At those words, Filkorn Billing’s face darkened and his brows furrowed into a deep V.

  "Quickly! The room just ahead!"

  "Everyone, on guard!"

  "Yes, sir......"

  A flurry of footsteps echoed at the door, and moments later, a dozen figures burst into the room.

  But upon seeing the scene inside, every single one of them froze in place.

  Filkorn waved a hand.

  "Secure the crime scene."

  "Yes, sir!"

  The guards immediately set to work, meticulously preserving every detail of the room with the utmost care.

  "Mr. Filkorn," Hulim Heyerar stood up at that moment, her gaze fixed on a spot outside the window. "I’m going to check something out."

  "Very well. Do you need backup?"

  "No, I’ll be faster alone......"

  Whoosh——!

  In the blink of an eye, Hulim’s figure vanished into the night.

  ......

  Before long, Hulim arrived at a dense forest.

  "......So this is where it happened?"

  She scanned the area carefully, quickly spotting faint traces of residual ice magic lingering in the air.

  "......Same as the ones in the room. Definitely the work of the same person."

  "But......"

  Hulim’s eyes swept across the entire forest.

  "He’s really fast. Got away in no time."

  Following the trail of magic energy, she soon zeroed in on a river running alongside the woods.

  Hulim landed on the riverbank, only to find that the magical traces had abruptly vanished here.

  "High-grade stealth magic item, huh......"

  With that kind of gear, tracking the culprit would be next to impossible. Which meant this case was about to get a whole lot more complicated.

  "The Minister of State...... I just hope this doesn’t escalate into something bigger......"

  But deep down, she knew that hope was already in vain.

  Hulim searched the riverbank back and forth several times, but came up empty-handed.

  Just as she’d expected—the assassin had come fully prepared, with an escape route planned from the start.

  With no leads to follow, Hulim turned and flew back toward the manor.

  ......

  Whoosh!

  Hulim’s figure reappeared on the balcony in an instant.

  "Ah, Hulim’s back!"

  Miko Kedar called out loudly.

  At the sound of her voice, every pair of eyes in the room darted straight to Hulim.

  "Lady Hulim, did you find anything?" Filkorn asked anxiously, stepping forward.

  Hulim shook her head.

  "The assassin came prepared. The trail went cold at a nearby river...... I’m sorry, I couldn’t catch him."

  "I see...... That’s a shame."

  The look of worry on Filkorn’s face deepened, his shoulders slumping slightly with disappointment.

  "Still, I appreciate you going out of your way to help."

  "Sir Filkorn, there’s no need to dwell on this," Alicia Serions spoke up, her voice calm and reassuring. "I’ll help you find a way out of this mess."

  "I’d be forever grateful for your assistance, Your Highness."

  Filkorn bowed deeply to Alicia.

  "Think nothing of it, Sir Filkorn. It’s the least I can do."

  Just then,

  Martina walked into the room, heading straight for Alicia’s side.

  "Your Highness, Lord Crawford’s entire convoy has been placed under lock and key."

  "Good. Search every last carriage thoroughly. Leave no stone unturned."

  "Understood."

  With a nod, Martina turned and exited the room once more.

  "Alicia," Hulim looked at her, her tone serious. "What’s our next move?"

  "Hmm......"

  Alicia glanced over at the guards who were still documenting the crime scene.

  "Have you finished recording all the evidence from the scene?"

  "Yes, Your Highness! Every detail has been documented!"

  "Excellent. First, have Lord Crawford’s remains taken to a safe place for preservation. And someone—!"

  "At your service, Your Highness!"

  Several guards stepped forward, saluting.

  "Send word of this incident to the Imperial Palace at once!"

  "Right away, Your Highness!!"

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  The guards wasted no time, hurrying out of the room to carry out the order.

  Moments later, several figures mounted on swiftstriders galloped out of Filkorn’s Manor, disappearing into the night.

  "We shouldn’t stay here any longer. Let’s move to another room to discuss our strategy."

  "You’re absolutely right, Your Highness......"

  Hulim and the others followed Filkorn to the manor’s reception hall.

  After ordering the servants to bring some tea and pastries, the group sat down to deliberate.

  "Sir Filkorn, your situation is quite precarious right now," Alicia said, cutting straight to the point.

  "I’m well aware of that, Your Highness. I have a feeling the Palace will be in an uproar by dawn tomorrow."

  At that, Miko looked utterly confused.

  "Why is Mr. Filkorn in trouble? He’s not the one who killed Lord Crawford, is he?"

  "It has to do with the Minister of State’s position, Miko," Hulim explained patiently.

  "You need to understand—even during the fiercest power struggles between the imperial heirs, the most they’d do is oust each other’s supporters from their posts, or gather evidence to take them down through legal means. Assassination is almost unheard of."

  "The Minister of State holds the power to appoint and inspect officials. It’s one of the most critical positions in the Parasara Empire. For someone in such a high-ranking role to be assassinated suddenly—this will undoubtedly become a major scandal that shakes the entire empire."

  "And since the Minister of State was killed while staying at your manor to conduct an investigation, Sir Filkorn, you will inevitably become a suspect."

  "Huh? That can’t be right!!"

  Miko’s eyes widened in shock.

  "It’s so obvious Mr. Filkorn didn’t do it!"

  "You’re right—it is obvious," Hulim agreed. "But to his political rivals, it won’t be obvious at all. They’ll seize on this incident and blow it completely out of proportion. And—"

  "More importantly, even if you’re cleared of all suspicion, Sir Filkorn, the mere fact that the Minister of State was killed on your property is enough to charge you with negligence."

  "Your duty is to protect the imperial family—the most important people in the empire. For a guardian to commit such a grave oversight...... The consequences will be severe."

  After listening to Hulim’s explanation, Miko finally understood the gravity of the situation.

  "T-That’s terrible! What are we going to do? Is Mr. Filkorn going to go to jail?"

  "No, jail is unlikely," Alicia replied. "But if things go badly, he will most certainly lose his position."

  "As for a solution—"

  Hulim turned to look at Alicia.

  The princess nodded in agreement.

  "Yes. There’s only one way out. We need to find the assassin and the mastermind behind this plot. That way, Sir Filkorn can atone for his negligence by solving the case—and avoid punishment."

  "Does that mean......?"

  "That’s right. We have to take this investigation into our own hands. And we must find the culprit before the Palace makes its final decision on how to handle this matter."

  With that, Alicia turned to Filkorn, her voice steady and resolute.

  "Sir Filkorn, rest assured. We will get to the bottom of this and clear your name."

  Filkorn stood up and bowed deeply to Alicia, his voice thick with gratitude.

  "Your Highness Alicia, words cannot express how thankful I am."

  "There’s no need for thanks, Sir Filkorn. It’s what I must do."

  "Your Highness."

  Just then, Martina walked back into the room.

  "We found something."

  In her hand, she held a crumpled piece of paper.

  "I think this might be important......"

  Alicia took the paper from Martina, unfolding it carefully. It was a letter.There was no signature on it. Not even a recipient’s name.

  But there was no doubt who it had been written for.

  It was undoubtedly meant for Lord Crawford—the man who had just been killed.