Midnight Shadow

"Lady Helena! Over here!"

Roko and Helena ran into one of the school's mini courtyards on the way to the female dorms where Roland waved them over to where he and the rest of their friends were waiting.

"What's going on?" Roko asked.

"Corissa has disappeared." Kaguya explained, "There are signs of a struggle though nobody seems to have heard anything that night."

"Where's Varis?"

"He's out looking for Corissa." Mikado said, "Has been since this morning."

"Then let's get over to the crime scene and see if there are any clues." Roko said as he started to walk away.

"We can't." Roland stopped him, "The staff is preventing students from getting near her room."

"Tsk. Then we'll have to find another way."

"Calm down." Kaguya said gently, "The details of the investigation is public. It would be hard to stem information from a school full of princesses. I can tell you all that we know so far."

"Please do." Roko said as he returned to the group.

"The matter began when Corissa's roommates woke up to find her missing. Her bed sheets were in disarray as if some sort of struggle had taken place though no one reported hearing such a struggle. Hair was found at the scene that didn't match Corissa's so efforts are being made to DNA test them."

"You guys can do that?" Roko blinked.

"Yes. Can your world not do that?"

"No, but it's pretty impressive technology. Unless it's just magic."

"What else would it be?" Roland said.

"Technology. Although sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

"How's that relevant?" Roland frowned.

"It's not. Keep going."

"Not much else to say. We have two patrols every hour and none of them saw or heard anything either. There were no signs that there were any breach in the magical securities of the school so we can rule out the idea of some sort of magic breaking through the school's spatial isolation."

"Does that imply an inside job?" Helena bit her lip.

"I don't know." Kaguya held her head disconcertingly, "It'd be troubling if that was true."

"Does Corissa have any enemies?" Roko asked.

"None for Corissa specifically." Helena mused, "There are a few people that don't like Varis I suppose but no one hates Corissa enough to pull a stunt like this."

"Not even politically?"

"Corissa's nation is quite small." Kaguya explained, "It exports a variety of important products so it's not irrelevant but they're not powerful and they don't have any long standing enemies."

"Interesting." Roko's mind darted between thoughts, slowing piecing a picture together, "Does a silence spell exist?"

"It does." Kaguya nodded, "Though it's a kind of an unusual spell to learn."

"Alright." Roko snapped his fingers, "We need to get moving. Where's the headmaster's room?"

"You want to talk to the headmaster?" Roland blinked, "Don't you think we should wait til there's a ransom demand first?"

"You think there's going to be a ransom demand?" Roko smirked.

"W-What?!" Roland said, agitated, "This is a kidnapping right? So there should be a ransom demand."

"Point one." Roko said, "Assume that this was a team effort. Why didn't they kidnap all the princesses in the room if all they wanted was money? If for any reason they could only kidnap one, why go for a room full of potential witness when there are students who live alone who make for easier targets?"

"Point two." Kaguya added, "Value wise, there are many other students from richer nations or come from a family that would be willing to pay more for their child back. Most of Corissa's roommates themselves out-value her as a potential kidnapping target."

"Point three." Helena said, "Given the skill needed to infiltrate Memoria Auspice, you would hope that the culprit would be reasonable enough to not leave so much evidence behind."

"Okay fine, geez." Roland muttered.

"Everything points to this being personal." Roko explained, "Not fueled by greed but by passion. There is no time to waste. There's no telling what they are going to do. I need to see the headmaster."

"I'll bring you there." Helena volunteered, "Though chances are low that you'll be able to speak to the headmaster."

"We'll see about that." Roko said as Helena ran off, "You guys find Varis. Tell him to come back."

"Varis is pretty stubborn!" Roland called, "What can I say to him?"

"Tell him I know where Corissa is."

"Oh! Edea! Kress!" Helena and Roko stopped in front of the headmaster's office where the two teachers were standing.

"Helena. Roko." Edea frowned when she saw Roko, "I expect you're here for some reckless reason."

"I don't have time to argue with you about not getting involved." Roko replied.

"And I don't have time to tell you to leave this to the adults." Edea snapped.

"Where's the headmaster?"

"Inside."

"I need to speak to him."

"About what?"

"I need to know if there are any satellite locations related to Memoria Auspice that have been abandoned by the school that we can no longer access."

"You think the culprit entered here from a satellite location?" Edea frowned.

"Most likely."

"Hmmmm..." Edea thought it over, "It's not impossible but our all of our satellite locations are not exactly well known even to some of the staff here. We only use a few. What's more, satellite locations are discreetly marked with complex magical security. Spatial manipulation spells are also not easy to manipulate."

"Speculation can wait until after we have the facts." Roko stated.

"You know, you-"

"Alright." Kress smiled, "I'll speak to the headmaster."

"Kress!" Edea frowned.

"There's no reason not to investigate the possibility." Kress said as he placed his hand on the handle to the headmaster's room, "You all can wait out here. This check will take a few minutes."

With that, Kress opened the door and stepped into the room.

Edea stood outside with Roko and Helena in awkward silence.

"You two shouldn't be involved." Edea stated.

"I'm not going to stand here and do nothing."

"Do you always try to involve yourself with other people's problems?"

"I don't know."

"Huh?"

