“Huh? What’s happening...?” she muttered.
“That’s enough! Knock it off,” Sidis snapped.
“What I’m doing is slowly releasing mana. See, the power of the Donan stones has really piqued my interest. I’ve developed a few theories,” Alcede said with a smug grin.
“Enlighten me.”
“I suspect that everybody—imperial or otherwise—has at least some innate mana inside them.”
“Oh?”
“Truly?”
Lyse and Sidis both responded in wonderment before sharing a look. Lyse wasn’t sure if they’d come to the same conclusion, but what Alcede had said had gotten her thinking. The first settlers of the empire must have had mana, or else they couldn’t have created the Light of Origin. That meant humankind inherently possessed mana, and naturally, the mana of imperials had been heightened by the Light.
Wouldn’t that suggest monsters attack people because they sense mana within them?
Perhaps monsters were attracted to the Light because they felt its mana even from great distances. That would also explain the trail of destruction they left in their wake, because they preyed upon the mana they sensed in people as they roamed.
This theory might be helpful to Lord Karl in his studies to amplify people’s magical abilities.
“Now, this little trick should work even for people other than myself and Sidis, so I propose we try it out on our visitors,” put forward Alcede.
“Are you seriously suggesting that we make them confess by going, ‘You’re feeling guiltier and guiltier’?” Lyse asked, puzzled.
“What? No, that’s ridiculous. You’d arouse everyone’s suspicion that way,” Alcede said blankly.
“I suppose...” Given Alcede’s segue, Lyse had thought that he meant to follow his methods exactly.
“But with this, we can do more than get the truth out of Seren. We should be able to get our other guests to confess whatever they’re hiding as well,” said Alcede.
“Until we get something out of them, however, be absolutely vigilant around Seren,” warned Sidis as he fell into deep thought.
“It’d be great if he actually found a match and fell in love. Otherwise, we’ll have to find someone to play the part,” said Alcede.
“It’s a shame that no one is giving him the time of day. I suppose everyone at the matchmaking event is trying to find love for themselves, but at this rate, Seren is going to get left in the dust.”
If Seren remained the odd man out, the matchmaking event would be a complete bust for him. To complicate matters further, they needed someone who had Seren’s ear in order for this plan to succeed. Things would be much simpler if they had an agent participating in the event to get close to him.
“I guess the person he’s most interested in right now is you, Lyse,” Sidis admitted sulkily.
“Maybe it’s all an act so I lower my guard around him. Maybe he’s waiting to attack again. I don’t think he’s truly interested in me,” Lyse said, trying to laugh it off.
Sidis found no comfort in this. “I was somewhat joking when I said that, but how are you so sure? There’s a nonzero chance that Seren is serious about you.”
“I wouldn’t have known any better in the past, but I’m an engaged woman now. Compared to my loving fiancé, I can tell that Seren has no real feelings for me.”
That shut Sidis up. He covered his mouth and bashfully turned away.
“There you go averting your eyes. You always did that as a child when you were embarrassed,” teased Lyse as Sidis bashfully stared at the ground.
“Anyway, I’ll see to it that the foreign dignitaries and the Alstrans are monitored closely. Your Majesty and Miss Lyse, do try your best not to arouse suspicion while extracting Seren’s testimony,” instructed Alcede, bringing their meeting to a close.