Waled quickly realized that the extra pair of glowing eyes didn't belong to a tomb guardian. It was the black cat he had seen earlier in the day. She was perched on a medicine cabinet next to the tomb guardians, her eyes glowing with a green phosphorescent light in the darkness. At first glance, it looked like there was an extra tomb guardian.
Ordinary cats' eyes don't glow. It was only in moments like this that one could tell this furball was different from a typical pet.
"Why are you here?" Waled asked as he walked over. Usually, at this time, the cat would be patrolling the castle grounds, hunting mice for her meal.
"Because of you, of course," the black cat said irritably. "Instead of sleeping, you're down here playing with dead bones. Why?"
"To practice," Waled replied matter-of-factly.
"Tch. These days, aside from the lowest-tier skeleton soldiers, all high-level undead are mass-produced on assembly lines. What's the point of handcrafting them? Besides, you're the Count of Carstein. Shouldn't you be learning things more befitting your station rather than doing the work of a common vampire laborer?"
"Uh…" Waled blushed slightly at her words—she had a point. Being a good count required learning more than just this.
However, Waled had his reasons. He had nearly a hundred thousand skeletons in his possession, all of which had to remain hidden. If he didn't craft the high-level undead himself, how could he rely on the count's armory for help?
"Still, she's not entirely wrong. I have thousands of high-quality skeletons. If I were to craft them all by myself, I'd be exhausted. I need to figure out a solution…"
Seeing Waled lost in thought, Silea assumed he had taken her advice to heart. Feeling rather pleased with herself, her tail perked up high. She continued in a lecturing tone:
"Fine, I'll talk to Winsor and that little girl tomorrow. They should teach you something more useful. Sylvania may be united internally, but its enemies won't be so kind to you." With that, Silea jumped down from the medicine cabinet, landed on the floor, and looked up at Waled. "Follow me. Come to my room. I have something to say to you."
"Alright," Waled shrugged, unsure why she suddenly seemed so proud. But he nodded and followed her. While he could afford to be a bit casual with her normally, when the cat was serious, it was best to do as she said unless he wanted trouble.
It was nearly midnight. Lady Winsor had already retired for the night, and the castle was patrolled by hordes of undead. Waled followed Silea to her room.
This was actually the first time Waled had been to Silea's room, so he looked around curiously once inside.
Silea's room was similar in size and furnishings to the ones Waled and Isabella used, except that instead of a bed, there was a large basket filled with velvet. There were also some yarn balls, a cat teaser, and catnip tablets scattered around.
"Stop looking around. Sit down!" Silea hadn't tidied up her room, and now that Waled had seen things he shouldn't have, she felt a bit embarrassed and slightly annoyed. She flicked her tail, sending a heavy wooden chair sliding over to Waled. Then she jumped onto another chair nearby.
Though it wasn't the first time he'd seen her in action, Waled was still amazed every time. He couldn't help but wonder where this seemingly frail housecat got such strength.
But seeing her like this, Waled didn't dare say anything more, fearing she might get angry and make him "forget" things in her own cat-like way. He obediently climbed onto the chair and sat down, then asked, "So, what's the matter that you called me here so late?"
Hearing Waled's innocent tone, Silea bristled. "You're asking me what's the matter?! Don't you know what you've done?!"
Waled widened his eyes, looking utterly clueless as he shook his head. Silea was so frustrated she almost laughed.
"In the past few hundred years, no family has ever found an ancient imperial tomb, let alone one belonging to a figure as famous as the 'Knight Emperor' Alanson! The whole of Sylvania is talking about it. Even the Sigmar Empire, the Dwarf Kingdoms, and the Border Princes have heard about it. The news has spread so far, and you're saying you don't know?!"
"Oh, that? Of course, I know about it," Waled nodded, then said something that made Silea even angrier: "But what does that have to do with me?"
Hearing this, Silea's fur stood on end. She stood up on her hind legs, claws out, and gestured at Waled. "You can't fool me! I saw you leave that day! And none of the sixteen undead who went with you came back! The very next day, this happened! If it wasn't you, who else could it have been?!"
"Who knows?" Waled continued to deny it.
"Then tell me, what were you doing when you left?!"
"I already told you, it was just a child's adventure or something."
"—If you're a child, then I'm a cat!"
This conversation was just as pointless as the one they'd had a month ago. Waled was determined not to admit anything, and Silea couldn't force him. Eventually, she gave up.
"Fine, let's drop it—for now. But there won't be a next time," Silea said, jumping down from her chair and slowly circling Waled. "From now on, I'll be stricter. Even if you bribe me with all the tomato-sauce fish or magic crystals in the world, I won't let you off the hook again."
"Wait, what?!" Waled hadn't expected this. He had just acquired a large number of skeletons and learned how to create tomb guardians. Given Tris's current attitude, learning how to craft other high-level undead wouldn't be too difficult. He had been planning to build an army, but now the cat had thrown a wrench in his plans.
"Don't be so harsh! I promise I won't go to dangerous places anymore," Waled clasped his hands together, bowing to Silea like he was praying. His promise wasn't entirely insincere. After all, he had already pulled off this heist, and his resources were now sufficient. He'd be too busy tinkering with his skeletons to go on any more adventures.
"—No!"
Though Waled was good at playing the victim, the black cat wasn't fooled. She had lived for centuries and could see right through his act. Still, seeing Waled's pitiful expression, Silea softened a bit.
"I don't know why you're in such a hurry, but I advise you to take it easy. You're exceptionally talented and have a bright future ahead. There's no need to rush.
Maybe you feel pressured because of your family, but you're still just a child. You don't need to worry about responsibilities or missions right now. You can afford to stay in the safety of adults' care, learning and playing. That's what you should be doing now.
Leave the rest to us adults. Don't worry, Sylvania has survived for thousands of years. It'll be fine."
At first, Waled thought her words made sense, but by the end, he couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Leave it to you… Why do I feel like you're the least reliable one?"
Hearing this, Silea's face turned red. She scratched at the air with her claws and said loudly, "…Anyway, that's all. Now go to bed!"
"Alright. Goodnight, Lady Silea," Waled said, a bit dejected, as he got off the chair and prepared to leave.
"Wait—there's one more thing," Silea called out just as Waled was about to leave.