The night surrounding the Veynar estate was unnaturally quiet.
Not the peaceful quiet of the countryside.
But the tense silence of a place that knew it was being watched.
Kael crouched on a rocky rise overlooking the distant manor. His eyes traced the perimeter slowly, studying every torchlight and every shadow.
Below him, the manor of Lord Veynar stood like a fortress carved out of arrogance.
Tall stone walls.
Guard towers at each corner.
A reinforced gate.
Runic lanterns burned along the walls, casting pale blue light that pulsed faintly, evidence of enchantments layered across the estate.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"So the rat built himself a fortress."
Beside him, Lyra adjusted the leather strap across her shoulder and followed his gaze.
"That's not just a fortress," she said quietly. "Those lanterns are ward lights. Anti-illusion arrays."
Jarek snorted softly from where he sat sharpening a dagger.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning," Lyra replied calmly, "if you try sneaking in using magical concealment, the lights will expose you immediately."
Jarek stopped sharpening.
"…Lovely."
Corin shifted uneasily beside them.
He still looked pale after escaping the manor earlier that day.
"I told you," he muttered. "Lord Veynar doesn't trust anyone. The entire place is crawling with guards."
Kael didn't respond.
He was watching the patrol patterns.
Three guards on the eastern wall.
Two moving along the courtyard path.
Another rotating from the gate to the stables every five minutes.
Predictable.
Disciplined.
But not perfect.
Kael finally spoke.
"They're relying too much on the ward lights."
Lyra tilted her head.
"You already see a gap."
Kael pointed toward the western side of the estate.
"There."
A cluster of large storage buildings stood against the inner wall.
Grain warehouses.
Supply storage.
A stable.
Between them and the wall was a narrow strip of shadow where the lantern light didn't fully reach.
Lyra narrowed her eyes.
"…Blind spot."
"Exactly."
Corin blinked.
"But the wall there is still twelve meters high."
Jarek grinned.
"That's what ropes are for."
Kael shook his head slightly.
"No ropes."
They looked at him.
He continued calmly.
"Ropes leave evidence."
He turned toward Lyra.
"You still have those silence runes?"
She nodded.
"Three."
"Good."
Kael's eyes moved to Jarek.
"You climb."
Jarek's grin widened.
"Now you're speaking my language."
Kael continued outlining the plan.
"Jarek goes over the wall first. Silent climb. No weapons clanking."
"Once inside, he eliminates the two guards patrolling the storage buildings."
Lyra frowned slightly.
"Eliminates?"
Jarek shrugged casually.
"They'll be asleep."
Kael ignored the comment.
"Once the patrol gap opens, he signals us."
Corin raised a hand hesitantly.
"And me?"
Kael looked at him.
"You're coming with me."
Corin swallowed.
"Why does that make me nervous?"
"Because," Kael replied calmly, "you're the only one who knows the interior layout of the manor."
Corin sighed.
"…Right."
Lyra crossed her arms.
"What about the ward lights? Even if we get over the wall, they'll detect magic."
Kael nodded.
"Which is why you won't use magic."
She raised an eyebrow.
"…You're joking."
"No."
Kael's eyes hardened.
"From the moment we cross that wall, this becomes a physical infiltration."
"No spells."
"No mana."
"Nothing the wards can detect."
Jarek chuckled.
"Old-fashioned burglary."
Kael looked toward the distant manor again.
His expression darkened slightly.
"If Belphegor is still alive, he's being held underground."
Corin nodded immediately.
"The dungeon entrance is inside the main hall corridor. Behind a reinforced door."
"Guards?"
"At least four."
Lyra exhaled slowly.
"So we'll need a distraction."
Kael shook his head.
"No."
They looked at him again.
He spoke quietly.
"Distractions cause chaos."
"Chaos alerts the entire estate."
Instead, he pointed toward the servant quarters at the rear of the manor.
"We go through there."
Corin blinked.
"The servants' hall?"
"Exactly."
Kael's voice was steady.
"Less guards."
"Less attention."
"From there, we reach the central corridor."
"And then the dungeon."
Lyra studied him for a moment before nodding slowly.
"…That might actually work."
Jarek sheathed his dagger and stood.
"Well then."
He rolled his shoulders.
"Let's stop admiring the architecture and get moving."
Kael gave one final glance at the manor.
Somewhere inside those walls, Belphegor was waiting.
Whether he was alive or not, Kael intended to find out.
He pulled his hood over his head.
"Positions."
The team moved silently down the slope.
They reached the outer wall within minutes, hugging the darkness between the trees.
Jarek stepped forward first.
He placed his hands against the cold stone.
Looked up.
Then climbed.
His movements were smooth and precise, fingers finding invisible cracks in the stone as he ascended like a shadow crawling upward.
Within seconds he reached the top of the wall.
He disappeared over the edge.
The others waited below.
One minute passed.
Then two.
Corin wiped sweat from his forehead nervously.
"Should it take this long?"
Lyra didn't answer.
Then, a small pebble dropped over the wall.
Kael caught it.
The signal.
Jarek had cleared the path.
Kael nodded once.
"Move."
One by one, they climbed.
The infiltration had begun.
And deep beneath the manor, something waiting in the dungeon was slowly waking up.