CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

"You assured me that the curse would leave her powerless"

"It did"

"Then explain to me how she could have possibly escaped the barrier while being supposedly powerless"

Grisha sat on a chair behind a large desk in a room that closely resembled an office.

"If so, it doesn't make any sense"

His expression was twisted into a deep frown.

"As long as she is still human, there is no way she could have completely escaped the effects of the curse"

Lupo stood a few metres away from the desk, her face covered by the usual dark hood.

"Then explain it to me, how did she do it"

Grisha asked, his eyes mirroring the rage he was barely holding in.

"I understand your suspicions your majesty but what would I gain by helping a blessed one"

Lupo pointed out calmly.

"Then how did she possibly manage to escape the barrier or is it the barrier itself that is to be blamed as the culprit"

"If there was a problem with the barrier, I would have sensed it but I didn't sense any changes"

"You have a point there, I would have been alerted since I possess the keys"

Grisha leaned on the desk, placing one of his elbows on its surface and resting his chin on his clenched fist.

"So are you insinuating that she may have gotten help from an outsider"

His eyes grew colder with every word he spoke.

"It seems very unlikely but it's the only plausible explanation we have"

Lupo expressed her opinion on the current situation to the angered Emperor.

"The question is how"

Grisha took a moment to gather his thoughts and then proceeded to speak.

"It was impossible for her to meet someone that is not only able to easily bypass the barrier but also go unnoticed while doing so, not while she was locked up in that castle all this time"

"What of before she was locked up"

Lupo asked.

"It still doesn't add up, I was always very thorough while monitoring each of her activities during that time"

Grisha was genuinely confused, he never even considered such a variable while making his plans. The white witch was always meant to be an identity he could control at will and the control was certainly out of his hands now that she had escaped.

"What worries me more is the outsider that may have aided her escape"

Lupo added before continuing.

"The barrier wasn't meant to be ordinary by any means and there were numerous measures put in place to prevent something like this from happening so it is quite troubling that none of those measures were activated"

"To bypass the barrier this easily requires abilities that exceed even mine, which means that they must at the very least possess a similar power level to Kharis before she was poisoned or may even be slightly stronger and I'm sure we both know that no such person should exist on the continent except there is some kind of hidden power that exists beyond your influence great Emperor"

Lupo's words caused Grisha to grit his teeth in anger.

"There's no way that's possible"

"We can never be too sure your majesty and from the looks of things, it seems like we both made the same mistake of underestimating her"

Grisha slammed both his fists on the desk in a fit of rage, causing a loud bang to resound across the room.

"How could something like this happen just when I finally had everything within my grasp"

"This is no time for anger your majesty, we need to handle this situation calmly"

"I know, I just needed a way to express my frustration"

Grisha seemed to have calmed down a bit after his sudden outburst.

"What do you suggest?"

"In my humble opinion sire, whatever the outcome turns out to be doesn't matter as long as we act fast enough while our plans are still secret"

"You're basically saying that we should hasten our preparations"

"Exactly so"

"It's a good idea"

Grisha nodded

"Preparations are all done on my end, all that's left is to remove the rats scurrying around the village"

An ominous smile broke out underneath the hood of the sorceress, completely hidden away from the Emperor's eyes.

"I didn't expect such a small village to be crawling with holy knights"

Grisha spoke with apparent irritation in his voice.

"Though it will be rather inconvenient during the initial stages, my people can easily take care of the holy knights if they try to interfere, however, it will come at the price of a bit of delay"

"If you are willing then it can be done"

Lupo carefully observed Grisha's reaction to her every word.

"No, that won't do since we don't need any delays or interruptions"

"I will send a letter to the high priest and request a meeting, it shouldn't take too long since the holy land of the church of light is located right outside the capital"

"Everything should be sorted out in a day or two"

"That is a very wise decision your majesty"

Lupo had obtained the reaction she desired from the Emperor. With just a few specific words urging

him in the right direction, She could easily make Grisha move according to her wishes. She found it all rather amusing, the Emperor was dancing in the palm of her hand without even realising that he walking right into a trap.

