Loina’s voice rose in panic.

“Wait, what do you mean the door won’t open? That it’s locked?!”

“It’s exactly what it sounds like,” Arfa replied calmly. “Those people can’t leave because the door won’t budge.”

Ludger studied the mages hovering near the large wooden door. Their faces were grim as they inspected every inch of it, but judging by their stiffening expressions, they were getting nowhere.

“Move aside!”

One mage, unable to contain himself, hurled a spell at the door.

Whoosh!

A bright crimson blaze, scorching hot, shot toward the door, erupting in an explosive burst. Mages backed away from the shockwave, shielding their faces. But when the smoke and soot cleared, everyone’s eyes widened.

“Untouched.”

“No way... It endured that?”

The door stood unscathed, not even scorched where the flames had struck.

“Maybe it just wasn’t strong enough.”

“Then let’s go harder.”

Five mages cast spells simultaneously this time.

A massive barrage of magical power slammed into the mansion door, explosions erupting one after another. Mages watching had to raise shields to withstand the backdraft. The force was immense—surely it should have shattered.

But when the magic faded, the door was exactly the same as before. Not a scratch.

“Still intact? Even after that?”

“Then it’s not about force. It must require another method to open.”

The gathered mages frowned, muttering under their breath. If the observers were this frustrated, how much worse was it for those who had cast the spells? Some looked ready to try stronger magic, but were stopped by their peers.

“Don’t. That door isn’t something you can break by brute magical force. It’s definitely protected by an enormous magical barrier.”

“If magic won’t work, what about sheer physical power?”

The words made several heads turn toward Arfa.

If anyone could do it, it was the man strong enough to wrestle a Cheshire Tiger with his bare hands.

“Leader, should I try?”

“Give it a shot.”

Arfa nodded and stepped forward. The mages watched in silence as he approached the door.

“Hrrgh.”

He gripped the door with both hands and began to push. The air itself grew tense, as though constricted by the sheer pressure radiating from his body. Slowly, Arfa increased the output of his strength.

Crack, crackle...

The impossible happened—where magic had failed, raw strength had begun to work. The wooden door’s grain started to splinter and tear beneath Arfa’s palms.

“He’s actually... forcing it open?”

“Incredible. Even knights can’t usually exert this much power.”

A few of the mages, who had seen knights fight before, were awed. Whatever Arfa was, he wasn’t just an ordinary knight candidate.

But now wasn’t the time for speculation—getting out was all that mattered.

Arfa planted one massive foot forward, and the door began to break apart—until—

BOOM!

A sudden flash of light burst between Arfa and the door, sending him flying backward. He twisted midair and landed safely, but his face showed clear surprise.

The onlookers were just as stunned.

“The door... healed!”

Where Arfa had almost torn it apart, the damage had vanished completely. It was as though nothing had happened.

The weight of despair settled over everyone. Their last chance had slipped away.

“Arfa, are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” he said, regaining his breath. “But... something pushed me away. Just for an instant, it felt like the mansion itself rejected me.”

“And the door repairing itself confirms it,” Ludger murmured.

Magic couldn’t open it. Raw strength couldn’t either.

At that moment, everyone realized the same thing: they were trapped.

“Is there any way out?”

“How long until—?”

“What are the people outside doing?!”

The crowd murmured, though no one panicked enough to riot—yet.

Ludger gathered his own group to discuss.

“It’s safe to assume we’re trapped. The mansion won’t let us leave.”

Everyone nodded grimly.

Ludger spoke again. “Has anything like this ever happened before?”

Loina and Sempas shook their heads. Finally, Ludger looked at Rimle, who answered with unusual seriousness.

“No. Never. If it had, there’d be records of it.”

“Then this is the first time.”

“How much time do we have?”

At midnight, monsters would roam the mansion. No one knew what they looked like, how strong they were, or how many there were, but one thing was certain—at least half the people here would die.

“Four hours,” Rimle replied.

“Then we need to find a way out before midnight.”