"The world I come from is relatively peaceful. We may have more political unrest than this world but everyday life for everyday citizens is pretty peaceful. I have never seen a crisis like this before. Though I have read and watched stories about it."

"..."

Everyone looked up when Kress emerged back outside after a minute or two.

"Well?!" Roko cried.

"There has been one location." Kress smiled, "An old observatory tower meant for astronomy classes that we've abandoned for the most part. Connection to it has been severed since last night."

"That's it." Roko said, "Where is it?"

"Now hold on here." Edea spoke up, "We're not sending you in there yourself!"

"Actually..." Kress chuckled.

"Kress, no!" Edea moaned.

"Time is of the essence. And with our connection to the tower severed, we cannot exactly travel there on the spot. The closest point we have is about an hour or two away from the tower."

"That's too long." Roko bit his lip.

"That's why we have this." Kress held up a scroll.

"What's that?"

"No way." Edea snatched the scroll out of Kress' hands, "A gate scroll?!"

"A gate scroll?" Helena said, "Doesn't that allow you to instantly travel to any location?"

"So long as we have the coordinates." Kress nodded, "The only problem is that we can't send that big a party through it."

"Then we'll do it." Roko said.

"That's the idea."

"Unbelievable." Edea scowled, "We're using a gate scroll for this? Gate is an ancient spell whose mechanics are kept under wraps by most magical authorities. And we're using it to send a few kids after a dangerous kidnapper?"

"Time is of the essence, Edea. We don't have time to muster an elite group of soldiers to send in their stead."

"And I don't think Varis, or any knight really, would appreciate being left out of the rescue of their own princess." Roko added.

"Ugh." Edea sighed loudly, "Alright. Gather your group. I'll send you off."

"Then we need to return to the courtyard." Roko nodded, "Let's hurry."

"I can't believe I have to literally send kids in for a rescue." Edea growled as she ran after them.

"Oh! Hey!" Momo waved at Roko and Helena when they arrived back at the courtyard, "I heard about what happened! I'm here to help!"

"Oh. Thanks." Roko gasped as he took a moment to catch his breath, "Varis is here too. Great. We have a way to get to the kidnapper."

"That's great!" Kaguya cried, "We can ask for the details later. Right now we need to get moving."

"Yeah." Roko took a deep breath, "Then me, Varis and Momo will be heading out now."

"Wait hold on!" Kaguya and Helena protested, "First of all, you're going too?!"

"Of course."

"Your arm is still healing!" Helena cried.

"I still got one good arm."

"And what good will that do you?!"

"Now now." Momo chuckled, "He can use one of my extra swords."

"Like he knows how to use that!"

"I don't." Roko admitted, "But I'm still going."

"Well, against better judgment, I won't say a word about your leaving." Kaguya sighed, "However, I cannot believe you are planning on going in there with just three people. I insist that you bring Mikado along. He's as reliable as they come."

"That's right!" Helena added, "Take Roland as well! He should be able to help too!"

"As you wish milady." Mikado bowed.

"I'm not keen on working with this guy..." Roland grimaced, "But if it means saving someone, I won't betray your trust."

"You can at least use him as bait if nothing else."

"Thanks, o wondrous and magnificent Lady Helena."

"Stop that!"

"Thanks. Both of you." Roko nodded.

"I'm done setting the coordinates." Edea called, "So that's five of you going out?"

"Yeah." Roko said as he tied Momo's sword to his hip and turned to Varis, "You ready?"

Varis nodded, any idea of his true feelings hidden behind his black helm.

"Then get going." Edea unrolled the scroll and tossed it into the air.

The scroll disappeared as it opened a spatial gate in the middle of the air. Roko gulped before stepping through the gate along with his team.

Corissa woke up groggily, her eyes barely able to focus themselves and her mind feeling miles behind.

"What happened?" She muttered.

As she began to try to move her body, she could hear the clanging of chains, feel her arms bound together above her head and in a snap, her mind recalled the events of last night. The mysterious figure standing over her bed. The cloth he had forced over her mouth. Her struggle against him that had been completely silenced. And slowly falling unconscious as she felt her body getting lifted.

The terror of that night shook her fully awake as she manically looked around her new location. She was in some sort of room, her hands tied to the frame of a fancy canopy bed. There was a single window that revealed the tops of a collection of trees, placing her location inside some sort of tower. Hearing her wake up, Corissa's eyes widened as the figure from that night got up from around a cauldron and strode over to the side of her bed.

"Ah..." The kidnapper breathed lightly as he looked down on his captive, "My beautiful Corissa. You've finally awaken."

"Where am I?" Corissa yelped, "Who are you?"

"I? I am...your knight." The figure parted his cloak to reveal a rudimentary set of steel plating, "I'll protect you, Corissa. For the rest of your life."

"W-What are you talking about?"

"E-Excuse me."

The strange man reached out with a shivering hand...and groped Corissa's chest. Corissa cried out in terror, twisting her body around to force her kidnapper off her.

"Oh..." The kidnapper moaned depressingly, "You don't love me do you?"

Corissa sobbed quietly as the man returned to his cauldron.

"That's okay. Don't worry. I won't do anything you don't want me to do. Once I finish this love potion, we can be together forever, my love."

"Help..." Corissa yelped, "Varis...Roko..."