How much time did Damien need to spend observing the study after his life form made its way there?
Realistically, the answer was several months. There was no such thing as being too cautious in an operation like this.
However, realistically, Damien didn't have nearly that much time.
There was a war going on, and a lot of things related to it needed him to complete this mission and get out of the Straea Clan.
The fact that they had Dante imprisoned was really the only thing the Straea Clan could hold over Void Palace's head.
The second he was saved, the palace would be free to act without restrictions.
Until then, they had to walk on eggshells and make sure they didn't do anything that could lead to Dante being lost.
Such an attitude wasn't fit for war.
Since the operation had already begun, it was too late for failure or extraneous thought.
Damien observed the study for a week.
The string-like life form he created for that purpose was doing its job properly. After leaving the body of the maid it inhabited, it managed to find the study quite quickly by tracing Malevalon's aura signature.
It was impossible for that life form to enter the study. The moment it did, it would be discovered.
But that was fine, since Damien had already seen the inside of that place.
He knew exactly where the key was placed. It never moved, because Malevalon had no reason to move it.
The position in which he placed it was already perfect.
Not being able to enter the study was definitely detrimental in some ways, but what Damien wanted was to find a way to get into that place without being noticed.
And more than that, he had to find an opportunity when Malevalon himself left the room.
However, over the week that passed, Damien realized that the opportunity he was looking for wouldn't come soon enough.
Malevalon simply wasn't leaving the study. No matter what happened outside, he stayed there, and even when he gave orders to his people, he did so remotely.
Was there a reason why he couldn't leave the study?
Damien didn't know.
From what he'd seen of the man, he was strong and healthy. There shouldn't have been any external circumstance that could force him to hole himself up in the study.
But that didn't change the fact that it was exactly what he did.
'I have no choice. I have to risk it.'
Damien's eyes narrowed.
Malevalon wasn't accommodating at all.
Well, that was obvious, but it was still annoying to experience personally.
If he wanted to pull this stunt off within the timeframe he allowed himself, he needed to take the risk of direct confrontation.
'In the worst case scenario…'
He made his way towards the manor.
'...it's not shameful to run.'
The path Damien took to infiltrate the manor was similar to the life form he'd sent prior.
He first snuck onto the periphery and scanned the area, checking for any formations or arrays.
There were hundreds, but none that could directly penetrate his stealth as long as he used Existence.
That was all the information he needed.
The rest he'd already done once, so it was just a matter of going through the motions.
Damien slipped through the cracks in the guard easily, and by the time he was inside the manor grounds, he had already changed his existence to mirror one of the maids he'd seen frequently go in and out of the main manor.
He didn't really have a choice, since there didn't seem to be any male servants allowed in the manor.
What happened from there…?
Well, it was fairly straightforward.
Damien found the maid he impersonated and kidnapped her into the Sanctuary for the time being. He took her place, doing her duties for a few days, before finally finding an opening to make his move.
The study was relatively deep into the manor, so there was no way for him to justify himself if he tried to approach it naturally.
As such, he needed to be a little careful about it.
First of all, he used his memories of the past few days to alter the original maid's memory and make her believe nothing strange had happened to her.
After that, he switched places with her once more, giving her life back to her.
As for Damien himself…
He'd turned into a familiar form, a stringy entity that didn't look like it could ever be alive.
He inched towards the study and made it outside easily, meeting up with the life form that had been waiting for him there.
Surprisingly, he didn't have any interaction with the main members of the Straea Clan during this time.
Was it because of Malevalon's strict rule? From the gossip of the other maids, it looked like they hardly made contact with people outside their family, and they spent most of their time hidden in their rooms training.
The Straea Clan had been laying low for a long time in order to execute the plans given to them by the Foreign Races.
The power they needed to execute those plans…
Now that Damien had seen how they lived, he could tell that they weren't aiming for something as selfish as the destruction of Void Palace.
Their goal was bigger.
But for now, that didn't matter, because they'd be exterminated soon enough.
From this point on, Damien had to be absolutely focused.
His first move was sending the inorganic life form into the study so he could see if Malevalon would notice its presence.
He did.
Damien didn't know exactly what happened, but the second that entity moved past the door to the study, it was eradicated entirely.
'This isn't looking good for me…'
Regardless, he had to push forth.
Damien covered his microscopic form in a layer of stealth formed through Existence and made his way inside.
"Huu…"
"Huu…"
"Huu…"
He could hear his own breathing, but it was all in his head.
His current body didn't need to breathe.
As he made his first move through the door frame, he held his mental breath and carefully inched his body forward.
It was a scary moment, imagining himself combusting instantly with no idea what happened.
However…
"Huu…"
Another breath.
He made it through without problems.
And the first thing he saw was Malevalon.
'He can't see through my mana.'
It was a relief.
But the moment Damien made his move…
He saw the Celestial Prison key on the desk. It was no more than a few feet away from him.
"Huu…"
Six feet…
Damien inched forward. He didn't think about anything but getting that key in his hands.
Five feet…
Malevalon still hadn't noticed his presence. The man was looking out of a nearby window, observing the world as if nothing could bother him.
4 feet…
Damien was close enough to grasp it, but to do so, he needed to return to his real form.
In that fraction of a second that it took for him to transform, Malevalon would notice his aura and attack. He needed to get closer.
Three feet…
Two feet…
The desk was only a single foot away.
The key that was on its surface was already within Damien's grasp.
Damien glanced over at Malevalon.
No matter how unaware the man looked, his suffocating aura made it hard to believe he would allow this heist to happen.
Damien glanced back at the key.
It was so close.
Even in the situation where he was indeed caught…
'Fuck it.'
Hesitation now was just stupid.
He gathered his resolve.
He focused all his attention on the single movement he'd have to do to get that key.
And without a single extraneous thought, he moved.
Instantly, the calm study was sunken into chaos.
