There was a reason Lucida had arrived at the forest edge as early as noon. Even though the attack was planned for the dead of night, she needed to observe.

She anchored herself in the shadows, memorizing the estate. She had to ensure no unexpected variables would disrupt their mission.

As the hours bled away, nothing deviated from the ordinary.

When twilight finally gave way to a deep, starless night, the guard patrols noticeably dwindled. Two armed sentries stood illuminated before the main gates, but a frontal assault was never part of Lucida’s strategy.

With a silent gesture, she signaled her group to move.

A subtle shimmer washed over them. Lucida wove a sophisticated stealth spell, cloaking their scent and steps from mortal senses.

A part of her yearned to slaughter every living soul inside that cursed estate. However, the stern echo of Agatha’s warning kept her bloodlust tightly leashed.

Agatha had not granted her permission for this rogue excursion. So, Lucida had compromised with herself: she would act with the utmost caution and avoid unnecessary bloodshed.

If Ulrich had been present, her composure might have shattered entirely. But the Count’s absence made this the perfect, fleeting opportunity.

Everyone in Skargardia knew Ulrich’s mana core was broken. Yet, from the moment he seized the title of Count, he had ruthlessly purged his territory through witch and brigands hunts.

He had reinforced his military might and single-handedly revitalized the Rubenhart County’s economy. He wasn’t an invincible powerhouse, but he had proven himself terribly dangerous to cross.

The fact that Anna-Maria’s daughters had fallen into his clutches was widely known. Still, no one had dared to act. Everyone was paranoid that the girls were merely bait in a deadly trap.

It was irritating to admit, but the man projected a definite aura of deterrence, very similar to the previous Count, despite his young age.

Lucida swore she would make him pay one day. But vengeance had to wait. Tonight, her only priority was reclaiming the daughters of the previous Matriarch of the Crimson Garden.

Upon reaching the eastern perimeter, a black metal fence marked the estate’s boundary. Lucida finally called a halt.

She glanced back at her silent companions.

Beside her stood Shana, a fellow witch of equal rank and skill. Looming behind them were three Blooded Sons: Theos, Creon, and Dan.

They were not mere subordinates. They had trained, bled, and grown up together. That forged loyalty and friendship was the reason they had willingly risked their lives to follow her tonight.

Beyond their sympathy for Lucida’s mother, their motives were driven by pragmatism. The Coven simply could not afford to lose Anna-Maria’s bloodline to a human noble.

The probability that at least one of the three sisters had inherited their mother’s tremendous Tree was staggeringly high.

If that latent power could be safely returned to them, it could revolutionize their ranks. It was the key to finally restoring the Crimson Garden Coven to the glorious peak it had known under Anna-Maria’s reign.

Lucida tilted her head back, her eyes trailing up the towering black iron of the estate’s fence. A confident smile curled on her lips.

"Well, wasn’t that a walk in the park?" Dan chuckled under his breath. "And here I was, actually worried we’d have to fight a full-scale battle against an army of morons."

Creon offered a dark, eager grin of his own. "Took the words right out of my mouth."

"Do not drop your guard just yet," Shana interrupted, releasing a grounded sigh. "This is still the seat of a ruling Count. The interior might be crawling with knights."

Dan merely rolled his shoulders in a loose shrug. "Don’t sweat it, Shana. We came prepared. We know exactly what needs to be done."

"Shana is right to be cautious," Theos said. The tallest of the three Blooded Sons stepped forward, his broad frame shifting as he turned a gentle smile toward Lucida. "Are you ready for this?"

"I am... a little nervous," she said, giving a small nod. "But yes. I’m ready."

Theos reached out, brushing the back of his knuckles lightly against her cheek. The sudden warmth of his touch brought a faint blush to Lucida’s face.

"Everything will turn out well," he reassured her softly. "As long as we keep our heads down and focus on the task."

Regaining her composure, Lucida turned to address the rest of the group.

"Our only objective is to find the three daughters of Anna-Maria. Do not waste time engaging anyone else," she ordered. "It shouldn’t be difficult to convince the girls to follow us. They are witches. They will know we are on their side."

Creon let out a bitter breath. "Shame. I was really looking forward to slitting a few throats."

"Don’t," Theos warned immediately. "We stick to the plan."

