Rather than taking a lot of knights with them, Ilya and Count Schatten decided to go on their own.
At first, Marquis Benedict didn't want to approve. However, he relented in consideration of the Count's abilities.
Similar to Ilya, Count Schatten was one of those sorcerers who could wield Manna as if it was a part of their body. The Marquis had no doubts that Count Mikhail Schatten would be enough to accompany Ilya. If he put Commander Halkias in the picture, he was confident that no harm could befall Ilya.
As of the moment, Ilya and Count Schatten were inside one of the establishments near the edge of the fire-affected areas. Since the citizens were not yet ordered to come back, that section of the capital was basically a ghost town.
"Where are we headed, Lady Gertrude?" The Count asked, peering outside of the window once in a while.
"We'll visit the mansion first. We'll go to the cottage where the children's bones were located next."
"What about the search for the Hamlin family? I assume you're pertaining to the former Count and Countess, Count Henry Hamlin, and his three children. Am I mistaken?"
Ilya nodded, replying with, "I'll be asking Baroness Corvich to take on the job. She runs a merchant guild specializing in locating people. Once we're done with our search, we'll pay the Baroness a visit."
As the Count was about to utter a response, the door opened with a resounding creak. The two darted their heads towards the entryway and found Commander Halkias standing there.
The Commander approached them right away, sitting on the empty chair beside the Count. He gave the both of them a bow before saying his greetings.
"I apologize for being late. Sir Kretov only told me to meet the two of you. What seems to be the matter?"
Ilya looked at the Count, and with her gaze, urged him to do the answering.
"We would like you to accompany us inside the Hamlin Estate. Lady Gertrude wants to do an investigation of her own."
Commander Halkias examined Count Schatten's face in silence. He then looked at Ilya who just gave him a nod.
"Did you know that the Empress pleaded to the Obelisk to allow her to take part in the investigation?"
At the mere mention of the Empress' attempt, Ilya began to laugh albeit softly. She immediately covered her mouth with her hand, but she still couldn't resist the temptations of mocking the Empress.
She fanned herself with her hand, a poor assay to calm her urges down. The two men found themselves looking at the Lady in an enthused manner. And soon enough, they shared her mirth yet strove to not show it on their faces.
After a moment or two, Ilya managed to calm down. She was back to wearing her apathy.
"Last time I heard, the Empress thought that the Emperor would go to war at her behest. I didn't know that she would be foolish enough to challenge the Obelisk. It's frightening how lunacy had penetrated that woman's mind."
Despite the disparaging words that Ilya had against the Empress, Commander Halkias and Count Schatten had no business confronting her.
It's already known in the entire Empire that the Empress was incompetent. She was even blatantly committing crimes, using other nobles as a scapegoat whenever her ruse would be unveiled.
Why did the Emperor marry such a woman?
Simple. It's because of the influence that her parents had. Besides that, she had no other redeeming qualities. She was only knowledgeable when it came to socializing.
As long as the Emperor stayed married to the Empress, the Empire would be entitled to a reduced tax rate for their cargo fleets and naval ships that docked in a foreign territory.
If the Emperor wanted to keep the benefits of his marriage to the Empress but also dethrone her, His Majesty would have to go to war and occupy the coastal nation in the east.
However, that was not an option yet for the Empire who had just undergone six wars even before the year ended.
"So, what did the Obelisk say?" Ilya queried as she leaned back on her seat.
"They did not respond at all."
Count Schatten chimed in, "To start with, what's her intention for making such a request?"
"I'm not certain, but maybe it's because of the vault underneath the main mansion. The Obelisk Sorcerers postponed opening it since they were summoned back to their headquarters."
Ilya, who got the urge to stand up out of the blue, lightly slammed her hand on the table.
"Commander Halkias, will you or will you not accompany us?"
Without a second of delay, Halkias was on his feet, compelling the Count to do the same.
"The Obelisk sorcerers will return in three hours. Until that time comes, you can do whatever you want. I'll escort the both of you."
With that, the three made their way towards the Hamlin Estate.
Along the way, Ilya could see how the Obelisk Sorcerers struggled to contain the fire. An entire district was burned to the ground, leaving nothing but ashes in their wake.
It took the group nearly a quarter of an hour to reach the Hamlin Estate proper. Ilya surveyed the area with an impassive gaze.
All at once, recollections of the fire that engulfed the Gertrude Dukedom flashed inside her mind. Ilya covered her eyes as she closed them, trying to endure the same headache that she had been enduring for years.
Both the Count and the Commander noticed her struggle. They stopped walking for a moment and turned to face Ilya.
"Lady Gertrude, are you alright?" The Count asked, "Do you want to rest for a minute?"
Ilya waved her hands, saying, "No, I'm fine. Let's be on our way."
The two men were aware of just how stubborn Ilya could be. So they didn't bother forcing their concerns on Ilya. They resumed their walk that very second.
Ensuing five whole minutes, they finally arrived at the area where the mansion was once standing.