“Make way! Make way!”

Two guards riding on top of horses shouted at the top of their voices as they parted a path through the crowd while holding up a badge with a symbol of a crossed sword and shield. Following close behind them was the rest of the guards, including myself, on horses that had been left behind when we entered the narrow alleyways.

As I sat on the same horse as the commander, the wind whipped my hair into my face as we galloped through the crowd. I could visibly see a range of expressions from confusion to anger as people jumped aside to let us pass, some even narrowly missing hooves on their faces. Once again, I had a bad feeling about the amount of attention we were getting. Although it was inevitable because of the seriousness of what was happening, how were we going to explain it to the townspeople later?

But that was not what we should be focusing on right now. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. What I had to do was concentrate on saving Lady Liliana.

“Commander, can I check with you regarding something?” I asked.

“Of course,” the unit commander answered steadily as his eyes continued to be trained forward.

“The silver-haired girl mentioned something about the captured boy not being able to cast magic in the cage that he and Lady Liliana were in. I suspect there might be negating magic on the cage,” I spoke as I turned my head to the back to face the commander.

“If the cage were specially made such that a high-level negating spell has been cast on it, it would make sense for me to be unable to feel the location of Lady Liliana’s magic crystal once she was placed into the cage. And then after she passed it to the girl, I was able to feel the location of the magic crystal again.”

“What do you think?” I asked tentatively.

The older man met my searching eyes with a nod. “Yes, that is what I suspect as well.”

His affirmation gave me more confidence in my theory, and I heaved a sigh of relief. I sat up straighter and continued, “But spells that can negate magic are very high-level spells that few magicians are capable of performing. Especially for a negating spell that can continuously negate a person’s magic. I have a feeling that the kidnappers we are dealing with are not your run of the mill kidnappers.”

My eyebrows drew together, and I gripped the saddle tightly.

“Your Highness, pardon my words, but I think that you have forgotten something very important.”

“What is it?” I asked in alarm as his words had caught me off-guard.

“You were attacked. Anyone who dares to attack the Prince of the country can’t be your run of the mill kidnappers,” he replied dryly. “They are either stupid or extremely confident.”

I was intrigued by his response. “So which one are they?” I asked curiously.

“Both. But more stupid, I’d say,” he answered. “I have a feeling they are not going to be a very useful source of information either.”

“That is quite true. We were not able to find out anything from them regarding the location of Lady Liliana,” I agreed.

The unit commander stared at me for a few moments before giving a wry smile. “It is more than that I am afraid.”

“At any rate, Your Highness wishes to save Lady Liliana, correct?” he suddenly asked.

“Of course!” I replied instantly. Was it a question that even needed to be asked?

“Since we have some time before we reach the town hall, let us go through what has happened,” he said matter-of-factly.

“As you know, we have shut down all the gates after we have found out about Lady Liliana’s kidnapping. My main worry was whether the kidnappers had dashed straight out of the town after the kidnapping because it will make our close down meaningless and our search operations more complicated. However, with the words of the girl, we can conclude that the kidnappers are still in town, which makes things easier. Also, the girl mentioned about the kidnappers moving out. Although we should take her words with a pinch of salt, I believe that they have moved out as well.”

I stared at him as I tried to encourage him to continue his words with my eyes.

The commander gave a slight smile. “When did you start feeling the signal from the magic crystal?”

“It should be less than an hour ago.” We had moved out of the town hall that we were using as our base of operation the moment I felt the magic crystal’s location.

“Isn’t it strange how the kidnappers had chosen not to go after the silver-haired girl even though she escaped? Even if she is not important, it is still normal to capture her back because she might divulge important information. This can mean two things, one, it is a throwaway hideout, and two, they have prioritised another thing to do, which I suspect it to be moving out from their hideout.”

“However, here comes the second question. If you are a smart kidnapper with a good intelligence network, why would you have chosen to move out even when the gates have shut down? What do you think it means?”

