Reynard opened the beginner knight's manual and took out the mana shard, feeling that oppressive sensation again.
His eyes fixed on the faint blue glow that the small shard emitted, as if he were staring at the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his entire life.
If Eleanor were present, she would feel a pang of jealousy, looking at Reynard's current expression. She had never seen that look before.
Reynard gently stroked the surface of the shard with his fingertips, as if it were the most precious and delicate treasure.
He planned to use it to deal with the cult figure.
The old man selling the mana crystal shard to him was a chance occurrence he hadn't foreseen. In this world where knights and magic existed, he wouldn't be foolish enough to try to beat the other party with brute force, especially when the other party had already demonstrated some abilities.
Of course, any ability was enough to kill him. That was because Reynard himself was a common human.
He had already considered trying to learn the 'Beginner Knight's Manual' several times this month, but there was still something that bothered him.
If the original Reynard asked for the manual as one of the requirements to join the Shadow Cult, the mysterious figure expected him to practice it at some point.
Reynard, from the beginning, felt uncomfortable with the true intentions of the Shadow Cult. He suspected the beginner knight's manual might contain some kind of trap.
He didn't even know if it was possible to set a trap in a manual, but that only made him even more cautious.
That was because, despite being a foreigner in this world, common sense dictated that it wasn't that easy to become a knight. Much less hand the manual over to a common untitled noble like Reynard.
So, there were two options.
The manual was real, and they had some trap awaiting him after learning it, or the manual was fake.
Since he didn't believe he was important enough to receive so much attention from the Shadow Cult, he chose the latter option.
It was highly likely that the manual was fake.
Whether it was fake or real, the original Reynard couldn't tell, much less him. And the mysterious figure knew that too.
The more he thought about it, the more he found it made sense.
The mysterious figure from the Shadow Cult planned to use Reynard as a temporary bait or distraction while acting behind the scenes for their own purposes.
By handing the beginner knight's manual to Reynard, the mysterious figure was aware that he probably wouldn't achieve any results, either because the manual was fake or because Reynard lacked the aptitude to learn.
While he was busy trying to learn the manual, a bright target would be shining on his head.
'Did Reynard kill the staff of his own castle, or were they all killed by the cult?'
Reynard was more inclined towards the option where they were all killed. Since there were no injuries on the bodies, Reynard assumed they were poisoned, or killed with some strange technique.
After all, there were countless strange ways to kill in this world, and he didn't have the capacity to guess all of them. With that in mind, he preferred to stay grounded and use some more realistic assumptions, like poison.
The mysterious figure could be secretly planning to poison all the members of Reynard's castle, including the original Reynard himself.
The reason? He had no idea.
But these people didn't need reasons to do things.
The one who contacted the original Reynard was the mysterious figure, the same one who opened the doors for him to join the Shadow Cult. Reynard was greedy and tried to take advantage of the situation, demanding the manual to join the cult, planning to embark on this magical world and increase his strength.
He didn't expect the other party to readily agree.
If he had been a little smarter, he would have suspected the ease with which he obtained the manual, and would have noticed that something was wrong...
It was very likely that they were toying with him, using him while he was still alive, and if he died, it wouldn't matter.
If all this was as he had imagined, something big was happening, and he was caught in the middle of a major storm.
Thinking about it this way, his predecessor seemed to be a bit... tragic.
There was only one utility for him now.
And that was.
'Serving as a distraction?' Stroking the shard with his fingers, he tried to think further.
Imagine, an untitled noble and his staff were all dead.
That would attract some attention to himself for some time. Perhaps he wasn't the only noble who suffered this fate; it was just that the news hadn't reached the ears of the kingdom and the other nobles yet.
If there were more nobles dead, they were trapped within four walls in their dwellings, and their absence would only be noted at the... meeting?
But what was the reason for this distraction?
'Am I thinking too much?' Reynard let out a heavy sigh, squeezing the shard in his hands.
No matter how much he thought, he would never know the truth unless he heard it from the mysterious cult figure's own mouth.
Reynard spent the rest of the day inside the study room, lost in thought.
Occasionally, Lydia appeared to offer tea and ask if he was hungry or needed anything, to which Reynard merely said he was fine.
Without anyone watching, the night quickly arrived like a breath. The sky darkened, and the lands outside the castle were bathed in moonlight, casting a silver sheet over the ground.
The structure of the castle stood out in the darkness, especially at this time when light was scarce.
At that moment, in the kitchen illuminated by torches and candles, three figures were seated at their places, busy with cutlery.
"You two should go to sleep earlier today. Make sure to lock the door to your rooms." Reynard said casually as he got up from the table after finishing eating.
He was stared at by two pairs of curious eyes.
Lydia and Eleanor exchanged glances, looking confused.
Reynard was acting strange today. He spent the entire day locked in his study room, and besides eating, he didn't leave for anything else.
Eleanor, especially, was the one who found his behavior the most unusual. The two had spent the night together yesterday, and today she thought he would try something again, so his current behavior left her intrigued and a little worried.