"Though, I must add that an investigation into her disappearance is still required"

Lupo suggested.

"It is going to be quite a hassle but you're right, it is needed"

"I have already ordered Alistair to conduct a rudimentary investigation for now and I plan to hand over the matter to him since I'm going to be busy tying all the lose ends"

"Isn't his sister one of those directly involved"

Lupo asked as she casually look towards the door before looking back at Grisha.

"I already expect him to be biased in some way"

"Then why assign the task to him"

"It's something similar to throwing a bone to a loyal dog"

A sudden knock on the door halted their conversation.

"Looks like the dog in question has arrived"

As if to confirm the words of the sorceress, Alistair's voice echoed from behind the door.

"It is Alistair, my lord"

"You may enter"

Grisha replied calmly.

While the door opened, Lupo moved to her usual place beside the Emperor, deciding to quietly observe their conversation rather than leave.

"I assume that you are here to give me your report"

After a quick glance at the sorceress, Alistair got on one knee and lowered his head.

"Yes my lord"

"You may speak"

"The knights have begun looking into the issue under my direction according to your orders"

"And?"

Grisha asked.

"The knight along with all the staff present on the day of the witch's disappearance have all been questioned, however, we came up with nothing of note"

"Despite being in the castle on that day, the staff didn't notice anything strange and Carmen seems to have lost all her memories of any interaction with Lady Kharis"

"Strange indeed"

Grisha replied without a single change in his expression.

"Carmen should be unable to lie to the throne because of the magic circle engraved on her body and all the staff working in that castle are under similar constraints"

"And her guardian knight?"

Alistair visibly stiffened at the mention of his sister.

"She may not have been present on that day but Kharis was meant to be her charge"

"To fail a task given by the Emperor is a sin punishable by death, I'm sure you are well aware of that"

Grisha continued to speak, clearly noticing the obvious shift in the knight's demeanor.

"Please have mercy your majesty"

Alistair bowed his head even lower than before in hopes of having his lord listen to his plea.

Grisha looked at the bowing knight with an indifferent expression while pretending to contemplate for some time.

"I have heard your plea"

"Since I have yet to reward you for obtaining the item I requested, you may do as you please with the guardian knight"

Alistair felt truly relieved, he was thankful for the benevolence granted to him because even if the Emperor had insisted on the harshest of punishments, he had already made up his mind to protect Aria at any cost despite knowing the horrible consequences that would follow since going against the will of his lord was considered the same as betrayal.

"A simple warning or light punishment should be enough, don't you think so?"

"I will never forget the kindness you have bestowed upon me my lord"

"Loyalty has its rewards just like betrayal has its numerous consequences, you must always remember that Alistair"

Alistair could sense the warning laced in the Emperor's words.

"I understand my lord"

"For your own sake, I hope you do"

Grisha spoke in an authoritative tone that perfectly fit his position as an emperor.

"Well then, since we are on the topic of the witch's disappearance, I have another task for you"

"What is your order my lord"

"You are to conduct a thorough investigation into this matter with the aid of the other knights"

"If any clues exist, I want them found as soon as possible"

Alistair stood up and bowed his head again.

"I shall fulfill your order to the best of my capabilities"

"Good"

Grisha nodded in satisfaction.

"You may leave, I expect good news from you soon"

"Yes my lord"

Lupo watched the door close, she had found the little exchange that took place only a moment ago somewhat intriguing.

"The dog was very willing to accept the bone"

She commented.

"It was expected since his sister has always been his biggest weakness"

Grisha replied.

"The dog may have bitten the hand of its master if things had turned out a bit differently"

"A dog should have no reason to bite a benevolent master, don't you agree?"

"Of course"

Lupo let out a low chuckle.

"On to more important matters"

Grisha decided to switch to a topic he considered more urgent.

"I will be meeting with the high priest by tomorrow at most"

"My people are all ready, all you need to do is say the word"

Lupo bowed slightly.

"We should be able to begin in a few days so make sure that everything is well prepared"

"Yes great Emperor"