“We’ve just received information about Seren from the Kingdom of Alstra,” he said excitedly, flapping a stack of papers at Lyse. It looked about twenty pages thick. Lyse could only assume it was the report. “Unfortunately, Sidis flew out the door before he had the chance to read it. And you must be in a hurry yourself, so allow me to give you a quick summary.”
“I’d appreciate that. Thank you.”
It’d take Lyse quite some time to plow through all twenty-odd pages. And since Alcede had already digested the report in its entirety, he could get straight to the important parts.
“To start off,” he began, “we’ve confirmed that Seren is not related to the prince by blood. He was born to a common family, but when he was a child, his parents got involved with the Donan Faith. Shortly thereafter, he was locked away in their home. Monster sightings are common on their land to begin with, but attacks became more frequent with Donan stones thrown in the mix.”
“I presume that Seren’s parents blamed him for beckoning the monsters,” Lyse concluded. Alcede nodded. That explained why they’d treated Seren the way they had.
“They apparently kept a dog as well, and it was the only companion Seren was ever allowed. His fondness for dogs may stem from this. Now, during Seren’s childhood, Prince Caldo visited his village. Caldo was already heavily involved with the Donans at this point. And since locking Seren up had done little to remedy the monster situation, his parents were happy to get rid of him.”
“Did they perhaps have a green light, like the one we saw previously?”
“We don’t know, but it’s possible. Seren’s parents had sought help from the Donan church, and Prince Caldo caught wind of their situation. This is probably when they discovered that their black stones attract monsters. Perhaps they thought Seren had strong mana and came to discover some use for him. Thus Caldo adopted Seren and brought him to his territory.”
“If Caldo learned of the plight of Seren’s family, that suggests he’s a high-ranking member of the Donan Faith, doesn’t it?”
“I should think so, yes.” Alcede continued with a frown, “The previous Alstran king wished to have heirs with mana. Caldo is illegitimate, so there may be a chance that his mother is descended from imperial aristocracy.”
If that were the case, there was a chance that the prince was capable of wielding magic.
“He may be a dangerous opponent. Are you still willing to stand against him?” Alcede asked Lyse. She nodded. “Very well. The people you’ve requested have assembled with orders to proceed to the rendezvous point. You have my full support—and my wishes for good luck, just in case.”
Lyse bowed in thanks to the duke, then took her leave and departed the palace.
Splish, splish... Sidis had already lost count of how many times he’d heard the sound of dripping water. The cistern was supposed to be filled in, but evidently, such was not the case. Sidis had infiltrated the facility by transforming into a rat and crawling through a draw shaft. He couldn’t see anything in the darkness, but the dripping of water reverberated through his tiny skull.
“So it’s true they fooled everyone into thinking this place was no more,” he muttered to himself.
In his rodent form, Sidis was headed down below to get a visual on the emperor. If Egbert had already reverted to human form and his captors knew his true identity, the rescue mission would be that much harder. Sidis, too, would have to revert to human form in order to be of use in a magical fight. And taking the time to get the emperor new clothes amidst all that would be a setback, albeit a necessary one.
Please still be a dog, Your Majesty...
The shaft led Sidis to an underground corridor where burning lamps lined the walls, dispelling every shadow of a doubt that the facility was currently in use. Nevertheless, there was no one around, nor were there any rooms. The hall simply had two sets of stairs at its end, and Sidis decided to follow them downward. Just as he approached the top step, he froze in place.
“Hmph. They’re late,” a voice echoed.
It mattered little how nimble or quick a rat could be; a creature so small would never be fast enough to evade whoever was up ahead. Instead, Sidis turned into a dog and let his nose guide him. At the bottom of the stairs was another corridor, this one lined with doors and filled with the scent of people. Upon some further consideration, Sidis changed back into a rat to keep a smaller profile in case he crossed paths with anyone unexpectedly. He crept forward toward the sounds of people, as that’s where the abducted dog—rather, His Imperial Majesty Emperor Egbert—was most likely being held.
For whatever reason, Sidis still had white hair as a rat. This was unfortunate under the circumstances, as his bright fur did little to camouflage him in the shadowy halls of the cistern. But alas, he couldn’t change his coloration with his transformation magic. Instead, he opted to shroud himself in black mist. He thus advanced along the stone floor, which had no discernible joints—a telltale sign of magical masonry. He scurried along, until at last, he closed in on the people he’d sensed earlier.
Who is that? Seren and the Alstran prince?
The two men were approaching the far end of the hall, which Sidis guessed descended to yet another level.
“Are you done preparing?” Caldo questioned.
“Yeah, I suppose...” Seren replied spiritlessly.
“That brat wouldn’t dare come alone. She probably has her imperial men cleverly stashed nearby. But when we crush them all, we’ll also be demolishing the palace’s security. Then we’ll kill the wench and devastate the imperial family,” Caldo said, nearly bursting out in laughter.
Stealthily, Sidis moved closer to the Alstran prince.
“Here’s hoping...” Seren muttered loud enough for Caldo to hear.
“What’s that? Do I hear doubt about my plan? Just do exactly as I tell you, when I tell you, and keep your mouth shut! Don’t you forget that I’m keeping you alive after you murdered my fiancée, you ingrate!”
Seren? A murderer?!
Sidis couldn’t imagine Seren harming a fly. He hadn’t so much as raised a hand in his own defense when Caldo kicked him around. But based on the gravity of their conversation, Sidis could only assume it was the truth.
“Forgive me,” Seren apologized, casting his eyes downward.
“Just do as I say. I’ll annihilate the Razanate Empire and be heralded as the head of the Donan Faith by the other leaders. My own brother the king and his scheme to cozy up to the empire don’t stand a ghost of a chance against us!” With that, Caldo did indeed burst out in laughter.