So, the three of them descended the mountain that loomed over the meadow and began making their way through the tall grass. Zero stood in front, lest there be a snake, and used Valiant Blade to move the grass obstructing his path. Behind him, Caelum and Alice each lugged a Harvest Critter with food attached to it. The terrain was not particularly hard to traverse, just like the mountains before, but the distance to the house was quite substantial.
Though the three of them had become close over their nearly three weeks together, there was not much chit-chat between them. The journey so far had been difficult for Alice and Zero, while Caelum was simply not as talkative.
So they walked on until they could hear a nearby stream, and then continued until they reached the front of the mansion—a grand, reflective lake lay behind them. Donning their weapons, exploration was dangerous, they peered at the building.
A closer view revealed that the mansion was in considerably good shape, with few signs of overgrowth covering its grey, stone brick walls. The grass directly around it was considerably shorter, and its earthen appearing roof tiles seemed undamaged. The only thing with considerable growth was the wild garden behind the house. Zero would make sure to stay clear of there.
The plants looked threatening for some reason, most of them overgrown with sharp leaves.
The wooden doors of the house were large and appeared almost like gates, with a simple stone handle residing on each of them. The strange thing, though, was that they were slightly open, revealing an indistinguishable view into the building.
Zero looked back at his companions on what to do next. Alice looked a bit timid while Caelum carried his typical stoic expression. Zero spoke out first, breaking the relative silence.
"Should we call out? Are people, well, nice to travelers here?"
Zero mostly referred to Caelum when he said that, since he was the only local among them.
"Yes, I believe we should, Zero. It is considered a great respect to treat guests well, especially Seekers like ourselves."
Zero glanced once more at Alice, seeing her concerned expression. He could somewhat understand it, as a place like this would appear concerning to her. She had been chased from a similar-looking mansion in her first trial, but this was a completely different house in a different place. So Zero was not concerned about his, her, or Caelum's safety.
Zero walked closer to the door, stepping onto a stone path, and was about to call out when he had another idea.
"Hey Caelum, why don't you call out to them. You'll probably know what to say."
"Sure, Zero." Caelum said, then called in a louder voice, "Hello, masters or servants of this graceful estate, we come as traveling Seekers who became lost on a great journey in which we accidentally embarked upon. May we humbly take shelter away from this upcoming storm, lest we should become pelted by the thunderous tremors in the Sky God's domain."
'... I'm glad I had him speak.'
The three of them waited, the only sound in the air being the gentle hum from the nearby streams. But no response came. Caelum called out once more and heard nothing.
Finally, Alice broke her silence, "That's odd. Shouldn't such a well-kept house need people to be present all the time? Surely someone heard us."
"Yeah, how come we haven't seen anyone. Do you think it's freshly abandoned or something? We saw those abandoned ruins in the mountains."
"It just seems awfully well-kept. Perhaps if it uses some sort of spell to keep it in good shape."
"That could be the case, Alice. I have heard of nobility doing such things. Perhaps we could take a peek inside. The door is, oddly enough, open."
"I agree with Caelum. Plus, we don't have much of a choice. The storm is almost here."
What Zero said was true. It had taken them a deceptively long time to cross over to the center of the meadow. By now, night was approaching, and the sounds of thunder could occasionally be heard. They needed to take shelter soon.
Alice hesitated a moment before speaking. "Alright, I agree, there is nowhere else here, anyway."
So they crept over to the open door and peered inside the mansion. The inside was quite grand and seemed to be in good order. In front of them was a staircase leading to the second floor, and a red rug covered the wooden floors. The floors were the same color as the door, presumably because it was the most common wood in the area. Tasteful decor covered the walls, and a large mirror was hung over the staircase, which split into two.
"Helloooo," Alice called out.
The only answer she received was the crackle of thunder from the approaching storm. It was louder now, almost as if prompting them to go inside. Which they were eventually forced to. The storm had reached them, and water was pouring out of the sky; they did not want to get soaked.
Closing the door behind them, but not locking it with a nearby piece of wood, they found themselves inside of the grand house.
"So… should we lock the door. I mean, I don't want a Chaos Beast coming in."
"I am not sure, Alice. I would not want to lock out the masters of this house. But I do worry about your sentiment. For now, we can stand guard, perhaps."
Zero had nothing to say about Caelum's suggestion, but it seemed Alice did.
"Screw that. I'm going to look for a shower."
"Hey wait, we shouldn't split up. There might be Chaos Beasts."
"Then come with me, but I call first dibs."
Alice dismissed her armor, wiped her shoes, and marched forth into the house. Zero followed her, while Caelum looked back and forth between them and the door, eventually deciding to follow suit, too.
Zero followed as Alice curiously walked forth, looking at her surroundings. Before following her into a hallway, he took one last look at the giant mirror hung above the stairs. Such a large thing reflecting the world with perfect clarity concerned him, for some odd reason.