“They have the confidence to escape even if the gates are shut down?” I concluded.

“That is probably so.”

“But how do they plan on doing that?” My heart sunk at the thought that Lady Liliana could have been brought out of the town already.

“That is what we are going to find out,” the unit commander said before he tightened the reins. The horse responded immediately and stopped right at the front of the entrance to the town hall. Before I had realised, we had already reached our target place.

The unit commander leapt off the horse stylishly before turning to help me. However, before he helped me down, he looked into my eyes and gave a wry smile.

“I feel like I am going to be laughed at again for sounding like an old man, and pardon me for saying this, but I think that it is the job of adults to guide the younger generation.”

“You was feeling frustrated earlier, correct?” he asked frankly.

I kept quiet as I looked on the ground. The unit commander was right, but there was a part of me that did not want to admit to him.

“Your Highness is still young and inexperienced. Even though many things are frustrating now, all of us at the Royal Guards are here to assist you. However, there are certain times where you will need to make the decision as the person with the highest rank. I hope that you can bear this in mind.”

While I was still pondering over his words, he lifted me off in a smooth movement.

“Let’s go.”

*****

After we had successfully overpowered the assailants and discovered Lady Liliana’s disappearance, we had informed the town mayor immediately and set up a command centre in the town hall.

The moment we stepped into the town hall, two guards wearing the amour of the local guards rushed up to us with their metal boots clanking as it hit the tiled floor. They were all assigned to provide their full cooperation.

“Commander! There is a small commotion at the East Gate. They say that a black carriage was trying to get past the gate and was making a huge fuss. After we tried to stop it, it ran off in another direction. We are sending guards after the carriage now!”

One of the Royal Guards behind us spoke up excitedly, “The carriage that took away Lady Liliana was black! Could it be the same one?”

The unit commander shook his head. “No. They are not in a carriage,” he said decisively. “The girl said that Lady Liliana was kept in a cage that blocks out magic. A carriage will not be big enough for them to store a cage of that size.”

Turning to two of the guards behind us, he commanded, “Send out instructions to look out for any covered caravan and wagon large enough to keep a cage large enough for two kids.”

“Yes!” the two guards shouted as they saluted back before rushing off deeper into the hall.

“The black carriage.” The unit commander turned back to the armoured guards. The frown between his brows deepened as he said, “Stop it and don’t let it get away no matter what. Even if it does not contain what we are looking for, there is too much coincidence for it not to be related.”

I was in awe as I watched him bark out instructions to the other guards. Not only had he deduced all of that through the words of the girl, but he was also able to command the respect of the other guards fully.

“Commander, I was informed that you have brought back a girl. I have already prepared the room for her to rest in. Have you found the missing young lady you were looking for?” a nervous-looking middle-aged man wearing a brown suit asked as his eyes shifted between the unit commander and me. He was the town mayor and the person who had been helping out with the logistics of the operation. Although he was a timid person, he was able to get things done quickly, which was something I was grateful for.

The unit commander smiled. But it was the kind of smile that meant he was anything but happy as it accompanied an overwhelming aura.

“Mayor, you were the one who brought me this map, correct?” he asked with the smile still on his face as he as he stepped towards the man.

The mayor swallowed loudly and managed to bob his head stiffly as he tilted his head to look up at the man.

“T-that is right.”

“Good. Then give me one of the sewage systems.”

The mayor froze for a moment before scratching his head as his eyes darted around.

“The sewage system is quite old, so it will take some time for us to search for it… But may I ask the reason why you have requested for it?” he asked cautiously.

“You need time to search for it? Sure. You will all the time in the world to do that once you are in jail.”

“Guards! Hold him for me!”

Almost immediately, the men behind us moved in to grab the flailing arms of the man. Although the man struggled, he was no match for the well-trained guards.

“Commander, what is the meaning of this? This is an abuse of power!” the mayor shouted as his face turned from white to purple.