"Master Reynard, do you need me to prepare your bath?" Eleanor blinked discreetly, seeming to have ulterior motives in her eyes, but without letting it show, fearing that Lydia might notice something.
Lydia shot a glance at her.
"No need. Lydia has already prepared it. Don't forget what I said, and don't take long to sleep. I'm leaving earlier." Reynard winked back at Eleanor, understanding her thoughts, but he had neither the mood nor the time to entertain her.
He left the kitchen with a nod without saying anything else, leaving the two confused figures behind.
"..." Lydia.
"Don't worry." Being stared at by Lydia, Eleanor let out a small dry cough, regaining her composure.
...
'It's almost time...'
In the dark hall, Reynard was sitting on his throne. The moon was high in the sky, covering everything with its brilliance, watching the world as if it were the eyes of the heavens.
The castle was silent. The minutes stretched, each breath pulling the strings of his heart. He felt increasingly restless as the time for the visit approached.
Was the figure late?
He had to confess that he was a little anxious today.
At that moment, a soft scratching sound caught his attention. A figure entered through the window he had left partially open, sliding into the hall. Its movements were fluid, as if it had practiced this many times.
Reynard remained seated on his throne, looking at the dark figure that approached, stopping in the center of the hall before him.
"Lord Reynard, we meet again." A cold voice echoed, but it seemed abnormally unemotional.
The figure that spoke was covered from head to toe in black clothing, blocking Reynard's view of its true identity. He could feel those eyes evaluating him, running over his face and body, as if searching for something.
"You look well." The figure added coldly.
"It's good to be alive, I have to admit." Reynard chuckled lightly, agreeing with it, not intending to rise from his throne. Despite his inner apprehension, he still maintained the façade the original Reynard had built.
"Is it the usual today?" He asked casually, seeming very familiar with the whole process. The two were acting like acquaintances, their tone low and moderate.
"No. Today I am here for a different reason. Did the kingdom's messenger visit you?" The figure asked, and despite its tone seeming cold, Reynard managed to notice a touch of doubt.
This surprised him internally.
The figure was asking him this, so it didn't know about the visit yet... or did it know and was testing him? Reynard's mind began to work quickly, but externally he was still smiling casually.
"Yes. The kingdom's messenger recently visited my castle. There will be a meeting at Baron Alderan's mansion in a few days. All the nobles in this area were invited to attend, according to the messenger."
Despite not knowing if the figure effectively knew the information, he preferred to play it safe.
It wouldn't be good to lie if the other party already knew the truth.
"The cult has a job for you, Lord Reynard. You haven't paid for the manual you acquired yet. That was your demand, and we fulfilled it. Now it's time for you to cooperate with the cult."
The figure spoke, slowly approaching Reynard's throne with every word.
Seeing this, Reynard's body became slightly tense.
"Don't worry. I, Reynard, am a man of my word and I swear by my name. Just state the job and I will do it if I am capable." He continued smiling at the approaching figure, no trace of fear in his eyes.
But internally, he was intrigued and sweating cold. What request would the cult have for him? It certainly wouldn't be a good one.
The mysterious figure didn't give time for his thoughts, and continued speaking as it stopped in front of him: "We want you to put this in Baron Alderan's drink when the meeting of nobles takes place..."
Saying this, the hooded figure put its hand inside its clothes, pulling out a vial. The light seemed to shine against the glass, making the liquid very attractive.
'What?'
Hearing this, Reynard's expression changed for a second, but quickly returned to normal. This confirmed that the other party already knew about the messenger's visit and the meeting.
'Poisoning? Impossible... right?' Looking at the vial in the figure's hand, he internally cursed his luck. If this was what he was thinking, he was a dead man. A very dead man.
Was he being used as a sacrifice?
Even if he was part of the Shadow Cult, he could still have a stable life if he didn't make too much noise, but the other party's request was now practically sending him to his death.
Poisoning a noble would already be a notorious crime and would cause the kingdom to hunt the assassin day and night, searching everywhere to find the culprit. If the poisoned party was a Baron, Reynard couldn't imagine the consequences.
Not to mention successfully escaping the kingdom's pursuit, he would first have to have the capacity to escape the mansion of the Baron, who was a titled knight.
Even further, he would have to assess whether he could get close to Baron Alderan himself with his identity as a simple untitled noble.
"You won't be alone in this. There are other cult members who will be present at this meeting. You just need to do this, and we will guarantee a safe withdrawal." The figure seemed to notice Reynard's thoughts, speaking while tossing the vial, which contained a transparent liquid.
"Colorless, odorless, and tasteless. The Baron won't be able to discover that he was poisoned. His death will be very... natural." The figure concluded calmly, each word sounding with an uncomfortable slowness, like worms crawling on his skin.
Reynard felt that his hypothesis about the death of the castle staff was being confirmed right before his eyes.
'This...'
Extending his hand, he grabbed the vial the figure had thrown in the air, feeling the intense gaze of the other party.
"So, what do you say?" The figure asked again, wanting to hear Reynard's decision. But Reynard could tell.
No.
Reynard could feel. He could feel that if he said the wrong words, things would end right here, right now.
"I..."