After dinner, Rhode, Lilia, and Norn headed toward the other side of the Manor together.
Everyone they met along the way treated Rhode like the plague, hurriedly stepping aside.
Norn proved fairly loyal. Although he wore a miserable expression, he still led Rhode and Lilia toward their lodgings.
The Rivendare Family's Manor was simply enormous. Getting from the dining area to their lodgings required walking nearly halfway around the lake.
It was dark now, and few people were on the paths.
The three walked along the lakeside trail. All was silent around them except for the lapping of the water.
Norn hunched his shoulders, an uneasy premonition stirring inside him.
"D-do you think it's too quiet around here?" Norn asked.
"Isn't it always like this at night?" Lilia tilted her head. "Quiet is fine, as long as there aren't any ghosts or zombies..."
Rhode smiled. "No ghosts or zombies, but we do have visitors."
"What visitors?" Lilia asked in confusion. "We haven't even reached our rooms. Why would we have visitors?"
Just then, a figure stepped out beside a lamp farther down the lakeside path.
Dressed in mooncloth robes, it was the mage Maleki. He chuckled. "It seems you're no ordinary little mage. You already guessed we were coming."
"Looks like this rune is pretty tempting. If you can't buy it, you'll steal it." Rhode shrugged. "The rest of you might as well come out too."
He could sense Maleki's surging mana, as well as the other people hiding in the grass beside the lake.
"Hahaha! If you'd just hand over the rune, there wouldn't be a problem, would there?" Loud laughter rang out as several more figures emerged from beside the path.
Leading them was the female warrior Alyane, with several armed thugs behind her.
"This... Oh, you're going