By the time Angel and Mia passed through the long, narrow passage and reached the cellar entrance, the first thing they saw was the woman and little boy they had previously spotted through the Eye of Investigation.
The woman still looked like a "young man." She stood in a corner, shielding the child behind her.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Her voice was remarkably clear and youthful.
It seemed this woman was not only skilled at disguising her appearance—she could even alter her voice, making her camouflage all the more flawless.
"Big brother, I'm scared." The little boy in a hero costume trembled timidly behind the young man. Only after pressing himself against the wall, with something to lean on, did he improve slightly. Yet he was still shaking badly, especially the hand clutching his little wooden sword.
"Don't be afraid. Big brother's here. I won't let them bully you." The young man had already slipped into the role. His eyes held both stubborn defiance and youthful spirit, as well as the retreat born from putting on a brave front.
As the "brothers" traded lines, a lazy voice drifted over.
"Little one, stop sliding down the wall, and don't deliberately shake that sword to touch the mechanism behind the cabinet. Naughty children get whipped, you know."
Without question, only Dox would speak in such a flippant manner.
The moment Dox finished, both the young man and the child's expressions changed. The young man immediately said, "Hurry up. I'll hold them off."
The little boy stopped acting as well. He crouched down and tried to shove the wooden sword into the crack behind the cabinet in the corner.
If the cabinet were moved aside at that moment, one would see a tightly stretched wire on the wall behind it.