Beneath Hillburg Manor

This was Saranya’s second time stepping into the Hillburg estate.

Compared to her previous visit, the manor felt even more desolate now.

From the moment she passed through the grand gates until she reached the master’s villa, not a single helper or servant was in sight.

The stables stood empty of horses, and the gardens lay untended.

Wild herbs and plants proliferated, tangling into a chaotic mess, painting a truly bleak picture.

‘Her master must have truly invested every last coin into Vero City…’

“This way,” Kaelan instructed.

In the overgrown garden, Kaelan parted a tangle of dark green vines, gesturing towards a slanting cellar door beneath their feet.

Saranya stepped forward and pulled open the cellar door, allowing the moonlight to pierce the dark, musty chamber beyond.

A wave of putrid air immediately assailed her.

Reaching down, she picked up the metal lantern by her feet and followed her master down the steps.

The space appeared utterly unremarkable, nothing more than a common rectangular root cellar.

A row of cracked gardening tools lined the walls, while a round basket in the corner held decaying cabbages and carrots.

A decrepit wooden table, its leg broken, clattered rhythmically, swayed by the chilling draft from the entrance.

The air hung heavy with the pungent scent of mold and damp earth.

She continued onward, nearing the brick wall at the far end of the room.

“It’s here,” Kaelan said.

“Wait for me a moment.”

The oil lamp cast a hazy orange glow, stretching and distorting Saranya’s shadow behind her.

Drafts, like thieving whispers, snaked in from the entrance, whistling sharply and eerily past her ears.

The stale, peculiar stench intensified to an unbearable degree in this spot, making it difficult to breathe and forcing her to quicken her respiration.

Had anyone other than Kaelan brought her to such a suspicious place, positioned her facing a wall, and then furtively stood behind her, she would undoubtedly have believed herself ensnared in a trap and immediately begun devising an escape.

However, it was her master behind her, and her master would never harm her.

“Just a moment longer, Little Ya,” Kaelan murmured.

“I’ll be ready soon…”

‘Her master, surely wouldn’t harm her…’

‘Right… right?’

Unable to resist, Saranya turned her head slightly.

She saw Kaelan with her eyes closed, her palm pressed against the wall beside her, sinking into a small indentation.

A surge of cerulean magical light seeped from Kaelan’s palm, filling the hollow in the wall.

It then flowed and weaved between the brickwork and moss, gradually coalescing into a circular runic area.

“A magical restriction…” Saranya whispered.

The instant her doubts vanished, the brick wall before Saranya suddenly softened and warped.

Its texture became akin to a solution, bubbling and collapsing, until it transformed into a jelly-like, gelatinous mass.

Saranya stepped through, venturing into the unknown realm beyond the wall.

She suddenly felt herself standing in an immensely vast underground space, her vision expanding dramatically.

All around her, countless faint blue lights shimmered like scattered stars.

“Ah—”

The magic-sensing crystal embedded in the wolf’s head on her shoulder suddenly flared bright.

Saranya squinted, discerning the various light sources, each varying in intensity, before lifting her gaze upward.

A colossal, unblemished dome arched above them, resembling an inverted galaxy.

Tens of thousands of blue crystals, embedded in individual slots, emitted a hazy starlight.

This light flowed silently overhead like a liquid, seemingly adhering to a predetermined trajectory, weaving a shimmering, pulsating energy net high above.

Occasionally, particles of light would break free, trailing brilliant comet tails as they slid downward, falling like shooting stars at their feet before vanishing into nothingness.

“Don’t stare,” Kaelan’s calm voice cut through the wonder.

“This way.”

Kaelan’s tranquil tone resonated in Saranya’s ears, mingling with their footsteps, sending peculiar echoes rippling through the vast expanse.

In stark contrast to the spectacle above, the path beneath their feet grew progressively narrower, converging into a bridge barely wide enough for two to walk abreast.

The bridge’s surface was extraordinarily smooth, crafted from some translucent crystal, and on either side lay a chasm of impenetrable darkness, a mere glance into which made breathing difficult.

Saranya’s legs trembled, forcing her to avert her gaze and fix her eyes on the distant other side.

“Are you alright?”

“It’s a bit… high.”

“Here.”

Kaelan appeared at her side, and before Saranya could react, her hand reached out and took hold of her arm.

Her master’s small hand felt cool and comforting to the touch.

Saranya struggled to calm her quickening heartbeat as she walked alongside her master, their boot heels echoing softly.

“Is this some kind of magical ruin, right beneath the estate?” she asked.

“Yes,” Kaelan confirmed, “but not directly beneath the manor.”

“The builders here utilized spatial magic.”

“The root cellar we just passed through was merely an entrance, magically affixed to this plane.”

“Our current journey is much like Freya, the familiar summoned by Paresha in the arena, stepping away from her own location and arriving in an unfamiliar plane.”

Saranya glanced around, her eyes sweeping the surroundings.

She noticed many bridges identical to the one they stood on, yet not a single soul traversed them.

“It seems there’s more than one entrance here,” Saranya mused.

“Do others know about this ruin?”

“That’s yet to be determined,” Kaelan replied.

“Regardless of whether anyone else has reached this place, you must do your best to keep it a secret from outsiders.”

