Chapter 28: Unraveling the Threads
Arthur initially thought this was a matter strictly between Triss and Roche, but both insisted that he accompany them.
"You need to understand what you're up against," Roche stated.
Triss's reason was: "Your magical talent is remarkable. It never hurts to witness more things."
Returning to Amavet Fortress, the blood in the courtyard had dried. A few Blue Stripes soldiers were on alert. The main gate, walls, and sewer outlets—all easy infiltration points—were being watched, with soldiers paired in mutual surveillance.
Although Arthur hadn't seen them in action, the visible organization alone suggested their combat strength was not weak. He figured that if Florian's men had possessed this level of organization, he wouldn't have dared to shut the gate and trap them.
"Go away! I don't want to play childish games here! I want to go to the secret room and investigate!" Roche had planned to assign Ves to keep Adda entertained, but the Princess was highly displeased.
Triss rubbed her temple, ready to soothe the child, but Ves tossed a bow to Adda: "I'm not some delicate girl, little Princess. See the bow in your hand? I can shoot an apple at eighty paces with it."
Though she looked to be in her twenties, Adda's mind didn't seem much more mature than a ten-year-old: "That's nothing special! I can do that too!"
She strung the bow and shot at a target near the fortress wall. The arrow missed the mark by a mile, striking a stone and sparking.
"Hmph! This bow is disobedient!" Adda glared at the bow in her hands. Ves chuckled and took it: "Bows are very stubborn. You have to communicate with them repeatedly for them to understand what you want. Come, I'll teach you a few tricks…"
Ves began instructing Adda on archery, one hand behind her back, giving Roche a hidden 'mission accomplished' signal.
"This is the place. I only went down and saw that the situation was the same as at the Milhouse home, so I came to fetch you."
The entrance to the secret room was on the second floor, a narrow door hidden behind a bookshelf in the study. The stairs disappeared completely into the darkness after only a few steps down.
"Lux… What's wrong?" Arthur raised his hand to cast the Luminos cantrip. The two people in front of him immediately turned back, Roche's expression particularly severe:
"Do not touch anything until I give the order!"
Triss reprimanded him gently: "You are too reckless. Some elaborate traps are triggered by magical vibrations."
Even so, she didn't ask Arthur to extinguish the spell. Lux was, after all, a mere cantrip, and the magical fluctuations it generated were almost undetectable. Perhaps she was trying to smooth things over?
So, Arthur nodded and asked, "Then we go down in the dark? Following that logic, candles and torches could also cause environmental changes."
It was pitch black down the stairs. Neither of them had Dark Vision. What could they possibly see without light?
"We observe first. The owner of the secret room is also human; he needed illumination too. We just need to use his method." Roche pointed to the bookshelf next to the hidden door: "See the charring here? They used candles for light."
"Alright…" Arthur followed them down the stairs, thinking: If I were to design a secret room, I would create a trap triggered by open flames, then use the charring to fake the use of candles.
The secret room was small, and its contents were simple: a table covered with various objects and a candlestick nailed to the wall. Other than that, there were only a few items arranged in a circle on the floor. On closer inspection, complex runes connected them.
"This is a curse ritual, but why is there nothing at the target location…" Triss carefully crouched down, signaling Arthur to lower the ball of light slightly.
Arthur had assumed this was a matter strictly between Triss and Roche, but both demanded that he accompany them.
"You need to understand what you're up against," Roche had said.
Triss's reason was: "Your magical talent is considerable; witnessing more things will always be beneficial."
Returning to Amavet Fortress, the blood in the courtyard had already dried, and several Blue Stripes were on guard. The gates, the walls, the sewer outlets—every possible infiltration point was watched, and they were stationed in pairs, maintaining mutual vigilance. Although Arthur had never seen them fight, based on the scene before him, their combat strength was clearly formidable. Arthur thought that if Florian's subordinates had possessed this level of organization, he wouldn't have dared to shut the gate and trap them.
"Get away from me! I don't want to play childish games with you. I want to go to the secret room and solve the case!" Roche had intended to assign Ves to keep Adda entertained, but the Princess was utterly miserable.
Triss rubbed her temples, preparing to placate her, but Ves threw a bow to Adda: "I'm no delicate girl, little Princess. See the bow in your hand? I can shoot an apple at eighty paces with it."
Though she was physically in her twenties, Adda's mental age didn't seem much more mature than a ten-year-old: "That's nothing impressive, I can do that too!" She drew the bow and shot at a target below the wall, but the arrow veered far off course, striking a stone and sending up a spark.
"Hmph! This bow is disobedient!" Adda glared sullenly at the bow in her hands. Ves laughed and took it back: "Bows are very stupid. You have to communicate with them repeatedly for them to understand what you want. Come, let me teach you a few tricks…"
And so, Ves began instructing Adda on archery, one hand behind her back giving Roche a subtle 'mission accomplished' signal.
