The heavy door of the library opened with a soft, familiar creak. Cutting through the tense silence, the old butler stepped inside. He bowed with practiced elegance, his voice low and respectful. "Master, you summoned me?"
Anthony let out a long, shuddering breath, his posture finally losing some of its rigid tension. "Prepare the room next to Felix's for our guests," he instructed, his tone carrying a distinct sense of relief.
Without a single question or moment of hesitation, the butler simply bowed his head again and silently vanished into the corridor. Once they were alone, Chris turned to look at Anthony, whose lips had finally curved into a faint, reassured smile now that his wife's safety was being addressed.
"Anthony," Chris began, breaking the silence, "do you mind if I make one more request?"
Anthony smiled warmly, gesturing with his hand. "Of course not! Please, feel free to ask for whatever you need."
"Actually, I need to verify something," Chris said, his expression suddenly turning deadpan. "And for that, I'm going to need your help."
The warmth instantly vanished from Anthony's face, replaced by a flicker of uncertainty. He shifted uncomfortably, stammering slightly. "I am willing to assist in any way I can... but what exactly can I do? I possess no combat skills, nor do I have any magical prowess. All I know is how to run a business."
Chris shook his head slightly, his gaze shifting to the polished dagger resting on the table. He pointed a single finger toward the blade. "You are more than capable of helping us. In fact, all you need to do... is take this dagger and attack your wife."
Anthony's face flushed with a mixture of shock and fury. The relief that had briefly washed over him was instantly replaced by sheer horror. He leaped to his feet, shouting, "Have you lost your mind?! I am asking you here to protect my wife, and now you're asking me to assault her? Are you even sane right now?!"
Chris remained entirely unbothered by the outburst. He calmly extended his right hand across the table. "This is a vital part of the strategy. Will you stand by me? If you trust my judgment, shake on it."
Beads of cold sweat began to form on Anthony's forehead. He stared at the outstretched hand, his chest heaving as the tension in the room grew suffocating. Finally, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath to steady his racing heart, and gripped Chris's hand.
"Fine," Anthony exhaled, his voice trembling slightly. "But you need to explain this madness to me first."
Behind Chris, Ray and Leo exchanged knowing smirks. They had already deciphered the captain's intentions. Chris turned back to Anthony. "Does this mansion have a basement?"
"Yes, we have a small cellar downstairs where we store wine for banquets and business meetings," Anthony replied, trying to regain his composure.
"Perfect. I'll go inspect the layout of the basement myself," Chris said, turning to leave. He glanced back at the two boys. "You two know the drill, right? Fill him in."
"Understood, Captain," Leo and Ray replied in unison.
The moment Chris exited the library, Anthony's anxiety flared up again. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he turned to the remaining youths. "Why on earth do you want me to stage an attack on my own wife?"
Leo stepped forward, maintaining a respectful distance. "Sir, please take a seat first."
Anthony sank heavily onto the velvet sofa, and the two boys sat opposite him. Leo immediately began the briefing. "We need you to simulate an attack because those cultists are specifically after the child in your wife's womb. The infant is an essential sacrifice for one of their dark rituals."
Anthony swallowed hard, the color draining from his face as a grim silence settled over him.
"Here is the plan," Leo continued. "If you pretend to attack her, the cultists monitoring the estate will be forced to intervene to protect their prize. The moment they break cover to stop you, we will ambush and apprehend them. As for your wife—she won't actually be in the room. We will have her safely hidden away long before the trap is sprung, replacing her with a decoy."
Hearing the sheer tactical brilliance of the plan, a massive weight was lifted from Anthony's chest. He exhaled a sigh of profound relief. "I see... That changes everything. Count me in."
Sitting beside him, Ray rested his chin on his knuckles, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Since we are putting on such a grand show, why don't we raise the stakes a bit?"
Both Leo and Anthony looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"
Ray directed his gaze toward Anthony. "Is the Morveth Times the only national newspaper available in the capital?"
Anthony caught on to the underlying logic of the question. "The nobility, the wealthy merchants, and even the Royal Court primarily read the Morveth Times. There are a few smaller, independent printing presses in Morveth, but their publications are largely ignored."
"Why is that?" Leo asked, intrigued.
"Because those minor companies lack credibility. The Morveth Times holds exclusive royal distribution rights as the official voice of the kingdom, so the public naturally trusts it blindly," Anthony explained.
Ray move , casually reaching for a crisp apple from the fruit basket on the table. He took a loud, satisfying bite and chewed thoughtfully. "In that case, tomorrow we pay a visit to one of those obscure printing presses. We give them an anonymous tip: The wife of the prominent tycoon Anthony Ward has been tragically murdered."
"What?! Why would we do that?!" Anthony blurted out, nearly jumping out of his seat.
"Hear me out first," Ray chuckled, waving a hand to calm the older man down. "As you said, the nobles don't spare a glance for these lower-tier papers, but the common folk devour them. Once the rumor is printed, it will spread like wildfire through the lower districts. It will inevitably reach the ears of the mastermind pulling the cultists' strings. Since the high nobility doesn't read those trashy tabloids, your peers won't even notice the lie. And if anyone does question it later, you can easily dismiss it as a baseless media fabrication."
