Police lights painted the mansion grounds in alternating shades of red and blue.
Ambulances.
Patrol cars.
Forensic teams.
The front lawn currently looked more like a fresh military skirmish than the private residence of one of the wealthiest families in the city.
Nearby, several black body bags were being loaded into medical vehicles.
Diana walked through the open front gate with her hands buried deep in her coat pockets.
A few officers noticed her arrival immediately.
One of them stepped forward to intercept her, but paused the moment he recognized her face.
The officer simply moved aside, his posture turning rigid.
“Miss Diana.”
Diana gave a brief, silent nod.
The police line parted without another word.
She continued up the driveway toward the grand entrance of the mansion.
Inside the main hall, Cammy, Bruce, and Felix were waiting.
The three hunters looked tired, their clothes dusty from combat, but they were otherwise unharmed.
Diana allowed a faint smile to touch her lips.
“I knew I could count on you guys.”
Cammy rolled her eyes, leaning against a marble pillar.
“Good evening to you too.”
Bruce was leaning heavily against the wall, his arms crossed.
Felix was slightly further away, quietly busy cleaning thick demon blood off his iron club with a rag.
Diana looked around the damaged hall, her eyes analyzing the wreckage.
“So?
What do we know?”
Cammy’s sarcastic demeanor immediately vanished, her expression turning serious.
“The first attack wasn’t a problem.
Small demons.” She pointed a finger toward the shattered remnants of the entrance.
“Maybe fifteen of them.”
Bruce shrugged from the wall.
“The estate guards handled some.
We handled the rest.”
Diana nodded slowly.
Reasonable.
Nothing unusual about a minor skirmish.
Then Cammy’s expression shifted into something darker.
“The problem was the second wave.”
Diana’s smile disappeared completely.
“Second wave?”
Felix finally spoke, his deep, rumbling voice filling the high-ceilinged room.
“Much stronger.”
Bruce folded his arms tighter.
“Smart, too.”
That specific detail caught Diana’s attention.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“Smart?”
“They didn’t just rush the entrance,” Bruce explained, pointing toward several tight clusters of bullet holes riddling the plaster walls.
“They used the weaker demons to wear everyone down first.
Tricked the perimeter security into expending ammunition.”
Cammy nodded.
“Then the stronger ones moved in right after the primary security positions were exposed.”
Now Diana looked genuinely interested.
Very interested.
Ordinary demons rarely showed tactical discipline or patience.
“Casualties?”
The room became profoundly quiet.
Cammy glanced toward the window, looking out at the covered bodies resting on the lawn.
“Seven guards.”
Bruce clenched his jaw tightly.
“Good men.”
Felix gave a slow nod.
“If we weren’t here…”
Cammy finished the sentence for him, her voice flat.
“The client would already be dead.”
Silence stretched across the hall.
Diana looked toward the upper floors, her mind calculating the data.
Seven dead.
Two distinct attack waves.
Organized tactics.
And despite all that effort, a target that was still currently breathing.
This wasn’t random violence from a rogue entity.
Somebody wanted J.
Marvin dead badly enough to spend high-grade demons just to crack his security line.
That meant one of two things.
Either someone very powerful was behind this.
Or something very powerful.
Diana smiled.
It was the specific kind of sharp, jagged smile that usually made entities extremely nervous.
“Good.”
Cammy stared at her, her brow furrowing.
“…Good?”
Diana started walking toward the grand staircase, her boots clicking on the marble.
“Because now I’m actually interested.”
Diana climbed the wide staircase, with Cammy, Bruce, and Felix following quietly behind her.
The second floor of the mansion was considerably calmer than the chaotic crime scene downstairs.
No flashing emergency lights cut through the windows up here.
No body bags.
No bloodstains.
There was just an uncomfortable, heavy silence hanging in the air.
Cammy stopped before a pair of polished wooden doors.
Diana nodded once.
Cammy pushed the doors open.
A man in an expensive black suit immediately stood up from behind a heavy mahogany desk.
He looked thoroughly exhausted.
There were prominent dark circles under his eyes, and his shoulders were completely tense.
He had the distinct look of someone who hadn’t enjoyed a full night of uninterrupted sleep in several weeks.
