I felt suffocated.
"Uh..."
Without any warning or reason, it felt as if someone was suddenly choking me, and I had no choice but to stop in my tracks.
"Reinhardt? What's wrong?"
"...Did you receive a shock?"
After checking the information about the corpses and briefly discussing in another space, Harriet and Bertus looked at me, concerned by my sudden change in demeanor.
"No, it's just..."
No, that's not it.
Although I did witness a horrifying scene, there was no reason for me to suddenly feel suffocated.
Without any reason or warning, it felt as if someone was strangling me, making it difficult to breathe.
An eerie feeling, as if something terrible was about to happen. This intense anxiety, with no apparent cause or origin, was a sensation I had experienced before.
It was similar to the symptoms of a panic disorder I had suffered from when I had been going through a lot of hardship in the past. The sudden sense of crisis in a calm state was both unfamiliar and familiar.
"What's wrong... Reinhardt..."
Seeing me break out in a cold sweat and shivering, Harriet gently took my hand. Although Harriet's gesture made me feel somewhat better, I couldn't shake off the strange feeling.
It's been a long time since I had a panic disorder. I knew this sensation wasn't rooted in that.
This was a warning from my intuition.
I had never experienced such a sense of crisis where I couldn't breathe properly.
What is happening, or rather, what's already happening?
Is Roswin attacking us from the Magic Department, or something similar? If so, does that mean he hasn't left the Magic Department yet?
The fact that I had never felt such pressure before made me fear that something of a different dimension might be happening, but I couldn't know what it was until it occurred.
Something is going to happen.
Since I can't know what it is, I can't be afraid in advance.
"Huuh... Uh, it just happened suddenly."
As I took a deep breath, Bertus chuckled.
"I thought you were used to it, but it seems that's not quite the case?"
"I can't help it. I keep... getting flashes of it..."
Apparently, they both thought I was reacting this way due to the shock of witnessing the gruesome scene.
In reality, the scene was indeed horrifying enough to warrant such a reaction.
Although the real reason was different, as I seemed to calm down a bit, Bertus crossed his arms and began to speak.
"Anyway, Roswin was curious about the origin of the grimoires?"
"Yeah, it seemed like he was coveting them, but... I don't know, it felt like he was more curious about where they came from... That's why I think he tortured those people."
His motive wasn't money, but the origin of the grimoires, which led him to commit these crimes. Of course, he took all the grimoires as well.
This statement added more weight to my speculation that Roswin might be affiliated with Cantus Magna.
"Perhaps it's the tomb of the Lich, recently discovered in the Darklands... That's what I was thinking."
"Ah, you mean there?"
Bertus furrowed his brow.
"Hmm. It's certainly a possibility."
From Bertus's reaction, it seemed that the stolen grimoire from yesterday was not from the Lich's tomb - the bait that the Black Order and I had set up hadn't reached here yet.
"What's important is that Roswin probably didn't manage to extract the information he really wanted by torturing the three dead wizards."
It must have meant that the deceased knew nothing about the origin of the grimoire.
"What's even more important is how Roswin managed to escape not only from the Magic Department but also from the Imperial Palace..."
"They said there's no record of him leaving the Magic Department or the Imperial Palace, right?"
"That's right."
At Harriet's question, Bertus nodded.
"First of all, it's clear that Roswin was hiding his true abilities. From the beginning, the records showed that he shouldn't have been able to handle even one of the guards on duty. But he subdued all three without a fight and even tortured them."
With his expertise in dark magic, Roswin had to be a wizard with far more incredible skills than he let on.
"But the thing is, it's impossible to enter or leave the interior of the Imperial Palace like a temple through spatial teleportation. To leave the Magic Department, you have to go through the main entrance, and to leave the Imperial Palace, you have to use one of the four gates..."
Whether it was possible to fly in and out like Sarkegaar was uncertain. I don't know if Roswin can transform into a sparrow, but even if such a transformation spell exists, it seems impossible unless he becomes a complete creature like Sarkegaar. A dispel field must be laid out in the airspace above.