“Mayor! I hereby charge you with insubordination for refusing to bring out the map when ordered. In addition, you are now under arrest for suspected participation in the attack on Prince Charles and the kidnapping of Lady Liliana! Spill out all that you know now and His Majesty may lighten your punishment later.”

“Blasphemy! I have no involvement in this scheme!” the mayor spat out. “Who will do something as stupid as attacking the prince on his own land…”

He then turned to his servants who were staring at the scene unmoving with wide eyes. “You guys! What are you standing there for? Hurry up and help me!”

“But…” The men eyes darted between the commander and mayor. I could see them wavering as they considered their options. On one side was the mayor that they were currently serving under, on the other was a commander of the esteemed Royal Guards. Which one was right? Which order should they follow?

Just then, their eyes landed on me.

Ah, that’s right. There was someone here who held authority above the both of them and can decide whose words to listen.

And this very person had no idea what was happening.

The unit commander had just proclaimed the mayor was in cahoots with the kidnappers, but why did he say that? From where did he get the information to come to such a conclusion? My mind raced as I tried desperately to organise the information presented to us so far.

As my eyes wandered around the space, my eyes met the commander’s. He kept quiet as his eyes rested on me. I immediately felt a sense of dissonance. Although he had just said strong accusatory words, his air was still calm and composed, as if he was giving me a chance to think about it on my own.

I took a deep breath to calm myself down. It would be bad if I reveal myself to feeling like a deer caught in headlights.

The unit commander had asked for a map of the sewers, and when the mayor said he needed time, he had declared him a suspect. What was about the sewers that demanded such importance?

“They have the confidence to escape even if the gates are shut down?”

Could he be suspecting that they had escaped through the sewers? It was true that the manhole the silver-haired girl had climbed out of was big enough for a grown man to walk through easily. Plus, the mayor had seemed suspicious when asked for a map of the sewers.

I turned towards the mayor. Seeing his pale face as he is forced into a kneeling position made me uncomfortable, but I threw that thought to the back of my mind.

“Please bring out the map of the sewers.”

“E-Even Your Highness is suspecting me?” he sputtered. “I really have nothing to do with this! If I knew about it, I would have never let this happen!”

“Insolent! How dare you go against the orders of the Prince? Be prepared to eat bread and soup for the rest of your life in the prison!” The unit commander shouted as his face turned stony. Immediately, the Royal Guards around us surrounded the mayor with tense faces.

“I really do not have anything to do with this! Please believe me! I will never do anything as audacious as harming Your Highness!” the mayor grovelled on the ground as he pleaded.

“Commander, I think that we are unnecessarily jumping to conclusions,” I interjected in a bid to calm the situation down.

“Mayor, I am not accusing you of perpetrating this incident. However, we need your cooperation to give us a copy of the sewers as it could be important information. We had just found a silver-haired girl who escaped through the sewage system, and she had run from the same kidnappers who took Lady Liliana.”

“What did you say?” the mayor gave a look of despair.

“Or is there any special reason you are unable to give a copy of the sewage system?” I asked sternly.

The mayor lowered his head. “No, if it is like this, I will fully cooperate,” he said in a tone like he had given up.

I blinked in surprise at his sudden shift in tone.

“So you admit to planning the attack and kidnapping of his Royal Highness and Lady Liliana?” the unit commander asked coldly.

“No! The mayor will never do something like this!” one of the servants who had been keeping quiet exclaimed. “Although he is greedy and a miser, he is not a person who will dare to do such a thing!”

“Yeah! The mayor will not do such a thing!”

The other servants started to shout words of support for the mayor.

“You guys…” Tears started to well up in the mayor’s eyes as he twisted his head back to look at his men.

“Because he is too timid for that!”

“Yeah! There is no way he will dare to do something like that.” the other men agreed with huge nods.

“You guys!” the mayor growled as he gritted his teeth.

