Sitana breathed a sigh of relief after successfully climbing through a window into the manor house.
The young girl squeezed her palm, which was slightly sweaty, and muttered in the darkness, "Those patrols don't seem to be ordinary at all... Maybe there's really a lot of good stuff hidden here?"
She had only come with a try-her-luck mindset, but the strength of the guard far exceeded her expectations. As a monstrous hunter who could venture deep into the forest for hunting at just ten years old, Sitana's stealth skills were naturally beyond question. Even so, she nearly got caught several times.
An empty manor with such strict security—it practically screamed that there were valuable items inside!
Miss Young Wolf rubbed her hands with excitement, "In that case, I might as well grab a few extra trinkets on the way back. Hmph, that bastard's money is all squeezed out of us anyway."
"However..."
Sitana, gazing down the dark corridor, pondered, "With such a large manor, how am I supposed to find where the treasures are hidden?"
Speaking to herself, Sitana followed her intuition and walked straight ahead, guided by her instincts.
The luxurious manor of the Scarletfrost family was like a maze to Sitana. Having always thought that Anselm's residence was already outrageously large, she once again renewed her perception of the extravagance of the nobility.
The young girl moved forward in the darkness, unsure if there were still guards within the vast manor. She continued to hold her breath, her body, brimming with formidable strength, now as light as a cat's.
"The Scarletfrost Earl must have some kind of treasure vault," Sitana thought, "Must be tucked away in some super-secret spot... Guess I'll have to go with my gut on this one."
As she was thinking this, she suddenly heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps coming from one end of the corridor.
There really are more guards patrolling?!
Sitana was startled, looking left and right, only to find no place to conceal herself. With a deep breath, she swiftly used the walls and wall decorations for leverage, and with agility, she deftly flipped herself up into the large chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
Curled up in a ball on the chandelier, Sitana listened as the footsteps grew closer. She remained calm, as evading and hiding from formidable prey during hunts was a common occurrence for her.
"Wildfowl, how much time do we have left?"
...Huh? What does that mean?
The speaker's tone wasn't that of a guard, yet they didn't bother to lower their voice.
"The aether-concealment scroll Professor gave us can only last for half an hour at most, but there are so many injunctions in the Scarletfrost Manor that it can probably only suppress them for... fifteen minutes."
Huh? Suppress? Injunctions? What exactly are these... injunctions again?
Sitana's mind buzzed with questions. Although she hadn't paid much attention to classes at the Skyfrost Tower, she still had a basic understanding of some concepts related to arcane art.
Oh! I remember now, they're like traps!
Realizing this, Miss Young Wolf was greatly alarmed— Turn out that there are not only guards here!
So... did I manage to sneak in here because of their so-called suppression scroll?
Is that even possible?!
"If Professor hadn't sent us that scroll just in time, we probably would've had to return empty-handed."
The one called "Wildfowl" sighed, "Even with the Scarletfrost Earl dead, Gray Fox doesn't seem to have any intention of giving up. He's kept a lot of the Scarletfrost family's assets and is preparing to continue the struggle with Ironblade for control of Scarletfrost, so he's taking the protection of these assets very seriously."
"Plus, I don't even know what's going on in that Hydra's head, allowing Hardstone's private soldiers to come in," another female voice complained, "Even time isn't on our side."
"It was always a tough mission, and we were prepared for failure before we even came, weren't we, Bee Sting?"
As the footsteps and conversation faded away, Sitana grew anxious.
Although she didn't fully understand who these people were, even a fool could tell that their goals were almost identical to hers—they were also after the treasures hidden in this manor!
Instead of aimlessly wandering around, it might be better to quietly follow them. Chances are, they'll lead me straight to the treasure vault.
Meanwhile, the distant Wildfowl and Bee Sting were communicating telepathically.
"Is she following us?" Wildfowl said.
"Yes, she's an extraordinary expert. If it weren't for her momentary spiritual fluctuation, I wouldn't have noticed her," Bee Sting's tone in the telepathic communication was somewhat heavy.
"Are you sure she's not an enemy?"
Bee Sting closed her eyes and sensed for a while before shaking her head, "There's no hostility. Wildfowl, who else would sneak into the Scarletfrost family's manor? And what could their purpose be?"
"Purpose? What other purpose could there be for sneaking into this place?" Wildfowl sneered, "As for who it is... I think I know."
"Who?"
"The only ones after the Scarletfrost family's assets would be their rivals and enemies. And within Scarletfrost... the Scarletfrost family's true enemy is undoubtedly just one."
Bee Sting was slightly taken aback, "You mean... the Hardstone family? But the Hardstone Earl doesn't seem like an irrational person. He shouldn't have the need to—"
At this moment, another voice cut into their telepathic communication:
"I have some bad news for you," the third man said, "The other person you mentioned, I've checked—there's absolutely no trace of her sneaking in. Not a single clue, it's disgustingly clean."
"...What do you mean, Snow Eagle?"
"It means, she also has powerful backup taking care of everything for her, or her own strength is unfathomable. Either way, we're caught in the net now, you two."
Snow Eagle whispered this while monitoring the movements of all the guards from the outside.
"I don't believe this is a coincidence," he stated, "On the night when the Hardstone Earl's numerous private soldiers are set to enter Scarletfrost City, and we're forced to make a decision, there's an individual with considerable power and a mysterious background who's also infiltrated the Scarletfrost Manor."
Wildfowl's eyes narrowed slightly, "If that friend of ours gets into any trouble, or after scooping up a big haul, they could easily alert the guards, turning all the blame on us while they make a clean getaway."
"No wonder there's no hostility. Hmph... The Hardstone Earl, despite his good reputation, isn't any better himself."
"The enemy of enemy is a friend—albeit a friend who can be discarded at any moment."
His eyes glinted with a cold disdain, "Unfortunately, we've swapped positions in the shadow and the light."
"...What are you planning, Wildfowl?" Snow Eagle asked.
In the telepathic link, Wildfowl confidently laughed, "Since they want to scoop up a fortune and then dump all the blame on us."
"Let's see who ends up being the first to be sacrificed."
He turned around and spoke loudly into the empty darkness:
"Why don’t you come out and meet us, friend?"
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