There was a knock on the door, which made Gabriel wake up from his sleep. This time, he didn't dream of that sword. If anything, he didn't dream at all, as if something was blocking him from even entering dreams.
Gabriel got off the bed, donning proper clothes before opening the door while still rubbing his eyes as if he was still sleeping.
As the door opened, Gabriel was greeted with a beautiful maid, standing on the other side. The maid had a tray in her hand, which appeared to contain breakfast.
The maid respectfully greeted Gabriel before informing him that she was here to bring him breakfast.
Gabriel didn't think much and moved aside, allowing the maid to enter with the tray, carrying food.
The aroma of delicious food filled the room as she placed the tray on the table, arranging everything.
However, she didn't leave right away.
"Young Master, I heard that you're here to help the family?" The maid asked, as if she was just curious.
However, her seemingly innocent question made Gabriel frown. "What if I am?"
"N-nothing. It's just that there were many people before you. And most of them died. So I just wanted to remind you to be careful, if you're really hellbent on working with the Stein Family. Who knows, what might happen..." The maid kept her head down, even as she spoke.
However, to Gabriel, her words clearly sounded like a threat, no matter how tame she behaved.
It was clear that she was someone who was working for the other clans, while staying in the Stein Family.
"Is that a threat?" Gabriel asked, maintaining his calm as he closed the door behind him.
The maid was slightly taken aback. However, she soon regained her composure. "I wouldn't dare. I was just worried about you, since I've seen so many things happen. I just thought I should alert you so previous tragedies don't happen again.
"Is that so?" Gabriel pulled a chair, sitting right before the table where the breakfast was placed. "Then what do you suggest I should do?"
"If I was in your place, I would've left the Stein Clan as soon as possible. Life is more important than treasures," the maid vaguely replied. However, it was clear just what she was talking about.
"That's true. Life is more important than treasures. However, what's a poor life without any wealth? Isn't that simply a life that no one wants?" Gabriel asked. "If I leave, won't I be the biggest idiot? Not only will I not get any money, but also I'll be chased by the Stein Clan for revenge..."
"That's true. But you can... Work with the other Clans?" The maid said, as if she just wanted to give Gabriel a hint. "I'm sure they'd be willing to pay you for doing nothing."
"Is that so?"
"That's right. In any case, even if you join the Stein Clan, you probably won't succeed in the Shadow Garden. That place is scarier than one can imagine. So instead of doing something and dying, isn't it better to do nothing and still get a profit through the other clans?' the maid replied.
It was as if she was revealing her true thoughts, now that she had started receiving a positive response from Gabriel.
"That's true. If I can earn wealth and support without doing anything, why would I risk my life. However, are you sure the other clans will work with me? I don't even know how to contact them. Moreover, I'm not even sure how much, if anything, will they pay me."
Gabriel started eating breakfast, after making sure it wasn't poisoned. Even though he was mostly immune to poison, he was still careful.
"Don't worry about it. I know some people in the other clans. I can talk to them for you!" The girl grew excited. "As for the rewards, you don't even have to worry about that. The Stein Clan looks big, but they're much poorer than the other clans. If anything, the other clans will only reward you with more than you're getting here!"
"What do I have to do in return? Shall I leave right away?" Gabriel smiled, taking the first bite of the breakfast that was somewhat delicious.
"N-no! Cough, I mean you should wait for the deal to compete first. The deal should be finalized until a few hours before everyone is to enter the Shadow Garden. All you have to do is change sides at that time!"
As the maid spoke, she was having a hard time hiding the greed and malice in her eyes.
"Alright. You can take care of the negotiations." Gabriel smiled in response, but didn't do anything else.
He simply watched the maid leave. The door was closed again after the maid left.
Gabriel's smile disappeared, and he focused mainly on the food.
"She's quite bad at controlling her facial expressions. I'm surprised she survived as a spy in this clan for so long. Is the Stein Family so stupid?"
He could only shake his head lightly, finishing the dinner.
After he finished, he left the room to roam through the Stein Clan premise. Now that he was a respected guest here, he was allowed to go anywhere he wanted, barring a few Forbidden places where only the clan members could enter.
Fortunately, he didn't have any intention of going to those places. All he wanted was to see the giant golems that felt somewhat familiar to him.
They were created using the legacy in the shadow garden. For them to feel so familiar to him, even though it was his first time seeing them made Gabriel quite intrigued about them.
As he left the clan building, a few guards accompanied him. Even though the excuse was that they were following him to protect him from any danger.
However, Gabriel was sure that they were there to keep an eye on him, in case he left the clan. They had to make sure he didn't meet the other clans while outside.
Gabriel just let them follow him, not caring much.
