[Whereabouts of the Missing Maid]
We finally stumbled upon a clue in our search for Marina, who had gone missing.
The clue we found was Marina’s favorite hair clip, lying on the ground in the square.
However, this discovery alone only confirmed that “Marina had been here.” It was still challenging to determine her current whereabouts. But then, something caught my attention.
“Hmm?”
When I picked up the hair clip, I sensed something unusual.
…What was this?
It felt warm as it rested in my hand.
This was…
“Mana?”
Surprisingly, the hair clip contained a small amount of mana.
Marina wasn’t a magician, but she did possess mana, like everyone else, albeit in varying quantities and qualities.
――What I meant to say was…
“If we trace Marina’s mana lingering in this hair clip, we might just be able to locate her.”
“R-really?” Rebecca and Priim exclaimed in astonishment. Tayte and Raul might have reached the same conclusion due to their schooling in mana.
Perhaps… Marina had known this as well.
That’s why she had infused her mana into the hair clip and left it here.
She must have had faith that we would visit this place and recognize the spot where she was abducted.
“Marina…”
I tightened my grip on the hair clip.
We had to find Marina as soon as possible!
I unsheathed the Holy Sword to track Marina’s lingering mana. With focus, I infused my own mana into the blade.
As a result, Marina’s mana began to slowly flow northeast from the hair clip in my hand. From the square overlooking the town, I verified the direction indicated by the mana. There it was…
“Warehouses?”
“That’s the old warehouse district. It’s been around for over a hundred years, and as a result, many of the areas have become dilapidated, and I’ve heard that it’s hardly used anymore,” Rebecca explained.
When I heard her explanation, something clicked in my mind.
That seemed like the perfect place for the bad guys to have a hideout.
“I need to check out that place.”
“However…”
Rebecca tried to stop me, but she must have seen the determination in my eyes and didn’t continue her objection.
“Raul, could you come with me?”
“Of course, Lord Barrett!”
Just to be safe, I decided to have Raul come with me.
Meanwhile…
“Barrett…”
Tayte gazed at me with a worried expression.
I was certain that Tayte knew deep down that I would be safe, but her worry still lingered.
“It’s okay, Tayte. We have the Holy Sword and the Demon Sword with us—when we work together, we’re unstoppable.”
“That’s right. Trust me to look after Lord Barrett. I’ll protect him no matter what.”
It was a line Raul in the original storyline would never have uttered.
It was a testament to how much he trusted me.
“…I understand. Please be careful.”
“Yeah!”
“Raul, take care.”
“Don’t worry, Eureka.”
Raul and I bid farewell to our loved ones.
In the end, I asked them to return to the academy along with Rebecca and Priim, informing them of the situation and requesting reinforcements for the warehouse district.
Preparations were complete.
Just wait for me, Marina!
[Whereabouts of the Missing Maid]
We finally stumbled upon a clue in our search for Marina, who had gone missing.
The clue we found was Marina’s favorite hair clip, lying on the ground in the square.
However, this discovery alone only confirmed that “Marina had been here.” It was still challenging to determine her current whereabouts. But then, something caught my attention.
“Hmm?”
When I picked up the hair clip, I sensed something unusual.
…What was this?
It felt warm as it rested in my hand.
This was…
“Mana?”
Surprisingly, the hair clip contained a small amount of mana.
Marina wasn’t a magician, but she did possess mana, like everyone else, albeit in varying quantities and qualities.
――What I meant to say was…
“If we trace Marina’s mana lingering in this hair clip, we might just be able to locate her.”
“R-really?” Rebecca and Priim exclaimed in astonishment. Tayte and Raul might have reached the same conclusion due to their schooling in mana.
Perhaps… Marina had known this as well.
That’s why she had infused her mana into the hair clip and left it here.
She must have had faith that we would visit this place and recognize the spot where she was abducted.
“Marina…”
I tightened my grip on the hair clip.
We had to find Marina as soon as possible!
I unsheathed the Holy Sword to track Marina’s lingering mana. With focus, I infused my own mana into the blade.
As a result, Marina’s mana began to slowly flow northeast from the hair clip in my hand. From the square overlooking the town, I verified the direction indicated by the mana. There it was…
“Warehouses?”
“That’s the old warehouse district. It’s been around for over a hundred years, and as a result, many of the areas have become dilapidated, and I’ve heard that it’s hardly used anymore,” Rebecca explained.
When I heard her explanation, something clicked in my mind.
That seemed like the perfect place for the bad guys to have a hideout.
“I need to check out that place.”
“However…”
Rebecca tried to stop me, but she must have seen the determination in my eyes and didn’t continue her objection.
“Raul, could you come with me?”
“Of course, Lord Barrett!”
Just to be safe, I decided to have Raul come with me.
Meanwhile…
“Barrett…”
Tayte gazed at me with a worried expression.
I was certain that Tayte knew deep down that I would be safe, but her worry still lingered.
“It’s okay, Tayte. We have the Holy Sword and the Demon Sword with us—when we work together, we’re unstoppable.”
“That’s right. Trust me to look after Lord Barrett. I’ll protect him no matter what.”
It was a line Raul in the original storyline would never have uttered.
It was a testament to how much he trusted me.
“…I understand. Please be careful.”
“Yeah!”
“Raul, take care.”
“Don’t worry, Eureka.”
Raul and I bid farewell to our loved ones.
In the end, I asked them to return to the academy along with Rebecca and Priim, informing them of the situation and requesting reinforcements for the warehouse district.
Preparations were complete.
Just wait for me, Marina!
