take over?”

“Of course. I’ll have Yuri and the others go help you right away. Please wait in the kitchen for a moment.”

“I’ll be waiting then.”

Rhine returned to the kitchen without a backward glance.

“…” Vanessa watched him leave, then subtly made a few gestures behind her back.

[Three people. Go. Deal with him.]

Several individuals, originally engaged in their respective tasks, promptly set aside their work upon receiving the Head Maid’s command, casually heading towards the kitchen.

As the three of them entered the kitchen, Rhine pointed to a trolley laden with food, addressing the first one to step inside.

“Come here and lend a hand first.”

None of the three detected anything amiss. One walked forward, another followed closely behind. The last individual remained by the door, quietly closing it as they softly uttered a spell.

‘Silencing Charm.’

An invisible incantation etched itself onto the door, ensuring that no matter what transpired within the room, not a sound would reach outside.

“Move this…”

Second-ring ‘Dizziness Charm.’

Before his words could fully escape, a sorcerer abruptly chanted a spell at him. A powerful wave of dizziness surged over his face, making him feel as though he had suddenly become anemic and could barely stand.

At that very moment, the foremost servant had already approached within a meter of Rhine.

Second-ring ‘Super Strength Charm.’

Brownish-yellow magic flared from the servant’s hands, unleashing a colossal force capable of shattering mountains, which surged towards Rhine’s disoriented face.

Thump! In a flash, Rhine’s figure seemed to lower by half a step. He pressed his left foot onto the corner of a flour sack, giving it a simple tug. The flour within erupted as if by magic, scattering wildly and diffusing throughout the room at lightning speed.

The anticipated scene of a head falling did not materialize. Instead, the room filled with a spray of flour, obscuring the vision of the two men behind.

“Heh, is that all? You two seem to be enjoying yourselves quite a bit, don’t you?”

Rhine’s mocking voice drifted from behind the cloud of dust, accompanied by a grating, bone-jarring crunch.

“Only sending three people? Is that perhaps a little too dismissive of me?”

The two exposed sorcerers felt a chill run down their spines. It seemed they had encountered a formidable opponent this time.

Third-ring ‘Whirlwind Devastation.’

With no time left to hide their true abilities, both men pulled their wands from concealed inner pockets of their clothes, unleashing wind magic to disperse the flour obscuring their vision.

From behind the dense haze, Rhine’s figure abruptly appeared, standing atop a table. His lips curled into a sneer, revealing a look of profound disdain and mockery.

Their companion’s hands were pinned to the wall by knives, his face contorted in agony and disbelief.

“Come on, then. Take one step, and I lose,” he declared loudly. The wind he commanded swept massive amounts of flour towards the wall, piling it over the pinned sorcerer.

Before their very eyes, he raised his right hand, snapping his fingers lightly. A flicker of fire suddenly ignited within the dust.

“No—”

Boom! The sorcerer’s desperate shriek was swallowed by the flour explosion. Yet, the resulting shockwave miraculously bypassed Rhine, instead sending bottles and jars flying from the table. The shadows cast by the flames accentuated his volatile mood.

His gaze, cold and indifferent, settled on the two remaining figures.

“Unleash your full power. At the very least, that might make this entertaining for me.”