Night had already fallen
Inside his small house, Veyn quietly enjoyed a cup of tea while reading a book
Knock
Someone knocked on the front door
He closed the book and walked over
The moment he opened the door; he froze for a second
"Ohh… Auel, it was you"
"Wait, how come you know my house?"
"I asked the innkeeper where you live"
"I see…"
Veyn smiled faintly
"So?"
"What brings you here this late at night?"
"I want to talk about something"
"Right now?"
"Can't it wait until tomorrow? We can discuss it with everyone"
Auel shook his head
"I don't think this is something I should tell everyone yet"
Veyn studied his expression for a moment before stepping aside
"You look serious…"
"Come in"
"Let's hear it"
The two sat down in the living room
"You want something to drink?"
"Tea is fine"
Veyn prepared another cup before sitting across from him
The room fell silent for a few seconds
Finally, Veyn spoke
"So, what kind of important thing you wanted to talk about?"
Auel looked straight at him
"It's about the King's case; I think I know what actually happened?"
Veyn slowly put down his teacup
"…That's quite a statement"
"If you've already figured it out, why not tell everyone tomorrow?"
"Because it's still only a theory"
Veyn raised an eyebrow
"And you want to tell this to me? Why"
"That's because you might verify this theory and turn it into fact"
A small smile appeared on Veyn's face
"Interesting… Then what is it?"
"First off, I don't think the Dark Elves are the culprits"
"But…"
"They're still part of this case"
Veyn quietly listened
"This afternoon you said that the Dark Elf village got attacked"
"And also, you said that it was not the first time they got attacked by the bandit"
Veyn nodded slowly
"I don't think the bandits wanted slaves"
"At least, not ordinary slaves"
"What do you mean?"
"They needed the Dark Elves, to grow the poisonous mushroom"
Veyn's expression changed slightly
"The reason for that is the Dark Elf always destroy this mushroom before they grow their poison"
"That's why they kidnapped the Dark Elf so they can produce this poison"
Silence
"So, the method for killing the librarian is clear"
"For the King is quite the same"
Auel continued
"Outside this forest there is a little village that dedicate their lives to learn and use God Magic"
"And from some information, that village was attacked by the bandits as well"
Veyn's eyes narrowed
"… Go on"
"If both villages were attacked…"
"…then someone now possesses people capable of producing the poison1…"
"…and someone capable of using God Magic"
"So, you think the bandits are behind everything?"
Auel immediately shook his head
"No"
"It doesn't make sense"
"A bandit wouldn't risk provoking an entire kingdom"
"The reward isn't worth it"
"So, I think…"
"…they're simply working for someone else"
Veyn quietly crossed his arms
"I see…"
"And what about the King?"
Auel took a sip of tea
"…I think he's still alive"
That finally surprised Veyn
"…Alive?"
"How come?"
"First you said the crown is missing, that means the culprit must have the crown right now"
"But I think until now there is no sign of the culprit is worthy of using it"
"And even I think that the culprit intention is not becoming a King"
"But instead, they wanted that position itself to disappear"
"You said that the if the King got killed then the crown will find the new King by resonating with someone who is worthy"
Veyn nodded slowly
"And this could be a trouble for the culprit"
"Because if that happens then they have to deal with the new King"
"So instead, they kept the throne empty"
The room became completely silent
Auel continued
"Which means that the King is now kept alive and being hostage by the culprit"
He paused
"Or… I think the King is not being kept by the culprit, I think he was escaped right before he could get held by the culprit"
Veyn's eyes slightly widened
"Escaped?"
"You told us something important"
"The crown also change the wearer appearance and the King never put off his crown"
"That means there is a chance that the culprit didn't know the King real face"
"I don't know what kind of God Magic they used"
"But maybe the King could run away in the last second and the culprit could only take the crown"
Veyn slowly leaned back
"The King escaped…"
"…without his crown"
"He became just another ordinary elf"
"But at the same time, he couldn't do anything"
"He didn't know the crown location"
"And if he stated that he was the King,"
"Everyone wouldn't believe with everything he just said"
"Then, the culprit will immediately move and capture him"
"That's why the King is still hiding"
Veyn stared at him without saying a word
"…Interesting"
"But why are you think that the King is hiding? The possibility is really small for the culprit to let the King escape, right?"
