Magus returned quietly to the small room he had rented in the tavern, with Amy following close behind him. The moment the door closed, the little cat-woman darted toward the bed, her small body bouncing onto the soft mattress. She rolled around twice, burying her face in the blankets as if she had just discovered a treasure.
"Meow… finally! I haven't slept on such a soft bed in days. Tonight, I can finally rest without someone chasing me down!"
Magus chuckled lightly at her enthusiasm, but he coughed once to remind her, "Although that's something to be happy about… have you perhaps forgotten something important?"
He had spent the whole walk back preparing himself for this conversation. He had no ill intentions toward Amy—he made sure to emphasize that to himself repeatedly—and now he intended to guide her carefully, without putting pressure on her.
Amy froze mid-roll. Her ears twitched. She slowly lifted her head, eyes blinking blankly at him as if she were trying to remember what he meant. Then suddenly—pop!—she bounced upright, her tail straightening like a rod.
"Meow! Right! I almost forgot! I still haven't gotten back my master's belongings!"
The little cat leapt across the room and landed on Magus's lap, looking up at him with watery, pleading eyes.
"Magus… you'll help me, right?"
At least she remembered now.
Magus smiled gently. He reached out and scratched her under the chin, making her purr pleasantly.
"Of course. We're friends, aren't we?"
Amy melted at the touch, her eyes narrowing with bliss. "Meow… thank you, Magus. You really are a good person."
It took her a moment to snap back to her senses. She shook her head and quickly straightened up.
"So! What do we do now?"
"Tomorrow night," Magus said calmly, "we'll head to the Starfire Church's stronghold. I'll have Hidden Dragon lure out most of the people inside. Then we'll slip in, retrieve your master's items, and while we're at it… we'll take all the godblood amber they've hoarded. Consider it payback."
Amy's eyes brightened with sparkles. "Meow! Yes! Let's teach them a lesson!"
Whether the plan was good or reckless, she couldn't tell. But in her mind, Magus wouldn't say something unless he was confident. That was enough for her.
After relaxing her tense body, Amy couldn't help but yawn, her little mouth opening adorably. With drooping eyelids, she crawled back onto the bed, curled into a fluffy ball, and was asleep within seconds.
Magus watched her with mild amusement. Shaking his head, he sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed and began meditating. The night passed quietly and uneventfully.
The next morning, Amy did not wake until almost noon.
"Meow… that was such a comfortable sleep," she murmured as she hopped onto the table. She reached for the small bell hanging at her neck, nudging it with her paw. A faint shimmer appeared, and soon a translucent crystal shaped like a mint leaf materialized in her hand.
Magus watched with curiosity as she sniffed the crystal and popped it into her mouth. Judging from the bliss spreading across her face, it was clearly some kind of delicacy—at least to her.
"What is that?" Magus asked.
"It's Ice-Condensing Mint," Amy replied proudly. "It tastes wonderful. Want to try?"
She generously offered him a piece.
Magus inspected the mint leaf and, instead of eating it, placed it into the Rubik's Cube.
[Ice-Condensing Mint: Carrying it can ward off heat poison. Direct consumption has a refreshing effect.]
So it was a magical plant. No wonder it looked so unique.
He glanced at Amy again. The little cat was now sprawled across the table, licking the mint with utter devotion as if it was the greatest delight in life.
Smiling helplessly, Magus moved to the window with a book in hand.
Recently, he had discovered another unusual function of the Rubik's Cube: it acted as a temporary storage item. Anything without life or self-awareness could be stored inside it. Even more incredible, the cube could mask the energy aura of certain special objects.
Godblood amber, for example.
If kept in a pocket or even inside Amy's bell, the Starfire Church could detect its presence from afar. But once sealed inside the Rubik's Cube, even Amy herself could not sense its energy.
That alone proved that the Rubik's Cube was far more advanced than ordinary space-type magic items.
Its only flaw was that whenever he needed to use the cube to synthesize something, everything stored inside had to be taken out first. An inconvenience—but a small one.
"I still need to find a real space-type magic item," Magus muttered.
He set aside the thought and continued reading.