"Yet, they searched the entire Magic Department building and found no trace. Even if he somehow escaped, he should still be in the Imperial Palace. Hiding with simple disguise magic or invisibility is said to be impossible."
The assumption that Roswin was hiding somewhere seemed plausible, but he wasn't in the Magic Department and they hadn't found him despite searching the entire palace.
Spatial teleportation couldn't be used, and it was unlikely that he had casually slipped out of the Magic Department building with a disguise spell.
The one who had the audacity to commit murder in the Imperial Palace couldn't be ordinary.
Could Cantus Magna have neutralized the barrier and escaped?
No.
It couldn't be.
This is the Royal Magic Department.
The building itself is huge, of course, and there are bound to be countless other departments performing various functions, like the magical research library.
It's a misconception that spatial teleportation is impossible within the Imperial Palace.
Hadn't they installed a warp gate in the area where spatial teleportation was possible, deep beneath the Spring Palace?
Clearly, I had moved through the miniature gate not only from the outside to the inside, but also from the inside to the outside.
"By any chance, is there a facility researching warp gates in the Magic Division?"
At my question, Bertus and Harriet exchanged glances.
—---
Warp gates were fundamentally the magic of the empire.
Thus, it was only natural that the research on warp gates was conducted in the Royal Magic Division, not the Wizard Guild or the Magic Association, and that there were facilities for warp gate research underground.
Therefore, within the facility, there were numerous gates at various stages of development, though none were of an extraordinarily large size.
Since all research had been halted due to a murder case in the Magic Division, Bertus called the person in charge to discuss the matter.
"Well... I think it would be impossible."
When asked if the gates here could be activated and connected to external gates, the researcher shook his head.
"The gates here are not made to standard specifications; most of them are experimental gates for special purposes. Most of them are incomplete..."
"Is there at least one gate that functions properly?"
There were many gates, but if even one of them worked properly, it would mean that it could communicate with the outside, so Bertus inquired.
"Yes. There is a functioning warp gate, and there is indeed a warp gate that is not for testing purposes... However, it would still be impossible to escape through it."
"Why is that?"
"All the warp gates produced in this facility are not regular gates. The gates inside the facility are connected to each other to view the entire gate system. So, these gates have never been connected to external gates."
"If they have never been connected, does that mean they could be?"
"To do that, we would have to include these warp gates in the regular imaginary dimension map."
"What does that mean?"
Bertus seemed confused by the technical terms that only warp gate technicians would understand, and I felt the same way. I only knew that the imaginary dimension map was similar to a subway map.
Harriet spoke to Bertus.
"Warp gates need rules to determine which gates they connect to and are connected by, in order to function properly. That is, each gate must be pre-designated as to which gate it will sync with."
To include a regular gate in the imaginary dimension map, not only should the gate itself exist as a physical facility, but it should also be added to the entire system.
"So, there's no way to connect without going through that process?"
"Connecting this facility's gate to an external gate without the exact coordinates could cause a collision with the route of another gate. In that case, a dimensional distortion phenomenon could occur..."
"Enough with the complicated explanations. Are you saying an accident would happen? What kind of accident?"
“Using this gate to go outside, of course, not only affects the person attempting to leave, but also everyone using the destination gate, as they may be sent to a "nonexistent place." I'm not sure if such a place exists, but there have been quite a few cases of people not returning from gate experiments gone wrong in the past.”
At these words, not only Bertus but also Harriet and I widened our eyes.
A nonexistent place.
Being sent to a fictitious dimension and becoming unable to return to the present world—is that what it means?
"So, escaping through this gate is impossible, is that it?"
"We can attempt to activate the gate and escape, and we might even arrive safely, but… it is an excessively dangerous method. It's a gamble with our lives at stake."
I don't know the details, but the principle is simple.
Imagine overlaying a random route on an underground subway transfer station that's operating smoothly with countless people's calculations. The trains would collide, destroying the route map and killing all passengers.
