It wasn’t time for being slow and steady. The habitual check of Mila’s body condition left her wanting. The drink Naran’s healers had given her had done the job as best as possible.

Which still left Mila’s muscles sore and unwanting to cooperate. It wasn’t that bad currently when she didn’t need to exert strength, but she had to be careful.

That was another point to keep in mind. It was another reason to seek another solution. Just what did Mila want to achieve? She stepped away from the group and saw the scout girl - Agata - do the same.

They both began searching for any traps or ambushes that could have been left to hinder the path. The chances of anything being there were low. Which meant prudence was necessary. ‘Low’ did not mean ‘none’.

Mila stepped through the shrubbery that surrounded the mansion and stopped at the white walls. She placed her hand on the smooth rock that made up the building. The chilly surface was surprisingly pleasant to touch. She then looked up to where the window was.

Instead of going through the same entrance, the group of seven had chosen, Mila wanted to use a more roundabout way. Agata had the group’s main path covered. The woman was capable enough to find anything amiss, but she had claimed to not be great in confined places, with her weapon being a bow.

It was why Mila jumped up, grabbed the high windowsill and pulled herself up. Her senses told her no one was there, and glancing through the cracked glass proved there wasn’t.

If Mila didn’t count the couple of corpses lying on the ground. She noted one of them had his neck pierced by a needle. These dead guards were well-armed with proper metal armour and polished-to-shine weapons.

But that was all. The corridor was otherwise empty. The rest of Mila’s group was loud enough to drown out the sound of her breaking the latch and opening the window.

Climbing through the opening, Mila did not forget to be careful. The way that man had ambushed her was fresh in her mind. It wasn’t like she hadn’t used her senses back then. The man had simply been good enough to work around it and strike from a far enough distance for it to not matter.

It suddenly made sense. “Right.” She whispered and inwardly reprimanded herself.

That was exactly what had happened. That man had played around the possibility of Mila sensing her. Because he had someone in his group who could do the same.

Mila recalled the way that shadow on the roof had noticed her. It was probably through the same means as she had been aware of their presence.

It wasn’t some lost art. It had been foolish to think it was, even if Silinth had not been aware of it. The mana sensing was too useful to be lost in annals of history. And maybe seen as too dangerous or troublesome for the general population to be aware of.

Right. Mila herself had learned it through a dream of an assassin and a scout. Neither had ever spoken about where they had learnt the skill. But someone had taught them. The skill would be passed down. Most other spells had been, so why not this skill?

It was a depressing thought. It had been Mila’s trump card, and now she had to assume others had it too. Of course, she could be wrong. Perhaps Mila was seeing danger where there was none.

Keeping the new possibilities in mind, Mila began scouting the mansion. The place was opulent but also felt neglected. Mortimer’s father had been truly rich from the looks, but the new owners of the place - Zakary Brasl, hadn’t paid much attention to the spruceness of it.

The surroundings were clean, but Mila spotted a few spots where the paint was peeling off. The once bright carpets had lost their lustre from years of boots stepping on it. The carved wood that ornated the walls had cracked in places.

As Mila continued to walk, the impression didn’t change. Everything was clean but in various states of disrepair or in need of renovation. She quietly opened door after door, searching for any danger. Mila didn’t wander too far, simply making sure no surprises would come to them.

From time to time, Mila happened on a corpse or two. Sometimes, she found signs of struggle and strife, but most of the time, the deaths these guards received had been silent and peaceful.

A bunch of covert operatives. That was how Mila felt the group of seven had acted. The strikes were clean and precise. When checking the clean cut at the neck of one of the deceased guards, she saw her own proficiency in the art of killing.

And there were no signs of the guard resistance ever amounting to anything. Well, that was not true. There were a couple of instances Mila found where the fighting looked to have been fierce. A thoroughly ruined room, three corpses and their ruined weapons testified to brave defiance.

Soon, Mila had seen everything she needed. The culprits of the devastation and death were not here. She silently retreated back to her group.

“Anything?” Viola asked when she noticed Mila’s return.

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Mila shook her head. “They are professionals. They did their job unharmed and moved on.”

“Agata claimed the same.” Verte inserted while Laura and Isabel were checking some rooms a little further ahead. The man scratched his cheek while humming. “Amy, stop there. We have to stick together.”

“Yes, yes.” The shieldbearer waved away the worry. The woman peeked around the corner. “Anything there, Agata?”

The bow-wielding woman rounded the corner. “They definitely went this way,” Agata spoke. “The corpses are fresher in this part and more numerous. Wherever the corridor leads, the intruders had faced the most resistance.”