As evening approached, he went downstairs for dinner, intentionally showing his face so the tavern owner wouldn't come knocking in worry.
While drinking his soup, he overheard a few patrons speaking animatedly at a nearby table.
"Did you hear? The Viscount is recruiting brave warriors to deal with some evil spirits!"
"What evil spirits?"
"You remember Lord Kubero's manor? They say it's haunted. Apparently those attacks were caused by evil spirits."
"And the Viscount himself intervened?"
"He kind of had to. Several knights died. They're offering a thousand gold coins for solving the matter!"
"A thousand? That's more money than I could spend in my whole life!"
Magus pretended not to care, but his eyes flickered with interest. After finishing the last bite of his meal, he quietly returned to his room.
Time slipped by. The sun sank, and eventually the deep dark night blanketed Stone Bell City.
Magus closed his book and stood up. "It's time."
"Meow!" Amy perked up instantly, her tail bristling with excitement. "I'm ready!"
Magus nodded, opened the window, and leapt silently into the alley behind the tavern. Amy followed and landed lightly on his shoulder. Under the shroud of darkness, the two slipped into the streets, avoiding patrols with ease.
Soon, they arrived at the Starfire Church's stronghold.
The manor ahead was ablaze with bright lanterns, its towering walls illuminated by torches. Magus's gaze turned cold.
"Go," he murmured. "Lure out as many people as you can."
A faint breeze brushed past him. Hidden Dragon moved.
Inside the manor, the atmosphere was suffocating.
Four Priests stood before Kasper in nervous silence, their heads lowered as if awaiting judgment.
"Two Priests and more than twenty cultists were killed in a single night," Kasper said coldly. "And you still haven't found a single clue?"
The four Priests stiffened. Sweat trickled from their brows.
The oldest of them hurried to speak. "Priest Kasper, we examined the traces at the scene. Most cultists were killed by the claws and teeth of some ferocious beast. Priest Ryan's corpse showed lightning scorch marks. As for Priest Troy—though we did not find a body—judging from the remains, he was likely burned to ashes by high-temperature flames."
Kasper narrowed his eyes. "Are you suggesting a Legendary Knight with a trained beast attacked us?"
"No! Definitely not!" the Priest stammered.
A Legendary Knight entering Stone Bell City would have caused a massive stir. They would have received word long beforehand.
"Besides Legendary Knights," the Priest added quickly, "there are also Warlocks who control elemental forces. We believe the attacker was most likely a Warlock—and likely connected to the magic item we are pursuing."
Kasper remained silent for a long moment before he finally spoke. "Regardless of who it was, those two godblood ambers must be retrieved. They cannot remain outside in the hands of strangers."
His voice turned icy. "Find that Warlock. Whatever it takes."
"Yes, Priest Kasper!"
The tension eased slightly as he waved them to continue.
"And the matter in Blackstone City?" Kasper asked.
A Priest hesitated. "The four we sent… have all lost contact. Everyone on the list provided by Baron Owen has been eliminated. Yuri and the others—most likely they…"
Kasper clenched his jaw. Losing two Great Knights and two High-level Knights was a devastating blow.
"How could they fail?" another Priest muttered. "Blackstone City only has Key Anest, one Great Knight."
"It must be Baron Owen's fault," a younger Priest scoffed. "His intelligence was wrong. There must be other hidden experts."
Kasper raised an eyebrow at the oldest Priest, who understood instantly.
"Baron Owen insists he's blameless. He even demanded we continue sending assassins."
Kasper sneered. "Tell him the previous payment compensates for the bad information. If he wants us to continue… he'll pay at least three thousand gold coins."
"Yes, Priest Kasper."
Once they left, Kasper stood by the window, gazing out at the dark sky.
"Even with all these losses… that batch of items will be enough to offset the damage. If handled well, I might even earn a promotion."
His lips curled.
"When this matter is settled, I'll personally deliver the items to Junan City—"
BOOM!
A thunderous noise erupted from outside, shaking the windows. Dust surged upward from the direction of the manor's front gate.
Kasper froze.
Something had gone terribly wrong.
And the night had only just begun.
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