The exploration of the manor had been fruitful and interesting, allowing Aelion to establish a new map. The manor was divided into three distinct parts: first, the central wing, then the east and west wings. He had started on the first floor of the west wing, where his room and Seraphina's were located. As he explored further, he discovered that there were not only bedrooms but also a furnished relaxation room meant for resting, while in the east wing there were more rooms, which he concluded to be guest rooms. Not only that, but there was also a banquet hall and a large and vast reception hall.
The first level seemed to contain only the living quarters of a noble's manor.
The second floor had only three accessible rooms. In the east wing was an office furnished with desks, a small library that was empty, and quills and stands for writing — the workplace of the manor's owner. In the opposite wing were two rooms. The first was a vast library whose end or height Aelion could not perceive. As he quickly went through it, he discovered several titles such as "Accnesea", "The World and Magic", and others even more modern like "Mechanics" or "The Evolution of Weapons from the ### Century to the Present Day."
The more time he spent there, the more he felt the library pulling away from the physical frame in which he stood. Soon, the semblance of a ceiling he thought he saw turned into a starry night. He withdrew before something he could not control happened. Opposite the door leading to the library was another room. Inside was an altar dedicated to the primordial goddess.
There was no natural light; the room was plunged into deep darkness, with rows of black candles leading to a statue of the being's effigy. There was no face — the veil on her head covered nothing but emptiness and unfathomable, interwoven darkness. Aelion found it rather unsettling; however, he retraced his steps, following the path of the small flames, and left.
[ You have found the altar of the Primordial Goddess of Night and Magic! ]
[ By offering her prayers or requests, you may receive her blessing! ]
It was good to know, but for now, he had to focus on his task. Of course, he had theories about how to use the altar to his advantage. However, he wondered if she would grant him a blessing, considering he had already received the system and two cheat skills.
After finishing with the upper levels, he now headed toward the ground floor, but before that, he passed through the hall of each upper level. One detail had caught his attention: in the center of each hall were mobile concentric discs embedded in the floor, representing dots connected by straight lines. That reminded him of something. Around those discs, a vast fresco was carved into the floor, depicting a war — an army of men fighting against waves of inhuman creatures. A single figure stood out from the rest: he was shown with a crown of starlight filaments around his head, himself surrounded by golden energy.
"It looks like the constellations I saw the first time during my meeting with the goddess."
He crouched, touching the floor, trying to move the plates. A harsh sound followed his attempt, stone scraping against white marble. He didn't really know what it meant, but he was sure there was a reason for their presence in every hall with a different fresco. On the second level, the army no longer seemed composed solely of humans — elves and beastmen were led under the same banner as the man, who this time wore a cloak woven with constellations.
On the ground floor, however, the scene was different. There was no longer an army; the figure stood above a heap of bodies, a halo shaped like constellations behind his back. In front of him was a horned humanoid creature, with torn wings and an energy different from the radiant one shown earlier around his opponent. These were the only two survivors of the war the painting depicted.
Aelion finally understood — each fresco corresponded to a riddle that needed to be solved by moving the discs on the floor to match the alignment of a constellation. However, something else bothered him. Ira's manor, according to its description, was supposed to be one of the goddess's finest creations, built specifically for him. So why were there so many secrets he didn't know about, even though the place was meant to be neutral? Why so many traces of men and the past? And why was there a throne room in a manor? He wanted to ask questions, but unfortunately, the one concerned wasn't there, and he didn't know when she would return.
After finishing with the upper floors, he decided to search the main hall and its branches. In the meantime, he checked Seraphina's position. She was nearby. Aelion was nervous about interacting with her, because the day before he had relied on bluffing — but today was a new day. Who knew how she would react? Moreover, he himself could hardly believe his bluff and manipulation had actually worked, since he wasn't used to such things and disliked them. Still, he had no other choice at the time.
He walked toward where she was. The room was divided into two sections, lit by small wall lamps scattered everywhere. On the wall, unknown writings were engraved, emitting a faint light. Aelion felt a subtle and unfamiliar energy brush against his skin and seep into his body — a strange and unknown sensation. It was his first contact with magic.
The first part of the room was separated from the second by a railing, with a staircase descending to the lower section. Seraphina stood leaning on the balustrade, observing a curious object. It was a three-dimensional diamond-shaped figure carved from obsidian, levitating a few meters above the ground. The shape moved on its own, and on its surface, pulsing red lines stretched to form smaller diamonds.
The same writings, resembling runes, appeared on the diamond, and thin threads of light detached from them to form a force field.
"Hey! Looks like you had a good night," Aelion said softly as he approached Seraphina, who was watching the object's movements.
The crimson-haired woman turned sharply, surprised — not by his presence, since she had sensed and ignored it — but because he had mentioned last night, when he wasn't supposed to know that she had… indulged herself. From embarrassment to shame, her face turned red, and instinctively, blood shot from her fingertips, solidifying and extending her nails to Aelion's throat.
"How do you know what happened yesterday? I should've guessed! I was careless, forgetting the pervert I live with!" retorted Seraphina, more embarrassed than angry.
Aelion raised his hands; he had no idea what she was talking about. He had just spoken innocently — he never thought it would backfire on him. And judging from what she said, whatever she did last night must have been intimate in nature, since she even called him a pervert.
Maybe that's what will lower her resistance gauge?
"I don't know what you're talking about, or what you did yesterday, and I don't know why you're calling me a pervert! I'm not one!" growled Aelion, slightly irritated.
"Oh yeah? Then why did you say I had a good night, huh? And don't think I didn't see you strutting around yesterday, your thing out in the open for everyone to see!" Seraphina shot back in the same tone.
The discussion had spiraled out of control, going in every direction. Aelion, who had been calm at first, finally responded with all the tact he could muster.
"First of all, I said that because you didn't look as exhausted as yesterday. And second, I wasn't walking around with my thing out — I was wearing a robe! And if you saw through it, it's because I was aroused! I admit it! And your eyes didn't hesitate to devour it either. It's not like you've never… gotten wet, for example!"
"What? What are you—"
Sensing the situation was about to explode, he cut her off and continued to extinguish the fire before it ignited.
"You know what? Fine, let's just stop there. I'm not in the mood for this right now."
He felt that Seraphina wouldn't apologize, even after realizing she'd misunderstood and was partly at fault, which would only worsen things. She, on the other hand, stayed silent, frustrated — not used to being denied the last word or admitting she was wrong.
"So, did you find something interesting?" Aelion asked again, out of danger now that she had withdrawn her blood claws and turned back toward the strange artifact.
"What is it?" she said, pointing at the diamond.
The object being as unknown to him as it was to her, he offered to join her in discovering it.
"Let's go… I'll show you."