Chapter 194 The Counts' Mansion
On top of the hill in the center of Latgor, there was a two-story Mansion, made of whiteboards, whose high pointed walls that protected it also provided an intimidating aspect.
This Mansion stood out from the city, not only because it was the tallest and most beautiful house, but also because it was the only point of light that could easily be seen throughout the region. So, it was natural to think that such a beautiful house would attract the attention of travelers.
When Masink and Marie opened the door of their Mansion, they saw a beautiful woman with red horns, big eyes, and orange-red hair.
"Good evening, how are you? Do you need anything?" Masink asked politely, wanting to maintain her disguise, as she opened the front door.
The half-dragon's right eyebrow was twitching frantically while she clenched her eyes as much as she could with a forced smile on her face. She hated doing that, but since the plan was to distract the demons, so Luke could check the house for information or hostages, she had to get on with it.
Both Alexis and Luke had learned from the mistake that was the Vasconcelos Guild Anniversary Ball operation, and she didn't want to involve any other innocent people this time.
"I'm just a passing adventurer, and since this is the only house with a light in the whole town, I thought it wouldn't kill me to ask if I can stay the night. It's freezing out here..." Alexis spoke without stuttering, but her expression was still strange.
Masink looked over to check with his wife to see if it was okay to accommodate the traveler's request. They didn't know her, they only knew she was an adventurer and didn't know how strong she could be, but they also knew that most adventurers were not capable of threatening them. When Marie shrugged, thinking that this situation might be fun, Masink smiled devilishly.
"You have arrived in good time, miss. Our dinner is almost ready to be served..."
"Yes, yes. Come on in." Marie spoke and held out her hand to the S-Class, not wondering who the half-dragon actually was.
As the first part of the plan was completed, Alexis was one more reassured. However, now came the worst part of all: sustaining the lie.
Upon entering the Mansion's front door, Alexis found an entrance hall very well lit by a chandelier made of yellow crystals that somehow mimicked candlelight. She had seen some types of luminous crystals that react to darkness, but she had never seen a kind that illuminated so well.
The wooden floor of the residence was gleaming with such a varnish.
The carpets with detailed designs and clearly of good materials also covered some parts of the floors in some rooms, highlighting the chic atmosphere of the residence, which seemed to be of a higher degree even than the Strogueher Mansion.
Masink and Marie were also dressed in elegant woolen garments, these that were rich in detail in every shape and form, but which retained their red hue, like the eyes of the two demons.
From the way the self-dominated Counts couple acted, Alexis could not determine if the demons were acting or if it was the possessed.
'Be quick, please, Luke...' The half-dragon clamored because she didn't know if she would endure the demons' concealment and overbearing stares for long.
Before Alexis rang the bell, Luke walked up the hillside that led to the back of the Mansion.
He found a beautiful garden at the bottom, filled with white flowers and, strangely, a few black orchids. Since Luke didn't give a damn about gardens, and even less about flowers, he went straight to the back door.
With the help of a lock pick that he had bought from a merchant during his journey to Latgor, Luke pushed the door latch back and opened it silently.
Upon entering, Luke could hear Masink and Marie talking with the S-Class at the entrance.
'Where demons would keep secret information?' Luke wondered.
During his reckless teenage years, Luke had broken into a few houses in Middle City, so he had the notion that offices were the best places to look for valuable things. However, this Mansion was quite large, and it could take more than two hours to visit all the rooms in silence. Thus, Luke would need a little luck and wit.
Quickly, Luke sneaked through the Mansion and soon realized that the demons weren't keeping the house alone. In the kitchen, a tall man with large arms and outstretched legs was awkwardly cutting an entire carrot. His appearance was entirely bizarre, mainly because his limbs were disproportionate. His smell was rotten, but the food he was making had a good scent.
The half-wolf considered killing the cook at that moment or threatening him to get the information he needed. Still, he concluded that this would be too dangerous because if any of the demons noticed his disappearance, everything would go up in flames.
Based on a common logic from his previous experiences, Luke assumed that an office couldn't be near a kitchen and left that area of the house. This action made him avoid Masink, who immediately went into the kitchen to order the cook to prepare an extra dish.
Since Luke didn't know if there were any other employees in the residence, he proceeded as carefully as he could.
At some point, Luke found himself in the main hall, and seeing the large carpeted staircase; he thought it would be a good idea to search on the second floor.
Since the voices of the demon couple echoed easily through the house from the dining room, Luke deduced that it would be okay to go up and check because they weren't around. Luckily or not, he found a door half-open in the first few hallways, where he could see some of the same yellowish light coming from every room.
Before entering this room, Luke checked with his sense of smell to make sure there was no one there, not detecting any breathing. Then he deftly fiddled with the door to hear if it creaked, and when it didn't, he snuck into the office.
'Urgh... what is that odor?' Luke thought and immediately covered his nose with his right hand. The half-wolf thought he had gotten used to bad smells like those from Dungeons or those from corpses, but this one was bad in a different way, like it was burning in his throat.
Luke looked in the direction where the strong odor was coming from and saw the body of an animal nailed on the wall; however, this animal was unlike anything Luke had ever seen, because it carried the genetic traits of a lion, a cat, and a bull.