“W-wait,” Loina interjected hesitantly. “The people outside will notice we haven’t come out. Maybe they’ll do something to open the door ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ from the outside...”

“That won’t work,” Ludger said flatly.

“Why not?”

“If it were that easy, we wouldn’t be trapped in the first place. No matter what they try outside, the mansion won’t open for them.”

“But—!”

“You’re clinging to hope. But we need to prepare for the worst case.”

Loina fell silent. Deep down, she knew he was right.

“And there’s something even more important,” Ludger continued in a low voice, only for their group. “You all saw it. There are killers here. Now ask yourselves—do you think it’s a coincidence we’re suddenly trapped?”

“You’re saying this is their doing?” Sempas asked.

“It’s the most reasonable assumption.”

But questions remained. The killers—the Black Dawn Society—what method had they used to trap everyone inside?

‘Leslie said preparations were complete. Maybe this is part of those preparations. Not necessarily their final goal, but definitely a necessary step.’

If they had the means to lock the mansion, then they might also have the means to unlock it.

‘The real problem is the Black Dawn’s presence.’

Sempas voiced Ludger’s own thoughts. “I don’t like that some of those suspicious people are still among us.”

“Wait, you think the killers are still inside?” Loina asked nervously.

“They’re not stupid. Some probably left before the lock activated, but not all of them.”

Ludger nodded. “They’re thorough. If they know how to manipulate the mansion, they’ll guard that function carefully.”

“But they’ll die too if they stay trapped,” Loina pointed out.

“They might have accepted that risk,” Ludger said simply. “The Black Dawn is full of lunatics.”

The picture was grim—trapped inside, with killers lurking, and monsters coming at midnight.

“Shouldn’t we tell the others?” Loina asked.

“That would only cause chaos. Worse, we might become suspects ourselves.”

“Right...”

“So what do we do now?” Loina asked helplessly.

“First, we find a way out.”

“You mean... another exit? Like a window?”

“If only it were that simple.” Ludger gestured toward the mages pounding uselessly on the windows. They were as immovable as the door, practically walls in disguise.

‘The only real option is spatial movement through shadows...’ Ludger considered, thinking of Aeter Nocturnus, but immediately abandoned the idea.

‘The magical density outside is too high. The coordinates would distort. Best case, I’d fall from the sky; worst case, I’d materialize underground.’

And revealing that he could teleport carried its own risks—it could expose his hidden identity.

So that was out.

“In the end, there’s only one way.”

All eyes turned to him.

“We find the ones who caused this.”

“The culprits?”

“They trapped us. Which means they also know how to get out. We find them, and we make them talk.”

“How?”

“We’ll figure that out,” Ludger replied coolly, scanning the gathered mages.

Somewhere among them, members of the Black Dawn were hiding. But how many? Originally there had been groups of ten, but some had probably left before the lock, making it impossible to know their exact numbers.

And their behavior was strange. Ludger was a First Order, one of their own—surely they knew he was here. Yet they went ahead with this plan.

‘Do they want me dead? Or are they proceeding because they can’t afford to delay, even for me?’

Likely the latter. His participation in Mystic Night and this mansion visit had been a sudden decision.

‘But I can’t request special treatment or private contact. The rules require a minimum group of five. Any deviation would violate them.’

The mansion’s rules were absolute.

‘Still, it means the mansion has a function to lock itself. And the Black Dawn either knows how it works or has reached the room controlling it.’

With over 300 rooms in the mansion, one likely held the key.

‘But finding it? Practically impossible without a clue. I need information about this mansion.’

Ludger stood.

“We’re moving.”

“Now?” Loina asked, startled.

“Thinking about it here won’t solve anything. Searching directly is better.”

“I agree,” Rimle said at once.

Sempas nodded too.

“Where do we start?” Loina asked.

“We return to the library. We need clues about this mansion.”

Ludger recalled the book he had read earlier. It had mentioned a master of the mansion—even if only a lingering spirit, it was still a lead.

They needed to find the room where the master had once stayed.