As dawn lifted and the round sun rose in the morning, the usually tranquil sky contrasted sharply with the noisy corridor of the inn.
– Bang, bang, bang!
Several knights clad in armor were banging loudly on the door.
Brian hurriedly opened the door and stepped out of the room in response.
"What is going on?"
Brian looked perplexed by the sudden intrusion.
"An emergency decree has been issued throughout all of Saphern! We are to conduct a collective investigation on outsiders, so everyone in the rooms must come out now!"
The knight showed Brian an official document emblazoned with the Saphern crest, demanding cooperation.
Brian's face broke into a sweat upon seeing the order.
"Could we, perhaps, be granted some leniency to prepare? If you give us the location, we will come to you, but could you allow us some time right now?"
"Leniency? Do you think we are playing around here? Come out immediately unless you want to be dragged out forcibly!"
"Well, it's just that our young master is still asleep. He strictly instructed to not be awakened until it's time for him to rise on his own…"
"Young master?"
The notion of a young master staying in a common inn was met with derision from the knight. It was laughable to think that nobility, who valued their dignity more than life itself, would be staying in such a place.
"If you don't come out by the time I count to three, I will consider it non-compliance and begin forced removal!"
The knight counted with his fingers.
"One!"
"Please wait, sirs! It really would be a huge mistake!"
The knight paid no heed.
"Two!"
"This could very well lead all of you to the realms of death…!"
"Three!"
With the count of three, the knight kicked the door open, pushing past Brian.
Upon entering, the knight found Sian sitting on the bed, his torso bare.
He seemed to have just woken up, evident by his dazed expression.
"…?"
After the knight's brazen entrance, a heavy silence ensued.
Sian's long, smooth physique was marked by a multitude of scars that seemed out of place on his youthful face—a hint to his experience on countless battlefields.
The situation felt like stumbling upon a tiger's lair when expecting a rabbit's hole; everyone who entered the room was at a loss for words.
"Have you awakened, young master…?"
Brian was the first to regain his composure and cautiously asked.
"I woke up because it was noisy."
Sian glared with eyes filled with killing intent.
Brian's body froze under that intense gaze.
"What did I tell you last night?"
Sian's voice was filled with irritation.
"That you should not be awakened until you wake up on your own…"
"And what is this? I clearly didn't wake up on my own, did I?"
"I tried my best not to wake you, but there was an unavoidable situation…!"
Brian trembled as he looked towards the Saphern knight, wanting someone to assume responsibility.
The knight, previously dazed, quickly shook his head.
"According to the emergency measures of Saphern, all outsiders must undergo an urgent investigation! We are here to request your cooperation, but…"
The knight's voice faded to a whisper.
"Are you, by any chance, the son of a distinguished family?"
Realizing that something was terribly wrong, his tone switched to that of a higher register.
Sian simply stared intently without responding, the oppressive aura silencing the knight.
The silence was broken by Brian.
"Our young master is Cian Vert, the son of Duke Vert of Belias! We were on our way to Rowen for the Royal Academy!"
Brian quickly showed the Vert family crest to the knight.
Upon seeing the insignia, the knight's eyes widened before he promptly sheathed his weapon and bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle.
"I apologize for not recognizing you, the noble son of the Vert ducal family!"
The remaining knights also hastily bowed.
"...."
A prolonged silence followed.
Sian, his gaze still stern, began to slowly dress.
Watching him, Brian thought:
He had just saved many lives this day…
* * *
"Emergency measures for outsiders?"
"Yes, that's correct!"
"Why all of a sudden? Has someone stolen the tax evasion money hidden in the storeroom?"
The knight's face turned pale with fright.
"Spe, speaking of such grave matters! No, it's not that; our lord, Lord Farquad of Saphern, has gone missing since last night…"
Farquad?
Where have I heard that name before?
He's certainly one of the prominent members of an imperial noble family.
"Are you referring to Farquad Nephris of the Count Nephris family?"
"Yes, exactly! After the sudden death of the previous lord a year ago, Lord Farquad took over the rule of this region!"
Unbeknownst to me, one of those bald guys was managing this place.
The Nephris family is one of the three major wealthy families of the empire, backing the current Empress Cassandra Nephris.
Right now, it must be Count Randolph Nephris at the head of the family.
And this Farquad lord must be his brother.
But how can a lord just go missing? How incompetently must his guards have acted for that to happen?
"What does a lord going missing have to do with outsiders like me?"
"Ah, well, that is, it's a bit difficult to explain, but…"
The knight hesitated, as if trying to hide something.
"You were going to interrogate us all anyway, right? You must have intended to talk about it. Don't beat around the bush, just tell me."
It seemed as if the roles had reversed, with me questioning them instead of the other way around.
After some back and forth, the knight reluctantly closed his eyes and disclosed.
"Actually, we suspect our lord may have been kidnapped, not simply missing…"
"Kidnapped?"
