The Unspoken Secret
The area around the hotel was a cauldron of pure chaos.
Buildings collapsing. People screaming. Mages and firefighters dousing the flames with water.
And then…
"Aigoo, My Lady—!! My Lady is still inside—!!"
From among the firefighters holding back the crowd came a half-desperate cry.
"Ah…"
"Come to think of it, we never told Uncle Ban…"
Hearing that voice, Milia and Schwarz exchanged awkward looks and hurried toward him.
"Aigoo! My Lady!! Schwarz!!"
Unaware of their approach, Ban kept shouting at the burning building.
Schwarz stepped up carefully and touched his shoulder.
"Uncle Ban…"
"I'm in no mood to talk right n— huh…?"
"Ahem…!!"
Ban spun around mid-sentence, only to freeze at the sight of Schwarz's face. Then he spotted Milia standing just behind him, and his gaze flicked back and forth between the blazing hotel and the two of them, utterly baffled.
"Ah…"
At last the situation seemed to click. Ban let out a low groan.
"You nearly gave me a heart attack! If you were going somewhere, you could have at least said something!!"
"S-sorry…"
"We're sorry…"
Looking as though he had aged ten years in an instant, Ban scolded them. Milia and Schwarz could only scratch their heads sheepishly. Leaving without a word had been their fault, and they had no real excuse.
"So what in the world is going on? Where are the children?!"
"That's… I don't really know either. It all happened so suddenly…"
The scolding lasted only a moment. When Milia pressed him in a frantic voice, Ban answered with a helpless expression. From his manner it was clear he was just as confused as they were.
"Sorry to bother you when you're busy. Were any children rescued from the top floor?"
Meanwhile Schwarz left the two of them and approached a firefighter controlling the perimeter.
"Children, you say? We never heard there was anyone in the guest rooms…"
"What do you mean…"
The firefighter tilted his head. Schwarz trailed off, a cold dread settling in his chest.
Before going to meet Andrea, he had strictly ordered the children and the boy not to leave the room under any circumstances unless it was an emergency. He had been thinking of the man they had subdued in the shantytown—of the chance he might come after them again.
Yet the rooms had been empty…
An ominous premonition flashed through his mind. Schwarz focused mana into his eyes, and sure enough the lingering traces of magic around them sprang into view.
Mana radiating from the roaring flames. A trail of it leading into a nearby alley. The fire had not been an accident—someone had started it with magic.
"Schwarz. Can you force your way in?"
Just then Milia called to him.
"This fire… it isn't natural."
"What do you mean, not natural?"
She frowned at his answer.
"Someone set this blaze with magic."
"What? Who would dare?!"
Milia's furious shout drew every eye in the vicinity. Realizing she had attracted unwanted attention, she cleared her throat, lowered her voice, and asked again.
"So. Can you track them?"
"Yes. Somehow."
If they hurried, they could catch the culprit before the mana trail faded completely. There was no time to hesitate.
"Good. Then let's not waste words—we leave now."
"Yes, My Lady."
Milia nodded and started forward. Schwarz followed, pushing through the crowd toward the alley.
"My Lady! Schwarz! Both of you be careful!"
Ban's worried shout chased after them.
"I just don't get it."
"Don't get what, My Lady?"
Milia muttered under her breath. Schwarz tilted his head. She stopped walking; he stopped as well and turned to face her.
"That they would pull off something this extravagant just to kidnap a few children."
"True… it is strange."
It was the Founding Festival, the greatest celebration in the Riel Coalition. The city-states poured extra resources into security, and patrols by the peacekeeping forces and guards were a common sight. To risk all that just to reclaim a handful of kidnapped children…
It was undeniably odd.
Did they believe they could shake off the Coalition's guards and peacekeepers? Or were the children valuable enough to justify the danger? Either way, it was a headache.
"Haa… fretting about it now won't help. Let's move. We can think later."
"Yes, My Lady."
Worrying only wasted time and solved nothing. Milia set off again, and Schwarz followed, leaping from rooftop to rooftop as they tracked the steadily fading mana trail.
After several minutes of pursuit—
"We're going the right way, aren't we?"
"Yes. This is it."
Schwarz nodded and vaulted across another roof. Milia sprang after him. Together they cleared a broad avenue and landed on the building opposite.
"There."
"That's…"
Schwarz halted and pointed. Milia followed his gaze.
Below them lay the harbor, crowded with ships at anchor.
"The mana trail leads all the way to that ship."
Night sailing was dangerous, so every vessel had its sails furled—except one. A single ship stood with sails fully raised, preparing to cast off.
"The children are on that one?"
"Most likely."
The mana that had set the hotel ablaze was growing weaker, yet the faint mana signature belonging to the boy was growing stronger. Unless Schwarz was badly mistaken, the boy and the children were aboard that ship.
"Good. Then we move at once. Time to show them what happens when they lay hands on House Valentine."
Milia cracked her knuckles and began loosening up. Her expression was downright murderous. Schwarz murmured for her to stay calm, then leaned against the rooftop railing and surveyed the harbor.
Just as he expected, lookouts were spread wide around the docks.
"One, two, three, four, five…"
…
"Twenty-nine, thirty."
At least thirty men guarded the ship, and who knew how many more waited inside. What on earth made those children worth this much effort?
No. This was not the time for that question.
Schwarz shook his head hard and turned to Milia.
"If we charge in recklessly, the children could be used as hostages. And we still haven't located the mage who started the fire."
"Hmm… you've got a point."
The mage was a problem, but hostages would be worse. Milia nodded.
"Any bright ideas?"
"I'm thinking."
Schwarz sank into thought with a low hum, running mental simulations of every possible scenario. How long he stood there, he could not say.
"The classic approach is probably best."
"Classic approach?"
"A diversion."
One side draws the enemy's attention while the other achieves the objective—an old and reliable tactic. Simple, yet effective.
"I'll keep them busy and buy time. Meanwhile you slip aboard and rescue the children."
"Will you be all right?"
"I'm not so weak that I need My Lady worrying over the likes of them."
"True. I don't know why I was fretting."
Schwarz sounded faintly offended; Milia let out a short laugh.
A Royal Knight of the Elianos Kingdom. That title alone was proof of strength. Against ordinary men, Schwarz would have to hold back just to avoid killing them.
"I'll go first and draw their eyes. Please cover the rear, My Lady."
"I'll signal the moment the rescue is done. Be careful, just in case."
Schwarz rose. Milia watched his back as he started toward the harbor.
"Yes. You be careful too, My Lady."
He offered her a faint smile, then set off once more toward the docks.