“What about Eustar?”

Ord spoke in a lifeless voice. Baso, who had been carefully stacking gifts on a small side table, turned to look at him with eyes filled with faint regret.

“His Royal Highness the Prince is away on business in Tentinella, Your Majesty.”

“Is that so……”

Ord’s eyes, which had seemed to briefly regain some light, clouded over again. He looked exhausted and pained even by the act of breathing. There was no trace of how he had appeared in the banquet hall just hours ago. It was as if someone else had briefly donned Ord’s shell and made an appearance.

“Put those away, Baso.”

Ord said, closing his eyes. Baso, who was about to place the last gift on top, glanced at him and then began putting them back down one by one in order. He then called servants to take all the gifts to another room.

“You may leave as well.”

Baso faithfully followed his order without a word of protest. As usual, he lowered the canopy curtains to cover the bed, carefully closed the windows to prevent sunlight from seeping in, drew the curtains, and quietly left the room without a sound.

When he heard the door close, Ord opened his eyes. Though he still lacked the strength to even lift his head, there was an unusual gleam in his bloodshot eyes.

He was thinking about Baso.

When his body had inexplicably improved……

Among everyone, only Baso had not been surprised.

Laila, Eustar, and Muge contacted Marnak and Galen, who remained at the Sercita headquarters, and ordered them to quietly and swiftly deploy agents to secretly stand by around Count Haliwell’s residence.

The ghost of Wells, which had been their initial objective, was no longer the most serious issue for the three of them. What mattered now was the hidden basement in the warehouse and the dangerous traces of magic that remained there.

“They say doppelgangers don’t breathe, but it’s hard to tell. We can’t exactly line everyone up and check if they’re breathing or not.”

Muge kicked the floor with a sullen face at Eustar’s words. It was a habit she had when she couldn’t help but agree but disliked the conclusion.

Eustar spoke again.

“Olga, is there no way to identify the summoner?”

Muge, who had been biting her nails, glanced at him.

“There’s no way to identify the summoner unless they reveal themselves. If they regularly use magic, we might be able to trace the remnants of magical energy movement, but from what I’ve seen, this person probably only used magic to summon the doppelganger.”

Muge, who had been perched on the edge of the sofa like a child, leaned forward and adjusted her posture.

“When we arrived at this house, I felt something strange. It seemed like a fairly large amount of magical energy had been concentrated somewhere and then disappeared.”

Laila asked.

“How can you tell something like that? Is it because you’re a mage?”

Muge’s eyebrows shot up briefly before settling back down.

“That’s part of it, but I was also made to be sensitive to magical energy. More precisely, to keenly detect the flow of magical energy… Just like hunting dogs are trained to recognize the scents of rabbits, pigeons, or foxes, I’ve been conditioned to sense the flow of magical energy.”

Muge seemed unbothered by comparing herself to a hunting dog. As nonchalant as she was, Laila felt an unwarranted discomfort, but…

Eustar said.

“Anyway, Olga, what you’re saying is that while there are traces of magical energy scattered throughout this house, we can’t trace its flow?”

“That’s right. Because magic wasn’t used continuously, no clear flow was created. The remaining traces will all disappear in a few days.”

Eustar leaned back on the sofa with a groan upon hearing Muge’s answer.

Then Laila spoke.

“I’ll try to find Wells once.”

Eustar and Muge’s gazes simultaneously turned to Laila. Laila looked at their faces in turn and continued.

“I’m not sure how long he’s been staying in this mansion, but if I can find him, I might be able to learn something.”

Muge objected.

“You mean you’re going to deliberately summon a ghost? I know you’re a powerful medium, but do you realize how dangerous that is? It’s not like taking attendance at school. You might end up calling some random spirit while trying to summon this Wells or whatever his name is.”

Eustar didn’t openly object to Laila’s words, but he was thinking the same as Muge.

What Laila was proposing was necromancy. And necromancy not only placed a great burden on the medium’s body but could also bring unexpected dangers.

The most serious of these was precisely what Muge had mentioned – ‘calling some random spirit’ – but Laila was resolute. Her expression showed she had already made up her mind.

“If there were another way, I wouldn’t go this far. I’ve never performed necromancy before, and I’m well aware of the dangers Olga mentioned. But if we have no way to find the summoner or the doppelganger, this is the only thing we can try right now.”

“Eustar, why are you keeping quiet? Try to stop her.”

