C139: Madam’s estate clean up

Gregory stood near the front gate of the Baroness’s estate, silently observing the estate beyond the iron fence.

It was still deep into midnight. The moonlight washed over the property in pale silver.

Cold wind brushed past the estate grounds, carrying with it the scent of damp soil and grass. Bushes and trees swayed beneath the wind, their shadows stretching long across the pathways and outer walls of the estate.

Gregory narrowed his eyes.

“Not a single guard posted at the main entrance,” he murmured.

Such a complete absence of security was highly irregular. Under normal circumstances, guards would be actively patrolling the perimeter of a noble estate, yet the courtyard lay entirely deserted.

The Inspectors remained hidden behind the nearby trees. Gregory directed his gaze toward the grand stone structure, his pupils flaring with a brilliant gold.

“...”

“What is it, Captain?” Hazel noticed the subtle tightening of Gregory’s expression and asked. She brushed strands of strawberry-blonde hair behind her ear while the wind tugged lightly at the hem of her white coat.

Gregory kept scanning the estate grounds.

“I perceive numerous violet dots inside. They are likely Blood Servants, Apprentice Stage vampires, and perhaps Blood Thralls, Blood Addicts.” Gregory answered.

He pressed his fingers against his temple, attempting to soothe the headache building behind his eyes.

Using his ability continuously was exhausting him. Not only did it strain his mental state, but it also reduced his Harmony energy.

Even when at Silver Sky Stage, where his energy reservoir was larger than before, his abilities' energy consumption was also increased. Especially Restriction, it consumed his energy the most.

Hazel leaned her back against the tree trunk. She methodically wiped the steel tip of an arrowhead with her handkerchief while her brow furrowed.

“But Captain, when we first conducted our surveillance of this place...”

Gregory gave a nod. He understood what Hazel was referring to.

Naturally, they had already investigated the estate once before.

When they had stood at this gate yesterday, Florence herself had greeted them at the entrance. That maid informs them that the Baroness was unwell and unable to receive visitors, forcing them to postpone any formal inquiry.

Gregory had used Scan during that visit as well.

But at the time, every single presence inside the estate had appeared gray. Meaning none of them had registered as Stagefarers.

Yet now, the entire estate glowed with colored signatures.

Such a sudden change in their color was impossible under normal circumstances, unless—

“They must have employed a powerful essence to conceal their Paths. Likely a cursed artifact from either the Spy Path, Blind Path, or Mute Path.” he stated coldly.

“Or perhaps they utilized Serene Yi or pure Yi essence to mask their presence,” Hazel chimed in while rotating the arrowhead in her hand. “Captain, do you detect any Foundation Stage inside?”

“...”

Gregory inhaled from his silver pipe again. The pipe shimmered in the darkness, before his pupils flared gold once more.

“I detect none of the Foundation Stage.”

His expression hardened. His gaze fixed upward toward one of the upper estate windows.

“But at the highest point of the estate, there is one prominent violet dot.” Gregory massaged the bridge of his nose. “That can only be the Baroness herself. She is either the Silver Sky or the Golden Radiance Stage.”

Hazel nodded. Her gaze flickered toward the dark treeline in the distance, her eyes narrowing. “Finally...” she murmured.

“Troy has returned, Captain. Please place a Restriction over the estate and remain stationed here,” she said.

Gregory raised an eyebrow at her suggestion. His golden eyes faded back into his natural brown as he studied her face.

“Stationed here, you say?”

Hazel shot him a sharp, uncompromising look, her eyes conveying a silent message. ‘Isn’t it obvious?’

Gregory sighed. Honestly, he understood her concern.

His current state wasn’t ideal.

“Very well.” He closed his eyes briefly.

As Hazel mentioned, Troy soon appeared walking leisurely back toward them hand-in-hand with Naomi.

The pair looked oddly relaxed considering the situation. Hazel narrowed her eyes at the sight of the cozy couple, but ultimately chose not to comment.