Leo smiled, completing the thought. "Exactly. By the way, how many hidden presences do you usually sense watching your estate?"
"Six," Anthony answered instantly.
A deep, confident grin spread across Leo's face. "Perfect. The pieces are all in place."
Before Anthony could respond, the library door opened once more, and Chris walked back in. He looked between them. "Did these two fill you in on the details?"
Anthony looked at the young prodigies and let out a breathless chuckle. "These boys are entirely too clever for their age... They've clearly picked up some terrifying habits from you."
Chris chuckled proudly, leaning against the doorframe. "I'm training them to be exceptional Magic Knights, so a bit of unconventional thinking is mandatory." He then checked the large grand clock ticking away in the corner. It was 4:00 PM.
Chris's demeanor turned strictly professional. "It's four o'clock now. By 7:00 PM, I want you to dismiss every single maid, servant, and guard on the house. Tell them that for their own safety, they need to leave early because of a security threat tonight, and they shouldn't come back until 9:00 AM tomorrow
Anthony stood up from the sofa, nodding resolutely. "Understood. Everything will be done precisely as you've requested. For now, you all should head up to your quarters and rest."
Ray and Leo stretched as they rose from their seats, heading toward the exit. Anthony called out behind them, "Have a good rest, everyone."
The trio stepped out into the grand entrance hall and began ascending the spiral staircase toward the guest wing. On the way up, Leo and Ray kept their voices low as they debriefed Chris on the newspaper strategy they had formulated.
Chris looked at them, genuinely impressed. "Remarkable. I only planned for a decoy operation, but you two managed to engineer a way to smoke out the cult's primary hideout. Excellent work."
Ray grinned, nudging his friend. "The core idea was all Leo. I just added a little flair to make it fun."
Chris smiled warmly, ruffling their hair. "This holiday is turning out to be quite eventful for you two. When we return to the academy, you'll have a hell of a story to tell to make yourselves look cool."
"That's the entire objective, Captain," Leo and Ray whispered back, exchanging a smirk. "We just need our official academy assignment letters to arrive first."
They reached the end of the corridor, and Leo pushed open the door to their assigned room. While not overly spacious, it was elegantly decorated, filled with a faint, pleasant lavender scent. A large, plush bed occupied the center of the room.
Chris checked his pocket watch. "Alright, it's nearly 4:30 PM. You two should get some sleep. We're going to be up all night."
Leo and Ray immediately dove onto the bed, burying their faces into the pillows. "We're not even tired, Captain! We can stay up," they mumbled defiantly.
Chris chuckled, walking over to the window to draw the heavy velvet curtains, completely blocking out the external light. When he turned back around, the two boys who claimed they weren't tired were already fast asleep, breathing softly.
Chris shook his head with a fond smile. Brilliant minds, but still just kids at the end of the day. Slipping onto the edge of the mattress, he closed his eyes and let sleep claim him as well.
Hours slipped by in absolute silence. The sun dipped below the horizon, and a thick, velvety darkness enveloped the sky. The only source of light left was the crescent moon, casting a silver glow over the estate.
Suddenly, Leo's eyes snapped open. He instantly glanced at the wall clock—it read 7:17 PM.
"How did I pass out like that?" Leo muttered, sitting up abruptly. He turned and vigorously shook Ray awake.
Ray blinked sleepily, scrambling to check the time. "Seven already?! We need to wake the captain."
"No, let him rest," Leo whispered, stopping him. "He exhausted a massive amount of his mana supply maintaining that smoke barrier earlier. Let's handle the initial preparations ourselves."
"Sounds like a plan," Ray agreed, his eyes flashing with excitement.
The two slipped quietly out of the room. As they stepped into the hallway, they spotted Anthony emerging from his own quarters, carrying an empty silver tray.
"Ah, you're awake," Anthony noted, turning toward them.
"Yes, we just needed a quick nap. Chris is still sleeping; he requires a bit more time to recover his strength," Leo explained.
"Understandable. A Knight Captain bears a heavy burden," Anthony replied smoothly.
Ray stepped forward, his eyes scanning the quiet corridor. "Have the servants and guards departed?"
"Completely," Anthony confirmed. "The moment the clock struck seven, I sent everyone home. Aside from the five of us, this mansion is entirely deserted."
"Perfect." Leo closed his eyes, extending his sensory perception across the estate. The surrounding area was eerily quiet; he couldn't detect any immediate hostile intent nearby. Opening his eyes, he asked, "Do you have a landline telephone?"
"Yes, there's one downstairs in the main hall, right in the corner," Anthony indicated.
"May we use it?"
"Of course, no need to ask," Anthony smiled.
Before Anthony could even finish his sentence, Leo yelled, "First one to touch the phone wins!"
In a flash, Leo and Ray bolted down the staircase toward the main hall. Their movement was an blur of incredible speed, leaving a sudden gust of wind that rustled Anthony's clothes. He couldn't even track their figures with his bare eyes.
Standing alone at the top of the stairs, Anthony stared down at the empty hall, utterly stunned. "Those kids... are on an entirely different level."