I pressed on with my questions.
"Who are the suspected kidnappers?"
"We're not certain yet, but you know of the organization that has been mentioned recently? The one that worships the Black Mist, those Mist followers…"
They're losing their minds.
I confirmed last night that they're not here.
Now, every time something happens, do they just blame the Mist by default?
And they say kidnapping, but if it was really the Mist, wouldn't they have simply killed the victim instead of abducting them?
It's more plausible that someone pretending to be the Mist kidnapped a lord…
Wait a second.
When I think about fakes, I suddenly remember last night's events.
This couldn't possibly be…
"Is that Farquad lord bald?"
"Yes…"
The knight replied promptly, without hesitation.
A masked kidnapper and a bald noble.
It seemed more and more likely that the person I saw last night was actually Farquad.
Just great, unintentionally getting entangled in unnecessary matters again.
"Honestly, we don't think it's a very likely situation! Our lord is not of the sort to have attracted the contempt of such dark fellows!"
Such nonsense.
Do they think I'm unaware of the real sordidness of that bald family?
If they knew they'd all be executed for treason later, they'd likely pass out in shock.
"But because strange black smoke was seen in the room from which our lord disappeared, we included those potential imposters among our suspects. We were conducting investigations on outsiders as a precaution when we came here."
"So you were conducting urgent investigations under suspicion that the perpetrators might be in disguise among outsiders?"
"Yes, exactly! You have a keen insight!"
He kept babbling more than necessary.
What an exemplary knight he seemed to be.
Despite claiming to be a noble's offspring, I doubted he could amount to much.
I stood up.
"Alright. I understand, so let's end this. Leave now."
"Excuse me?"
The knight looked dumbfounded.
"I said the investigation is over. You're no longer needed, so leave."
Of course, when I said the investigation was over, I meant my own and the fact that they were no longer needed meant the knights.
They must be bewildered, having come here to conduct an investigation only to be interrogated themselves. But what can be done?
At least it's clear that I'm not the perpetrator.
After almost chasing out the dim-witted knights, I immediately started preparing to leave.
"Where are you going, young master?"
Brian, who had been observing the situation, asked, bewildered.
"For a stroll."
"In the morning?"
"It won't take long. Have everything ready for when I return, so we can set out immediately."
"Yes, I understand!"
The journey to the Academy might be long, but there's a saying for times like this: "More haste, less speed."
I'm not trying to solve any meaningless kidnapping case, just casually observing my surroundings with a leisurely mind… what a load of nonsense.
I'm simply too bothered to leave things as they are.
Now that the culprit has seen my face, if I were to just leave, who knows what kind of trouble might spark?
I turned my steps back to the alley where I had spread the fog last night.
Despite the rising sun in the morning, the alley was just as deserted as the night before.
Once I made sure no one was around, I closed my eyes again.
"Black Mist 4th Form: Sensing Killing Intent!"
A little fog escaped my collar and seeped into my eyes through my throat.
The fog-covered vision turned everything black, changing the world to a monochrome palette.
However, this monochrome world was nothing more than a useless background.
– Fwoosh!
Gradually, a red glow began to shine through my focused pupils.
Over the elongated walls and densely built buildings, it emitted a strong light.
It's the same.
The same killing intent as the one I sensed last night.
I crossed the alley quickly towards the source of the red light.
The place I arrived at was in front of a dilapidated house.
It didn't seem deserted, but it was so old that nobody would question it if it were called an abandoned house.
Or rather, it was a suitable place to dump a body or to confine someone.
I naturally knocked on the door.
– Bang, bang, bang!
I waited a minute after knocking.
Despite a couple more knocks during that time, there was no response from within.
Is he pretending not to be there despite sensing someone around?
I was about to forcibly break the door when I took a step back to position myself.
This rotten old wooden door could easily be broken with a punch, no need to draw Ceyram…
– Creeaak.
As I had barely clenched my fist, the door opened with a creaking noise.
"Who's there?"
"…?"
I was caught off guard.
The person who opened the door was not the middle-aged man I expected, but a girl who looked about my age.
Moreover, she was leaning on a crutch under one leg…
"I'm sorry, my leg is not in great condition, so it took me a while to answer."
I glanced down at her leg subtly.
This was more than just a bad condition.
The girl's left leg was completely twisted below the knee and wrapped tightly in white bandages.
As I lifted my eyes to meet hers, I saw nothing but innocence untouched by the hardships of the world in them.
Did I make a mistake? Am I at the wrong place?
While I was still doubting whether it was actually the house behind that I had mistaken, another person appeared from inside the house.
"What's the matter, Sal… Gasp!"
He was a middle-aged man with streaks of grey in his hair.
The moment he saw my face, he went pale as if he had seen a demon.
I could tell by the way his eyes trembled like aspens.
I had found the right address.