“This is a serious situation! Not only is the mayor going to be answering to the Majesty, the all of you is to as well!” the unit commander shouted. The servants immediately kept quiet with their faces turning pale as they realised that they were going to be pulled down together as they were the ones supporting the mayor in his work.

“Spill out all that you know now!”

The mayor nodded obediently. “I swear that I have nothing to do with this incident, but I may have some idea to who are the ones responsible for the kidnapping of Lady Liliana.”

My heart thumped at his words.

“The truth is…”

*****

“The caravan tracks are getting fresher! Hurry!” the shouts of the commander came from outside the carriage as he barked orders out to the other guards. The crisp forest air blew in front the outside as I sat alone in the carriage. The sun had already set, casting everything into a deep midnight blue with the road only dimly lighted up by moonlight and lamps.

To keep the long story short, the mayor had accepted money from slave traders in exchange for disregarding any of their activities, and part of the deal was giving them an escape route in the event of an emergency. After hearing the story from the mayor, and with some eyewitnesses of a caravan heading towards the cemetery, we had rushed out from the secret exit in the cemetery that was connected to the sewers.

“Commander! There is some sort of light coming from the front!”

“Quick, let’s go ahead to take a look!”

I peeked my head out to try and see what was happening. True enough, there was an unnatural looking orange light coming from the road ahead.

“Your Highness, please stay inside the carriage whatever happens,” the commander said tersely.

“I understand,” I replied as I clenched my fists. My sword skills were still much too undeveloped to be of any help if there was going to be a fight.

The commander nodded before flicking the reins and galloping away. Together with a handful of Royal Guards, they dashed ahead towards the orange light, leaving the carriage and the rest of the guards behind.

The carriage slowed to a stop at the side of the road. “Your Highness, please do not worry and leave it to the commander,” the grey-haired Royal Guard driving the reins on the carriage said reassuringly. “We will definitely save the young lady.”

“Of course,” I answered with a tired smile.

A while later, I could hear the sound of hooves coming back.

“We have found Lady Liliana!” a Royal Guard said breathlessly. “She was with a boy and they were getting attacked by a Magical Beast, but the boy was protecting them. They are both safe now!” he beamed.

“That’s great,” I answered as I felt a heavy weight get let down from my chest.

Just then, the sound of more hooves approaching came into my ear. “It looks like the rest of them are back!” the guard said excitedly.

Lady Liliana! I quickly made my decision and opened the door.

“Ah! Your hi-!”

Ignoring the shouts of the Royal Guards behind me, I ran towards the first horse approaching which was carrying a limp figure in his arms.

“Is Lady Liliana fine?” I asked anxiously as the horse stopped in front of me. The unit commander frowned slightly when he saw me, no doubt unhappy that I had exited the carriage on my own. He climbed down the back of the horse easily with the weight in his arms and bent slightly to show me the face of the girl. Although the light was terrible, I could see that it was definitely Lady Liliana.

“She is just sleeping, although quite sick. But she should be fine once she gets treated,” a voice that I had never heard before answered my question instead.

Hearing a young voice surprised me, and my eyes turned to a boy approaching us with a blanket wrapped around him.

It was a boy with dishevelled dark blue hair wearing a plain white shirt and brown pants. He was shorter than me with a skinny body, but despite his appearance, his cerulean eyes glimmered strongly in the dark as it reflected light from the handheld lamps on the Guards’ hands.

“You must be the Prince,” the boy said curiously as he took in my figure. “I doubted her words for a moment back there, but I’m glad you guys came. I don’t know how much longer I could have lasted,” he said as he rubbed his palms and arms.

Seeing my confused face, the unit commander spoke up, “the boy had casted a barrier around them to hold off the magical beast.”

“So he is the boy mentioned by the silver-haired girl?” I asked in surprise before I turned back to the boy with wide eyes.

The boy must be the one silver-haired girl had mentioned. But he had already gained his charge even though he was younger than me? And he was even strong enough to build up a barrier that required a continuous stream of magic and scare away a magical beast.

