Chapter 19

It was faint, but it was there. First, there was the brawl site next to the road that had traces of his and his unknown companion's Energy, and now here. The fort they infiltrated was a small one. This realm's residents' Energy Arts were not developed enough, so this place didn't have proper measures to defend against their methods. They didn't even notice the four shadows heading to the fort's dungeon. 

Half of the cells were filled with roughed-up humans. The four shadows scattered to investigate further. Most of these humans had traces of their prey on them. So, some of them surely had the information they needed. The shadows reached their heads and penetrated deep into their brains. They quickly infiltrated their simple minds without encountering any resistance. How could they resist, when they didn't even know what was happening? 

Their bodies started to flutter unconsciously. The shadows didn't want to waste any more time, so they were being too rough on them. The fluttering bodies soon stopped moving and lay there while staring into emptiness. Any form of mind manipulation should be handled carefully, otherwise, the side effects are inevitable. Not that it was important right now. 

One of the most recent memories of the prisoners was about a brawl, the one the shadows notice along the way. And their prey was there, inside a cage for who knows what reason. Also, there was a young woman who seemed most likely to be his companion who fought against the owners of the memory. Her movements and Energy Arts were sketchy at best, she was probably a beginner. She was no treat but a convenience that was easy to track down. 

The four shadows left as they came to meet the other two who were searching for other traces in the area. They both shared the information they got and tracked traces along the road to find their prey. 

*** 

"Is there anything less... fancier?" 

Elise was looking at her reflection in the mirror. But this time, she was wearing a blue dress, prepared by the maid. And it was horrendous. It had a stupidly wide skirt and an unreasonably tight waist. There were useless arrays of frillies all over it. They even had to remove the sleeves because they were so tight around her arms. 

"Is it not to your liking, my lady?" The young maid asked with a troubled face. 

"It is just a bit... not my type, I guess." Why did this thing have to be this tight on the shoulders? It was so uncomfortable. At least her arms were open. 

The young maid also noticed it. "Sorry, my lady. The tailors only had your old measurements, so there was nothing they could do in such a short time. This is the best they could prepare for tonight's dinner." 

"Why this much preparation? I am only having dinner with my father." 

The maid paused in the middle of the jewelry selection. "My lady, you are not only having dinner with your father but the royal family as well." 

"...What?! Why?!" Why would they even want to see her after all that happened and those rumors? 

"Why, I have no idea, my lady. All I know is that the Lord and the young Lady Vandenberg are both invited to dinner with the royal family and their closest attendants." 

Oh, this was bad. This could end up really badly. She thought she was going to stay arrested in her chambers and called when the court had gathered. If they were going to start questioning her in the middle of dinner, without the Traveler there, she would have to do all the explaining and self-defense. She needed more time to think before all that. What was she going to do now? 

The maid must have realized her panicked state, and she tried to soothe the situation. "I am sorry, my Lady. I thought you knew. I would have said so if I had known. But don't worry, you look more than ready." 

It was a useless attempt. Because she knew, she was not ready at all. There was only an hour or two left, she needed to get her thoughts straight before dinner. While the maid attempted to cheer her by showing the jewelry options they had, she had already gotten lost in thought. 

*** 

They were suspicious. All the reports about the Fort Licarus incident were not making any sense at all. Avir Fortis, the Commander of the King's Guards and the military aid of King Arteon Alethani, was investigating the situation in the Fort Licarus dungeons in his office. The curtains were open, and the moonlight was starting to light the room. He was never fond of the bright lights they placed all over the Royal Castle, his good old candles were enough for him. 

The reports had come at dusk, and they were saying eight prisoners had gone mentally disturbed out of nowhere. No known cause, no evidence, and no eyewitness. Nothing. Eight bandits, healthy as a bull, suddenly became a vegetable. They had already questioned about the assault on the Investigation Bureau officers and the daughter of the House Vandenberg. They were bought by those eight and their leader, who was in the Royal Castle's dungeons now. After some investigation in the fort, they found out someone even bribed two guards of Fort Licarus to get those eight prisoners out on the night of the event. 

There were too many traces that were not getting anywhere. Who were those bandits? What was their purpose? Who hired them? And what happened to them? 

Even Lord Regory had come to him, asking about the bandit attack and the rumors about her daughter. They knew each other from their younger days. They were trained in the same division for years. But he couldn't say anything to him about the situation. There were just too many... 

He suddenly stood up and reached for his sword that was resting at the side of his desk. He was focused on the windows and was sure that he saw a shadow move over there. He was the best swordsman in the Kingdom, a Blessed one at that, so he had his fair share of enemies. But was there someone mad enough to attack him in the middle of the Royal Castle? 

He looked around the room without drawing his sword. A sword was not meant to be drawn unless there was a necessity. But he could not find anyone or anything related to what he saw. He relaxed and rubbed his face slowly. He must have been getting old; his responsibilities were exhausting him more and more these days. He was even seeing things. 

He called his squire and gathered the reports to send them to the Investigation Bureau. Even if this were a matter of a military fort, they would be better off solving its mysteries. He gave the reports to his squire to be delivered and headed to the dinner to which he was invited.