Serafim had expected many things when he went down into his brother's cellar. Having Anastasiy have a reaction was part of his calculation. Discovering stones that could function as cores was not. Having two eyes staring at him under a desk wasn't part of it either. Especially when said eyes blinked, only to reopen elsewhere.

“Maou.”

No mouth was visible, but Serafim was certain that the noise was coming from both eyes.

"What the fucking hell are you?"

Another blink, with another shift, and Serafim wondered if he could ignore whatever it was. However, before he could weigh the pros and cons, the two eyes moved closer to him. Surprised, Serafim stepped back as the black mass slid out from under the desk, before taking on a cat-like shape. Although the shape did resemble a cat, some details were missing. The most noticeable was the uniformity of the mass. It was impossible to differentiate the legs when the creature was in a sitting position. Similarly, there was no mustache and no fur, only a kind of black vapor. Carefully, Serafim brought his hand close to the black mass and stroked it. However, instead of feeling soft, he felt as if he were passing over water.

"Don't tell me Stacie has three familiars," Serafim grumbled as he stared at the cat-like creature, which began to vibrate, presumably to mimic the purring of a real cat.

No one knew why a piece of the core would break off to form a familiar. For a long time, it was thought that power was the cause. But when people with an inactive core had obtained familiars, this theory was rejected.

No one in the Dralyon family had ever had a familiar. Whether it was their father, who had lived so long. Whether it was Ewald, who had pursued the quest for Knowledge, or he, who had the most magic, none of them had had familiars. That Anastasiy had two was surprising enough, so a third...

"Maou."

The cat-like voice drew him from his thoughts. Looking down at the creature, Serafim saw one of the cat's paws disappear under the desk at an unnatural angle. Soon the sound of paper scraping the floor filled the room. Serafim hesitated to look under the furniture. However, he didn't trust the black mass and decided to keep an eye on it. Vaguely, he wondered how far the creature could stretch, as the noise didn't seem to be getting closer.

As if to contradict him, the cat's paw popped out from under the furniture, the paper held back by its claws. Glancing down at the creature, Serafim gently brought his hand to the paper. Alternating between the creature and the paper, he noticed that it was an envelope. Only the cat's claws dug even more firmly into the paper. Immediately he stopped all movement. His golden gaze stared into the veiled eyes of the black bundle, which stared back at him.

"Maou."

Moving his hand back to the envelope, he stopped it again when he saw the claws contract again. Slowly he moved his hand towards the mass and began to pet it. Flattening slightly under his hand, Serafim felt as if he was touching water. The black mist clung to his hand like the fur of an animal. The creature resumed its cat-like form with the same sound as a flan being shaken, although the vibrations still distorted it a little. Gradually, the claws retracted as the creature stuck to his hand more and more. As he continued to caress the black mass, Serafim leaned towards the envelope, rapidly catching it. However, once in his hand, he didn't stop petting the creature, not knowing how it would react.

Reaching for the chair, Serafim grabbed the cat and placed it on his lap, before resuming his petting, much to the delight of the black mass. Once he was sure that the creature wouldn't do anything to him, Serafim concentrated on the envelope.

Immediately he recognized the paper used by the Duchy for official communications, as well the wax seal. With a frown, he wondered how Anastasiy had got hold of it. Only he or their father could use them.

“Untie. Open. ”

With his magic, the wax seal was detached from the envelope and opened. With a deft hand, he took out the papers inside and unfolded them. Immediately he was assailed by numbers and calculations, all embellished with drawings. However, he recognized some Sacred Words, which definitely raised his eyebrows. He knew that Anastasiy wasn't under the protection of a god, since he had been present on the day of the Baptism. However, he remembered that it was also at that time that his younger brother began to distance himself from the family.

"And of course I won't be able to question the priest... Damn it," he grumbled.

As he flipped through the documents, Serafim remembered the events of five years ago, when the Emperor fell into a magical coma. The Prime Minister, who had since become Vice-Emperor, had accused the Nulvon Theocracy of having attempted to kill the Emperor and had wanted to start a war. Fortunately, the other nobles had managed to stop this madness. Instead, the borders with Nulvon were closed and the Temples were forbidden to come into the Empire. And of course, their family had been forced to obey.

However, if he couldn't question the priest in charge of the Baptism, he would be able to question the receiver of this package.

"Sorley, to Eamon's Wall, eh?"