Travellers - An Isekai, Cultivation Fantasy

"Yes, headmistress? How can I help you?"

"I want to talk to you about your servant, Olivia Higson, young master," the headmistress said politely.

"Oh, what is it? Speak!" he said curiously.

So, the headmistress took a deep breath.

Astoria was just returning to Henry's room, but she stopped upon hearing a familiar voice. She slowed down and placed her ear close to the door to listen in.

The headmistress voiced all her suspicions. From how she was unable to locate her family in the south, to how she would often ask strange questions about the treasury, and how the guards of the treasury had actually fallen asleep and Astoria had changed their food on that same day, how she thought Astoria would have been the perfect person to release the intruder, and how she entered her room late that night, and how she had recently been paying homeless boys to deliver messages to a suspicious man and how she would visit the rooms of random people.

Astoria was horrified, she didn't realise how close this woman had gotten to the truth!

The more Henry heard, the more he frowned and the more serious he became. After she finished, he didn't say anything for a long while.

"Do you have proof?" he asked simply.

The headmistress sighed. "Unfortunately, I don't young master. But I'm sure she's that man's helper! Everything only started going wrong once she came!"

"Enough!" yelled Henry, slamming the table and standing up to face the headmistress.

The headmistress and Astoria were taken aback.

"You should know better than anyone how hard Olivia works at her job and how well she takes care of me. All you have is speculation and circumstantial evidence at best. If anyone else had accused her of such grave crimes without proof, I would have had them punished severely!"

The headmistress was speechless, but Henry continued.

"Look, Headmistress Lydia Greyrat. You have worked so hard for my family for so long and I know you have my best interests at heart. However, all you have are speculations."

"So, her family isn't famous in her neighbourhood? Doesn't mean she's lying. Olivia asks me many questions about many things all the time, but she's a young girl from a poor neighbourhood, so it's only natural that everything is new to her and she's curious about it. And a lot of it is just to understand me better so she can better serve me which you can see from her actions."

"And you really think she drugged the guards to make them fall asleep? What would she get from that? Even if she did steal something from the treasury, what could she do with it? If she tried to sell it in the village, we can easily trace it. She'd get nothing from stealing apart from losing her job and a death sentence. Who would want to take such a big risk for a quick buck? She's not an idiot."

"And you believe she murdered the guards? You and I both know how saw how friendly she was with them. Did you not see how gruesomely the guards were stabbed and beheaded? Do you think she is capable of something like that? This is just ridiculous. And what she does privately and who she meets is none of our business."

The headmistress was at a loss for words. Indeed, without proof, all her suspicions could be explained away. Was she just overthinking everything after all?

No! If what she needed was proof, then she'd get it. Once and for all, she'll find proof of Astoria's treachery and convince Henry, or see the lack thereof, and convince herself that she was just overcomplicating everything.

"I apologise, young master. Please excuse me," the headmistress replied politely with a bow.

Henry sighed and sat back down.

"That's okay. Please don't talk to me about this again. You may leave!"

Outside, Astoria quickly ran and hid behind a corner.

She peeked and watched coldly as the headmistress left.

This woman is in my way…

After some time, Astoria calmed down and returned to Henry's bedroom.

She bowed to Henry and silently started cleaning the bedroom with a million thoughts racing through her mind.

This headmistress was too dangerous!

She had to deal with her somehow, but how? Poison? She couldn't access her food. Hire an assassin? But she couldn't afford one and there were too many ways for it to go wrong. Maybe she could silently kill her at night?

No!

'If something happened to the headmistress as soon as she started voicing concern about me, even someone as stupid as Henry would become suspicious!' she thought.

She couldn't do anything to the headmistress now.

No, she just had to work quickly, get the pill recipe, and leave this hellhole.

The search party was going strong for two more weeks.

"So, after all that, you still couldn't find them?" Byron asked coldly.

The guards hung their heads in shame.

"Useless, useless, USELESS!" Byron screamed.

It took a few seconds for him to catch his breath.

"That's enough, call it off."

"Chief?" the guard asked surprised.

"What? If you have more time, do you think you can find them?"

The guard looked down again.

"Humph! We have wasted too much time and resources on this already. If it weren't for the two guards being killed, I might have called it off sooner. But if we haven't found him for this long, then it is likely that he and his helper have left the village already."

"But chief if so-"

"If so, what?" Byron snapped. "You incompetent idiots would have spotted them at the gate and stopped them, would you? WOULD YOU? You couldn't even spot them running around in our own mansion!"

The guard who spoke hung his head in shame again.

"I said call it off, that is my final order."

Later, in Henry's room.

"So, they finally gave up, master?" Astoria asked.