When Isabel and Laura joined the group, they followed Agata. And Mila soon saw the devastation the scout had seen.

Down this way, the corpses seemed to cover the ground. Mila bumped against Isabel to not let her girl’s mind wander too much. The horrible sight and smell were nauseating. She then turned to Mortimer. “Where do we have to go if we want the map?”

The paling thief was startled by the question. He rapidly blinked, tearing his eyes away from the death. “There. Down this very corridor. It’s there.”

“Of course,” Mila muttered.

“Same for us.” Helly had pulled out her pendulum for a moment to see where it pointed. “Let’s go.” She pushed ahead with Andrew and the wolf in tow.

The man covered in furs frowned. “Their actions are selfish.” He looked at his brother. “Are you ready, Ugum? I feel we are about to fight.”

“Don’t worry about him. I’ll cover our lifesaver’s ass.” Virr punched Ugum’s shoulder. The man was someone who served as a close-quarter fighter.

Mila watched the exchange. She once more did a check of her vitals. Mila had thought before that she could do without additional healing. But the more she thought, the stupider the previous way of thinking felt. “Mister Ugum, would you please spend a few moments to improve my condition?”

The man looked at her. Just like Raran, his brother, the man had deep brown eyes and a hooked nose. After a moment of thought, he nodded. Gently, Ugum touched Mila’s shoulder.

While Isabel was frowning besides, Mila felt warm mana prod her sore spots. The man focused, and she felt his mana flow lower to her ankles, where most damage had been done.

“Done.” Ugum took back his arm. “At least what I can do for now. I need to conserve my mana.”

“Thank you.” Mila bowed, then began stepping over the bodies.

“I thought you said you were fine.” Isabel walked next to Mila.

“Ah,” Mila realised. “Well, I was. It was just lingering damage.”

“Lying about your condition is no good,” Uhum grunted behind.

These words earned Mila a glare from Isabel. She then turned back. “How bad is she?”

“Not terrible.” Ugum thought. “But I would advise against strenuous activities for a few days. I sensed she had taken a potion that was speeding up her recovery. She can fight. Just not for long.” He concluded.

“Mila…” Isabel uttered her girl’s name.

It felt like a scythe hanging over Mila’s neck. She could only lower her gaze. “I’ll try to not repeat the mistake. But I truly felt fine. And just not long ago, the operation was simpler and less dangerous.”

These words appease Isabel’s wrath. “I can’t believe you.” She silently fumed.

“You know how it is. I do not wish to worry you.”

“Yes, yes… I get it. Still feels like shit.” Isabel sighed.

“So,” Virr suddenly interrupted. “Are you two like a thing? That’s hot.”

“Virr!” Raran stopped the man immediately. “That’s inappropriate.”

“What? How is hot.” Virr didn’t see anything wrong with his words. “Or what, you have never seen two-”

“That’s enough, Virr.” Laura stopped him. “I don’t care what you do in your free time, but they are our client's friends. And be quiet. We don’t want to alert the potential enemy.”

Mila caught Virr grumbling about Laura’s gambling, but he did stop speaking. She could only shake her head. What was there to say? At least the man had not reacted hatefully.

“I fear just being quiet will not be enough.” Mila finally said, electing to ignore Virr’s words. “Our opponents are not that simple.”

“So you say.” Laura simply stated.

“She knows her thing,” Viola spoke. “Yuck. I got brain on my boot.” She gagged. “Anyway, Mila’s words have weight.”

“I am not dismissing her,” Laura spoke evenly. “But the proper way is to be cautious when possible. It includes no speaking unless necessary.”

“I concur.” Mila nodded and moved forward. She watched Andrew’s back. Her friend hadn’t looked back for a long time now. What kind of thoughts did he have?

For another several minutes, they walked in silence. They changed directions a couple of times, finally coming to a large entrance leading down. Helly had taken out her pendulum again.

“Mortimer.” Mila looked at the man. “Where?” She wanted to take care of the map while they could. It had been the main objective, after all. Even if Andrew had messed up the priorities now.

Instead of looking down, Mortimer glanced towards stairs leading to a second floor down the corridor. “There. My dad’s workplace was there.” He explained with a pained expression.

“Helly.” Mila looked at the women. “Can it wait?” She had given up on getting Andrew to understand.

“You want to get the map first?” Helly pushed her pendulum back beneath her armour. She glanced at Andrew, who returned the look. “Fine. We can do that. If you want to tag along, I won’t stop you. It might be useful.”

“Why are you so confident that you won't be killed?” Mila couldn’t understand the woman.

“Oh, I didn’t tell you, did I?” Helly gave a toothy grin. “I know those guys. They are not going to kill me.”