Martina, having parted ways with Nadia, hurried toward the royal library, eager to resume her work on restoring the magic circle. Her mind was already teeming with countless pieces of information, weaving together potential solutions from the data she had gathered.
“The principles of the magic circle dictate…”
Occasionally mumbling to herself, Martina kept moving at a brisk pace. However, just as she turned a corner, a burly man suddenly grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth and pinning her down.
The cloth pressed against her mouth seemed to be laced with some substance, and within seconds of being restrained, Martina went limp, losing consciousness.
Confirming her state, the man swiftly picked her up, wrapped a large cloak around both of them, and hurried down the corridor. He slipped into a nearby storage room.
“She’s here!”
The man, an attendant of Ghazal, announced as he entered the room, drawing a subdued but delighted exclamation from Ghazal.
“Good. So, you succeeded in abducting Martina?”
“Yes. She was with another woman who appeared to be a colleague, so I had to separate them first. Hence, the delay. We’ll wait here briefly before proceeding.”
“Understood. Once everyone’s back, we’re getting out of this kingdom immediately.”
“Right. I’ll prepare the teleportation magic circle.”
Ten minutes later, the second attendant, who had been distracting Nadia, joined them in the storage room. Together, the three members of the Ghazal delegation disappeared from the royal palace, taking Martina with them.
After guiding Ghazal’s men to the guest quarters, Nadia headed to the royal library. Upon entering, she immediately noticed that Martina was not at her usual spot.
“If she’s not here, perhaps she’s in the archive today?”
As a key participant in the ongoing project, Nadia had unrestricted access to the archive. Without hesitation, she opened the door leading to it. However, Martina was nowhere to be found. The only people there were historical researchers like Laforet.
“Lord Laforet, has Martina been here?”
“No, she hasn’t.”
“I see. Thank you.”
What’s going on? Could she have forgotten something and gone back to the event hall?
With that thought, Nadia retraced her steps and returned to the hall. Yet, all she found there were Roland, Sylvan, and a few servants tidying up.
“Oh, Nadia. What brings you back? Weren’t you going to the library with Martina?”
Roland noticed her and called out. Nadia replied, her expression tinged with confusion.
“Well, on the way, I stopped to guide some visitors from Ghazal who were lost. I thought Martina would be in the library, but she wasn’t. I came back here thinking she might have returned.”
“Martina hasn’t come back here.”
“Then perhaps she’s at the dormitory… or maybe she went to see Prince Leonard or Lord Lambert. I’ll look around a bit more.”
After watching Nadia leave, Roland hesitated momentarily before scanning the room. Resolutely, he turned to Sylvan.
“Sylvan, can I leave the rest to you? I’m getting worried about Martina.”
“You’re right. Martina wouldn’t just disappear without a word. Leave it to me.”
“Thanks.”
Frowning slightly, Sylvan took over the remaining tasks as Roland hurriedly left the hall. He headed toward a rarely-used reception room nearby.
I really didn’t want to resort to this, but something feels off this time .
As Roland closed his eyes in quiet contemplation and took a deep breath, black smoke began to rise from his body. However, it wasn’t the unpleasant, tainted blackness of miasma; it was a beautiful, captivating jet black.
“Search.”
The moment Roland uttered the word, the black smoke spread outward in a thin, circular wave with incredible speed. This was a spell known as Dark Magic Detection, which allowed the user to locate individuals by identifying the unique magical signature they carried in their memory.
Every person, even those who couldn’t actively use magic, possessed a faint amount of magical energy. Therefore, in principle, this spell could be used to detect even non-magic users.
However, even skilled practitioners could only manage a detection range of several kilometers at best. Furthermore, the spell required an especially clear memory of the target’s magical signature to work.
“It’d be easier if they were in a dark place…”
Believing Martina couldn’t have gone far, Roland focused his search within the royal palace. Yet, no trace of her magical energy could be found.
“Is she farther away…?”
With mounting anxiety as his magic power dwindled, Roland pushed the spell to its limits, extending its range to the maximum. Finally, at the very edge of his reach, he detected Martina’s magical signature.
“In the forest? And she’s… with someone?”
Realizing this, Roland quickly ended the spell to conserve his remaining magic and furrowed his brows, pondering his next move.
Dark magic, with its associations to stealth and detection, was widely feared and disliked. Its dark aesthetic only added to its negative reputation. Being a rare attribute, even rarer than light magic, there were almost no dark magic users, further intensifying people’s mistrust.
As a result, children born with dark attributes often concealed their abilities. Roland had been one such child, with only his parents and a few trusted servants aware of his magical nature.
“If I reveal I’m a dark attribute user, it’ll definitely cause a commotion. That’ll delay rescuing Martina… I can’t let that happen.”
Murmuring to himself, Roland raised his head with a resolute expression, clenched his fists, and stormed out of the reception room.
If I go alone, I can save her faster. Nadia will report Martina’s absence after confirming she’s nowhere in the palace. That gives me the chance to act now.
Rushing to the officials’ exclusive exit of the palace, Roland dashed into the streets as dusk began to settle. Yet, for someone like him with dark magic, the encroaching night was no hindrance.
His magic allowed him to see better in the dark than in daylight. By manipulating shadows, he could also move through the city and toward the forest with extraordinary speed, far beyond that of an ordinary person.
“Martina, stay safe.”
Whispering his heartfelt wish, Roland sprinted through the dim alleys, a shadow in the deepening night.
