Chapter 76: Place of Death (2)
Robi covered his mouth with his real hand and coughed once. It was not a real cough. It was an old man trying not to laugh at his niece being annoyed.
Celia looked at him.
Robi immediately became serious. "The brushwork is very good."
Celia ignored him.
Lucard continued working.
While he made the visible changes, he also made invisible ones.
Inside the trap spell, he hid a killing step.
It was not written in a way Robi or Celia could understand at once. It looked like a safety release. A small side line. A waste channel for unstable mana. But it was not that. It was a sleeping knife hidden under the trap’s skin. If Lucard activated it with his blood at the right moment, the trap would stop acting like a defensive formation and become a killing formation for one breath.
One breath would be enough.
The hidden killing step was not only for Garran.
It was also for Robi.
Lucard did not trust him.
Robi was useful. Robi owed him money. Robi could fight Garran. Robi had family power, guards, reputation, and knowledge. But useful men were still dangerous if they thought they could become owners. If Robi decided to capture Lucard after the fight, or if he tried to take the secret behind the spell by force, Lucard wanted a blade already sleeping under his feet.
No one knew.
Not Celia.
Not Robi.
Not even the guards outside the door.
Lucard’s expression did not change as he hid it. His brush moved naturally, like he was only adjusting the mana path. That was the best kind of lie. The kind that looked like work.
After some time, he placed the brush down.
"It is done."
Robi picked up the new page and studied it.
Celia leaned closer again despite herself.
The circle looked darker now. The lines were sharper. The outer ring had several added marks. The center had a strange shape that reminded Celia of a closed eye. The original spell felt like a trap placed under stone. This one felt like something buried in a grave that had not decided whether it wanted to sleep or bite.
Robi looked at Lucard. "How stable is it?"
"If you follow my instructions, stable enough."
"That is not a comforting answer."
"It is an honest one."
Robi chuckled. "You like that word when it benefits you."
Lucard tapped the map at Black Barrow Hill. "Choose the flat ground below the upper shrine ruins. Not the peak. The death mana is too wild there. Not the lower road either. Too weak. The middle terrace is best."
Celia looked at the map. "There is an old stone platform there."
"Use it."
Robi nodded. "What do we need?"
Lucard pointed to the list he had written beside the circle. "Twelve medium mana stones. Four high quality fire resistant stones. Bone powder from a Rank Three beast or higher. Grave ash from old burial soil. Silver dust. Black iron nails. One basin of fresh beast blood. Three formation flags. And two mages who can follow instructions without adding their own cleverness."
Celia looked at the list. "We can gather most of it tonight."
Robi said, "All of it."
Lucard looked at him. "Do not let too many people know the full design. Let one group gather materials. Let another group carry them. Let another prepare the ground. No single servant should understand what is being built."
Robi smiled. "You are used to hiding things."
Lucard said, "I am used to living."
"That is not the same."
"It is when everyone around you is stupid."
Celia sighed. "You say things like that and wonder why people want to kill you."
Lucard looked at her. "I never wonder."
Before Celia could answer, there was a knock on the door.
Robi’s expression changed slightly.
"Enter."
A guard opened the door and bowed.
"Lord Robi, Baron Ravencroft has arrived at the shop. He asks to meet you."
The room became quiet.
Celia looked at Lucard.
Lucard’s eyes remained calm.
Robi smiled faintly. "That was faster than expected."
The guard added, "He says the matter concerns House Velkhur and the death of Dorian Velkhur."
Robi turned to Celia and Lucard.
"You two go to the next room."
Celia frowned. "Uncle."
"Go," Robi said. "If Ravencroft sees Lucard here, he will learn too much. If he sees you with him, he will guess too much. Let him think I am dealing with this myself."
Lucard stood and gathered the pages he needed. He left the main trap page on the table for Robi but kept the rough notes with him.
Celia followed him into the connected side room. It had a narrow viewing slit hidden behind a wooden pattern. From there, they could see part of the meeting room without being seen. Celia closed the hidden door quietly.
A few moments later, Baron Ravencroft entered the secure meeting room.
He looked older than he had yesterday.
His face was tense. His black robe was neat, but his eyes were tired. He bowed deeply to Robi, far deeper than he would have bowed to another baron. The difference between a baron and an elder of a duke family was not something pride could erase.
"Lord Robi," Ravencroft said.
Robi sat at the table and did not stand.
"Baron Ravencroft."
Ravencroft’s eyes moved briefly around the room, perhaps searching for Celia or Lucard. He found neither. That made him both relieved and uneasy.
Robi picked up his tea and took a slow sip.
"You came late. I assume it is important."
Ravencroft lowered his head. "It is about Dorian Velkhur’s death."
Robi placed the cup down. "I expected as much."
"House Velkhur is demanding an explanation. Young Lord Dorian was a guest under my roof. He left my manor and died in front of your shop. An envoy come few moments ago.
The envoy from House Velkhur is pressuring me to arrange a meeting."
Robi’s expression did not change.
"An envoy?"
Ravencroft swallowed slightly.