"Yes, that's right," Henry sighed and leaned back on his bed. "I did not think that they would actually get away."

"Do you think he'll come back, master?" Astoria asked timidly, clutching her broom.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Henry got up laughing. "Those cowards don't have the guts. And even if they do, I already told you right? I will protect you!"

Astoria relaxed greatly upon hearing his words, but then she became worried again.

"You are kind as always master. However, it is not proper for you to risk your life for a lowly servant like me. If anything, should those intruders arrive, I will be your meat shield!"

"Hey!" Henry yelled.

Astoria jumped back, startled.

Henry got up and approached her confidently. He took the broom from her hands and chucked it away. Then, he took her palm in his and placed the other hand on her hip.

Get off me you piece of shit!

"Don't ever say that, Olivia. You are much more important to me than just as a servant, I hope you know that already."

"Um…" Astoria blushed and looked down shyly at her feet. "I'm not sure what master means by that."

Henry released her hand and lifted her chin up to make eye contact.

"It means, I love you, Olivia."

I want to puke!

Astoria pushed him away and backed up against the wall.

"What is master saying? A lowly servant like me, I am not worthy, master, I'm not worthy."

"You are, Olivia. I meant what I said. I-" Before he could finish the sentence, Astoria tried to run but Henry grabbed her hand.

"Please wait. It is okay if you genuinely don't like me, I won't force you. But if you have feelings for me too-"

Who has feelings for you, you arrogant pig!

"-then just let me know. I will deal with my father and everyone else. I will fight the whole world if that's what it takes for us to be together."

Astoria hesitated. "Living with master forever…" she muttered under her breath in a dreamy tone, as if she was mesmerised by the idea.

"But it is not possible for master to fight everyone. I cannot possibly expect master to take such a huge risk for me," she said defiantly.

Henry pulled her closer to him again.

"Then we'll run away. You just need to say the word and I will drop everything and run away with you in an instant. We can go anywhere you want and start a brand-new life together. Just you, and me."

Astoria blushed and looked away shyly once again. Then she freed herself from his grip and ran towards the door, but stopped just as she reached it.

"If master is serious… then I will think about it and let you know."

Without waiting for a response, she left.

What an idiot.

That night, a shady figure crept into the manor through the back door once again. This time, the figure was carrying a heavy-looking bag.

"That's a lot of money," Astoria whispered, closing the door behind Sam.

"It's what we need."

They slowly went upstairs to Henry's room.

Astoria had mixed some sleeping pills into Henry's food to make sure he would not wake up easily. They hid the money bag in his room and took his treasury room badge. Astoria also took Henry's dagger.

The duo arrived in the tunnels again.

Sam took out several objects from his pockets. First, he took out two masks. He gave one to Astoria before putting one on himself.

Then, he took out a round stone. It was a rank one artifact that he had spent a lot of money to buy. Stored within the stone was a colourless, odourless, but intoxicating gas.

Sam poured some mana into the artifact making it glow gently, before throwing it forwards. The stone seemed to melt and disappear into the air, but they knew that the gas had been released into the air.

They weren't sure if it would be strong enough to affect two steel body martial artists. The seller had guaranteed them that it would, but obviously, they couldn't take his word for it. So, they originally bought one for Sam to try out on himself.

The gas had knocked him out in a few seconds. After Astoria woke him up, the duo thought that even if the gas didn't have as much of an effect on perfect-stage steel body martial artists, it should at least be able to dull their senses and their minds.

At least, they hoped that it would. It was a gamble, but they had no other choice. So, they bought another one and came here.

They waited for five minutes for the gas to be fully released. There was no change from the guards, but they couldn't wait any longer.

Astoria looked at Sam and they nodded at each other. Sam stayed back and Astoria approached on her own, wearing a hooded cloak.

"Who goes there!?" asked the twin blades as they saw her approach.

They were feeling slightly drowsy as if they had just woken up and weren't able to see or think clearly. Due to the dim lighting, they could not see the face of the visitor very well as well.

However, the person handed them a badge.

It took a few seconds, but the guards managed to identify the badge and relaxed.

"Oh, it's just young master Henry, please feel free to enter," they said, returning the badge to Astoria, not thinking much of it.

She nodded and went into the treasury.

Finally, she was here!

Ten minutes later.

"What are you saying?" the headmistress asked.

"The suspicious man that Miss Olivia was meeting, I have been following him for a while and trying to discover his identity, but he has always been slippery. However, I saw him enter the mansion now. Someone opened the door and let him in!"

"What? You're telling me that that man is here?" the headmistress gasped.

"Yes!"

There was no doubt about it, he must have been the same intruder as before, and that someone who let him in, she had a very good idea of who that person was.

