"The information must not be wrong? If anything is wrong, it lies with us."
The man's voice cut through the room with strong certainty.
"Never doubt it simply because it comes from the higher-ups. If you truly question it, then go and ask them yourself. I won't be accompanying you."
The silence followed and the men exchanged glances but no one dared to respond. The weight behind those words was not something they could casually challenge.
After all, the orders from above were not meant to be questioned. It only needed to be executed, and yet, the unease lingered.
They had been stationed in this small town for several weeks. Many weeks of searching, questioning, and probing every suspicious corner but still, they found nothing. Not a single trace that could justify the information they had received.
It made them feel incompetent.
The location had already been narrowed down to this spot. That alone should have simplified everything. Instead, they remained blind, fumbling through the shadows with nothing to show for it.
It was no wonder their leader was furious.
"The dark wizards are too careful," another voice spoke and it was calmer but no less firm, "It's no surprise we can't pinpoint their exact location. Their lair could be underground or hidden in plain sight. An empty patch of land is more than enough if prepared properly."
A few nodded reluctantly. Despite having succumbed by the power of the kingdom, the abomination still existed secretly.
"We do have few methods to detect dark magic," the voice continued, "But those methods become meaningless if they use concealment techniques beyond our expectations. We can't rush this and we can only proceed slowly or we will fail entirely."
A faint murmur followed the explanation.
Some of the men lowered their gazes out of frustration. They had relied too much on the detection methods, the tools that had always worked before. Now, those tools had failed them. They were left with nothing but their instinct and guesswork.
One of them clenched his fist unconsciously.
If the enemy could truly erase their presence to this extent, then it meant they were dealing with someone far beyond the usual threats they had faced.
Somehow, the case became more difficult. It also became more unpredictable.
Whoever they were facing did not simply hide. They developed themselves until they became smarter and harder. Every failed search and every empty result began to feel less like coincidence and more like deliberate misdirection.
The longer they stayed here, the more it felt as though they were walking in the same place that was already prepared for them as the trap.
At that moment, the attention shifted suddenly. Even Baston who was observing from above through the eyes of his puppet, turned toward someone.
From his vantage point, he saw her clearly.
A young woman stepped forward and her movements were composed and beautiful. She wore a flowing dress of blue plus white and the colors were blending like the frost under moonlight. Her expression was distant and almost indifferent yet it carried an unmistakable aloofness.
He narrowed his gaze.
From the attire and the bearing, it matched someone he had seen before which was Claire Versance.
Though this woman was not her, the resemblance was enough. It had the same refinement and the same quiet arrogance that came from a powerful lineage.
She must be from the Versance family.
He instinctively scanned the surroundings again. There was no Claire spotted around and he exhaled slowly in relief.
Still, the question remained of why were the members of the Versance family here.
Had the kingdom requested their assistance?
Or were they pursuing something of their own?
Neither the possibility was comforting since it would become a variable toward the unfinished quest.
As the woman walked past the group, several men could not help but stare. Their gazes lingered longer than they should have since they were drawn by her beauty.
Their leader noticed and he said nothing but he scoffed inwardly.
The Versance family was well known, not only for their magical prowess, but for the beauty of their women. Many men dreamed of marrying into such a family but such dreams rarely accounted for the reality.
Within the Versance household, the power and authority did not rest with the men.
To marry into that family meant surrendering one's pride, living beneath the authority of women whose the strength surpassed their own.
It was not something that most men could endure. The leader could only hope his subordinates understood that cruel environment.
The admiration was harmless but the foolish ambition was not. As the thoughts drifted back to the mission, something caught his attention.
It was a small movement from a bird. It perched quietly on the edge of a window.
For a brief moment, nothing seemed unusual but then, he noticed something strange.
The leader's eyes narrowed because the bird had been there for too long.
It hadn't shifted its body, it hadn't adjusted its wings, and even the subtle plus restless movements that were common to small creatures were absent.
It was too still, far too still that pointed the bird was unlike the common creature.
There was no flutter of the feathers and no shift of balance against the wind. It was as if the creature existed only to observe with nothing more and nothing less.
That alone was enough to confirm his suspicion.
His instincts quickly stirred, "Kill that bird!"
The order came without hesitation. The confusion spread among the men but none dared question it.
Before anyone else could react, the woman from the Versance family raised her hand.
Their magic formed instantly and a shard of ice shot forward.
The bird froze mid-motion, encased in crystalline frost before it could even attempt to escape. A moment later, it fell with its frozen body that was shattered upon the impact.
The fragments of ice scattered across the ground but there was no bird inside. There was not even the frozen corpse that everyone expected.
For a split second, no one spoke before the realization struck. The silence that followed was far heavier than before.
The leader's gaze hardened, "EVERYONE, KILL EVERY ANIMAL YOU SEE NOW!"
This time, there was no hesitation and the urgency in his voice erased all the doubt.
His subordinates immediately dispersed, spreading through the surrounding area with weapons drawn and spells prepared. The women of the Versance family moved as well and their magic was extending outward as they scanned the perimeter.
From birds, rats, and stray animals, nothing was spared.
Though confusion remained, their obedience came first. The orders were not meant to be understood since it only needed to be carried out.
Within several minutes, the area was cleared. One by one, the men returned.
"Sir, all targets have been eliminated. Nothing remains in the vicinity."
"Good…"
The leader stepped closer to the shattered ice and his expression was grim, "No wonder we found nothing… We've been monitored this entire time."
His jaw tightened slightly.
If that was true, then their activities were already exposed. Their patrol routes, search priorities, and even their internal discussions were nothing that could be considered secure anymore.
Since the surveillance had been uncovered, then the control over information flow also was already in their opponent's hand. Such fact placed them at a severe disadvantage.