“Ah, if you are talking about someone with silver-hair, it seems like Valeria had successfully escaped,” the boy said with a grin. “And if you are asking if I have my charge, the answer is yes. And please do not say anything like it is awesome,” he said flatly.

“Nevertheless, we will like to thank you for saving Lady Liliana,” I said sincerely with a bow.

The eyebrows of the boy knitted together as he gave a wry smile, “If this is how the royal family of Lorzelea Kingdom behaves maybe there is a chance for it not to be as bad as I imagined.”

“Anyway, I’ll leave Liliana to you guys first. Just tell her not to forget what she promised me when she wakes up.”

“What she promised you?” I asked in confusion.

“Excuse me, is there anyone who can give me some food?” Before I could find out more, the boy had already turned to the guards around him and walked with a bounce in his steps as he followed them.

“Your Highness, let us move off now,” the unit commander said as he stood beside the open carriage door.

I saw to my surprise that Lady Liliana had already been placed inside the carriage while I was talking with the boy.

“Yes!” I replied as I went back into the carriage.

The carriage was broad enough to seat six people in one go. One side of the seat was taken up by the lying figure of Lady Liliana while the other side was taken up by me, the unit commander and a man who looked to be a doctor. The carriage was quiet only with the sounds of hooves clopping on the dirt floor as we moved along the road.

“The young lady has some abrasions on her arms and legs as well as a twisted ankle. Her fever is under control due to the magic of the boy, but we should get her to a proper clinic when we return back to town,” the doctor said after his examination.

“Will she be able to hold up for a four-hour journey?” the unit commander asked.

“We have some medicine with us so four hours should be fine,” the doctor replied. “But why four hours? The town should be just one and a half hour away…”

“Because we are going to be returning back to the mansion instead.”

That was something I had never heard of before. I looked at the unit commander with questioning eyes.

“My apologies for not informing you earlier, but we had managed to get in contact with the Marquis as we were rushing here. Perhaps it would be better if you spoke to him yourself,” the commander said as he placed his hand into his breast pocket and took out a fist-sized gem set in an oval metal casing.

I recognised it to be a magic item that helps to project voice over long distances to specific voice gems. As it was an expensive item, it was mostly used in emergency situations. The one that we had obtained from the mayor was connected to the one Lord Remington had, but we were unable to reach the Marquis the whole afternoon.

“Prince Charles? Your Highness, are you there?” A low voice came from the gem.

“Yes, I am here. Have you been briefed on the situation yet?” I asked in a steady voice.

A deep sigh came from the other end of the gem. “Yes, I have heard. I am truly sorry for the danger you have been placed through. I will definitely answer to you and the King for my inability to control my subordinates.”

“Did something happen at Lord Remington’s end as well?” I asked cautiously.

There was a pause before he finally answered, “Yes. I will let you know the full details once you have returned back to the mansion.”

I straightened my back at his words. “Lord Remington, about that, why do we need to return back to the mansion first? Wouldn’t it be better if we see a doctor in the nearest town instead?”

“I will not suggest that. Right now, danger will be following where Liliana goes. And if she is at a place that does not have sufficient protection around, there will be danger brought against her and all others around her.”

“You don’t mean…”

All of a sudden, a chill ran up my back. It was not the first time I had that feeling so I could tell what it meant.

“The magical beast that was attacking the young lady and the boy ran away when we attacked earlier. Are you saying that it could be coming after us again?” the unit commander asked as he looked out of the window with narrowed eyes.

“I am unable to tell if it is the same beast but the magical beast that attacked them was alone, right?” I asked. “But this time…”

Out from the windows, a lone howl echoed in the air. It was soon joined by multiple voices, forming a chorus of howls in the quiet night. Hearing that, the commander just closed his eyes as he crossed his arms.

“Commander…” the doctor whispered with a deathly pale face.

The commander just gave a wry smile.

“It seems like we are going to have more companions joining us tonight.”