Muge grumbled. It was the tone one might use for a troublemaking child, and despite the serious situation, Laila couldn’t help but smile.

Eustar, who had been silent, looked at Laila.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

Her pomegranate-red eyes shone with determination.

“I’ll be fine.”

Listening to their conversation, Muge threw up her hands and shook her head as if in disbelief.

Laila continued.

“We can’t afford to waste time. That goes for Wells’s case too… I want to resolve this before tonight is over. It’s not like we’ll come up with a better solution just by waiting, right?”

Muge let out a bitter laugh.

“When did this girl become so eloquent?”

“A lot happened in the time I wasn’t with you, Olga. Will you help me? Both you, Olga, and you too, Eustar.”

Eustar, who had been staring at her face, slowly but clearly smiled.

“Of course, Laila.”

“Necromancy, you say?”

Count Haliwell, upon hearing the words of the three, asked again in bewilderment and astonishment. Rolling his eyes around, he blinked and repeated the same words.

“You’re saying you want to perform necromancy? Here?”

Eustar said.

“As you said, we too realized that the soul of that employee named Wells is somewhere in this house. But we can’t just sit and wait for him to appear, can we?”

He deliberately avoided mentioning the magic circle found in the basement. If Count Haliwell had drawn that magic circle, and thus was the one who had horribly sacrificed someone… He wouldn’t sit still when he realized his forbidden magic had been discovered.

Count Haliwell, his lips trembling, finally nodded.

“…Very well. If His Royal Highness the Prince says so… and if that is the thinking of you three, I have no choice but to comply.”

Laila said.

“We need a space for the necromancy. A quiet space where we can prevent people from entering. Do you have such a place? It would be even better if it faces north.”

“There is. It’s a room used by the employees, but it’s empty now.”

She nodded, indicating for him to lead the way. Count Haliwell, momentarily flustered, led the three of them.

While following the Count up to the upper floor of the mansion, Laila, feeling a gaze, suddenly turned around.

Three people were standing at the three corners of the square-shaped railing. Karsh Haliwell, Yerka Haliwell, and the other person seemed to be the Countess Haliwell. It was unknown how long they had been standing there. How long they had been watching them.

The Countess, though not as beautiful as Yerka, had the same bright blue eyes, and was staring intently at their group with an expression of inexplicable terror.

Karsh Haliwell was smirking, while Yerka Haliwell was watching them with an innocent, expressionless face. Feeling a sudden chill, Laila slowly averted her gaze from them.

“Eustar, listen without turning around.”

Eustar, who was about to slightly turn his head, moved his fingers to indicate he understood. Feeling the gaze piercing their backs throughout their ascent up the stairs, Laila whispered in a very low voice.

“Karsh and Yerka Haliwell, and the Countess are watching us. The Countess looks terrified. I think Karsh Haliwell might be hiding something.”

“His behavior has been suspicious. I’ll have him watched. To make sure he doesn’t leave the mansion.”

Laila nodded.

Count Haliwell led them to a room at the very end of a corridor stretching towards the north. It was a small room with an old but unused bed and basic furniture. When the door opened, a chilly draft burst out like a scream.

“This is the place.”

Eustar said to the Count.

“If there’s anyone still here, send them all downstairs. And don’t let anyone approach this place until we say it’s okay.”

“I… understand, Your Royal Highness.”

“And one more thing.”

Count Haliwell, who was about to turn away, looked up at him with fearful eyes.

“Make sure no one leaves the mansion until everything is over. Not the employees, nor you and your wife, nor your son and daughter. Do you understand?”

The Count, his lips quivering, nodded. With a face as pale as if he had committed murder, he closed the door and hurriedly disappeared.

Laila looked around the room once and then opened the window facing north. An icy, sharp wind carrying tiny ice particles rushed into the room.

Muge said.

“You need a mirror for necromancy, don’t you?”

Laila nodded.

“That’s right. I have one. It’s small, but… since we’re not trying to summon an unspecified soul from far away, this should be enough.”

She took out a small foldable mirror from the bag she always carried. Then she sat down in the empty space between the bed and the dresser, directly facing the window, and positioned the mirror so that only half of her face was reflected.

Laila said.

“You two need to be in a place where you’re not reflected in the mirror. Over there would be good.”

She pointed to a corner at the edge of the bed. Eustar moved first, and Muge, after eyeing the cramped space with disapproval, climbed onto the bed to settle in.

Laila nodded and looked at the mirror.

“Then I’ll begin.”