# 7
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* * *
“Sir.”
In the darkness, Duke Elad turned his head.
With beautiful statue-like features under the silver hair that shone coldly in the moonlight, he had a cold expression as always.
Master lowered his head and spoke in a miserable voice.
“We searched all the orphanages and back alleys within the area...I couldn't find her.”
Although he couldn't even raise his head due to remorse, Cid saw that the face of Duke Elad, his master and the proud leader of the Rexion Knights, was frozen.
“From now on, we will expand the search further. It doesn’t seem like we have left the empire yet, but we are still checking on the ships that have arrived in the neighboring kingdoms.”
“Yes, and it is said that the magical swordsmen from the Principality of Pylos arrived a little while ago, and Lady Marita personally attended.”
“The countess?”
The Duke's expression became even more severe when he heard that Bianca Maretta had personally crossed the sea.
When I urgently requested help from the Grand Duchy of Pylos, I thought that they would help me before anyone else, but I had no idea that they would send the strongest magic swordsman on the continent.
He probably made this decision because he knew better than anyone else how serious what had just happened was.
The Duke, who was cold as ice, finally couldn't hide his confusion and let out a shallow sigh.
A few days ago, the second son, Allen, and youngest daughter, Diana, secretly left the castle, saying they would see a festival, and Diana disappeared.
Although he was angry at the negligence of his subordinates who were responsible for protecting the child, the Duke believed that he would be able to find the child quickly since the Rexion Knights had advanced.
He thought she had simply lost her way, and that his lands were safer than anywhere else.
But it was arrogance.
I couldn't believe that there would be people in the empire stupid enough to mess with the daughter of the Duke of Elad, but even after a few days, Diana had not appeared and her kidnapping was almost certain.
The Duke belatedly blocked the way out of the Duchy, and at the same time took control of the information and began secretly tracking Diana.
Not only are they getting involved in unnecessary rumors, but they also don't know what the criminals will do when they realize the identity of Diana that they have kidnapped and they are very afraid.
“It would be better if they asked for a ransom.”
Since Duke Elad was a notorious figure in the empire, it was almost impossible.
They believed that if they demanded ransom, they would be retaliated against.
‘After all, I would choose to remove them cleanly….’
The Duke frowned and shook his head as his thoughts kept turning negative.
He felt that his calm rationality, unshaken throughout his life, was crumbling.
She even remembered how Diana laughed when she took off a bracelet with a tracking charm that a friend had given her on her birthday because she thought it was a nuisance.
“They say people never know unless it's their own business.”
As the situation developed, I couldn't help but think about the tragedy my friend had experienced.
His only friend who lost his child who was nothing more than a lump of blood and is still suffering to this day.
Even he, who was called a cold-blooded person, thought he cared deeply about the incident, but when something like this happened to him, he felt pain again.
“Taiz.”
In order to relieve his sinking feeling and somehow bring him back to his senses, the Duke summoned a knight standing nearby.
At this Cid, who was giving orders to his knights, stopped and looked away.
“I heard that you haven't slept or eaten for several days, are you protesting now?”
“No, I just wanted to find her...”
“I see, we need to find Diana, but I think I'm in a bad state of mind right now.”
“...I will make it right.”
Taiz clenched her fists, barely able to contain the emotions surging from the Duke's words.
It was a miracle that a commoner who was a mercenary would become a knight and join the Rexion Knights.
'But when this is over...'
It will not stop with the test.
‘I will be expelled from my knighthood and my knighthood will be restored.’
However, he didn't mind his life as long as he found Diana safe.
At that time, Taiz noticed Deputy Commander Sayed near him, looking at him with dark eyes.
For a moment, I felt angry.
After hearing his words, I thought that I had been excluded from accompanying the young miss.
It was all a trap.
However, in front of my master who lost his daughter, this is all just an excuse.
While Taiz was getting rid of his anger and remorse, the Duke called Sayyid.
Master came up straight, lowered his head, and looked at the ground.
“You begin your quest east now. Sid and I will head west, where the range is wide. Tell Marietta to join us west.”
“And me.”
A sound leaked into the corner of Sid's mouth as he turned around, looking like a more loyal knight than anyone else.
Things turned out to be more dangerous than originally planned, but nothing bad happened to him.
Taze will no longer have his master's trust.
