Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill

The land belonging to Kali's family was in a very remote region. At first glance, it truly looked like no one lived there.

The forest was lush and dense, giving the area a wild and untamed atmosphere.

But right in the middle of all that natural landscape, a narrow dirt path wound through the forest.

"That path leads to the heart of her land, where a house is. Last time, we didn't find anyone," Geneva said.

William was confident things would go differently this time. "Last time, you took way too long to get there. Not this time. Relax, it'll be fine."

He was visibly thoughtful. "What do you think about using my magical beast to fly over and take a look? Not riding it—just sending the beast itself."

Geneva liked the idea. After all, magical beasts flying around here wasn't unusual.

"Will that even work? Can you actually talk to your magical beast?" Geneva asked.

"Not talk, exactly. But I can see everything she sees. If the beast spots anyone at that house, we'll know for sure."

"That's perfect!"

Neither Geneva nor Rebo had any idea William could do something like that. They didn't know much about his powers—there were still so many things he hadn't revealed.

And so, it was decided. William commanded his magical beast to fly toward the heart of Kali's family land.

The beast obeyed and soared off. William sat on the ground, closing his eyes to concentrate. To see through the beast's eyes, he needed full focus.

Everyone remained quiet, giving him space. It didn't take long before his senses shifted.

"I'm seeing it," William said.

Kali's family land was vast, but the owl flew quickly. It soon reached the central area where the house was supposed to be.

And there it was—a large three-story wooden house. It looked fairly new, not at all like an abandoned building.

"Three floors, right?" William asked.

"Yes, that's the one," Geneva confirmed.

The first thing William noticed was that one of the second-floor windows was open. It might be nothing, but an open window in a place like this—especially without anyone in sight—didn't sit right with him.

The magical beast continued to circle, scanning the house. Aside from the open window, William also spotted signs outside—like a fire pit and some chopped wood.

Realizing he probably wouldn't spot anyone directly, William ordered the owl to return.

He opened his eyes. "I saw an open window, a fire pit, and chopped wood outside—but no people. Still, I'm almost certain someone's there. I had to call her back before they got suspicious."

Even though magical beasts flying around wasn't strange in that region, one circling a house over and over would definitely attract attention. William didn't want to ruin their chance to approach quietly.

"Alright," Geneva said. "That's already really helpful. It looks like they're still at the house. But how are we going to do this?"

William wasn't sure how it would play out either.

"Who do you think might be there with her? Her father, for sure—he ran away with her, after all. But what about the rest of the family?" William asked.

Geneva was just as lost as he was. "I have no idea how many people could be there, or what she's even doing."

They were almost at their final destination, so William wanted to clear up a few lingering doubts before moving forward.

There was something on his mind this whole time. Something he really wanted to ask.

"Tell me, Geneva… what exactly did Kali steal from you?"

It might've sounded like a silly question, but in a magical world, Kali could've taken any number of powerful things from someone like Geneva.

Geneva stayed quiet for a moment before answering. Rebo was curious too.

"She took a spellbook… kind of an occult one. It belonged to a Lich."

"Necromancy?" William asked, a little concerned. "That's pretty powerful magic if she managed to learn anything from that Lich's grimoire."

"Yes, I feel the same way. But I think it happened recently, so it's probably hard for her to have learned much yet. We'll be okay."

Geneva was trying to stay optimistic despite the situation.

"Let's keep moving, then."

The three of them followed the dirt path, making their way through the forest. Rebo was clearly shaken.

He might finally be about to meet the mother who had vanished without any explanation. At first, all he wanted was to find her—but now, he wanted to understand why she had done it. And more importantly, who she really was.

Kali had used a different name to marry Rebo's father and built a family under a false identity. That was already strange enough.

Now she was possibly involved with dark magic—necromancy.

William couldn't begin to imagine what Rebo was feeling, but he did his best to help calm him down.

After walking for some time, they finally reached the gate. The house was surrounded by a stone wall, with a front gate made of iron bars.

There was even a small guard post next to the gate, though no one was inside.

The three of them took cover behind some trees, watching the front of the house.

"So now what?" Geneva asked.

"We can't go through the front gate. If someone's in the house, they'll definitely spot us," William said.

"I think that goes for any approach," Geneva replied. "Even if we come from another angle, that big open area around the house means they'll see us before we even get close."

She had a point. There was a wide clearing between the forest and the mansion—no trees, no structures to hide behind. Getting close unnoticed would be nearly impossible.

"I'll look for some beasts in the forest and tame them. That way, I can send them to attack the house," William said.

It was a bold idea—and full of potential. William entered the forest. He was about to test just how many beasts he could tame at the same time.