Beside him stood a beautiful young woman with an elegant posture and a naturally noble demeanor.
One of her hands rested gently on his shoulder, a silent gesture meant to offer him comfort.
Both of them turned toward the entrance as Diana stepped inside.
Recognition immediately appeared in the man’s tired eyes.
“Miss Diana.”
He approached her, offering his hand.
Diana accepted the grip briefly.
“Marvin.”
A faint, relieved smile appeared on his face.
“Welcome.
It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Diana’s gaze flicked toward the woman standing by the desk.
Marvin caught the look and quickly introduced her.
“This is my wife, Jean Marvin.”
Jean offered a polite, graceful bow.
“Welcome, Lady Diana.
It is an honor.”
Diana nodded, her expression unreadable.
“The pleasure is mine.”
Without waiting for an invitation, she pulled out a nearby chair and sat down.
Her demeanor shifted into business mode.
She crossed one leg over the other, leaning back slightly.
“So.
Tell me what happened.”
The atmosphere in the room turned serious again.
Marvin exhaled slowly, trying to steady his voice.
“My wife and I were walking through the backyard.” His fingers tightened slightly into a fist at his side.
“Then, out of nowhere, we were attacked.
The first demons appeared directly from the garden bushes.”
Cammy nodded from near the doorway.
“That matches our physical observations of the perimeter.”
Marvin continued, his voice dropping a fraction.
“If your hunters and my personal guards had not reacted immediately…” His voice trailed off into silence.
The conclusion to that sentence didn’t need to be spoken aloud.
Jean quietly squeezed his shoulder, her knuckles pale.
Diana studied the man for a few silent seconds, analyzing his expression.
Then she leaned back further in her chair.
“You’re apparently on the bingo list of every demon in the neighborhood.
And you still decided to casually take a stroll outside.”
Jean spoke up immediately, her voice defensive but polite.
“That was my fault, Lady Diana.”
Everyone in the room shifted their eyes toward her.
She lowered her gaze slightly, looking at the desk.
“Since my father-in-law’s passing, my husband has been under immense, constant stress.” Her eyes drifted back toward Marvin, softening.
“And these recent attacks have only made it worse.” A small, sad smile appeared on her lips.
“I simply wanted him to get some fresh air.
I didn’t think…”
Marvin shook his head, interrupting her firmly.
“No.”
Jean looked up, surprised.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Marvin said, his voice entirely resolute.
“I agreed to it.” He turned his focus back to Diana.
“We convinced ourselves that with such accomplished Demon Hunters protecting the estate, nobody would dare launch an open attack.” His expression darkened, his gaze drifting toward the window.
“We were wrong.”
The room fell into a heavy silence.
Outside the glass, the distant, muffled wail of police sirens could still be heard echoing from the streets below.
Marvin looked down at the lawn, watching the flashing emergency vehicles carry away the bodies of his staff.
“My mistake cost lives.”
No one answered him immediately.
Not even Diana.
Unlike many wealthy clients who hired hunters, Marvin wasn’t actively trying to shift the blame to his security team or circumstances.
He was carrying the weight of it himself.
Diana watched him quietly for several long seconds, observing his posture.
Then, she finally spoke.
“Good.”
Everyone in the room looked at her.
Even Cammy raised an eyebrow in confusion.
Marvin blinked, utterly caught off guard.
“…Good?”
Diana nodded simply.
“Because guilt means you’re actually paying attention.” She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.
“The people who genuinely scare me are the ones who watch others die for them and feel absolutely nothing.”
The office became quiet again, the weight of her words settling over them.
Then, Diana stood up smoothly.
“Now let’s figure out why half the demon population suddenly wants you dead.”
Marvin hesitated, looking at the door, then turned to her.
“Can I talk with you alone, Miss Diana?”
Diana shrugged slightly.
“Of course.
Anything that comforts you.”
The trio of hunters immediately understood the cue.
Cammy gave a brief nod.
“We will wait outside the office.” Bruce and Felix followed her toward the corridor, the heavy doors clicking shut behind them.
Marvin then turned his gaze toward his wife.
