Breach

I used all the energy around me to turn the air into a force to suppress the monsters. There seemed to be ten or more, at least from what I could see.

I tried my strongest, but my powers felt like they were depleting slowly. The monsters started to crawl out, using the wooden floor as support, their claws scratching the area.

I felt like a hole was being made inside of me slowly; this was the feeling of mana being depleted at a fast rate. If this continued, I could die at any moment.

I can't allow this. I used the rest of the energy I had to turn the air into slashes, cutting the monsters into pieces.

Then the green glowing light became weaker, and I started catching my breath. I walked slowly towards the book to see what happened. The moment I moved closer, multiple bony hands shot out from the book. They latched onto my legs, and a chilling cold seized my very soul.

Infinite darkness came into my sight; I couldn't breathe, and my body became harder to control.

I felt the ground as I fell, and then my senses disappeared one by one. I felt death.

Then I felt my soul being pulled back, like a soft hand was reaching out to me. My vision returned to me, and I saw that I was thrown into the wall by none other than Lilith.

The monsters from the book covered half of the room with their whispers, sounding insane.

Lilith stood, facing them directly; in her left hand, she was holding a black lance, which held an eerie aura about it.

In an instant, Lilith vanished, reappearing in the midst of the monstrous horde. And the creatures between where she was and where she went disappeared into thin air.

Her eyes darted around, making sure to see all the creatures before rotating her lance and stabbing it into the ground. This made a scream that destroyed all the monsters in one clean hit.

The air became calmer, and the surroundings went back to normal. Lilith walked to the book and held it, looking at its contents.

Closing it, she looked at me. She pointed the lance at my head. "How did you find this?" Lilith talked in her usual tone.

"I gave it to him!" In the open doorway, Conall appeared, still catching his breath.

"Sir Conall. Perhaps you'd care to explain what you two are plotting?" Lilith said, the lance still pointing at me.

Conall took time to adjust his stance, then looked at her. "Lower your lance," he said, his voice firm. "You are pointing a weapon at a guest of this house, one who was acting on my authority as a Winfield."

Lilith stood there silently for a bit before the lance in her hand turned into dark smoke. "I will be reporting this to Lord Winfield."

Conall looked at Lilith with a smile and then replied, "You saw what happened. Do you truly believe two people could control that? This was a mistake. Reporting an accident as a conspiracy would be an error in judgment, and you don't seem the type to make them. Also, that book is still mine."

"..." Lilith looked at Conall in the eyes before giving the book to him. "Whatever, if this happens again, I won't stay silent."

After that, she was gone from the guest room. I pushed myself to my feet, using the wall for support. "Thank you, Conall. I don't know what happened there."

Conall smiled while looking at the Ars Notoria in his hand. "Don't worry about it; we're friends, and we help each other out no matter what."

I let out a smile, then looked at the book as my expression darkened. "What happened with it?"

Conall had a confused expression on his face as well. "Nothing like this has ever happened to me; it's an anomaly. Did you notice anything before the monsters came out?"

I looked back at my hand and removed the glove. Staring at the ring, I tried to pull it off. "Huh?"

I couldn't. The ring was stuck to my finger.

Conall looked at me and noticed that as well. "It seems like those magical items don't like each other. But I am not sure why; for now, I will make a copy of the runes you have to draw. Taking the whole book with you is too dangerous."

I nodded, still looking at the ring. After that whole fight, I went back to my room, still conflicted.

At first, I thought the ring had merely reacted to the book. But the feeling that lingered was more personal... it felt as if the book itself held a deep-seated hatred for me.

"..." I didn't want to think about it, so I just went to sleep for today.

The next morning, I went to the kitchen for breakfast, and I saw Lilith there. I couldn't bring myself to talk first because of what happened last night.

She placed a plate of food in front of me and then walked back to the counter.

"Hey, Lilith, thank you for saving me last night." I finally let out.

Lilith didn't turn around but asked me something unexpected. "Why were you wearing those clothes? Didn't you say you weren't going to wear them again?"

Was she talking about the ones Eden gave me? I guess that's true. Lilith hates it when an undead has no scent.

I don't have an excuse to give to her; I would only look more suspicious. "I am sorry."

"..." Lilith didn't reply and went on her way.

After finishing breakfast, I went to the ground floor, where Conall and I decided to keep training from now on.

I couldn't do anything against the monsters from Ars Notoria; I am weak. I have to get stronger no matter what.

I kept hitting Conall as he dodged and deflected with his sword.

Further away from us, I noticed Mars, who was observing. I didn't care for him and didn't want to mind him. Let him do whatever he wants as long as he doesn't interfere with me.

After training for a bit, I fell to the ground; my muscles felt tense. However, I couldn't help but say something that was on my mind. "Conall, how did your father not detect the monsters last night? Even Lilith saw it."

Conall was cleaning his forehead using a cloth. He casually replied, "I put a magic barrier around that room, but of course, it wouldn't work on Lilith. She is the embodiment of the spirit of the mansion; nothing escapes her eyes if she wants to know it. Even if the barrier was at a sage level, she would know."

When Conall said that, I couldn't help but feel a bit of fear. "Everything? Then wouldn't she know about our plans and whatever we talk about?"

Conall shook his head. "She's under a contract with Father, so she's still suppressed in a physical body; the only thing she can feel is an anomaly like the book summoning monsters. But don't worry, she won't know about the runes you will be drawing."

I stood up, listening to his explanation. "That makes sense. But then again, I don't get the reason why I have to draw the runes if you put up the magic barrier." I told him.

Conall held his sword and looked at it. "My father knows where I am all the time, and of course, the entity would as well. And in that case, if he saw me going there every day, then he would be suspicious of something or at least interested in what I am doing."

"Your father is truly scary, even without the entity possessing him," I said.

Then Conall smiled, looking at the sky. "He's a very kind man."

The flowers around the training ground started to move, and their petals flew everywhere. Then I heard heavy steps on the stone ground; straightening my back, I looked at the source of the sound and bowed down.

Conall did the same.

Lord Winfield looked down at both of us. "You may put your head up."

Here it is again; every time I meet him, I have this urge to never disobey him. It's truly scary.

Winfield looked at Conall. "It seems like you and the guest are becoming close."

Letting out a smile, Conall said. "Of course, he's telling me a lot about the outside world. And also, he's helping me a lot by training with me. My sword skills have improved a lot!"

Winfield's expression didn't change; however, he put out his right hand to the side, and dark orbs formed to make a long sword. It vanished in the same way Lilith's lance had.

"Is that so? I want to see how much you've improved, then." Winfield said with a deep voice.