Jitters and unease settled over Freya as she entered the mansion. Technically, she hadn’t lied. She said the runes “might” be linked to the death of the wizard’s father. It was her personal belief they were related, but she had no proof.

The smell of fresh wood and paint filled the estate. After the modest entryway, a great airy room greeted them. Glass windows covered the west side of the room, allowing the greenery from outside to provide an impressive backdrop. Little furniture covered the space, but each piece was pristine and polished.

Enchanted lights lit the darker corners of the mansion. Fat mana stones supplied each one. Overhead, a large chandelier glittered with at least twenty small lights.

The butler led them left up a curving staircase. He knocked on the first door of the second floor.

“Come in.”

Opening the door, the butler bowed and beckoned them inside.

A handful of bookshelves covered the otherwise barren walls of the large study. At the center of the room behind a large desk, sat a young woman in blue wizard robes. The gold embroidery on her robes glittered with the faint sunlight let into the room. The wizard’s long dark brown hair was loosely braided to one side. She folded her hands together on top of the desk and looked at them vacantly.

“Wizard Ragna, these are the guests who wanted your assistance,” the butler said and then introduced them.

“Thank you. Clyde, you may leave.”

The butler Clyde bowed again and left the study, closing the door behind him.

“Where are the runes you want me to interpret?” the woman asked them impassively as soon as the door shut.

Stepping forward, Heilong placed a sheet of paper on the wizard’s desk. Before they fast-traveled, she had taken the time to re-write the runes from the screenshot since it was impossible to share the image with NPCs.

“We found these runes written inside a cave full of high orcs. We think this might be what summoned them,” Heilong explained.

Freya thought she saw the wizard’s eye twitch, but her face remained otherwise impassive.

“You found this in a cave?” the wizard Ragna asked as she took the paper from Heilong.

“Yes, rather far underground. It seemed to contain an ancient orc civilization.”

Ragna put on a pair of silver-rimmed glasses and began to read. The glasses reminded Freya of her shaman master. Few people could afford glasses, but it wasn’t surprising for a wizard to have them.

For the amount of text, Ragna didn’t spend long reading before putting down the paper.

“Do you think the runes are summoning the high orcs?” Freya asked.

Ragna fixed her gaze on Freya. Her lifeless expression made Freya’s skin prickle, but she held her ground. She stared back, waiting for an answer.

“Yes,” the wizard finally responded. “These runes seem to be summoning demons.”

“Can the summoning be stopped? If we destroy the runes-”

“I wouldn’t advise it.”

Ragna took off her glasses and placed them on her desk. She glanced back at the piece of paper, “There is a life drain curse set with these runes. If they are disturbed, the curse will be cast. Even if you are willing to sacrifice your life, the runes also contain shield charms. Any attempt would be fruitless.”

Freya narrowed her eyes at the wizard’s quick assessment, “Have you seen runes like this before?”

“No.”

Pursing her lips, Freya wasn’t convinced. She shot off her next question, “Have you heard of the game?”

Ragna started to reply quickly again but then adjusted her answer at the last second. “A game? What kind of game?”

That confirms it. The wizards know about the game, and they’re involved in it somehow, Freya thought. Trying to relax her clenched fists, she considered her next move. Despite the slip, Ragna’s dead expression hadn’t changed. Perhaps she could provoke her a bit more.

“There seems to be some kind of game going on now. I think part of its goal is to bring back once extinct demons. Don’t you think it’s odd all these ancient demons are rising? I heard your father was caught up in an attack. Shouldn’t this be investigated more?”

The wizard pushed the piece of paper back towards them, “Demon attacks happen from time to time. Frenic wolves were thought to be extinct, but it’s impossible to know if any species is actually gone. It was an unfortunate accident for the town of Kiken.”

“Still, your father died,” Heilong broke in. “Why aren’t you more concerned?”

The marksman stepped forward alongside Freya and continued, “I heard you didn’t even go back to Kiken after your father died. Sure, I suppose demon attacks are more in the realm of shaman and demoniclasts, but as a wizard, you could have investigated too.”

Ragna said nothing. But the side of her mouth moved slightly. Freya had been trying to provoke the wizard but watching Heilong do it was more nerve-racking. And Heilong was just gaining steam.

“I apprenticed for a short bit under your father. He always talked about his angelic daughter. He was so proud to have a daughter that got accepted into the wizard academy. ‘She’s the smartest and kindest person you’ll ever meet,’” Heilong said, mimicking a gentleman’s voice.

“Don’t you think you owe him more than this?!”