Standing in front of the bathroom, Sylus's eyes scanned the entire area.
There was no one there.
The ground was wet, so it was obvious that someone had already used it.
Sylus looked towards the window, seeing that it was closed, so the option that she might have sneaked out was removed in an instant.
Her clothes were not in the bathroom either, so he was forced to believe she must have stepped out.
Right? That has to be it.
It was a flimsy hope, but it was all he got.
"Is everything alright, young prince?"
A maid was now standing behind him, holding a stack of towels in her hand.
Right after hearing her voice, Sylus turned around to look at her.
Panic etched on his face.
"Did you see Zani? Black hair, small body?!"
The maid was taken aback by the question, blinking multiple times before she answered.
"I—I saw her leaving the castle with someone… I thought you asked her to do—"
Before the maid could complete her words, Sylus sprinted away, running down the hall.
Meanwhile, Erica stood in the center of the hall, her cold gaze lingering on the maid.
As soon as Sylus was down the stairs, he ran as fast as he could, only stopping after he saw Alfred stepping out of the library.
"Alfred!"
Sylus made sure to shout as loud as he could.
Alfred turned his attention towards the voice, only to see the young prince panting heavily before him.
"Your Highness, are you alright? You barely come to this side of the castle—"
"Someone took Zani! We need to go after them!"
Alfred paused.
If this were anyone else, he would surely ask some questions before acting.
However, Sylus was a different case.
"Where did they go?" Alfred had his hand on the sword strapped around his waist.
Sylus shook his head, indicating he didn't know.
While he believed Erica was behind this, getting her to confess was another chore on its own.
Or at least, the time needed for that was not something he could risk.
As such, his best chance was to use his summons.
Now looking at Alfred, he uttered,
"Aria should be able to sniff her out."
"The big bird?"
"Yes, if we go now, we might still be able to catch up to them."
Alfred was hesitant about taking Sylus at first. Endangering the young prince was not something he ever wanted to risk.
That said, if the giant bird was the only thing they could depend on, then Sylus's presence was needed.
"I understand, Your Highness, but you have to promise me first you will not leave my side no matter what."
Sylus nodded.
"Okay then. Your summons is in the garden; let's head there."
They both headed towards the garden.
…
Upon getting there, Sylus could see Aria perched on top of a tree branch, resting.
The garden was empty, only occupied by the wide miscellanea of plants and beautiful insects flying around.
Standing right under the tree, while Alfred was at a distance, Sylus called for his summons.
"Aria! Oi! Can you hear me?"
Aria opened its eyes. They lit up the moment they saw Sylus.
And then, it flew down to meet Sylus, dancing around him before resting on his shoulder.
Even then, Sylus couldn't smile.
"Aria, Zani has been abducted. Can you track her down for me?"
There was only one reason why Sylus could ask such questions of a bird.
It was simply because after Aria's evolution, not only did it gain the ability to see far distances, but it could also track anything it had seen before.
Aria flapped its wings, acknowledging Sylus's question.
Seeing this, Sylus uttered—
"Good, take us there."
Before long, Aria had taken its giant form, allowing both Sylus and Alfred to ride on it.
It soared through the sky, moving at a speed so fast, it made Alfred, who had motion sickness, puke a couple of times in the air.
Not that Sylus noticed.
All through the chase, all he could think about was Zani's safety.
If only he weren't so careless.
He never cared for anything in his former life. Caring for someone meant taking their responsibility as well.
As such, people around him tried their best to stay out of everyone's business.
He was never loved, never cared for, and in correlation, he never knew how to love.
Was that why he cared so deeply for Zani? Because he wanted to give her the love he never could get?
- Why, he viewed her as his responsibility?
Suddenly, Aria made a sharp turn to the left and then, with speed, began descending.
By the time it touched the ground, it stopped in front of a tomb that had been sealed shut.
The entire area was filled with hills and mountains, and barely anyone lived here. The perfect hideout for criminals.
"Miss Zani, is she in here?" asked Alfred as he moved closer to the rock.
"Seems like it."
Sylus followed behind him.
Getting to the stone, they placed their hands on it, feeling how heavy and stiff it was.
"They must have gone through using an artifact. Maybe a shadow detector or something." Alfred tried looking for any opening he could exploit.
Meanwhile, Sylus stood at a spot, his fist clenched.
'Why on earth would they bring her here to begin with? If they wanted to kill her, wouldn't it have been better in the castle?'
He fought the urge to punch the wall, knowing his hand would undoubtedly get damaged.
Still, the fact that she was potentially out there and he was in made him even angrier.
If only there were a way he could tell what was happening in there. Just to be sure Zani was safe.
Ding!
[A new aspect has been born under the title "The Master."]
Sylus turned his awareness to the screen, his eyes filled with hope.
[Voice of a Master] Description: As the master, you are not limited to a single form of communication. You can now understand diverse languages and speak telepathically to all who are under you.
Sylus gulped down his saliva, resolve glued to his face right after.