Gunmage-Chapter 283: Noble daughters, rogue hearts

It was nighttime in the Von Heim estate, and the soft glow of gas lamps, paired with the signature stained glass windows, gave the halls an almost fantastical quality.

The colors refracted gently off polished marble floors, casting fleeting, dreamlike patterns on the high-arched ceilings and walls.

Lugh sat alone in his room. It was moments like these—when he had no orders to follow, no task at hand, no looming struggle for survival—when the world around him finally fell quiet and leisurely, that Lugh felt... lonely.

He sat for hours in that dimly lit space, silent as the night itself. The quiet stretched on, slow and heavy, until even he began to feel the weight of boredom crawling into his thoughts.

Eventually, he stood, rising from the cushioned seat like a shadow peeling away from the dark.

He moved towards the back of the room, swerving fluidly around the conspicuous rock formation placed in the center, from which cold water constantly trickled. A decorative fountain, entirely ornamental, yet needlessly functional.

Reaching a wall lined with expensive wooden shelves, he paused. Perhaps—he thought—he should take a note from Mirelle’s page and try reading a book.

He picked the first one off the shelf and frowned. His eyes scanned the rows again. Not a single novel in sight.

Instead, every hardcopy was a treatise, a manual, or a study of magical sciences.

A Case Study on Mana Conservation.

Intermediate Guide to Alchemy: Identifying Ingredients.

Advanced Applications in Force Control.

The last one caught his eye. He opened it and began to read.

It was only one book, so he didn’t need the help of his clones—both of whom sat quietly in a darkened corner of the room. Eyes wide and unfocused, still as statues.

He would’ve preferred to have them roam around, perhaps observe the estate more freely, but Selaphiel had told him specifically not to.

Of course, that alone wasn’t reason enough for him to obey. But she had followed up with an actual explanation: some "people" were around, and complications could arise at any moment.

And so, Lugh remained cooped up—

His thought was interrupted by a rhythmic knock.

On the window.

That... wasn’t right.

He moved toward the glass wall, slowly pulling aside the heavy drapes and opening the right wing of the large stained glass.

A pale, slender hand gripped the sill, and a girl hauled herself up and over with a faint grunt of exertion. She landed lightly on the marble floor with a dull thud.

She wore boots.

The outfit made her look like a professional thief. Tight-fitting, dark-toned clothing, gloves, utility pouches. Nothing flashy. Lugh stared at her for a moment before speaking.

"This is the third floor."

"I know."

The girl—Sela, his oldest stepsister—responded nonchalantly, already reaching into what appeared to be a rucksack.

From it, she pulled a thick black rope. On closer inspection, it was intricately braided, not frayed at the ends, with metalwork woven into the edges.

"Is the rope expensive?"

Lugh asked.

"The rope is expensive,"

She confirmed.

She tied it securely to the carved base of a heavy shelf, then tossed the other end out the window.

It didn’t take long. The rope grew taut seconds later. Vibrations followed in rapid intervals. Someone else was climbing.

"Mirelle?"

Lugh asked.

Sela nodded silently, her eyes drifting to the book in Lugh’s hand. She said nothing, but the curiosity in her glance was hard to miss.

Soon enough, Mirelle pulled herself up into the room. She climbed with the ease of someone who had done this more times than she could count.

Lugh suspected she might actually be a seasoned climber.

"Hello, lady and gentleman,"

Mirelle greeted with a grin.

"Tonight, we break out of this stuffy house."

Stuffy.

Lugh turned the word over in his head. Stuffy, she’d said—about a house with vast, open-air halls and towering corridors filled with rare art and perfumed air.

As expected, only high-born noble ladies could look at such a place and find it claustrophobic.

Although, judging from their all-black, scuffed clothing—practical and clearly not new—the word "noble" didn’t exactly leap to mind.

"How are we going to escape?"

Lugh asked, voice flat.

Both girls shrugged.

"That’s what you’re for,"

Mirelle replied.

"Huh?"

Lugh’s confusion was evident.

"Come on,"

Mirelle said.

"You’re an Awakened. You’re also very powerful. Don’t tell me you don’t have some secret method to get out of here."

"...I don’t."

Both girls blinked.

Sela spoke first.

"Can you win against Mum’s shadows?"

"Probably."

"Good. We have something to work with, then."

Mirelle cut in.

"Speaking of which, I’m pretty sure one of them was following us."

"There’s more than one,"

Sela muttered.

"And we’ll have to get past them if we want to leave."

She turned to Lugh.

"Are you ready?"

Both girls were already dressed for it. Meanwhile, Lugh wore soft indoor clothes—light brown and loose, no shoes. Mirelle looked him over and frowned.

"Are you going out like that?"

Lugh shrugged.

"I don’t have much in the way of clothes."

"...Okay then."

Sela turned serious again, pointing out the window.

"There’s one of them behind that tree, northwest of our current position. I’m not sure where the others are, but they’ll show themselves once you knock out the first."

She paused.

Mirelle threw a fist into the air with enthusiasm.

"Now. Attack!"

Lugh stared blankly at her.

"Aren’t you going to attack?"

"What am I, your guard dog?"

"N-no?"

"..."

"..."

"I have a better idea,"

He said.

In the shadowy corners of the Von Heim gardens, a squadron of Isolde’s shadows waited.

These women—maids sourced directly from the infamous House Caldreth—were elite, trained to keep watch over her daughters at all hours of the day.

They’d seen the girls enter the young master’s room on the third floor. Given the outfits and timing, their intentions were clear.

Still, protocol dictated they couldn’t act until an actual attempt was made.

Just to be safe, they had a margin for error. If twenty minutes passed without incident, direct intervention would be authorized.

They didn’t have to wait that long.

Only minutes later, the girls began rappelling down with practiced ease.

A woman, hidden in the darkness, whispered to no one in particular,

"Get ready to move and intercept."

The night air stirred. Figures detached from the trees, silent and swift.

But then, something strange happened.

The girls didn’t run toward the walls. Nor to any exit.

Instead, they strolled. Casually. Back toward the house.

"What are they doing?"

One shadow asked.

"I don’t know,"

Replied the leader.

"Stay alert. Follow them."

The sense that something was off gnawed at her, but she couldn’t pinpoint why. Regardless, duty was duty.

They vanished into the night, trailing the girls.

The garden fell into stillness.

Back in the room, Sela peeked her head out Lugh’s window once more.

"They’re gone. Alright, let’s move."

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l