Sunlight peeked through the curtains. Aric slowly opened his eyes, blinking as his vision adjusted. His body still felt a little sore, but not as bad as before. He sat up and stretched his arms with a small sigh.
"Morning, sleepyhead," said Kail from across the room. He was already dressed and sitting by the window, looking outside.
"Morning," Aric replied. "You're up early."
"I couldn't sleep much. My shoulder still hurts a bit. Plus, this bed is too soft," Kail said with a grin.
Aric chuckled and stood up. After getting dressed, they both headed downstairs.
The smell of fresh food filled the air. In the dining hall, Viorel was already there, sitting at the table with her father. She wore a light blue dress and had tied her hair back. Lord Alderon was reading a paper but looked up when he saw them.
"Ah, good morning," he said with a polite nod.
Viorel waved at them. "Over here!"
Aric and Kail sat down, and servants brought them food. Warm bread, soft-boiled eggs, roasted vegetables, and a bowl of clear soup. Everything looked simple, but tasted amazing.
"I'm surprised you're already awake," Viorel said. "Especially you, Aric."
"I heal fast," Aric replied with a small smile.
Kail gave him a look. "He nearly died yesterday, but now he's acting like nothing happened."
Viorel laughed. "He really does have that kind of vibe, huh?"
They talked a little as they ate. Aric asked how the town was doing. Viorel said most of the damage had been taken care of by the guards and her father's workers. The adventurers were being treated by the healing mages, and some of them are already feeling better.
After breakfast, the family doctor came to check on Aric and Kail. He was an older man with white hair and round glasses. He examined both of them carefully.
"Your bodies are healing well," he said. "No internal damage. Just rest a bit more and avoid heavy fighting."
"Guess we're lucky," Kail said, rubbing the back of his head.
"Luck and potions," Viorel added. "Don't forget I threw you that healing potion."
"I won't," Kail said with a smile.
After the check-up, Aric and Kail walked back toward their rooms. As they passed through one of the hallways, something caught Aric's eye. A large wooden door was slightly open.
It was the door to Lord Alderon's workroom.
"Is that supposed to be open?" Kail asked.
"Don't think so," Aric said. He stepped closer and peeked through the gap.
Inside, someone was moving. A person wearing a long black cloak stood near the shelves. Her face was covered by a white mask with no expression. She was pulling open the drawers and looking through the papers inside.
Aric's eyes widened. "Who is that?"
Before Kail could speak, the masked woman turned her head. For a brief second, their eyes met through the gap in the door.
Then the masked woman dashed across the room and jumped through the window.
"Hey!" Aric shouted. He pushed the door open and ran inside. Kail followed.
They reached the window and looked down.
Nothing.
The garden below was empty. The masked woman was gone.
Viorel arrived, panting. "What's going on?"
"There was someone in here," said Aric. "She wore a mask. She jumped out the window."
Viorel looked shocked. "What?!"
Servants were called. Guards ran through the halls. Lord Alderon was told. He came quickly and checked the room himself.
"Nothing's missing," he said after looking through the drawers. "Everything's in place."
"Then why was she here?" Aric asked.
"I have no idea," Viorel said.
Lord Alderon frowned. "Increase the security. I want every corner of the estate watched. No one gets in or out without being checked."
The guards saluted and went to work. More patrols were placed around the mansion. The gates were closed. The security was tighter than ever.
That afternoon, Aric, Kail, and Viorel sat in the garden, still thinking about the masked woman.
"Do you have any idea who that might be?" Aric asked Viorel.
She shook her head. "No. But it worries me."
"Could she be a spy?" Kail asked.
Viorel looked down. "It's possible. My family does have enemies. Some minor nobles don't like us. Maybe one of them sent someone."
"Your father seemed calm," said Aric.
"He told me not to get involved," Viorel replied. "But I don't want to just sit around and do nothing."
There was a silence for a moment.
"I think we should check the library," she said at last. "Maybe there's something in the family records."
They walked to the mansion's large library. It was quiet inside. Tall shelves reached all the way to the ceiling. Books, scrolls, and old letters filled the room.
Viorel pulled out a few family history books. Aric and Kail helped search.
They found records of old land disputes, arguments with other noble families, even a few threats. But nothing recent. Nothing that explained the break-in.
After more than an hour, Viorel closed the book she was reading.
"I think we should leave this to the guards for now," she said. "My father was clear. He doesn't want me involved, and I have other duties."
"You're right," Aric said. "We've done what we could."
They left the library and went outside to the Sylvanthe training grounds.
It was a wide open space surrounded by stone walls. There were wooden dummies for sword practice, targets for magic training, and racks of weapons along one side.
Viorel waved to someone. A tall woman with short silver hair and a long white dress walked toward them.
"This is Lady Renna, my trainer," Viorel said.
Lady Renna looked serious. Her eyes were sharp and focused.
"So, you're the hero," she said to Aric. "You don't look like much. You have red eyes as the rumours say."
Aric smirked. "I get that a lot."
Renna gave a small nod. "Let's see if you can back up that title."
Aric started training with Kail first. He showed him how to block better and use water magic with his sword. Kail was still a bit clumsy, but he was learning fast.
Then Aric trained alone, using a wooden sword and practicing his fire and wind magic. His body still hurt, but he pushed through. He didn't want to feel weak anymore.
Viorel stood to the side for a while, watching. She trained with Lady Renna then walked back inside the mansion.
She went to her room and sat at her desk. Papers, letters, and reports were stacked neatly.
"This again," she muttered. She didn't hate paperwork, but it wasn't exciting. Still, as a noble, it was her job.
Her thoughts drifted back to the masked woman. Why had she come? Why had she looked through the drawers but taken nothing?
Back outside, Aric and Kail were resting under a tree near the edge of the training ground.
"So," Kail said, "what do you think? Was that girl from the Demon Lord's army?"
"I don't know," Aric replied. "She didn't attack. She just looked around."
"Maybe she was gathering information," Kail said. "Trying to find something useful."
Aric leaned back and looked up at the sky. "Or maybe she was checking on us. The Demon Lord said he wanted to keep an eye on me, remember?"
"Yeah. That Nythos guy said he couldn't kill you because of the Demon Lord."
Aric nodded. "It could all be connected."
"Or it could be someone else entirely," Kail added. "Someone who hates Viorel's family. Someone trying to make trouble."
"Too many possibilities," Aric said. "We don't have enough clues."
They both fell silent.
The sun began to set, painting the sky orange and pink.
They didn't have any answers.
The masked woman had come and gone without a trace.
And for now, the culprit remained unknown.