Kaelan quickened her pace, pulling Saranya across to the other side of the bridge.

This was a floating island, significantly smaller in area than the entrance platform and the bridge.

At its center lay a flat, circular region, its surface intricately covered with complex runic engravings.

It was undoubtedly a magical array used for rituals.

No sooner had they arrived before the magical array than a rumble echoed beneath their feet.

A long stone table slowly ascended from the ground, its surface glowing with runic luminescence.

“It even has human-body sensors… quite intelligent, isn’t it?” Kaelan commented.

“Place your hand on it.”

“Hmm.”

Saranya extended a hand, gently pressing it onto the long table before her.

The tabletop immediately erupted in light, and where her hand made contact, a series of white rectangular light screens floated up.

These individual screens ultimately coalesced into a larger rectangle.

‘If I had to describe it… it felt somewhat like a display’s self-test program, checking for screen defects by filling in color blocks…’

Finally, once this “check” was complete, the light screen abruptly shifted to an icy blue, subtly radiating a chilling sensation.

The color blocks on its surface rearranged themselves, forming a small armor icon at the far left.

“This displays my magic, then…” Saranya mused aloud.

“Does this icon represent the Ice Armor spell I’ve learned?”

“Precisely,” Kaelan confirmed.

“This device serves as a guide for magic beginners; it has a vast array of common spells built into it.”

“Look closely at the spot next to the Ice Armor icon.”

“Oh! Huh? This ice-cone-like icon is…”

As Saranya pressed the ice-cone icon, a sudden hum vibrated beside her.

A long, spear-like ice shard materialized out of thin air, then shot forth with a whoosh, shattering against a low stone wall.

“That’s Ice Lance,” Kaelan explained.

“It’s the second spell it recommends you learn.”

“Simply tap that icon, and you’ll see a demonstration, just like before.”

Saranya blinked, then pressed the icon again.

True to Kaelan’s words, the device once more demonstrated the effects of Ice Lance for her.

“Well, I’ll be a children’s learning tablet…” Saranya exclaimed.

“So, aside from Ice Lance, I don’t have any other options?”

“It only recommends the most suitable spells for you,” Kaelan clarified.

“And currently, that seems to be the case for you.”

“Now, look here,” Kaelan instructed.

Kaelan strode to the far left end of the long table, pointing to a small corner of its surface.

There, a tiny, icy-blue speck of light glimmered.

Compared to the entire expanse of the table, this speck was utterly insignificant, practically invisible unless one looked very closely.

“As your magical power grows, this will extend further and further, until—”

Saranya followed her master’s gaze to the far end of the table, where a section of the tabletop was transparent.

Releasing her hand, she walked directly to it to investigate.

Looking down through the surface, she saw a rusted, dull crown, devoid of any discernible details, and its material even gave off a sense of cheapness.

‘It seemed that if her magical power grew sufficient, she would be able to claim this ultimate reward.’

“The Wizard’s Crown,” Kaelan began.

“In the elven settlement I came from, there are ancient texts that mention this crown.”

“Its original owner was the inventor of the very first spell.”

“The other details are written very obscurely, concluding abruptly with the phrase, ‘now lost.'”

“What exactly is it for, then?” Saranya inquired.

After Saranya posed her question, Kaelan paused for a long moment, then hesitantly uttered a single word in Elvish:

“Domination.”

“Eh?”

“This is the very first spell ever to exist since the dawn of magic: the Domination Spell.”

“Its inventor was a debauched elven queen.”

“Legend has it she had many lovers, but one elven maiden she deeply cherished refused to submit to her as others had.”

“Thus, the queen created this spell, using immense magical energy to conquer the maiden, forcing her into union.”

“Eek…” Saranya recoiled slightly.

“With this crown, one can unleash the magical energy contained within it for their own use.”

“More importantly, the wielder can also cast the Domination Spell, as potent as in the legends, compelling anyone to do anything…”

A faint, unnatural blush colored the little witch’s cheeks, and a hint of fervent zeal flickered in her expression.

“Master, why don’t you try it yourself?” Saranya asked.

“Me…?”

Kaelan looked at Saranya, a flicker of longing in her eyes, before the corners of her lips curved into a smile tinged with self-deprecation.

“I can’t.”

Despite her words, Kaelan still placed her hand on the tabletop.

In stark contrast to the table’s reaction to Saranya, the color blocks that appeared before Kaelan were incredibly chaotic.

They lacked a unified color, their shapes were highly unstable, and eventually, they faded of all hues, transforming into an ominous and profound black-gray.

This black-gray magical energy, with an overwhelming force, swiftly engulfed the entire tabletop, yet it left the crown untouched, unable to approach it even by an inch.

Saranya could no longer hold back her reaction.

“What in the world is this junk?” she burst out.

“They’re not trying to trick people, are they?!”

“No, Saranya, you misunderstand…”

“Master…?” Saranya questioned, sensing a shift.

Kaelan’s eyes clouded with a misty sheen, and her eyelids began to redden.

It was the first time Saranya had ever seen her master wear such an aggrieved expression.

“There’s a reason they call me ‘Black Witch’…

“Little Ya, I’m… tainted…”

“You don’t know yet, do you?” Kaelan’s voice was a whisper.

“Your master… is a filthy wretch…”