There was no title plaque or nameplate on its gate, yet its grandeur spoke for itself. The tall iron gates, the polished marble walls, and the intricate carvings on the pillars all reflected wealth and taste. Just looking at it made one instinctively cautious; no ordinary NPC would dare approach such a place without invitation.
Even from where he stood, Kaito could sense faint waves of mana fluctuations from inside the mansion. His Rank 1 martial arts senses allowed him to pick up those subtle fluctuations clearly. Whoever lived here, their strength was definitely not low.
The mansion's location was also ideal only a short distance from the Western Teleportation Hall, and along a route regularly patrolled by the western city guards. Its area alone placed it easily among the top ten private estates in the entire western region of Astralis City.
Kaito couldn't help but admire it quietly for a moment.
"So, this is the place," he muttered to himself.
Kaito slowly stepped closer to the entrance gate of the mansion. The tall iron doors were engraved with faint runes that gave off a subtle glow, but as he neared, something unusual happened.
A small symbol suddenly appeared on the center of the gate its outline shimmering faintly in pale blue light.
The moment he saw it, Kaito's expression shifted slightly. He instantly understood why no one else had been able to enter this mansion before. Even ignoring the mana fluctuations coming from within, this symbol alone was enough to keep intruders away.
"This seal…" Kaito murmured softly, his eyes narrowing.
He recognized it immediately. It was the same mark that had been pressed into the wax seal on the letter the cloaked woman had given him the same one that had appeared when he completed the hidden quest back in South Glade Town.
For anyone else, this barrier would be impenetrable. But for him, it was an invitation.
"Looks like I really am the only one allowed in," Kaito thought to himself with a faint smile.
He lifted his hand and focused his mana, summoning the faint energy unique to the Magic Swordsman class. A streak of bright colorful light appeared around his palm as he pressed it gently against the symbol on the gate.
The runes reacted immediately. The symbol pulsed once, then began to glow brighter as his mana flowed into it. The faint hum of energy resonated through the air before the symbol turned golden and dissolved into light.
And with a soft metallic click, the heavy gates slowly unlocked and swung open on their own.
As the gates parted, the mansion grounds came into view. The interior courtyard was wide and beautifully maintained. A small garden stretched out near the entrance, filled with neatly trimmed hedges, blooming flowers, and cobblestone paths leading toward the main hall. Several NPCs were moving about some tending the garden, others sweeping the walkways or polishing the decorative lanterns along the path.
The sound of the gates opening caught their attention.
A few workers paused mid-action, their tools lowering slightly as they turned toward the entrance. Confusion flickered across their faces. For as long as they had worked here, no one had ever entered through those gates except their young mistress.
Whispers began to ripple softly among them.
"Did the gate… just open by itself?" one muttered in disbelief.
"Is someone coming in?" another asked quietly.
They watched curiously as Kaito stepped through the now open gate, his calm stride carrying him along the cobblestone path.
Just then, one of the NPCs a man sweeping near the pathway stepped forward and blocked Kaito's way. Kaito thought it might to greet him but, the man's posture didn't change, and unlike the usual NPCs who immediately bowed or greeted him as a noble, this one showed no such reaction.
"Stop right there, Viscount," the man said in a deep voice. "What business do you have here? How did you enter this place?"
The direct tone made Kaito blink in mild surprise. This was the first time an NPC had spoken to him without a trace of deference.
Before Kaito could answer, the man's eyes flickered briefly toward a woman working in the garden. She seemed to understand his silent command and immediately put down her watering can before hurrying toward the mansion doors.
Kaito could tell what was happening. This wasn't rudeness it was duty. These people were guards in disguise, protecting their mistress. And they didn't care in the slightest about his noble title.
And before Kaito could speak, the man's presence suddenly changed.
A wave of pressure crashed against him like a gust of heavy wind. The invisible weight of mana bore down on his shoulders, and Kaito instinctively steadied his breathing.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he analyzed it.
'Tier 4…?' he thought in surprise.
That realization made him pause. A Tier 4 NPC sweeping the pathway? That was far from ordinary. It meant the strength hidden within this mansion was far beyond what it appeared.
Kaito resisted the pressure easily, standing firm. Then, after a brief moment, the man stopped releasing his aura, his expression unreadable.
At that moment, the mansion's front doors opened again. The same woman who had hurried inside moments ago came rushing out.
"Rando!" she called out sharply. Her voice carried across the yard. "The young mistress said to let him through. He's her guest."
The man who had blocked Kaito Rando stiffened for a moment, then slowly lowered his broom. The faint pressure around him vanished completely.
He turned toward Kaito and bowed slightly, though his eyes were still filled with curiosity. "I see. My apologies, my lord. Please, go ahead."
Kaito nodded once. "It's fine."
As he stepped past, Rando quietly watched him go, still puzzled. This was the first time in all his years serving here that his mistress had personally allowed someone to enter the mansion. And the fact that it was a young man made it even more surprising.
Kaito didn't pay him any further attention. His focus was on the maid standing near the door who had come to escort him. She gave a polite bow and spoke softly, "Please follow me, young master. The young mistress is expecting you."
"Understood," Kaito replied.
With that, he followed her along the stone path, passing through the entrance into the grand mansion.
Behind him, Rando quietly resumed his sweeping, but his gaze lingered on Kaito's fading figure for a long while.
...
As Kaito approached the main entrance of the mansion, he finally got a clear look at it up close. The mansion was undeniably large its sheer size alone gave it an air of grandeur and dominance but what surprised him was how plain it appeared. The exterior had almost no decorative carvings or ornaments. Its structure was refined and solid, but minimalistic, as if whoever owned it had no interest in showing off wealth or prestige.
However, the moment Kaito stepped inside, following closely behind the maid, he immediately realized how misleading the outer appearance was.
The difference between the outside and the inside of the mansion was like stepping into an entirely different world.
The air changed the instant he crossed the threshold. A faint hum of energy surrounded him, and he felt it instantly the density of mana inside the mansion was far greater than anything he had sensed outside. He paused for a moment, slightly taken aback.
"This… mana density… it's at least ten times higher than outside," Kaito thought, his eyes narrowing slightly.
The richness of mana was so strong that even his breathing felt a little heavier, as if the air itself carried power. His senses, sharpened by martial training, picked up faint streams of spiritual energy flowing through the walls and floor.
It didn't take long for him to figure out the cause.
"There must be a mana-gathering circle set up inside this mansion," he thought silently.
A formation like that wasn't something ordinary people could install. It required a skilled mage possibly even a high-tier one to carve and maintain such a circle. The sheer energy it gathered was enough to enhance cultivation speed several times over.