"But after everything that bastard has done to us?" Creon fired back, his anger flaring. "Think about a month ago. How many of our brothers and sisters were slaughtered in that village?"

It was a wound for all of them. The village where Anna-Maria had lived so peacefully had been a rare sanctuary.

It was a hidden haven where independent witches and Blooded Sons could live in harmony, separated from the strict, demanding politics of the Covens.

Not every witches and blooded sons wanted the life of a Coven. Some chose to blend in with normal society, while others sought out these secluded settlements to simply exist in peace.

Unfortunately, as Ulrich’s father and recently Ulrich’s own purge had proven, even the most isolated havens were never truly safe.

"We have all lost people we love, Creon. We all know that pain," Theos replied calmly.

"We will avenge them when the time is right. But we cannot lose sight of our purpose tonight. Securing Anna-Maria’s bloodline is what will secure our future. So, stay focused," he added.

Creon held Theos’s stern gaze for a long moment before his shoulders finally sagged. "Fine. Let’s just grab the girls and get the hell out of here."

"That’s the spirit," Dan smirked, tapping the hilt of his weapon.

Shana simply offered a curt nod of agreement.

"No unnecessary risks," Lucida finalized. She turned back toward the imposing iron fence and slowly extended her hand into the empty air.

Instantly, a translucent ripple of magical energy flared against her palm, humming with a defensive vibration.

"A localized barrier, just as expected," Dan muttered, eyeing the shimmering distortion. "That Count really is a paranoid bastard, isn’t he?"

"Considering how many of our kind want his head on a pike, you can hardly blame him," Creon scoffed.

It was a Domain Spell, a massive, large-scale barrier layered directly over the physical guards. While common in theory, few nobles actually employed them in practice.

The disadvantages were steep. Sustaining a barrier of this magnitude required a monstrous amount of raw mana.

It drained dozens of highly expensive mana stones every single day just to keep the spell fueled around the clock. But Ulrich was wealthy. He could easily afford the astronomical cost of total security.

However, Lucida was obviously ready for that.

She had scouted the estate during the previous days, analyzing the exact magical frequency of Ulrich’s Domain. She knew exactly what she was up against, and more importantly, she had brought the perfect tool to shatter it.

She had already recognized the Domain covering the estate.

It was a Rank 1 Domain, the lowest rank possible, but also the most common kind found around noble estates and important properties.

A Rank 1 Domain could contain up to three hundred runes woven into its structure. Runes were the very basis of all spells, the smallest foundations upon which magic was built.

A basic spell was usually formed from an assemblage of no more than ten runes. So a barrier sustained by three hundred runes was on an entirely different scale.

That was precisely why such a spell was no longer simply referred to as a barrier spell, but as a Domain.

Even a Rank 1 Domain was no small thing. Hundreds of runes were layered across it, reinforcing one another and maintaining the spell over a wide area.

Still, there were ways to bring one down.

The most direct method was brute force. A sufficiently powerful large-scale spell, or a powerful rain of repeated attacks, could disrupt the runic structure and gradually weaken the Domain until it collapsed.

But raw power was not the only option.

There were also special tools designed for that very purpose.

Such items were rare, exceptionally rare, and often difficult to craft. Yet witches were better equipped than most when it came to creating or obtaining such things. Their knowledge of materials, plants, remains, and the hidden properties of the natural world ran far deeper than that of ordinary mages.

And Lucida had come prepared.

From within her satchel, she slowly drew out a dagger made of bone.

But it was no ordinary bone.

It had been carved from the remains of a five-Core Beast.

Magical beasts possessed cores as well, though theirs were known as bestial cores. Unlike human or witch cores, they were smaller depending on the beasts, and some beasts possessed several of them. The greater the number of cores, the more powerful, more dangerous, and far rarer the creature was.

A five-Core Beast was no common monster. It was a fearsome and precious creature, and the dagger made from its bone had clearly been refined, crafted with care, and spellbound for a purpose.

In other words, it was an item of tremendous value.

The sort of treasure many families would preserve for generations as an heirloom.

And in Lucida’s case, that was exactly what it was.

It had belonged to her mother.

For the briefest moment, her grip on the dagger tightened.

Then her gaze hardened once more.

Tonight, she was going to use it to tear open that Domain and enter the estate.

If it meant taking back the daughters of Anna-Maria, then no price was too high.