Theo, watching his son, broke the silence.

“Shall we take a walk?” he asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Without waiting for a reply, he stood up from the table and left the room. Nero followed him like a shadow, trailing close behind.

Once they exited into the corridor, they walked to its end, where Theo unlocked a door with a key and led them inside.

It was his study  a spacious room with an oak desk positioned directly in line with the doorway.
To the left of the desk, a massive wall-mounted mirror gleamed from within the wall itself. On the right stood a cabinet, along with several other furnishings: a portrait of Theo, a dresser, and a small side table.

Theo approached the cabinet, opened it, and pulled out one of the chairs, placing it in front of his own seat by the panoramic windows. He gestured for Nero to sit in the armchair, while he sat down on the chair he had just set.

“So, tell me what do you think of the North? The land you were born in, and where you live now?” Theo asked casually.

In truth, he wasn’t expecting a thoughtful answer. Nero was promising, yes  but still young. And, to be honest, this wasn’t exactly the ideal time for deep conversation.

The North, in and of itself, wasn’t such a terrifying place. Around the estate, there were mines and lumber mills supplying essential resources.

Still, apart from Renos a city located more than two hundred kilometers from the estate, near one of the borders of the northern territories  there wasn’t much in the way of human settlement.

The Renos region served as a hub for mercenaries and laborers preparing for duty at the few industrial sites scattered across the North.

Possibly due to the harsh climate, the North was home to two even three times more monsters and undead than other regions.
The bitter weather and lack of human presence gave rise to an ecosystem dominated by beasts unfazed by the cold  and that ecosystem had flourished.

Theo watched his son fall into quiet contemplation partly out of interest, partly out of fatherly habit.

He was about to say something, but couldn’t help chuckling instead.

“Ahaha… don’t worry. Even the Emperor’s advisors haven’t figured it out. Son, as you know no matter how hard we try  building something truly grand in the North is extremely difficult. And if you go even farther than where we are now…”

The Von Lavrelio estate wasn’t deep in the northern wilderness. Not even close. If it had been built just a hundred kilometers further in, they wouldn’t have survived even their first winter.

Daytime temperatures dropped to minus forty, and it was terrifying to imagine what nights were like.

“So, yeah. Developing anything further out there, with our current technology… let’s just say, it’s impossible,” Theo concluded.

“But… I think I know how! Maybe…” Nero blurted, his voice slightly shaky as he tried to form the thought.
“I know people have tried to build cities in the heart of the North… even on the coast. But every time, something goes wrong. Maybe they forgot something important. I don’t know exactly what, but…”

Theo listened silently, not interrupting.

Nero continued, now speaking with more excitement.

“Technology — that’s what we’re missing. Even if we could build cities, monsters would just destroy them during an Eclipse. Ideally… we’d need something like an artificial sun. Like the one in the capital!”

Theo sat in silence for a moment, considering his son's words. There was no smile on his face, but his eyes gleamed with interest and thought.

“Ambitious… interesting… but unrealistic,” he said.

“And yes, you're right about the artificial sun. You nailed it mentioning the Eclipse. But the truth is, that artifact is one of a kind. No one’s even been able to study it properly… Still… well done. I like your thinking,” he said, looking at Nero with approval.

Nero nodded. Although a bit disappointed, he was starting to calm down, but Theo interrupted his thoughts again.

“We’ve been chatting quite a while… I wonder if Antonio’s back yet.”

“Yeah, I was thinking the same,” Nero said, practically jumping out of his chair.

Theo, though hiding it well, was genuinely pleased with the conversation.

They kept talking casually, as if nothing was wrong. Nero occasionally glanced out the window at the star-filled night sky.
But Theo couldn’t shake the growing concern  Dolores and Antonio still hadn’t returned.

Five minutes earlier...

A carriage pulled up to the estate gates.
A man in a dark blue coat leaned out the window and, without hesitation, asked for the gates to be opened.

A guard, clad in steel armor and a cloak made of bear hide, approached the carriage without delay.

All knights serving under a Stella wore the same  heavy plate armor and cloaks made from bear hide. The cloak not only protected them from the cold, but could also withstand some damage. The hide was remarkably durable. So it served both as weather protection and functional combat gear.

“Sir, we weren’t informed of your arrival. I must ask you to turn back  you’re on the private estate of Stella Von Lavrelio,” the guard said firmly, his voice carrying the sharp confidence of someone trained to face threats.

The man in the blue coat leaned back in his seat, speaking slowly and calmly.

“Now, now… no need to be so hasty. I’m well aware of where I am. I have an invitation  I just need to find it.
It’s been a long trip, as I’m sure you understand...
Say, could you help me read it? The print is terribly small.”

With those words, he opened the carriage door and, bending slightly, gestured for the guard to lean inside while he rummaged through one of his bags.

The guard hesitated for a moment… then leaned in.

That’s when the man with the red ribbon in his hair — standing just inside the carriage — smirked and muttered darkly:

“Heheh… got you.”

He pulled out a wand and cast the spell: “Domimentis.”

The guard’s eyes flickered with a dull violet glow. In a trance, he climbed out of the carriage and stood silently before them, his gaze empty.

“All clear, sir?” asked the man in the blue coat with a casual smile.

“Y-Yes. Everything’s fine. The invitation is genuine. You may enter, gentlemen,” the guard replied, turning around and signaling for the gates to open.

The gates creaked open, and the carriage rolled onto the estate grounds. Inside, orders were being handed out quickly and efficiently.

“You two are mages. Go through the second floor entrance  just like we planned. I’ll head in through the main door. Everyone else should already be in position. The staff and guards in the main building should be… gone by now, so don’t worry.” He paused. “Although… that other carriage parked near the front entrance? That’s not supposed to be here.”

The man shrugged off the blue coat, revealing a full black outfit beneath. A massive sword lay across his legs as he peered through the window at the parked carriage by the entrance.

“Well, either way  remember: tonight, no witnesses.” Confirmed by the mage with turquoise hair – Cassetti.

The others in the carriage nodded in agreement.

The carriage came to a halt. Three figures exited, two of whom were immediately lifted by a gust of wind and carried toward the second floor.

A knock at the door.

After a pause, the man in black knocked again.
Finally, the door opened  and a woman with black hair and blue eyes appeared. She wore an elegant gown, and behind her stood a tall young man with silver hair and eyes as red as blood. His clothes were formal but loose  as if he had just arrived.

Son… thought Señor Arthur.

“Good evening. And you are?” the woman asked, tilting her head slightly.

Before the man at the door could speak, the tall young man — Antonio Von Lavrelio — addressed his mother:

“Do you know where all the staff went?”

She shook her head, confused.

As Antonio removed his coat, he noticed something no one had brought him his sword from the carriage. The stranger noticed too his eyes briefly glanced at Antonio’s unarmed state.

It was clear from his build alone that Antonio was a swordsman.

But Dolores spoke first.

“You must have come to meet with Theo, yes? Then allow me to take your invitation and show you to the guest hall  I’ll fetch him right away. Please forgive us, we’re preparing for a celebration, so everyone’s quite busy…”

The man nodded and smiled warmly in return.

“Of course… it was right here somewhere…”

He reached into the inner pocket of his coat and grabbed the hilt of a dagger. Funneling mana into the weapon, he transformed the small blade into a massive hand-and-a-half sword.