A ripple of tension spread through the group.
Some of the men instinctively turned toward the surrounding buildings as if they were expecting the unseen eyes that were staring back at them.
For several weeks, every movement and discussion had been actually observed. The thought alone was enough to unsettle even the most disciplined among them.
"Your next task is to secure this town. Search everyone with no exceptions, even the academy students. I want everyone alive to be checked cleanly. I don't care whether they are the watchmen, nobles, or merchants."
He paused briefly, "We begin here. Detain anyone suspicious and interrogate them if necessary. Understood?"
"YES, SIR!"
The soldiers moved out again without delay. Soon, only the leader and several members of the Versance family remained.
He exhaled slowly, pondering about the familiar magic. He had almost overlooked it.
Normally, the protective barriers would prevent small creatures from entering sensitive areas. Such animals would be repelled instinctively, unable to cross into controlled zones.
Yet, the familiars were different.
They could bypass such restrictions and that meant, they had been observed intently for a long time.
"I've been careless…" he muttered under his breath, "They've been watching us this whole time."
The realization weighed heavily on him.
If the enemy knew their movements, then every action taken until now had been meaningless.
Worse, they might already be preparing for a response.
How was he supposed to report this failure?
*****
Inside the old book, Baston's thoughts were moving just as rapidly. At first, he hadn't understood.
The sudden order to kill the bird had caught him off guard. Before he could react, the puppet had already been destroyed. After that, it clearly would disappear.
Once the puppet's damage exceeded its limit, it automatically returned to the book which meant there was no corpse and trace.
In the end, it was just an empty ice. That alone was enough to expose him. It was a flaw that he had never needed to worry about before.
Most people would assume the remains of a bird would stay behind after destruction. No one expected it to vanish completely.
In the end, the advantage he had from the puppets had turned against him.
What should have been untraceable had instead become suspicious.
Another puppet which was disguised as a rat had barely gathered any information before meeting the same fate.
"Kill every animal…"
The command echoed in his mind and they had figured it out. Or at least, they had reached the correct conclusion.
Baston's situation had become dangerous. If he were discovered, he wouldn't simply be questioned.
He would be detained, watched, and restricted with every movement monitored. That would make completing his quest become much more impossible.
Running wasn't an option either because doing so would only confirm the suspicion.
There was only one choice which was to hide.
Without hesitation, he retrieved the old book and shoved it deep into a pile of discarded crates. Then, he slipped inside.
The darkness enveloped him instantly but the safety came with it.
"As long as I stay here, no one will find me…"
At the outside, several footsteps echoed. Just as what he thought before, the soldiers began apprehending everyone nearby. Anyone who looked suspicious would be detained first before questioned then.
"There's no one here!"
"Check the others… There are people further ahead!"
"Move!"
The search continued, sweeping past his hiding place.
Baston remained completely still and even after the sounds faded, he did not came out.
Several minutes passed but he refused to take the risk. Since the magic detection was still a possibility, he would not expose himself prematurely.
Only when the sky dimmed and the dusk settled over the town, he started to act again. Since using himself was risky, a puppet formed beside the old book.
It shifted into the shape of a small rat before slipping out through a narrow gap.
It was careful and very silent. It moved through a nearby hole and emerged onto the main road.
The town was quiet, too quiet from the hectic environment earlier.
In the distance, the academy stood still and its presence was looming over the empty streets.
There was no movement and no people around. It seemed nothing happen in the surrounding.
For a brief moment, it seemed safe but he hesitated. Something felt wrong because his intuition said so.
Even in a secured area, there should have been patrols, distant footsteps, or at least the traces of lingering magic. Instead, everything felt empty as if the quiet itself had been arranged.
It was the kind of silence that did not belong to such place. It belonged to an environment that was being watched.
The spot was kind of prepared to react the moment something moved out of line. The rat moved slowly, and then, someone struck hard from out of nowhere.
"BAM!"
An icicle shot through the air and it pierced the rat instantly. The connection soon snapped.
Baston felt it disappear and he exhaled slowly, "They're still watching…"
Even without the visible presence, the area remained under surveillance. There would be no easy escape.
At the outside, the commotion rose again as people gathered at the point of impact.
"They found it again!"
"The caster must be nearby!"
"Search for everything!"
Their voices overlapped which were tense and urgent. But no matter how thoroughly they searched, they found nothing.
Inside the book, Baston clenched his fists.
He was close and yet, he was completely hidden. He was safe for now but the safety alone was not enough.
"If I only stay here, the quest will fail..."
The thought pressed heavily against his mind.
The failure meant incoming consequences. Such consequences he had no desire to experience again.
"What should I do…"
*****
The night fell and darkness spread across the town, swallowing the last traces of daylight.
Inside the book, Baston lay still.
The space around him remained unchanged which was vast yet confined. No matter which direction he moved, an invisible boundary halted him.
After all, it was just like a prison disguised as a sanctuary.
Scattered around him were his money, items, and fragments of wealth that he had accumulated. In this moment, all of it were useless.
With a faint sigh, he gathered a pile of money and rested his head upon them. He gathered it only as a makeshift pillow.
"I'm rich enough to sleep on money…"
A quiet chuckle escaped him yet there was no joy in it.
The wealth meant little when it could not solve the immediate problem. There was no food and no water. It was just a looming silence around him.
Fortunately, he had eaten earlier. The hunger would not trouble him tonight but tomorrow, that was another matter.
"If I'm still stuck here, I'll have to take risks…"
Toward early preparation, he had overlooked it. Next time, he would not make the same mistake. He needed food, water, and supplies.
Everything that was necessary to survive the confinement.
As for other inconveniences, he chose not to think about them.
For now, his survival came first.
Baston closed his eyes. The darkness around him remained absolute and within it, he waited.