Meanwhile, as the Duke looked across the estate, he thought of his foolish daughter, Diana.
His eyes were cold and cruel like a glacier, but his heart was beating with worry and worry.
I assumed his little girl would be crying for me and her family now.
* * *
"Kya! Noona, that tickles!"
Diana couldn't take it anymore and burst out laughing, twisting her entire body.
Morning kisses on the cheeks, friendly greetings, and even light teasing tickles the stomach.
I did what I wished my parents would do for me if they ever existed, and I felt honored because they loved it so much.
But behind the smiling face, I was actually a little sad.
That's because I'm still in shock when I learned the secret of Tezar Orphanage.
* * *
A few days ago.
After making Diana fall asleep and completely disappear, she headed to the empty principal's office.
Even though there were only helpless children in the orphanage, the director would lock the door every time he came out, and today was the same.
However, this was not a big problem for me as I was going in and out of the noble family who had set up security properly and maintained strict vigilance without any problem.
First, I briefly blocked out the noise around the principal's office and set up a barrier to prevent anyone from getting close, so I took out the needle I had stored away during the day.
The needle caught by the moonlight sparkles and reflects the light for a moment.
Click, click, click.
After inserting a needle into the hole of the door handle and moving it several times to lift the fixed pin on the rotating device, the director's office door opened easily.
'It's been a long time since I snuck out like this.'
In fact, I was more accustomed to using mana to erase my existence and enter and exit through the window.
However, opening this level of lock was not a task, and creating a barrier around the area for a short period consumed much less mana.
‘You don’t know what might happen next, so you have to save as much as you can.’
Although the amount of mana suddenly increased, it was difficult to control it as cloy as before because the body was not accustomed to it.
Moreover, this was a choice because it had become the norm to use a small amount of mana efficiently from the beginning.
“Okay, now let's see what you're hiding.”
When I entered the principal's office, I put my short arms around my waist and my eyes lit up.
From the day I returned, I was instinctively convinced that the director was hiding something.
Certainly enough.
I burst out laughing when I found on my desk the daycare center operating report and the accounting book written for the purpose of applying
“Ha, how ridiculous?”
I wouldn't know if I didn't know the letters.
I joined the union, learned letters, and even learned simple accounting from Loeb, the executive in charge of management.
There was no way such a bad notebook could not be read.
“Compared to then, prices may be lower now, but we spend this much money on food?”
It was a sound that even a passing dog would not believe.
"What? Water bill plus books and toys?"
Even children's clothes were picked up and dressed with discarded items from the village.
“It's okay, it's not like I didn't know it would be like this, but where is the real thing?”
At best, this notebook may not be a secret the director is keeping.
She looked again carefully at everything from the desk drawer to the bottom.
But strangely, I didn't find anything.
At that time, a thought suddenly came to my mind and I closed my eyes.
As I raised my senses and activated the magic of detection, something touched my nerves.
Only then did she discover a magic stone the size of a fingernail connected to a lighting device.
“...Why does this appear here?”
I was astonished when I saw the artifact equipped with the magic stone in question.
The artifact contained a spell that weakened perception.
Illusion magic, which deceives a person in his perception and understanding, was one of the most difficult types of mental magic.
I never thought that such an expensive magical item would not be found in the mansion of a noble or wealthy person, but in an old orphanage in a remote mountainous area.
“How far into the past do we have to go to end up like this...”
Unable to hide my confusion, I immediately lifted the spell from the artifact and looked around the room again.
Then he tapped his little foot on the floor directly under the desk.
It felt a little different from the other floors.
I quickly crouched down and pressed hard on the part that held my fingertips, and the safe was finally revealed.
I froze when I found a notebook and sealed documents in the cabinet that were immeasurably thicker than before.
In the notebook hidden by the director, the names and ages of the children who stayed in the orphanage and then left were recorded.
And many familiar names written next to it...
I have always prided myf on standing out among the best detectives at Terenceum.
She was excellent at energy reading and stealth skills, and was able to practice martial arts like her male counterparts and perform many simple magic spells.
But what I was confident about more than anything else was my observation and memory skills.
Thanks to this, I was able to do my job well even in situations where I was unable to bring documents or information.
This means that I clearly remember the names of the criminals who shook the empire through slave auctions.
“You bastards.”