"Why would a scholar like you come to this troubled place at such a time?"

Aisia cut straight to the chase.

Rodrigo’s hand tightened imperceptibly. He knew a wrong answer now would spell trouble.

"I came solely to study the Great Secret Treasure—purely for academic purposes. I never intended to claim it for myself."

"And them?"

Aisia glanced at the students. Rodrigo hurried to explain, "They’re here as project participants, assisting my research. As you can see, they’re of lesser status. With limited wealth and influence, they can’t easily enter noble circles. To achieve anything, they must take greater risks..."

"I see. So... might I assume you don’t actually want the Great Secret Treasure? You merely seek its owner’s permission to observe it up close?"

"Precisely."

"Hmm..."

Aisia shifted her gaze to Pierskori. The steward had remained expressionless, yet his eyes never left Rodrigo’s face.

*(So that’s how it is.)*

Rodrigo understood now: Miss Aisia was just the questioner. The real examiner was this steward. As head steward of the Lord’s Mansion, Pierskori must be Lord Sanelis’s most trusted confidant. Every detail of this interrogation would surely be reported back.

"Then, before the matter of the Great Secret Treasure is quite settled, please rest here in the Lord’s Mansion. Your guest rooms are prepared. Maids will show you the way."

Aisia rose with a smile, gesturing politely.

*(‘Before the matter is settled’... quite the thinly veiled threat.)*

Rodrigo offered a slightly bitter smile and followed the maids with his students.

---

"This way, please."

Guided by a silver-gray-haired maid of extraordinary beauty, Clara and Chumila walked down a long corridor. The Lord’s Mansion’s interior was exquisitely refined: ivory-white walls, amber floors, crimson-and-black curtains and drapes radiating understated grandeur.

*Heh heh heh... Only a place like this suits this queen’s temporary palace. Pity it lacks true opulence~*

Chumila peered around with theatrical enthusiasm, striking odd poses and spouting bizarre lines. Clara had long grown used to it.

She felt none of Chumila’s ease.

The mansion’s layout, colors, and decorations—though grand—exuded subtle pressure. Outsiders inevitably felt its oppressive weight, clearly designed to intimidate. Clara, an Intermediate Magician of lesser status, struggled to breathe freely. Yet Chumila strolled as if untouched. Was she simply oblivious? Or unnaturally resilient? She seemed almost... accustomed to such places.

Another reason tightened Clara’s nerves.

"Please stay close. The mansion’s layout is complex—you might get lost."

"Ah, yes! Thank you..."

The maid—her long navy hair gleaming—smiled warmly, every inch the lord’s daughter.

*(Ahhh why is this young lady walking with us too?!)*

Aisia Cotis walked beside the maid, not guiding them but simply keeping pace. Why? Did she have business with the maid? If so, why linger?

Admittedly, the sight of two stunning girls walking side by side was captivating.

*(Wait... Chumila isn’t far behind them either...)*

Though flat-chested and half a head shorter, Chumila’s face rivaled the young lady’s beauty—though she still fell slightly short of the maid’s elegance.

*(Eh?! Does that mean plain old me is walking with three super pretty girls?! Uwaaah, even more nervous now!)*

Just then—

"We’ve arrived."

They entered a modest guest room, tastefully decorated and free of the corridor’s oppressive aura.

"Merely adequate. Still, this queen shall graciously—”

Chumila’s declaration was universally ignored.

“What a nice room... much better than our dorms,” Clara murmured.

“But you attend Misra Academy, the premier magic institute. Surely their dorms aren’t bad?” Aisia asked, surprised.

“They’re... not terrible. But hardly good. Students of lesser status like us get the most basic rooms. And we often stay off-campus while assisting professors.”

“How tough.”

“You get used to it...”

*What a rigidly stratified world.*

“Please rest well. You’ll be notified at mealtime. Maids stand ready outside your door, and a summoning device for servants is inside.”

“Thank you so much!”

“No trouble at all~”

Aisia waved cheerfully. The maid bowed with a serene smile before they departed.

Alone in the sealed room, Clara and Chumila faced each other.

*House arrest.* The phrase flashed in Clara’s mind.

But... perhaps that was fine.

Confined or not, the Lord’s Mansion was far safer than the chaotic outside world. All she needed was to wait quietly until the ownerless Great Secret Treasure was found. When Professor Rodrigo gained permission to study it, she’d assist him. Even as a mere helper on such a monumental project, her academic credits would be secure.

As for Chumila—

“...Chumila? What are you doing?”

“Shh!”

Chumila’s face was uncharacteristically serious as she tilted her head upward, seemingly sensing something.

Clara waited, bewildered.

After a few seconds, Chumila spoke slowly.

“One Great Sorcerer. Three Great Battle Spirits. Three Sorcerers—one is your Professor Rodrigo... One Battle Spirit. And another... strange, yet powerful.”

“Huh?”

“Hmm... and... wait? This last one is the oddest... Sorcerer? Great Sorcerer? What exactly—ah, never mind.”

“Can you... sense the powerful figures in this mansion?”

“I don’t fully understand it, but...”

Chumila puffed out her utterly flat chest with pride.

“As the queen of infinite dark chaos—though stripped of former glory—this queen retains the essential judgment to choose worthy servants! Those I named? All barely qualified to serve me—”

“Yes, yes, I know!”