Gregory merely glanced toward them briefly.

After taking a short moment to recover his bearing, he inhaled from the silver pipe once more.

Gregory slowly lifted his gaze toward the estate. His eyes flashed golden.

“[Exit is disallowed!]”

—--------

“Na~, wind—!”

Hazel flicked her wrist, launching the green arrowhead into the corridor.

The arrowhead spun rapidly as it cut through the air, streaking straight toward another Blood Servant rushing toward her.

“AGHHHH!”

The arrowhead pierced directly through his chest.

The man shrieked, his heart exploded. His body staggered backward before collapsing onto the floor.

“[Shield.]” Hazel said calmly.

At the same moment, a knife shot toward her.

*KANG!*

The blade struck directly against her forehead. A sharp metallic ringing reverberated.

Yet, instead of piercing her skin, the knife ricocheted away as though it had slammed into solid steel.

Hazel remained completely unharmed.

Without bothering to glance toward the attacker, she stepped forward toward the fallen corpse. Her white boot pressed against the dead man’s chest while she bent slightly and retrieved the arrowhead.

Crimson blood stained the artifact. Hazel’s eyes twitched.

'This foul blood is going to stain my gloves.'

“SHAAA!”

Without waiting, another Blood Servant pounced. He leaped from above, claws outstretched and pointed toward her. His mouth opened wide, exposing sharpened teeth and glowing violet eyes.

Hazel stood calmly, her breathing steady.

The instant the claws descended, She raised the arrowhead.

*KSHH!*

The claws collided against invisible wind pressure surrounding the cursed artifact. Sharp noises echoed.

In an instant, the Blood Servant vanished and reappeared again at her side with unnatural speed. And once again, Hazel blocked his strikes.

The corridor filled with metallic shrieks as claws repeatedly collided against the cursed artifact she used.

“W-what?! A mere toddle—!”

“Tch.” Blood veins budded on Hazel's forehead, but she shook her head, forced herself to calm down.

‘No. Don’t fall for it.’ she steadied her breathing while observing the battlefield cautiously.

Just another Blood Servant. An Apprentice Stage Vampire Path Stagefarer. There was no reason for her to become impatient over something this trivial.

Hazel knew their abilities well. She had studied them diligently.

Blood Servants, as the name suggested, could drain blood. They possessed enhanced agility, heightened senses, night vision, weak regenerative capabilities based on blood consumption, and blood flow control. They could sharpen their claws and fangs while gaining temporary bursts of speed during combat.

Unfortunately, with these limited abilities, Apprentice Stagefarer possessed no challenge to a Foundation Stagefarer. They could never serve as true adversaries to Hazel.

As the fight prolonged, the servant suddenly pulled a small vial from his pocket and flung it to the ground.

Violet fog exploded outward, rapidly swallowing the corridor, obscuring her vision.

Hazel narrowed her eyes cautiously.

She could hear everything around her.

The sound of broken furniture. The sound of high-speed wind screeching---probably the servant who was jumping around at high speed. The sound of footsteps, of gasping, sobbing, and the sound of glass shattering.

“[Shield.]”

Unlike [Barrier], which created invisible barriers from a distance, [Shield] placed her in a protective suit. It acted like a second layer of protection around her skin.

Technically, she could disperse the fog instantly using the arrowhead. A powerful gust would clear the corridor in seconds.

But doing so required significantly more spiritual energy than simply maintaining [Shield] and fighting normally.

And honestly, she was curious about what this last Blood Servant was going to do.

“Aaargh!”

Yet, a scream rang inside the fog, without the need for Hazel to do anything,

“There you are!”

Hazel waved the arrowhead toward the scream. A blade of wind exploded outward.

The slash tore through the violet mist with a deafening screech, before a sound of something heavy fell to the floor.

Hazel walked toward the source of the noise.

