Chapter - 17
Thud!
Leo walked out of the audience hall and the heavy oak door slammed shut behind him. And just like that, his "audience" with Lord Caelum was over, and despite him acting all cheeky and smart, he was shown his place. He did not belong there.
But Lord Caelum forgot something, Leo did not want to be there as well.
Grendel and the still-unconscious Brena were taken away by one group of guards. Leo, however, got his very own escort. He was escorted by a single servant, an old man.
The man didn't speak a word the entire way. Not a single one. It was like he was silently conveying the Lord's words.
'You don't belong here, and I have been ordered to show you your place."
Leo and the servant walked through the Mansion's corridors which were really fancy unlike the town he saw on his way to the Lord's audience. The floor was covered in thick crimson carpets, polished suits of armor were erected on both the sides, and on every corner, the statues of Lord Caelum himself almost made him squint his eyes. Every wall screamed, Lord Caeleum was a narcissist bastard.
But despite all the shine and the glow, except for the statues of Lord Caelum, nothing actually managed to surprise Leo. He wasn't impressed. He had seen similar castles in games, and even razed many to the ground. Who knows what the fate of this castle might be?
Eventually, they stopped passing through the fancy and extravagant corridors. The corridors became darker, torches got fewer, the armours totally vanished, and the air became a lot dustier.
This part of the mansion looked like it hadn't been graced by the presence of the Lord for years. Most likely the servants of the mansion and the guests you don't want others to see get thrown here.
Finally, after 5-10 minutes of zig-zagging through the corridors, the servant stopped in front of a plain wooden door. He opened the door and spoke for the first time in a flat tone, "Your quarters."
There was no smile, no bow — just those two words.
Walking past the old man, Leo stepped inside the room, and just as he did, the door behind him was shut with a sharp click.
The room was somewhat clean, like how an untouched room would be. The bed was narrow, barely able to let a man sleep, it was hard, and covered with a blanket that blew a gust of sand at his face, the moment he touched it. There was also a wooden chair sat next to a rickety table, a cupboard to keep his stuff. Overall the room was what one could say minimalist and woody.
There was also a tiny, grime-streaked window that opened outside to the ground, but after sunset, it looked more like a graveyard.
Leo let out a soft chuckle, "Wow," he muttered to himself, "The Bastard lord really rolled out the red carpet for me."
He didn't need a System prompt to tell him what this meant. The message from Lord Caelum had already been crystal clear
"You will remain here. Do not wander the keep. When I have need of you, you will be summoned."
In other words, stay put, lapdog.
Leo sat on the bed, testing it. It creaked under his weight and somehow managed to feel even harder than it looked. He glanced around the empty room again and chuckled under his breath. "So this is what VIP treatment looks like in Auravale. Good to know."
He leaned back against the cold stone wall and stared at the candle's dim light.
The Lord was keeping him as a sharp tool to use at the right time. But what the Lord forgot to take into account was that sharp tools can slice through.
Leo dropped his sword onto the table with a dull clank and crashed onto the bed. It felt like he'd just landed on a pile of bricks. He dare not use the blanket.
"Finally some peace," He stared at the ceiling, cracked and every bit as depressing as the rest of the room.
"So much has happened since I arrived in this world. I have saved people, killed people, looted corpses and even met the most influential man in the town." He couldn't let out a sigh.
"Am I a hero, or a villain?" Leo thought but quickly dismissed that thought.
"Right now I have only one quest," Leo started to plan, "And I don't have any time limit on it."
Now it was both a good news and bad news.
No timer meant he wasn't under the gun. But it also meant if the Lord decided to leave him to rot in this VIP accommodation, he could be stuck here for days, weeks or even months.
Leo had played enough games to know that sitting around waiting for an NPC to summon you was a bad plan. He needed to move the story forward on his own pace, and his own terms.
He frowned. The problem was that everyone in this damn castle looked like a traitor. Or at least someone who might be involved in the kidnapping for their own gains.
He began listing out his targets, counting them off with a finger each time.
"Number one is our dear Brena, our lovely unconscious prisoner. She is definitely the key. I need to talk to her fast before someone decides she 'mysteriously disappears' in custody, or the lord talked to her and she committed suicide."
"Number two has to be that Captain Valerius. Big muscles, small brain. Guy radiates 'I hate outsiders' energy. Either guilty or just allergic to cool guys."