"You're right"
Auel calmly nodded
"But here's why I said that you could verify everything I just said"
Then Auel pointed his finger at Veyn
"The reason I think about that is you"
"You're really suspicious from the start we came here"
"First of all, you are the one who create the quest to help find the King"
"Which is kinda weird for a librarian to do that"
"Second, you seem to know a lot about this case, or should I say you know everything about this case"
"I know that you are a librarian who worked at the Royal Palace"
"But why you know so much?"
"At first I thought you are just some weird guys I used to meet"
"But then you tell us about the attack today"
"What did a librarian do at a Dark Elf village attack?"
"And if I remember what Tobari said, there are not a single elf ever visited their village, except for the guards, Cardinals, and the King himself"
"But somehow he seems close to you"
"You know a lot of things"
"You visited the Dark Elf village and they know you"
"And you willingly ask outsider to help this case"
Auel slowly set down his cup
"So…"
"…there's only one answer"
He looked straight at Veyn
"You're the missing King, am I right?"
Silence
For several long seconds…
…neither of them spoke
Then-
Veyn laughed
A quiet, genuine laugh
"Well… I just think that asking outsider to help with this case might help to find the King"
"But I never thought it was this fast"
Then he stood up and walked toward the window
"You're really something"
He looked outside at the moonlit streets
"I think my quest took by the right persons"
"So, let me guess you're suspecting the Cardinals, right?"
He nodded
"I'm also suspecting the Cardinals"
"They're different from every generation before them"
"They really hate the outsiders, even though I already warn them not to do anything to harm them"
"But again, I never imagine their hates could ended up doing something like this"
Auel looked at him
"By the way, there is something that still bugging me"
"What is it?"
"What kind of God Magic do they use, and how come you still alive even escape?"
"I don't really know much about God Magic"
"I remember entering the library"
"It was silent, no one was there"
"And then… I cannot feel anything"
Auel frowned
"What do you mean?"
"It feels really weird, I cannot feel my body at all, my arms, legs, everything"
"It's like my body suddenly dead in place"
"But you still have your consciousness?" Auel asked
"Yes, but I cannot see anything too, even I cannot hear anything"
"Everything blank"
"Then I suddenly got to move my body again"
"That moment I realized that the crown already gone"
"But the room was empty"
"There no one there"
"But…"
"…I heard someone"
"Breathing"
Very heavily"
"So, I hid behind one of the bookshelves"
"But I could saw anyone, until the Cardinals came"
"I think the messenger had already informed them"
"After they left, I just went out from the Royal Palace safely as Veyn normally walked outside the Royal Palace"
"I see"
Auel remained silent
"And the dragon?"
Veyn scratched his cheek
"It just personal problem, it has nothing to do with this case"
"I see"
"So now that we both know that the big candidate is the Cardinals, that's means we need your help so we can investigate them"
"That's fine, I can handle it"
"I will find a way so you can investigate them"
"Let's see first how it works, ok?"
The he looked outside, the night keep getting darker
"It's already night, you should go back and take a rest now"
He opened the front door
Before Auel stepped outside, Veyn suddenly asked
"By the way, I want to ask something"
"What is it?"
"You seem to know a lot about God Magic"
"You told us that they use God Magic, and you also know that there was a village that got attack by bandits"
"How do you know about these?"
Auel stood there for a few moments
"Sorry, that's a private information"
Without another word, he walked into the night
Veyn quietly watched him leave
Just before closing the door…
…something caught his eye
A shadow
Someone had been hiding behind the wall
The figure immediately turned and ran
Veyn frowned
"…Probably just someone passing by"
He quietly closed the door
Outside…
The streets were silent
A lone figure sprinted through the darkness
Panting
Breathing heavily
She didn't stop until she reached her house
The door burst open
Sylffie leaned against it, trying to catch her breath
"…Veyn…"
Her hands trembled
"…Veyn…"
She slowly looked toward the floor
"…was the King…"