Episode 13.11 (1/2)
Lecan arrived in front Goncourt House's gate.
It's night time already, the gate is shut tight and there's no guard. It's dark around the gate.
He concentrated on <Life Detection>, and while he could detect several red dots indicating mages inside the mansion, it's not clear whether one of them is Eda. The dot with the strongest mana is probably her, but he can't be sure. He should have memorized Eda's red dot pattern while he had a chance. However, there's no point in mulling over that now. Either way, he simply has to comb through the mansion.
Lecan decided to go in through the front door. The side door would be easier to break in, but it doesn't really matter which in the end.
He took out <Guardian Jewel of Zana>, put it in his breast pocket, and buttoned it up.
He took out <Lightning Dragon Gauntlet> and put it on his left hand.
He removed <Sword of Rusk> hanging on his waist, stowed it inside <Storage>, and grabbed a Sacred Solid Silver sword in its stead.
Silver Ring is adorned on his left finger.
<Dagger of Harut> on his waist belt.
He took out a cloth bag packed full with grain-sized and medium-sized Magic Stones and tied it on his belt.
He's checked the gate with <3D Perception>. It's a double gate that opens from the center, shut tight with a thick fastened bolt from the inside. Destroying the bold should do the trick.
Lecan held his left hand up and recited a spell.
”<Flame Spear (Bandroux)>!”
A beam of light emerged in the darkness of the night and pierced through the giant gate's center, destroying it along with the bolt before landing at the mansion's front door around 50 steps ahead and causing an explosion.
With his left hand still held up, Lecan recited another spell.
”<Move (Torim)>.”
The gate opened to the left and right with a dull sound.
It was quite heavy, he ended up consuming more mana than expected before it was fully open.
Lecan thrust his left hand in the cloth bag on his waist, roughly grabbed a fistful of small magic stones and absorbed mana from them before throwing them away.
Sounds of magic stones getting dropped on a stone-paved path resounded.
Tonight he's going to use all the expendable magic stones he needs to replenish his mana. He's not gonna skimp on it.
Lecan's <Overking Bear> overcoat-tails fluttered in the night wind.
Right before he reached the front door, two guards showed up from the right bypath.
”You ruffian!”
”Turn yourself in!”
They were swinging their swords at Lecan as they shouted.
Lecan swung his sword twice to cut apart the guards' swords. With the incredible sharpness of Sacred Solid Silver's sword, it was as if he was cutting paper without any resistance.
He pours mana into his left arm and swung it wide, gently brushing the two's heads in a single motion. Even though Lecan deemed it as 'brushing', it might actually feel like a heavy blow to the guards' themselves.
Electricity emitted out of <Lightning Dragon Gauntlet>, the two guards crumbled down without a sound.
Lecan does not intend to attack this mansion yet. He's still at a stage of looking for Eda. He doesn't care if he has to slaughter all inhabitants of this mansion once he found Eda, but there is no need for that if she isn't here. The time to unleash mayhem has yet come.
As he took the first stone step of three, wreckage of a broken door dangled in front of him.
”<Flame Spear>.”
He blew the wreckage away with a bit of mana.
Lecan stepped inside the mansion's entrance and advanced toward a stairway ahead.
The strongest red dot in this mansion is located in the center of this mansion's back. It's probably on the second or third floor, <Life Detection> can't distinguish.
As he took the stairs up, several faces peeked out from the entrance. But they're not attempting to attack him. They're probably non-combatants.
In any case, this mansion's inhabitants' reaction is slow.
They must have never imagined they would be raided like this.
Or perhaps, Eda is not here.
But he can't turn back now.
Just as Lecan's finished scaling up the stairs, several people are headed toward him from inside the mansion.
The hallway is furnished with candlesticks, shining lights on the approaching people.
Three people.
The man in the middle looks familiar.
It's the butler who interacted with them during the house call yesterday.
It was Kanner or something.
Kanner halted and spoke to Lecan while glaring at him with a stern face like he's a different person.
”What business do you have breaking into this mansion in the middle of the night.”
Lecan answered back without stopping his advance.
”I'm looking for something. Passing through.”
They would try to dupe Lecan if they really have abducted Eda. In other words, it's useless to even ask.
The two men behind Kanner are equipped with light armor, and just trousers. They must have put on their armor in a hurry after news of an intruder broke out. They've had their swords out already.
The two stepped forward to cover Kanner.
Lecan proceeds ahead without caring.
The two raised their swords, coming for Lecan from both sides.
Lecan swiftly moved to the right, cutting the right man's sword apart, and swiftly raised his sword overhead before swinging it down to sever the left man's sword.
”<Flame Arrow>.”
Lecan shot out two <Flame Arrows> from his left finger, piercing the two swordsmen's top of feet each. The two screamed and fell down the floor. They writhed in pain as Lecan closed 20 steps of distance.
More people are coming.
But none attempts to attack him even though some are timidly observing from afar.