The headmistress immediately left.

I must stop them!

After Astoria entered, she began searching. The treasury wasn't large, but it took a while to search through the many boxes and items.

She couldn't find the pill recipe anywhere!

Astoria frantically looked around, before spotting one last, medium-sized, luxurious-looking box, placed in the corner of a shelf. It was locked and a key was placed on top.

She opened the box to see its contents.

A grand-looking scroll was placed inside. She took the scroll out and opened it.

It was the zenith pill recipe! She finally got what she came for!

Deciding to leave, she pocketed that box and a few other valuable items on her way back.

Once she left the treasury, she nodded at the guards and kept her head low as she left.

"Do you feel that the young master was acting strange just now?" Georgina asked George, as she slowly recovered from her drowsiness.

"Nah, you're just imagining things," he replied, and they both dismissed the weird feeling.

Astoria inwardly laughed as she quickly met up with Sam.

The duo walked back towards the exit, but they had to stop halfway.

"I would love to hear you explain yourself out of this one!" the headmistress said coldly.

It was undeniable now. She had caught them red-handed. Master Henry had to believe her now.

It's this old hag again.

"Headmistress please, just listen to me," said Astoria, stepping forward.

"I am listening, and soon, so will master Henry and chief Byron. And then the entire village will hear you both scream as you are publicly executed for your treachery!" she said coldly.

Astoria stepped forward again, "It doesn't have to get to that, headmistress."

"Of course it does!" she exclaimed.

Astoria went closer once more.

"Let me rephrase then. It won't get to that, headmistress."

The headmistress was getting a bad feeling now.

"What do you mean by that? Wait stay back! Stop getting so close!" she exclaimed, retreating backwards.

But Astoria stepped even closer.

"What I mean is this," she said, reaching into her pocket.

"I will not let it to get to that!"

The headmistress' eyes widened upon hearing that reply, and before she could react, Astoria was right in front of her and she felt a sharp pain in her chest.

The headmistress looked down in horror at a dagger stabbing into her chest, held in the smiling hands of a young girl.

The headmistress was already old, so she could not survive such an injury. Astoria removed the dagger and the headmistress collapsed onto the floor, in a pool of her own blood, splashing some blood all over Astoria's clothes.

Sam was stunned.

Before he could figure out an escape plan, the headmistress was already dead.

He had never met such a ruthless person before!

"Let's go!" Astoria exclaimed before running towards the exit again.

However, just as they were about to leave, they were stopped once again. This time, by a strange man wrapped in dark clothes, looking like a ninja.

The headmistress' dog has delivered itself to my feet.

The man was startled to see Astoria and Sam. He was sure that the headmistress went this way, but she was nowhere to be seen.

'Then that must mean…'

He looked at the duo and noticed the blood on the girl's hands and clothes. The spy had a moment of realisation and immediately turned around and fled.

He was just a spy! He wasn't even a martial artist.

Astoria already guessed that would be the case.

Martial artists rare. Hiring them would be too expensive for a headmistress. He was just an ordinary human who had the skills of a spy. So, he could not defeat these two, or rather, he could not defeat Sam.

"Stop him!" Astoria commanded.

Sam obeyed, drawing his sword and chasing after him.

There was no comparison between a martial artist and a non-martial artist. Sam caught up within a second and plunged his sword directly into the spy's chest. The spy coughed out blood, and then Sam removed the sword, causing him to collapse onto the floor, dead.

"Well done, now let's go!" Astoria exclaimed.

The duo finally exited the tunnels and reached the mansion gate. Astoria gave Sam the Zenith pill recipe that she stole from the treasury.

"Be careful!" she said to Sam.

"You too!" he replied before leaving.

After seeing him off, Astoria closed the door and headed back into the mansion.

In Henry's room, Astoria carefully replaced the badge into his pocket.

She washed the dagger but made sure to leave some bloody stains on it. Then, she sheathed and returned it to Henry's side.

Afterwards, she took out the money bag she had hidden previously and dragged it into the centre of the room. She hid the remaining treasures she stole in the money bag. Completing that, she spent some time packing away Henry's things, and then changed out of her bloody clothes into clean ones and hid the bloody clothes in a corner.

Finally, she took a deep breath and approached Henry.

Henry was dreaming about his life with Astoria. He was living in a small house with a huge outdoor field. His wife, Astoria, was standing next to him, laying her head on his shoulder, as they both watched their children playing in their field through the windows.

Suddenly, Astoria looked towards him.

"Master Henry! Master Henry! Wake up!"

Huh?

"Wake up, Master Henry, wake up!"

Henry awoke in a panic, stupefied.

"Olivia? What are you doing in my room this late? Did something happen?"