Chapter 14: Most Likely Suspect

In a grand throne room made of white marble and gold, a man who looks to be older than he actually is sits on his throne. The death of Rosanna weighed heavily on the king, as did his estrangement from his family and friends due to his refusal to convict his son. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn't bring himself to sentence his own flesh and blood. Today is two days after Landon's disappearance, and standing before him is a mage investigator. The mage speaks up, reading from a scroll,

"Our investigation shows that the individual or individuals responsible for the crown prince and Miss Ralia's kidnapping is a skilled mage. We found residue from three separate castings of teleportation, a polymorphing spell, a high level barrier spell, and a physical enhancement spell. This combination of spells is something that only those at or above the 6th circle, or Grand Mage, will be able to cast. Specifically, the rapid casting of teleportation. Considering the fact that said suspect was able to easily overpower an Aura Knight with such ease and at such a close range, we believe this mage to be of at least the 7th circle, or a Legendary Mage."

The king slumps back into his seat and sighs loudly before asking,

"Were you able to trace these teleportation spells to specific locations?"

The mage clears their throat and answers,

"We were able to successfully track two of the three teleportation spells. They led to an abandoned shack in the middle of the slums. However, the knights had already ruined the crime scene before we arrived, so we were unable to glean any more information from it. The teleportation we weren't able to track was because it was the spell the mage used to get inside of the room. Teleportation spells can only be tracked to their destination, not their casting location."

The king nods his head and motions for the mage to continue on,

"After answering a few questions, Princess Elena described seeing the individual kidnapping the prince and Miss Ralia. She described them as a tall woman with black hair, grey skin, and a glowing red ring around their iris. We had assumed them to be a drow, as their kind is described in the same way; however, when asked about the suspect's ears, she answered that she had no memory of them."

The king slams his fist on the chair beside him, breaking the stone into dust. He looks up at the sky angrily and shouts,

"I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN IT WAS THOSE DAMNED DEMONS!"

The mage jumps as the king shouts, and continues on,

"Your majesty, it is not confirmed that the individual responsible for the prince's kidnapping was a demon. After all, there was a polymorph spell cast in the room itself. Whoever cast this spell was trying to hide their true identity. We do happen to have three suspects at this moment however."

The king calms himself. The past few weeks have weighed on him heavily. He speaks up,

"I apologize Sir Mage. Please continue."

The mage nods and states,

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"The first and most likely suspect is a master mage who recently sold a 6th circle magic stone at the auction house. We interrogated several individuals working at the house for any information on this master, and they gave us the name of Midas. This Midas is confirmed to be of at least the 8th circle, or a Magus, nearly making her on-par with Queen Gaera herself. The reason this individual is a suspect is due to the rather tense interaction she had with the prince. The prince had attempted to use the royal name as an excuse to pay less for the item the master had sold."

The king rubs the bridge of his nose and mutters under his breath,

"Of course he did. The fool."

The mage, pretending to not have heard that, continues,

"This master perfectly meets all the requirements we set for the suspect: At least 7th circle, negative impression of the prince, and a reason to hide their identity. The next suspect we find highly unlikely. Rosanna Pultovia."

The king waves his hand and says,

"No, Rosanna isn't capable of using mana. Plus, that gentle girl would never do something like this."

The mage nods his head and continues,

"This is exactly why we have ruled her and her family out. Firstly, nobody in her family is over the 4th circle. Secondly, the entire Pultovian line is known for being very calm and quiet with the only exception being during the war for independence centuries ago. However, we didn't choose to rule her out due to the fact that she may have been possessed by a demon. But, just this morning the pope of Gaera did a mass detect fiend spell, focusing on the Pultovian duchy, and found not a single trace of fiendish beings."

The king nods his head and motions for the mage to continue with the last suspect,

"The last suspect is an unknown drow or other fiendish being. We lean more towards a drow due to the incredible magic abilities, and the description given by the princess. These are the three possible, or rather two possible suspects."

The king nods his head and wipes his face with his hands while groaning,

"Ahhhh. This foolish son of mine. You commit adultery, kill your fiancé, and insult a magus all in the span of a month. Where the hell did I go wrong."

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