As the fog slowly parted, she found the body. A headless corpse lay collapsed beside a shattered window, blood spraying across the broken glass.

“He ran away.”

Hazel let out a weary sigh.

The man had run away, opposing Gregory’s restriction: "[Exit is disallowed]". Thus, the punishment struck him, allowing Hazel to locate his position among the fog.

“What a pity,” she murmured.

And here she thought they could pose much more of a challenge for her. She didn’t have high hopes, but was still hoping nonetheless.

They fell for the oldest trick in the book of the Inspector.

Her eyes scanned the corridor before she looked down at the arrowhead in her hand.

[T-04-232: The Last Standing]

A cursed artifact capable of generating powerful currents of wind. A Curse originated from the Preserver Path at the Silver Sky Stage.

By channeling her energy, Hazel could create wind blades to slice her enemies apart, or conjure gales to repel attacks, alter trajectories, and enhance her own mobility on the battlefield.

As a Foundation Stage Preserver, the Protector, Hazel was naturally highly compatible with this cursed artifact.

Of course, compatibility didn’t mean mastery. Since she had not yet reached Silver Sky herself, she still couldn’t utilize the artifact’s full potential.

Even so, it remained overwhelmingly powerful and versatile.

Unfortunately, like all Curses, T-04-232 possessed several negative side effects. They were not lethal or physically debilitating, but they were incredibly annoying.

Firstly, the cursed artifact made the wielder increasingly impatient, irritable, and prone to sudden outbursts of temper.

Secondly, it held a bizarre bias that favored female Stagefarers, requiring the wielder to vocalize an embarrassing line to trigger its effects.

“Tch. No wonder all previous wielders lost control.”

Hazel clicked her tongue.

“Preservers truly are full of weirdo.”

Of course, except her. Hazel could say she was fairly normal among the Preserver.

Hazel could confidently state that she was entirely sane and fairly normal compared to the rest of the Preservers.

Hazel clicked her tongue, her gaze sweeping the blood-spattered walls and the shattered furniture of the left wing hallway.

The corpses of Blood Servants and Blood Addicts lay scattered across the carpets. A few shivering survivors crouched in the corners, clutching their heads in terror. They were the ones who had surrendered, along with the ordinary servants.

Blood Servants was the name of the Apprentice Stage in Vampire Path, while Blood Thralls… they were at a lower hierarchy than the Blood Servants.

They were those who drank a vampire's blood to gain extraordinary powers. Because of that, they are being hypnotized and become addicted, immune to aging, and devoted, acting as the eyes and hands of a Vampire Path.

However, only those at the Golden Radiance Stage in Vampire Path could create such blood thralls. Which meant they were either incomplete Blood Thralls—named Blood Addicts, those that drink the mixture of a small amount of Vampire’s blood with Cold Yi Essence, or there was one Golden Radiance Stage Vampire in this village.

And Hazel hoped it was the former case.

Otherwise, fighting a Golden Radiance Stage was no different than seeking death.

"..."

Hazel’s side of the operation was already finished.

It took some time, naturally. But as a Foundation Stage Stagefarer, she overwhelmingly outclassed most opponents here. Especially when paired with a Silver Sky Curse.

“Let there be light, Regenerate!”

A woman’s voice echoed throughout the estate.

The fog slowly dissipated, as a wave of warm relief rapidly spread across Hazel's aching muscles.

The minor cuts and bruises she had sustained during the fight began to close, the torn skin slowly piecing itself back together.

‘So their side is cleared as well.’ Hazel thought, rolling her shoulders to relax her muscles.

Naturally, Naomi would remain with Troy during the operation.

Hazel exhaled lightly before turning her sharp gaze toward the surviving surrendered people huddled nearby.

“Hey. Follow me.” she commanded, turning her head to the trembling survivors with a stern glare. Her voice was cold and direct.

“Unless you want to perish here.” She beckoned with her head, signaling for them to move after her.

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