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The duty of the Captain of the Royal Guard, Kario, was to protect the palace. In other words, ensuring that the hostage couple, the Tadont couple, were not taken back was his responsibility, but at the same time, guarding Princess Alice was also his duty. The responsibility for Princess Alice’s kidnapping undoubtedly lies with Kario. He must find the princess as quickly as possible and return her safely to the king.
“Was that window left open?” (Kario)
“Yes. It has been left as it was when Her Highness Alice was taken.” (Maid)
Kario was permitted to enter the princess’s room to investigate. Along with several subordinates, he investigated how the princess had been kidnapped. Answering Kario’s questions was the princess’s personal maid. She was also the first to discover that the princess had been kidnapped. As the personal maid, she seemed to feel a great deal of responsibility, her eyes red and swollen from crying as she assisted Kario with his investigation.
“Kario-sama. Please, please save Her Highness. I beg you… I beg you…” (Maid)
“Of course. I swore to the king. I will fulfill my duty at the cost of my life.” (Kario)
Kario ordered his subordinates to escort the maid, who had begun to cry, to the infirmary.
It pained Kario deeply that his failure had caused so much trouble for so many people.
“Even though the palace was in chaos due to the attack that night, the internal security remained strict. This means the kidnappers must have entered Her Highness’s room directly from outside the window without passing through the palace interior.” (Kario)
One of Kario’s subordinates, looking out the window, raised a question to his speculation.
“However, this is the second floor. How did they get in?” (Subordinate)
“Perhaps there is a specialized unit for such covert operations. People who can easily climb walls, for example.” (Kario)
“I see. Then we should focus not on how they got in, but on how they got out.” (Subordinate)
“Exactly. How did they carry an adult woman and escape?” (Kario)
The subordinate leaned out the window to check the wall for any traces.
“This is… Captain!” (Subordinate)
“What is it?” (Kario)
Kario leaned out alongside his subordinate and noticed a balcony on the neighboring palace, slightly diagonally across. It was close enough to jump to with a running start.
“I only noticed this when I leaned out the window, but the balcony is this close.” (Subordinate)
“Did they use this to carry Her Highness down?!” (Kario)
“Let’s go, Captain! There might be some traces on the balcony.” (Subordinate)
They hurried out of the room and headed toward the balcony. There, they unexpectedly ran into Count Ludwig.
“Count.” (Kario)
“Kario. Is the investigation going well?” (Ludwig)
Until recently, the count had been a youthful and energetic figure, but in the past few days, he had aged significantly.
“Yes! The kidnappers may have used the balcony to enter. If we can find traces of their entry, we might understand the circumstances of Her Highness Alice’s kidnapping.” (Kario)
“Fool!!” (Ludwig)
“Eek!” (Subordinate)
The count shouted angrily before Kario could finish his explanation.
The usually mild-mannered count had never been seen angry before, so the subordinate let out a surprised gasp. Kario stood at attention.
“What good does it do to figure that out now?!” (Ludwig)
The count grabbed Kario’s shoulders and patted them as if to calm him down.
“Kario. You may not realize it, but you’re panicking and your perspective has narrowed. Take a deep breath and think calmly.” (Ludwig)
“Yes.” (Kario)
Kario obediently took several deep breaths as instructed.
His excited mind began to calm down, and he regained his composure.
“Now, what should you be doing?” (Ludwig)
“Rescuing Her Highness Alice.” (Kario)
The count nodded, saying, “Exactly”.
Then, he continued with more questions.
“Does reconstructing the circumstances of the kidnapping help in rescuing Her Highness Alice?” (Ludwig)
“No.” (Kario)
“Then, what should you be doing?” (Ludwig)
“Finding the location of the escaped kidnappers.” (Kario)
“Exactly. Don’t forget that goal. Make sure every action you take connects to achieving that purpose.” (Ludwig)
“Count. I feel like I’ve woken up. Thank you.” (Kario)
Thanks to the count’s pointed questions, Kario was able to refocus on the true objective. Kario knelt and expressed his gratitude.
“If you need my help as a count, just say so. No matter how trivial it may seem.” (Ludwig)
“I am grateful.” (Kario)
The count offered his encouragement before leaving.
Despite being in a precarious position himself due to Kario’s failure, the count’s attitude toward Kario remained unchanged. For the sake of the count, Kario knew he had to resolve this case.
“Alright. Where could the kidnappers have gone?” (Kario)
“Captain. What should we do? It’s been nearly half a day since the princess was kidnapped. The kidnappers must already be far away by now.” (Subordinate)
“True.” (Kario)
“There are also marks on the city walls as if someone climbed over them.” (Subordinate)
“Ah. That’s right.” (Kario)
The subordinates all suggested that the kidnappers had already headed toward the border with the Laplace Kingdom. That had been the prevailing opinion in the earlier meeting as well. And it made sense. The kidnapping had occurred in the middle of the night, but it wasn’t discovered until dawn. The kidnappers had plenty of time to escape. And as if to confirm this, there were fresh marks on the city walls indicating that someone had climbed over them.
“Indeed, as everyone says, it’s highly possible that the kidnappers have already left the capital.” (Kario)
However, Kario’s mind, awakened by the count’s encouragement, was now working at full speed.
“But all the soldiers stationed in every town, village, and at the border have already been alerted by fast horses. They’ve been instructed to report immediately if they see any suspicious groups.” (Kario)
Even with a half-day head start, escaping with a hostage through unfamiliar territory was an extremely difficult task. So far, there have been no eyewitness reports of such a group in nearby towns or villages.
“The enemy must also be aware of these difficulties. That’s why they can’t afford to move around carelessly.” (Kario)
“Could it be…?” (Subordinate)
The subordinate spoke in disbelief.
“Her Highness and the kidnappers are still in the capital?!” (Subordinate)
“Where better to hide a tree than in a forest?” (Kario)
The capital has a population of tens of thousands, with a diverse mix of people. Moreover, unlike towns or villages with fixed residents, the capital is home to many newcomers, including adventurers and merchants. Therefore, even if unfamiliar faces appear in taverns or markets, no one paid them much attention.
“But where could they possibly hide… Oh.” (Subordinate)
“There is one place.” (Kario)
A place that the nobility and royalty treat as if it doesn’t exist.
“A place beyond the reach of state power and the rule of law.” (Kario)
The subordinate nodded.
“The slums.” (Subordinate)
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