"It's here. I only went down for a glance, realized the situation was the same as at the Milhouse house, and came to ask for your presence." The entrance to the secret room was on the second floor. A narrow door was hidden behind a bookshelf in the study, and the stairs vanished completely into the darkness after only a few steps down.
"Lux—What's wrong?" Arthur immediately cast the Luminos cantrip. The two people ahead both instantly turned back, Roche's face particularly severe:
"Do not touch anything without my command!"
Triss chided him gently: "You are too reckless. Some advanced traps are triggered by magical vibrations."
Though she said this, she didn't tell Arthur to extinguish the light. After all, Lux was just a cantrip, and the magical fluctuations from Arthur's version were barely perceptible. Perhaps she was trying to lighten the mood?
So, Arthur nodded and asked, "Then we grope our way down in the dark? Following that logic, candles and torches could also cause environmental changes, right?" The stairs below were pitch black. These two certainly didn't have Dark Vision. What could they possibly see without light?
"We observe first. The master of the secret room is also human; he surely needed light. We just need to use his method." Roche pointed to the bookshelf near the hidden door: "See the charring here? They used candles for illumination."
"Alright…" Arthur followed them down the stairs, thinking: If I were to design a secret room, I would set a trap triggered by open flame, then use charring to fake the appearance of using candles.
The secret room wasn't large, and its contents were simple: a table cluttered with various objects, and a candlestick nailed to the wall. Besides that, there were only a few items arranged in a circle on the floor. On closer inspection, intricate runes connected them.
"This is a curse ritual, but why is there nothing in the center of the circle…" Triss carefully crouched down, signaling Arthur to lower the ball of light.
This time, all three saw clearly. In the center of the curse ritual circle, several strands of white hair were illuminated in minute detail. Triss took a small pair of tweezers from her pouch and picked up one white hair: "Were any of these types of hairs found in the Milhouse secret room?"
Roche shook his head: "The court mages said no, but my subordinate reported that the Milhouse secret room had a window, and the court mages opened the room as soon as they entered—perhaps they were blown away by the wind."
Triss nodded, carefully collecting the white hairs and placing them in a separate small pouch: "Besides the secret room, you now have a new lead."
Roche nodded: "I will send men to investigate. Did you see the box on the table? The Milhouse family had this item too." Triss picked up a small, music-box-like casket from the table and immediately gasped in surprise:
"The craftsmanship of this communicator is extremely high!"
Looking over Triss's shoulder, Arthur could only see a small wooden box with no carvings, its corners even slightly crooked. The phrase 'extremely high craftsmanship' clearly wasn't a critique of the carpentry.
"It's a very sophisticated encryption method, and the rune configuration is brilliant—the creator's magical skill exceeds mine. Tell your men to record the items on the shelf, including their arrangement, and copy the curse ritual on the floor. It's starting to get a bit stuffy down here."
After leaving the secret room, Triss immediately told Roche to prepare the bedrooms, adopting an attitude of settling in for a long investigation. But before nightfall, the Sorceress enthusiastically gathered everyone:
"I've figured out the curse ritual!"
She held up her notebook and flashed it around, only to realize there were no other mages present. So Triss turned to Arthur, the half-mage: "Do you see these runes? Initially, I thought they were all part of a single ritual. But only after deciphering them did I realize they belong to two entirely separate magical rituals! Those connecting the various objects in a spoke-like pattern are the ritual to re-cast the curse. And the circular runes bind the caster to the former, using the caster's life force to provide a continuous supply of power to the curse!"
Clap, clap, clap, clap! Arthur was the first to applaud, with Adda quickly following suit. Ves looked at the stern, unmoving Roche, then at the enthusiastically clapping Princess, and reluctantly raised her hands to join in.
"Did you understand any of that?" she quietly asked Arthur.
"Of course not," Arthur whispered back, "but look how exhausted her eyes are. You have to give her some emotional payoff." Arthur subtly infused the only female Blue Stripes soldier present with a dose of 21st-century motivational wisdom.
"So, the curse was indeed aimed at the Princess?" Roche raised his hand to ask.
"That is self-evident." Triss took a white hair from the small pouch and placed it into a flame that rose from her palm. This fire was clearly not natural. The white hair sizzled but did not burn. Instead, a wisp of black smoke rose and drifted against the air current toward Adda.
Clap, clap, clap. Roche applauded with a serious expression: "An impressive achievement."
But his praise clearly fell flat this time. Triss was not pleased; she shot Arthur a quick look: "This is just an appetizer. The second ritual is the truly important part."
"It can explain why silver caused such extensive damage to the Princess in her monster form, and it can also explain the cause of Milhouse's sudden death."
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