“It’s too quiet in here. It feels like no one’s around, and I haven’t heard a peep from Blake.”
Aila reached out and touched the walls and windows behind her. After confirming they weren't made of any soundproofing material, she spoke in a low whisper.
“Could it be that Blake and the others are out on patrol? The situation is tense right now, so it wouldn't be strange for them to work overtime,” Midir pondered for a moment before offering his thoughts.
“No, what I mean is that I haven’t even heard the sounds of servants or chefs. It feels like this is just an empty shell of a building,” Aila said, frowning and shaking her head decisively, clearly troubled by her discovery.
“Is that so? Then let’s go inside and take a look. We won’t get any answers just standing here.” Before Aila could object, Midir teleported both of them away.
“Hey! That was too reckless! You can’t just go barging into someone’s Lord's Manor like that... Wait, what is this?” Aila complained before she had even found her footing in the room, but her attention was quickly stolen by her surroundings.
The two were now standing in a circular room. Judging by the luxurious decor and the shelves overflowing with books, it was clearly Duke Rowena’s study.
However, the study was not as neat and orderly as one might expect. Documents and records of all kinds were scattered everywhere. In the center of a massive desk sat a sand table of the entire Azure City-State, covered in various models that seemed to represent the current state of the war across the territory.
“Aila, do you see anything?” Midir picked up a document from the floor; it was a deployment order for reinforcements and a logistical dispatch form.
“Something must have happened in this study. No matter how careless Duke Rowena might be, he would never leave important documents scattered like this. And... look at this sand table.”
Following Aila’s finger, Midir noticed a small wooden plaque next to the sand table with a date marked on it—likely used to keep track of the tactical timeline.
The date on the plaque was from three days ago, the very day they had departed from the Royal Capital.
“See? This date proves that the sand table hasn’t been touched in three days. Why would Duke Rowena, who is supposed to be in the middle of wartime command, fail to update the battlefield situation for several days?”
Aila lightly brushed her hand along the edge of the sand table, her voice filled with confusion.
“Now that you mention it, I’m starting to see it too. Whether it’s just our imagination or not, there is definitely something wrong with the Azure Fortress. We need to find Blake and the others immediately!”
Midir carefully leafed through the papers scattered on the desk and found that none of the signed dates were from today. A sense of unease began to settle in his heart.
“But the Azure Fortress is so huge, how are we supposed to find them? Argh! Times like this, I really regret not learning range-search techniques from my mother.”
Aila tugged at her long golden hair in frustration, letting out a helpless sigh.
“No one is omnipotent. You’ve done enough already. At least we’ve identified the problem, right? That’s a major breakthrough in itself.”
Midir comforted her softly. He walked over to Duke Rowena’s chair, sat down, and leaned over to study the sand table, hoping to find any other useful information.
While they were at a loss, Aila’s expression suddenly shifted, and she pulled her communication stone from her pocket.
The stone was vibrating slightly in her palm. Aila took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and focused on the incoming message.
A moment later, she opened her pale blue eyes and looked at Midir.
“It’s from Rosal. She says Blake is here with some men.”
“Blake? Why would he show up in the middle of the night? What do you think?” Even Midir was taken aback by the news. They couldn't find him, and now he was looking for them?
“Let’s be cautious. I don’t think there should be a problem, but Rosal was smart enough to keep them outside for now. Let’s head back and see what’s going on.”
Without hesitation, Aila returned the documents she had been looking at to their original places. She walked straight to Midir and reached out her hand.
...
“Little Rosal, where are Miss Aila and Mr. Midir? Are they really not going to see me? I have something important to tell them!”
Blake stood at the entrance, speaking to the closed door with a hint of urgency in his voice. Several guards from the Duke's Manor stood behind him.
“Mr. Blake, please wait a moment. They’ve already gone to bed. I’ll go wake them up right away~” Rosal peeked through a crack in the door, her face half-hidden as she spoke cautiously.
“Well, you should at least let me in first, shouldn't you? I’ll just wait for them in the living room. It’s late; it’s a bit strange for us to be standing out here like this.” As he spoke, Blake pushed the door open and led the guards inside as if he owned the place.
Seeing Blake already seated on the sofa in the living room, Rosal had no choice but to nervously approach the bedroom door and give it a light knock.
Just as she was beginning to panic about how to handle the situation, the bedroom door clicked open, and Aila appeared in the doorway.
She was dressed in a thin, soft nightgown. Rather than hiding her graceful figure, the loose garment added a touch of lethargy and allure. Her tall frame seemed even more slender in the sleepwear, making it hard for anyone to look away.
A faint, lovely blush colored her cheeks, and standing behind her was Midir, wearing a black short-sleeved shirt and a look of pure resignation.
“Eek...! Sister Aila, you’re awake? You two are...?”
Rosal clearly hadn't expected them to appear from the room in such a state. When she saw Aila’s thin nightgown, her entire face turned bright red.
“What is it, Blake? Why did you come all this way so late at night? Is it something important?”
Aila asked in a sleepy, nasal voice. Accustomed to her usual quirky tone, Midir found this current act of hers enough to make his scalp tingle.
“Ah, so you were already asleep? I originally came to ask you to accompany me somewhere. I’ve made a special discovery. Is now an inconvenient time?” Blake raised an eyebrow in surprise as he looked at the two of them in their light attire.
“Heh~ It’s not exactly inconvenient. But if you’ve found something new, can’t you just tell us now? Is it absolutely necessary for us to go out?” Aila yawned and squinted at Blake, a hint of playful reproach in her voice.
“No, this is a grave matter. You should come with me. It won't take much of your time.”
Blake shook his head, his answer firm and decisive.
“Fine... for your sake, we’ll go with you. Just wait a bit; we need to go back in and change.”
After tilting her head in thought for a moment, Aila agreed. She naturally linked her arm with Midir’s and pulled him back into the room.
“There’s definitely something wrong. You noticed it too, right?”
The moment the door closed, Aila let go of his arm. Her lethargic demeanor vanished instantly, replaced by a solemn expression as she whispered to Midir.
“Please. I might have amnesia, but I’m not stupid. I can see a flaw that obvious,” Midir replied with a roll of his eyes.
“Blake is either being controlled, or the person out there isn't Blake at all. Did you sense anything specific?”
“No, because he definitely smells like Blake. But there’s a slight sense of discordance that I can’t quite place. Regardless, something is very wrong. Can you neutralize everyone out there at the same time?”
Aila glanced at the door again, indicating that her senses hadn't picked up any overt abnormalities, but her intuition was screaming that something was off.
“If that is Blake, neutralizing them will be easy. Should I do it now?” Midir nodded, signaling he was ready to act at any moment.
“Yes, go ahead. Just don't make too much noise.” Aila gave a small nod, giving him the green light.
Outside the room, Rosal still hadn't fully processed the situation and remained in a daze. She only snapped out of it when she heard Blake speak from beside her.
“Miss Aila and Mr. Midir certainly have a good relationship! Sometimes I’m quite envious of them, aren’t you, Little Rosal?”
Rate on N.U.
