[Vol. 7] Chapter 98: The Method of Opening Doors
After thinking for a moment, the blonde-haired girl stood up, placed her hands on her hips, and looked down at Lenka with a serious, almost teacher-like tone.
"Listen up. Even if we’re just kids, we can’t hide behind our parents in a situation like this. We have to rely on our own claws and fangs to survive!"
"For the next few days, I’ll teach you some basic ways to use your magic in the simplest way possible. But in exchange, while I’m out scouting, you’ll need to keep watch and report anything unusual to me immediately. Got it?"
"Oh! Leave it to me, Sister Light!"
Lenka Dorgon thumped her small chest excitedly. She didn’t seem bothered at all about being ordered around. In fact, she looked… excited.
What a weird kid… in every possible way.
………………………………
“…Yeah, this is the place.”
Outside a rural estate surrounded by dense forests, a group of nearly ten people came to a halt. The young girl in a black-haired, white-robed figure studied the silhouette of the large building in the distance. Her silver-blue eyes shimmered faintly, as if black and white lights were flowing within them.
"Xiao Guang’s trail disappears completely here. I think they must have entered another [Shadow Realm] from this point. A much larger one than Adelaide Village 192… the main base of the Church of Truth.”
She turned to the young man beside her, a member of the Treefolk race.
"Mr. Enrique, we’re not far from the [Eternal Night Forest], right?"
"Yeah. If we keep going, we’ll reach its outer edges in a few dozen kilometers, maybe even less in a straight line. Did those Church of Truth cultists deliberately set their headquarters here? Does it have something to do with their magical rituals?"
"It’s pretty obvious… That vast forest, which is said to be in eternal night, must be hiding some unknown secrets."
Brushing off her white robe, the girl stepped out from behind the trees and began walking toward the estate.
"Let’s go. We should check out the manor first."
"Uh…?"
Enrique was startled by the priestess's completely unreserved actions. It took him a moment to react before he hurriedly led his teammates to catch up.
"Wait, wait, wait… Miss Violet, aren’t we being a bit too reckless? Shouldn’t we scout the area first before charging in? This is a cultists’ stronghold, after all…"
Violet glanced back at him, a light smile playing on her lips as she corrected him.
"Wrong. Inside is the stronghold, not here. And sooner or later, we’re going to face them head-on. Since we’re already this close, sneaking around would just be a waste of time. We might as well be straightforward about it."
"Oh, and now’s a good time to notify the guild and local authorities in the nearby city. Summon reinforcements as we planned. At this point, even if the cult has informants in the city, they won’t have enough time to warn their people. There’s only so much we can do with our small team."
"Hmm… that does make sense."
Enrique nodded, then signaled to [Tree Branch] with a glance. The latter reached into their bag, pulled out an unusual-looking sheet of paper, and swiftly scribbled something onto it with special ink. As soon as the writing was complete, the thin sheet faded away like it had been set aflame, vanishing into the air.
"……"
Violet glanced sideways at the scholar working on the message, her brow lifting slightly in an almost imperceptible motion. However, she didn’t say anything and simply continued walking down the path leading to the manor.
Beside her, [Tree Bow] chuckled, sounding somewhat curious.
"You know, Miss Violet, you seem really familiar with giving orders and organizing troops. The way you command people makes them instinctively want to follow you. Could it be… that you’re actually the leader of some powerful faction?"
Violet knew that the other person’s words were more playful than an actual attempt to probe, so she didn’t mind. She simply shook her head casually, neither confirming nor denying anything.
"You’re overthinking it. I don’t have any kind of faction or influence. I just travel a lot. When you visit many places and meet all sorts of people, it’s only natural to run into different situations. I’ve just had a few experiences like this before, that’s all."
"If that’s the case, then your experiences sound a bit too exciting, Miss Violet. It makes me even more curious."
"Oh, come on, don’t go prying into people’s personal lives. Focus on the task at hand."
Sophie caught up from behind and smacked Enrique on the head, then pointed forward.
"This manor feels off."
"I was just trying to lighten the mood… But yeah, another abandoned house, huh?"
Crossing through the open entrance, the adventurers scanned their surroundings as they stepped into the front yard of the estate.
To be honest, the place was massive. So large that it seemed unnatural. Just the building area alone looked big enough to house over a thousand people. The doors and windows were all tightly shut, and the thick front doors completely separated the inner area from the outside, making it impossible to see what lay within.
Glancing at the empty courtyard, the priestess didn’t say much. She simply walked up to the main entrance and gave the doors a push.
"Clang… Clang…"
A faint rattling echoed as the iron-reinforced wooden doors remained firmly in place.
She turned to the others and nodded slightly.
"It’s locked. But there’s no dust on the handle, and when I knocked against the lock, I didn’t feel any signs of rust. That means someone maintains this place regularly. It’s nothing like what we saw back in Adelaide 192 Village."
Hearing that, a certain rogue’s eyes lit up. She immediately stepped forward, puffed out her chest, and volunteered eagerly.
"I got this! This is the perfect time for a professional to step in, right? Don’t worry, a basic lock like this? I’ll have it open in thirty seconds!"
But Miss Violet just gave her a strange look, as if she didn’t understand.
"Why bother with all that trouble? Thirty seconds? What if I told you I only need three? Step aside."
"Huh? Boss, you’re not gonna… wait, I haven’t moved yet!"
"BOOM!!!"
As Le Qiaoqiao shrieked, ducking and covering her head in panic, a blinding arc of energy shot over her, striking the massive doors with a thunderous impact.
"RUMMMBLE!!"
The entire entrance, several meters wide and tall, collapsed in an instant, taking large chunks of the surrounding walls with it. Splinters and debris flew in all directions, accompanied by an ear-splitting blast, making the entire manor tremble under the force.
Violet casually swung the long staff in her hand, who knows when she had pulled it out, before flashing a grin.
As the dust settled, a brand-new "doorway" had formed, leaving the rest of the group staring in stunned silence.
"See? Didn’t even take three seconds."
"Uh… wait a sec. Is that really how you’re supposed to use a staff? No, no, hold on. Are you even a priest?! Actually, never mind that! Don’t you think this was just a little too excessive?!"
Miss [Tree Wall] looked completely lost, not knowing where to even start her complaints.
Violet just waved a hand through the lingering dust, brushing it off like it was nothing.
"Oh, it's not worth fussing over the small stuff. As a perfectly normal priest, learning a few close-combat techniques for self-defense is totally reasonable, right? It’s just a door! It's not like I'm tearing off enemy limbs with my bare hands or anything. No need to freak out."
"IT’S STILL TOTALLY NOT NORMAL!!!"