No Clear Direction?

"With all due respect, I believe that the Duchess' accounts of the missing the children are malnourished young prisoners. However, I am suspicious of the Duchess's actions. If all the prisoners there were criminals serving their life sentences, why would the Duchess be concerned?"

"I mean, it doesn't add up to me at all. Why would a nation leader care about a place meant to be an outcast to society? I wouldn't even bother to look at such a place, only for the sheer purpose of dumping prisoners to rot away in that area. That's the part I'm concerned about," I explained.

Bryan looked at me with shock and worry. We both glanced around at everyone deep in thought—all except Rina, the Flower Mage. The girl took a deep breath and finally contributed to the topic on hand.

"I've known about the Midford Family for some time now. After I'd recovered all my diaries, I'd found out that I loved to keep track of the noble family organizations all across the Five Domains. So each Domain has got a family group running the whole kingdom."

"For Briton, the Midford Family came to power around a century ago. Duchess Vernice Midford is the Fourth Generation to the title. The family won the hearts of the folks in Briton because of their expertise in firearms and weaponry. Vernice is known as the sharpshooter of the Five Kings."

"But even she doesn't have her guns, the children of the Midford family are trained to fight with swords as well. That Domain is also a female-driven nation, meaning that the firstborn girl of the Duchess would be heir to the throne. And Vernice's parents gave birth to twins."

I swear, I could hear the sound of Bryan's heart with the silence of the room.

"The twins are identical, omitting their genders. Other than that, everything is the same. They behave the same way and talk the same style and accent. They've even got the same handwriting, so I've got a hunch that it was Vernice's twin brother that wrote those letters," explained Rina.

"You aren't wrong about that, but yet there's still something amiss from those facts. Vernice has a twin, but that brother should be dead in the records. Instead, he went missing after a playdate in the forest gone wrong. However, if I take a closer look at the letters' handwriting..."

"I could find out if it was by Vernice or someone else. Vernice has very interesting handwriting, and only a small handful of people can forge it. She's got a very odd way of writing the letter 'o', the top has a cone," replied Z, realizing this case might end up being a rescue mission.

"Alright then. After this meeting and lunch, I'm heading back to my place to gather all the letters before we make our move. Or may I propose that Elizabeth and I head to that place first after this meal? I've finished my vacation, and I'm looking for some tasks to take up now."

"I was the one who replied to this task, so please let me lead this Major Mission. It'll be my first," begged Bryan, much to my dismay.

"It'll be your last if you don't get a good sense of what exactly is happening in that area. You are heading there without a clear direction. Too many things don't line up with what we have. And you're going in at night?! Don't make me laugh!"

"No one knows about what they do in the Prisoners' Den. Once you go missing there, no one would lift a finger to find you or care to bother if you've died or not. So I won't be allowing the two of you to go without me. Elizabeth is a new member of the Pillars."

"I can't allow my students to head in that area without an in charge. I don't even know the full details of everything happening around. I've got some hunches, too, but they led to nowhere without good reason. If that Brookes guy ends up taking your life like how I lost Gab."

"I'd never forgive myself," confessed Mavislin as Clement got out the last dish of the day.

A giant plate of meat landed right smack onto the table. Everyone's eyes widened as we took a look at what we were having for tea time—rack of lamb, pork chop, and some beef thingy. Well then, I am so lucky I'm not considered human anymore.

"You are very stuck to your students, Mavislin. If I were to do that to my underlings, I'd hang myself first. But you are right; the two of them don't have enough information to get through for a full assignment. So, as I said, I'm not going to go with you guys anymore."