When the Black Robed Mage arrived at the study, the door was half-open, and the air was thick with a nauseating smell of charred corrosion.
Pushing the door open, the first thing he saw was the butler lying on the floor in tattered clothes. The body was twisted and stiff, its face so eroded by black mist that its features were almost unrecognizable.
The Black Robed Mage frowned, walked over, crouched down, and checked for breath. He confirmed that the butler had long since died without a sound.
"So, you took that blow for your master." He murmured softly, his tone carrying both faint praise and contempt. "Still, I never intended to kill him. I only wanted to give him... an unforgettable gift."
After rising to his feet, the Black Robed Mage swept his gaze around the study.
Large amounts of furniture and books had been corroded by black mist, while the floor was covered in scorched marks and soot stains.
He raised a hand, weak black light flickering at his fingertips as he parted the shattered air and began searching the study inch by inch, convinced that it concealed a "secret."
The bookshelves were his first target.
He flipped through the books that had barely survived one by one, his gaze rapidly scanning their contents.
Poetry collections, travel journals, geographical records, biographies of famous figures... Every book was utterly ordinary, without even a trace of magical aura.
The Black Robed Mage's brow furrowed tighter and tighter, and his movements grew increasingly impatient.
He casually tossed a biography aside and turned to search the other corners of the room.
Suddenly, his attention was drawn to a patch of white atop the bookshelf.
It was an antique-looking white oil lamp, resting quietly there beneath a thick layer of dust.
Moonlight streamed