Furen walked peacefully along the road, his mind at ease. Gazing up at the sky, he watched the constellations slowly drift by. He couldn't help but think back to his childhood, to when he loved stargazing. Even in the 21st century, the sky above the countryside where he lived still shone with countless stars.
At the time, he would say to himself: "The sky has so many stars… Even if I lay in the grass, my head resting on the field, gazing at the firmament day after day, I would never be able to memorize their positions." Sometimes, when he went to the municipal library to consult astronomy books, he couldn't help but admire the scientists who observed the sky every day, as well as the astrologers of Antiquity, who were able to dedicate their entire lives to these silent stars.
Lost in these childhood memories, a slight smile appeared on his face.
Furen, however, did not allow himself to be completely absorbed in contemplation: like a student able to look at his phone without being spotted by the teacher, he simultaneously observed the road and the starry sky, dominated by the red moon and the sparkling stars.
"The constellation of Harvest? No… more like Thunder… or Frost. Oh well. I'll make a note of it and compare it later with my books and observation notes."
And so, in a lighthearted mood, he returned to Street Corson. The lights of the villa were on, unsurprisingly. Even without a key, this didn't worry him: after all, opening doors was exactly the kind of thing that "Apprentices" know how to do.
The outside lock was no longer in place: Miss Ashley had evidently put it inside after she left.
Furen used the only ability he currently possessed: "Open the Gate." He wanted to experience the power of a Beyonder for a moment, even if he was still weak.
His vision blurred briefly, as in a dream, and a mysterious force accompanied his action. The door, devoid of any connection to mysticism, unlocked without a sound.
Not wanting to frighten the young cleaning woman, he slowed down and silently inspected the premises. Unfortunately, the "Apprentice" granted neither night vision nor heightened perception. In other words, he saw nothing more than usual.
He bent down and placed his hand on the ground. Despite the cold in Trier at this time of year, it was easy to distinguish between simply cold ground and ground that was still damp. This one was almost dry.
"Acceptable. Well, at least for cleaning the floor," he thought.
He continued his inspection. To his surprise, the young woman was working much faster than he had imagined: corridors, rooms, chandeliers… everything had been cleaned and tidied methodically.
As he passed by the bathroom, he heard an optimistic song. He didn't understand the language, probably a local dialect, but the voice was surprisingly pleasant.
"Obviously… We're in Trier, the capital of the arts. Even a chambermaid can sing with talent."
Satisfied with his work, Furen went to his office. He opened a secret compartment containing four keys identical to his own. Almost identical, at least: one of them had a small pearl embedded in it, and an engraved symbol was only revealed in the light.
He caressed the engraving, silent, then took the key engraved with the name "Martin", before putting the rest back in the secret compartment.
As he descended the stairs, illuminated by the warm glow of candles, he felt a strange difference. He used to conserve oil and only kept a few rooms lit at night, giving the villa the air of a haunted house. Back then, he thought it was "cool"... Now, he mostly thought it was stupid and frightening.
Lost in his absurd thoughts, he arrived in front of the bathroom. Just as he was about to push open the door, it suddenly opened.
Ashley came out, dressed for work, a pile of laundry in her arms. She jumped violently when she came face to face with the owner of the place. Her singing broke into a high-pitched scream before disappearing.
It took a while before she regained her senses.
"Mr. Furen… You are truly unpredictable. I was afraid I would have to wait for you to come home to open the door for you, and here you are already!"
Realizing that he had just frightened someone in the middle of their task, Furen waited for her to calm down and said with an apologetic smile:
"Sorry for scaring you. Next time, I'll knock before entering, maybe... well..."
He imagined the scene and realized that being knocked on the door in the middle of the night would be even more terrifying.
"Well... Generally speaking, I get home between 9 and 10 pm. I hope that will save you a scare next time."
Miss Ashley nodded understandingly, then looked at the laundry she was holding, ready to be dried, and said, "Sir, let me finish my work before we discuss this. If I finish early... I can leave early, can't I?"
Furen nodded understandingly and said, "Of course. If you finish earlier, it will be good for you, and pleasant for me too. I understand it's tiring."
Although Ashley did not grasp the meaning of this gesture, her experience allowed her to understand that he wanted her to continue.
She simply agreed and resumed her work.
Furen, for his part, didn't know what to do. Scratching his head, he realized he needed to provide the maid with cleaning supplies and essential items, such as candles. Nodding, he sat down in the downstairs living room, ready to give the maid precise instructions when she had finished.
(End of chapter)