Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended [Part Two]

CHAPTER 206: Tensions - Leopold's Stern Vow

Lyndoria grimaced, her eyebrow twitching in disbelief. "I still can't believe you blew up the manor," she muttered. "Have you completely lost it?"

Lumielle gave an awkward smile. "Was it truly wise to do so? Perhaps interrogating the lord of the estate would have been a more prudent choice."

Daisuke shrugged, his expression nonchalant. "I highly doubt it."

"Huh? And why's that?" Lyndoria scoffed.

"Well, for one, no one was in the manor at the time of the explosion, and I needed that distraction to get the children out safely. Secondly," Daisuke added, "there are always way too many guards stationed there for an interrogation to be feasible. Besides, that place is probably just an affiliate responsible for supplying and training merchandise."

Lumielle's eyes narrowed, distaste flickering in her gaze at the emphasized word.

"On the other hand," Daisuke continued, "the brothels are supposedly owned by the Mhaledictus. If we're going to gather any useful information, I believe the red-light district is our best shot."

The princess nodded, jade-green eyes stirring with determination. Hopefully we can regain control of the capital before they manage to rebuild the manor. We'll put a stop to them once and for all.

"So?" Lyndoria pressed, her arms crossed. "When do we leave? We're not putting this off again, are we?"

Daisuke broke into a nervous sweat, scratching his cheek in guilt.

"Augh," the girl groaned in exasperation.

"Haste makes waste," Daisuke warned as Zephyr stretched and yawned from atop his head. "We may just be after information, but we don't know what we're walking into by going there and asking certain questions."

"Then?" Lumielle prompted, "What do you suggest we do?"

"Don't worry, I have a plan," he assured them. "Midnight's report later should give us more insight, and with any luck, a clearer path forward. But before we make a move, I want to wait for the weapon Tiphanna's crafting for me. I'm heading to the blacksmith now."

But before I go... he glanced up at Zephyr, a spark of curiosity in his gaze. Let's test that theory now, shall we?

Moments before reducing the manor to nothing more than a distant memory, Midnight had taken it upon himself to loot several skill and spellbooks hidden within its walls. As Tiphanna suspected, they were all low-tier, but even so, they held value—if not in coin or promising skills, then in the potential to satisfy one of Daisuke's many curiosities.

"What are you... doing?" Lumielle asked, noting the determination flickering behind his gaze as he placed the drowsy pup onto the lobby table and instructed him to stay.

"I've always wondered if Zephyr could learn an ability from a spellbook," Daisuke replied, summoning the tome to his hand with the ease of a seasoned archmage preparing to weave a powerful enchantment.

Lyndoria, ever the skeptic—especially when it concerned the mutt she loathed—crossed her arms. "From what I know, a Companion shouldn't be able to do that."

Daisuke's lips curled into a sly smile. I might've taken your word for it... if Zephyr were just an ordinary Companion. But I've already seen enough to know—Divine Beasts are on a whole different level. Let's find out if that applies here, too.

Sensing his will, the spellbook hovered above Daisuke's palm, its pages fluttering like wings caught in an unseen wind. A luminous glow pulsed from its core, casting shifting patterns of golden light across the room. Lumielle and Lyndoria watched with bated breath, their gazes fixed on the spectacle.