"Number three is a tough one, but we can't rule out Lord Bastard or was it Bastard Lord? Well, whatever. But we can't assume him to be innocent. Way too composed for someone whose daughter almost got kidnapped by a bunch of savage bandits. Could be the puppet master."
"And finally," Leo sighed, "What if it is our pretty Lady herself? She might be playing the victim in front of everyone. But who knows, the father knows the precious daughter is at that age of rebelling."
The situation was risky, but he could feel excitement bubbling in his chest. This wasn't just survival anymore—this was detective work with magic and murder mixed in. Sherlock Holmes: Fantasy Edition.
He stood and stretched, the amulet glinting faintly in the candlelight. "Step one, talk to Brena. Step two, try not to die. Step three… make the most out of it."
"But first…" he said, glancing at the empty room around him, "I need to make preparations."
This was the first time since arriving in this world that he wasn't bleeding, fighting, or dodging death. If there was ever a good time to sort his inventory, this was it.
"Rewards first," Leo thought. And the first item was:
[Item: Body Tempering Pill (Basic)]
[Description: A potent alchemical pill. Upon consumption, it purges impurities from the body and reforges the user's physical vessel.]
[However the process is excruciatingly painful for several hours but grants a permanent boost to all your stats by +5.]
Leo's eyebrows shot up, "Permanent stat boost! Hehehe… That's OP." Looking at the description, Leo was gleeful.
But the part about "excruciatingly painful for several hours," had him worried.
"Ah, right. The catch," he muttered. "So basically, I swallow this thing, scream my lungs out for hours, and hope nobody stabs me while I am busy dying in pain. Huh…"
"System… sometimes if you make things easy for me, no one will accuse you of bias."
He mentally marked the pill under 'Use When Safe' and moved on.
Next up it was the Magical fingers.
[Skill Acquired: Magical Fingers (Unique) X 3 Times]
[Description: A gift of exquisite precision and impossible grace. These fingers move as though guided by the rhythm of magic itself, capable of tracing the flow of mana, unweaving the most intricate locks, and soothing the most delicate enchantments.
Using the Magical fingers on women have their breath faltering, their hearts quickening and flood gates tend to leak between their legs.
Men, on the other hand… tend to feel a sudden, unexplainable urge to excuse themselves — preferably somewhere with good ventilation.]
Leo blinked. "Wait. What?"
He started thinking about possibilities.
Lockpicking? Easy.
Trap disarming? Hell yes.
Enchanting delicate runes later? Definitely.
And then, of course, there was the "other" use the System had so kindly hinted at.
He smirked. "Yeah… I bet this'll come in handy in multiple ways."
"Alright," he said quietly, a grin tugging at his lips. "Let's see what kind of trouble I can get into next."
He sat up and grinned mischievously, "Aiva, use the Random Spin."
Ding!
[Spinning the Random Spin]
Just as Leo spoke, a bright holographic wheel appeared in front of Leo and before he could clearly see what was written on the wheel, it started spinning.
It spun fast, making that satisfying click-click-click sound as it blurred through colourful lights like a slot machine.
"Come on, give me a jackpot! Daddy needs a win!" Leo muttered.
The wheel slowed, teasing him. It ticked past a gold slot—then another—then finally stopped on a gleaming silver section.
A pleasant chime echoed.
[Congratulations! Reward Acquired: Amulet of Observation (Standard) X 5 Times]
"Not bad!" Leo said, snatching the item as it materialized midair—a small silver amulet shaped like an eye. It looked unassuming, but the moment he touched it, it gave off a faint hum.
[Item Equipped: Amulet of Keen Observation (Rare)]
[Effect: Passive item. When worn, the user can perceive subtle emotional and physical changes in others: micro-expressions, heart rate, pupil shifts, and even faint emotional scents (fear, lust, deceit). Does not read minds, but works as an advanced lie detector.]
Leo blinked. Then grinned. "Oh, you magnificent bastard," he said, looking up at the invisible System like it was a benevolent trickster god. "You gave me a portable Lie detector."
Between the Magical Fingers skill and this amulet, he was turning into a one-man show. He could pick locks, disarm traps, read lies, and maybe… just maybe get into more kinds of trouble than ever before. The kind of trouble worth getting into.
He leaned back, tapping the amulet against his chest thoughtfully. "Alright, let's continue."
He was about to continue sorting his inventory and other rewards when there was a knock echoed from his door.
He turned his attention to the door and gave a helpless smile. "I hope it's dinner... I don't want them to move up my assassination attempt."
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Author's Note:
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