She gave him a small, reassuring nod, her hand leaving his shoulder.
“I’ll be outside as well,” Jean said softly.
The office door closed a second time.
Now, only Diana and Marvin remained inside the quiet room.
Diana leaned back against the edge of the desk, her arms crossed.
“So, what do you want to talk about?
Something so serious that you even sent your wife out?”
Marvin let out a long, heavy sigh.
“I know.
But this is something I haven’t even let my wife know about.”
Diana raised a single eyebrow.
“People are currently thinking these assassination attempts are happening because my jealous relatives and my father’s corporate rivals don’t want me to inherit his business and his will,” Marvin explained.
Diana nodded.
“Sounds reasonable.”
“It does,” Marvin agreed, nodding back.
“But that’s only partially true.”
Diana folded her arms tighter.
“Then what’s the full truth?”
Marvin walked slowly toward the large window, staring down at the alternating red and blue police lights painting the grass outside.
“My father had a lifelong passion for collecting ancient and historical items.”
Diana listened quietly, not interrupting.
“Some of them are insanely valuable in today’s market,” Marvin muttered.
A brief pause followed as he stared into the dark yard.
“And two specific items in his private collection are…
exceptional.”
A small, knowing grin appeared on Diana’s face.
She shifted her weight, sitting forward slightly.
“Now we’re finally talking.
So, what are these items, Marvin?”
Marvin remained completely silent for a moment, staring at the glass.
Then, he shook his head.
“Instead of explaining it, I would rather just show them to you.”
Diana smiled.
“Works for me.”
Marvin took a single step toward the private door at the back of the office before suddenly stopping dead in his tracks.
Diana raised an eyebrow at his hesitation.
“Hm?”
Marvin looked genuinely conflicted, his posture turning awkward.
“This may sound strange, Miss Diana.”
“That’s usually how strange things start,” Diana noted dryly.
For a moment, Marvin looked like he was about to completely reconsider saying whatever was on his mind.
“Please don’t take this as an offense.”
Diana folded her arms.
“Take what as an offense?”
Marvin reached up, scratching the back of his neck nervously.
“Do you know that you’re exceptionally beautiful?”
The question came so entirely out of nowhere that even Diana blinked in genuine surprise.
“What?”
Marvin immediately raised both hands in a defensive gesture.
“I apologize.
I know that came completely out of nowhere.”
Diana continued to simply stare at him, her face blank.
Marvin searched for the right words, his face flushing slightly.
“It’s just…
you have a very unusual appearance.
Your features.
The specific mix of Asian and European traits.
The way you carry yourself.” He shook his head, looking down.
“There is something distinctive about you.
I noticed it the exact moment you entered the room.”
Diana looked significantly more confused by the sudden aesthetic analysis than offended.
“Forgive me,” Marvin muttered, letting out a small, embarrassed laugh.
“I am explaining this terribly.
Please just ignore my rambling.” He moved quickly back toward the door, eager to change the subject.
“I would rather just show you the artifacts.”
Diana watched him for another silent second before shrugging it off.
“Fair enough.”
Marvin reached for the door handle.
“I’ll call some internal security and—”
“You don’t have to,” Diana interrupted him instantly.
Marvin paused, his hand hovering over the metal knob.
Diana stood up from the desk, straightening her white coat.
“We’ll go together.”
Marvin blinked.
“Just you and me?
But Miss Diana—”
Diana smiled.
“Don’t worry.”
Suddenly, a faint, hot red spark crackled sharply across the surface of the massive sword resting against her back.
For the briefest fraction of a second, the heavy weapon looked less like an inert piece of steel and more like a living thing responding directly to the tone of her voice.
Diana casually rested a gloved hand on its handle.
The red energy immediately settled down, comforted and calmed by her touch.
Marvin noticed the display.
Every single second of it.
Diana’s smile widened, her grip steady on the weapon.
“I got you.”
After a short moment of silence, Marvin slowly nodded his head.
“Very well.”
The two of them left the private office together, stepping into the hidden corridor.
The heavy door slowly swung closed behind them.
And somewhere deep within the silent mansion, the ancient secrets that had already claimed seven lives waited in the dark to be uncovered.