Alcede nodded. “Don’t go on foot, then. Take a raptor. You’ll be close enough in the air while being less susceptible to enemy attacks.” Not only did Alcede have a bird already prepared, he brought out a pair of avian monsters from his pockets. The little chicks turned into gigantic, human-sized black birds.
“Could you guys look for people with lots of mana? And come back to me when you do, okay?” Lyse asked the monsters. They immediately took to the skies, and Lyse followed their lead.
Two knights escorted Lyse just in case anything happened. She didn’t like the idea, but she didn’t fight it. She knew she’d have to get accustomed to having a guard by her side wherever she went. After all, she would soon be a member of the imperial family.
“And here I thought I was strong enough to run off on my own...” she griped. She’d gone to the capital alone with Sidis on numerous occasions. Moreover, she had Alcede’s blessing. He believed that she was at least as capable as a knight. She couldn’t wait for things to be peaceful—to be normal—again.
“Just have to wait for the...” she began as both monsters changed directions. “Did you find someone?”
The monsters flew to a certain point and began to circle with no signs of landing. They then returned to Lyse before flying back to the same point to circle again. The monsters were hovering above the capital—the heart of the west side of town, to be precise—almost as if doubting themselves.
“Do we have them?” Lyse was sure that the monsters had picked up on Egbert’s mana but couldn’t pinpoint its location for whatever reason. “It seems like we have something in this area, but the monsters can’t tell where exactly. It’s possible that they’re indoors or even underground!” she shouted to the knights.
“We should be above the West 10th district. Please return to the palace while we conduct a search, Miss Lyse!” one of them responded.
Lyse bit her lip again. She knew that she couldn’t investigate alone on foot, yet she also couldn’t cause trouble for the knights by demanding that they let her tag along. She had no recourse but to wait patiently at the palace while they did their jobs. Lyse wasn’t pleased with this, but she refused to let her selfishness get the better of her.
“Understood. I’ll return at once,” conceded Lyse. She recalled her monsters as she turned around and headed back.
Shortly after Lyse returned, Alcede summoned her to his office. Waiting alongside him there for her report was also Sidis, who was very much a sight for Lyse’s sore eyes. She was so relieved to know that he hadn’t fallen into enemy hands. On the other hand, however, his presence indicated that he hadn’t found Egbert yet. The emperor was still missing.
“Feeling a little down?” Sidis asked Lyse.
She nodded in reply, though she hadn’t meant to let it show on her face. “His Majesty isn’t here right now, which shows how successful my search and rescue attempt was.”
“He can still use magic in dog form, you know?” Alcede said with a chuckle. “I very much doubt that His Majesty is in danger, but that’s not to say we shouldn’t make haste to secure him...”
“His Majesty is in danger, Duke Alcede,” argued Lyse.
“And why do you say that?”
“Well, if he falls asleep, his magic will dissipate.” In other words, his canine guise would wear off, leaving the emperor in his birthday suit.
“Oh. Oh. That wouldn’t do at all,” Alcede said with sweat now beading on his brow. “I could certainly see the problem if His Majesty were to resist his captors au naturel...”
Considering how fearlessly he’d handled himself the last time he’d reverted to human form in front of other people, Egbert would almost certainly have no qualms with fighting in the buff either. However, it would be a calamity if he escaped alone like that.
“Imagine His Majesty’s reputation if the other nations caught wind of it. Any of their respect we have now would vanish right along with His Majesty’s doggy disguise,” warned Lyse.
If other nations didn’t respect the empire, there was no telling what they’d do. It would no longer be just the Donans looking to overtake Razanate’s throne. Driving them back by force at that point would do little to improve the empire’s standing; worse, it could escalate the situation and cause further tension. That would put the emperor in a dangerous position on any future inspections. No good could possibly come of it. The emperor losing his dignity would embarrass, if not outright compromise, the entire nation—much less any imperial citizens living abroad.
“Hmph. We can only hope that the enemy hasn’t put His Majesty to sleep...” muttered Sidis.
Suddenly, a knock came at the door. A chamberlain entered the room and bowed before Alcede returned the gesture. “A letter, Your Grace. It pertains to the abducted Light-resistant dog,” he said as he handed it to Alcede. The emperor’s kidnapping had so far been concealed as a very special dognapping. The information was far too sensitive for most ears, so they’d needed a cover story.
Alcede scanned through the letter. “Where was this found?” he questioned.
The chamberlain replied, “The same location as the previous letter, Your Grace.”
“The enemy has the power of mind control, yet they’re refraining from using it this time around. I’m sure they wanted to deliver these messages directly to Miss Lyse, so they must lack the resources to access her chambers,” deduced Alcede as Sidis dismissed the chamberlain. The duke sighed before continuing. “This can only mean one thing: whoever is working with Seren and the Alstran prince must have the power of suggestion.”
“How do you know the Alstrans don’t have it themselves?” asked Lyse.
“If they had more than one capable mage, they easily could have found a way to deliver these messages to your eyes only. Plus, judging by how you were attacked and what Seren said, it seems like they want to secretly eliminate just you.”
“Me first, at least. Then they can hide their stones all over the capital and have everybody under their thumb.”
The Donans’ objective was to overthrow the Razanate Empire, the antithesis of what they stood for. That being the case, Lyse couldn’t be their only target.
“With the power of suggestion, they have the means to their end—be it total control or total annihilation,” Sidis mused. “Anyway, what does the letter say, Alcede?”
“Nothing unexpected. Here, give it a read yourself,” he said as he handed Sidis the letter.
Lyse peeked from the side and read the following: “Building 13 in the West 10th district, two hours before midnight. Miss Lyse Winslette ought to come alone if she wants the dog back alive. Bring a single imperial soldier or monster and she’ll find its corpse instead.”