77 Night Raid on the Bell Tower

77 Night Raid on the Bell Tower
(Kyle's POV)

The next day we arrived at Ethelburg.

Dorian's estate was more ostentatious than I'd imagined—enormous fountains, gilded statues, painted domes. Every detail screamed of the owner's wealth. Humans always loved proving their nobility through expense, unaware that true dignity never needed such embellishments.

I withdrew my gaze and looked at Ella again. Wherever she went, she seemed like a beam of light accidentally left among the crowd. I didn't need to search deliberately—she always appeared first in my field of vision.

Ella found the right moment to relay Maris's location to me.

Dorian had hidden Maris in the bell tower's basement.

I'd always thought humanity's greatest weakness was hiding secrets in the most conspicuous places.

Like this bell tower.

The estate's tallest central structure that drew everyone's gaze, yet Dorian chose to hide his treasure here.

I stood in the tower's shadow, looking up at the soaring structure.

Night had completely fallen. Music from the banquet hall drifted on evening breezes—laughter, clinking glasses, orchestral performances—making the entire estate seem like a grand dream.

But here there was only wind, and... magic.

I slowly closed my eyes.

The next instant, black magic spread along the ground like countless tiny tendrils, gently touching the surroundings.

Sure enough, the air was filled with nearly transparent magical threads.

They interconnected, forming a detection array covering the entire bell tower. Anyone directly intruding would immediately alert the estate's mages.

The designer's skill was decent—at least among humans.

My lips curved slightly upward. Unfortunately, they were dealing with me.

Even as a dark elf with diminished magic, my understanding of magical principles far exceeded these people's.

I didn't rush to break the array. True infiltration mastery wasn't destruction, but making the array believe everything was normal.

Just then, a black cat leaped gracefully onto the wall. Entirely black except for green eyes that glowed like gems in the darkness.

The black cat tilted its head, watching me. I crouched and drew dried meat from inside my coat.

"Help me out." This was a clever little creature.

The cat sniffed, took the meat, but didn't leave immediately.

I extended my hand toward the opposite garden. "Go there."

A trace of faint black magic entered its body.

It instantly understood my meaning. The next second, the cat nimbly darted onto the roof.

"Meow—!" The sharp cry pierced the night sky.

Then it knocked over a row of decorative flower pots.

Crash!

Clatter—

The shattering porcelain immediately alerted nearby patrol guards.

"Who's there?"

"Quick, go check!"

Several knights rushed toward the sound.

Meanwhile, I had already silently crossed the courtyard from the other side.

The array showed no reaction. At this moment, the "anomalous target" it detected was that cat scurrying about.

I easily reached the bell tower entrance.

The heavy iron door was sealed shut, carved with complex silver patterns—another magical lock.

I raised my hand, fingertip lightly touching the pattern's center. Instantly, countless magical circuits rapidly unfolded in my mind. The lock wasn't complex; the real trouble was its connection to the entire estate's alarm system. Forcing it open would alert the whole estate to the intrusion.

A thread of fine black magic emerged from my palm. Rather than destruction, disguise seemed simpler. My magic gradually covered the original patterns, adjusting my fluctuations to perfectly match the array.

Like two drops of water falling into a lake.

Moments later.

Click.

The iron door opened a crack by itself.

I slipped inside sideways as the door slowly closed again. The entire process made no sound.

Inside was dim. Spiral stairs wound downward along the walls, stone steps worn smooth and shiny by countless footsteps over years.

The deeper I went, the more humid and cold the air became. Wall surfaces were covered with thin moisture that gleamed dully in the dim light, feeling cool and smooth to touch. The air carried an indescribable scent mixing dampness with corroded metal, instinctively making one want to slow their breathing.

At the stairway's end was a half-open wooden door with faint light leaking through the crack. Water sounds seeped out—like someone slowly stirring a surface, or something gently turning underwater, bubbles slowly rising from depths and making tiny sounds when bursting at the surface.

I caught the scent of mermaid.

And... blood.

I frowned and quickened my pace. Unlike my expectations, this wasn't a prison but a laboratory-like place.

Silver chains hung from walls, the floor carved with dense magical arrays, various glass containers holding magical beast organs, the air thick with the mixed smell of potions and fresh blood.

Nauseating.

I scanned the area. These magical arrays all related to life force.

Was that Dorian dying and trying to extend his life?

I continued deeper.

Finally, in the laboratory's depths, I stopped.

There was an enormous pool. In its center, a woman sat quietly.

She had silver-blue hair, skin pale as death, her lower body covered by a deep blue fish tail. The tail bore old wounds throughout, silver chains locked around her shoulders and wrists. The chains extended into rune-carved stone walls, continuously draining magic from her body.

She sat with eyes closed as if asleep. But the moment I approached, those sea-blue eyes slowly opened.

She didn't panic or cry for help, only watched me quietly.

"A dark elf?" Her voice was light yet unusually calm.

I nodded. This was an adult mermaid, perhaps even older than me. Elves respected elders.

"I've come to rescue you."

She was silent briefly, then asked, "Is Lily still alive?"

"Yes."

Light finally flickered in her eyes.

"What about Ronan?"

"Also alive."

Hearing this, she closed her eyes gently and sighed.

"Thank you."

She asked nothing else.

"Aren't you going to ask about your eldest son?"

Her gaze suddenly sharpened as she looked at me.

I smiled, acutely sensing the interesting relationship between mother and son.

"Enough talk. I'm here at your children's request to rescue you. You should know this basement well—how do we escape?"

I approached the chains, observing carefully for several seconds.

These weren't ordinary magic chains but directly bound the mermaid's life force to the array. Severing them by force would kill Maris.

I raised my hand, black magic slowly seeping into the chains' interior. If I couldn't cut them, I'd replace them instead.

After expending some magic, the silver chains fell to the ground.

Maris swayed, nearly collapsing.

I reached out to steady her—she was much lighter than expected, like a weightless feather.

"Quick, I'll carry you."

Maris's tail transformed into legs as she climbed onto my back. "Thank you!"

Just then, footsteps echoed from the distance.

"Someone's in the basement!"

"Quick, check the magical arrays!"

Apparently someone had noticed the anomaly.

I didn't hesitate, directly carrying Maris toward another hidden passage.

This was a backup exit I'd spotted upon entering. Following Maris's directions, I quickly dodged several traps, knocked out a few guards, and rushed toward the exit.

Behind us, more and more footsteps were closing in.

Ahead lay collapsing rock layers. Boulders overhead were accelerating downward, about to crush us.

Maris whispered in my ear, "Rush straight through—it's all illusion magic!"

I nodded and charged through without hesitation.

The next moment, we plunged together into darkness.