A warp gate is both a station and a train itself.
Even if a train and a station are prepared, laying down a route without thorough calculations will cause a large accident. Thus, escaping through this warp gate to the imperial road is insane.
Therefore, in the case of using an already activated gate, we would be traveling along a preexisting path.
In this case, we have to create a nonexistent path as we go. That's why it's a gamble with a high risk of accidents.
The artifact I possess, which leads to the underground of the Spring Palace, is a kind of warp gate distortion device. However, it's still a properly designed warp gate connecting the outside world to the underground of the Spring Palace, even if people don't know about it.
The person in charge said that escaping through the gate in this facility is impossible and would be a life-risking gamble.
"No… It could have been possible."
But Harriet said so with a trembling voice.
"Saint Owan, what do you mean?"
At Bertus's question, Harriet's complexion turned pale.
"If you understood the map I showed you yesterday… it could have been possible…"
Only I could understand Harriet's words.
I don't know the specifics of what Harriet did yesterday, but I knew she had achieved something that would greatly help improve the warp gate system.
And Roswin saw Harriet's research results firsthand.
He wasn't an outsider; he was an expert in handling warp gate systems.
Harriet calmly explained what happened yesterday, or rather, the theory she presented, not Roswin.
"Even if he were a magician with no knowledge of the warp gate system, that man was an expert. He was able to understand my theory at a glance. It's not about using my theory. I had annotated the fictitious dimension map entirely. So… which gates are connected in what way, where there are vulnerabilities, empty parts of the dimensional coordinates, for efficiency…"
Although a layman wouldn't know how to handle the gate, Roswin, as an expert in gate theory, was able to do so.
He utilized the content written by Harriet to establish the theory.
Harriet had annotated every existing imaginary dimension map to formulate the theory.
She had deciphered the enormous stack of imaginary dimension maps, which were too complex for many experts to understand, and analyzed all the connections in the warp gate network.
"So, even though it's impossible to connect a single warp gate to the entire network, if you properly understood the map I provided, you could calculate a safe path to connect to a specific gate."
Harriet's theory was still too early to be put into practical use.
However, Roswin utilized the basis for the theory, not the theory itself.
While constructing the tangled web of connections between gates was difficult, it was not hard to create a single safe route to connect to a specific gate.
"Of course, it's a risky and unverified method... but it seemed worth a try..."
At the point when Harriet showed him the map, Roswin had already been planning the crime.
Unknowingly, Harriet provided him with the optimal escape route during the aftermath of the crime.
"Curiously... it seemed he liked it more than he should have..."
Upon learning that the suspect had used her map for his escape, Harriet's face went pale.
Bertus bit his lip with a grave expression.
"So, it's certain that Roswin used this facility to escape."
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
At Harriet's apology, which was tinged with a bluish pallor, Bertus offered a bitter smile.
"Either way, he was determined to escape. He killed three people here, so he probably planned to kill everyone in his way while escaping. But thanks to you providing a safer escape route, only three died instead of dozens or even hundreds."
"..."
The extent of Roswin's actual combat ability was unknown.
However, he was powerful enough to easily subdue three high-ranking mages and kill them.
Even if Roswin had gotten the idea from Harriet's suggestion and fled, he had already been planning the crime.
This meant that he was confident in escaping the palace by force even if he hadn't used the gate.
So, if Roswin had been inspired by Harriet's words and escaped through the gate, fewer people would have died than otherwise.
"Even if it's not true, think of it that way."
Even if it wasn't the truth, they had to think that way.
Bertus' words were appreciated, even though he wasn't the one directly involved.
—---
Neither Charlotte nor Ellen had learned anything definitive through their investigations; instead, they had developed suspicions.
Suspicions involving Reinhardt.
Charlotte and Ellen did not exchange any words about how this could be connected.
They feared that the moment they discussed it, something they didn't want to imagine could become a reality.
The two walked in silence.
Charlotte's next destination was the Imperial Bureau of Identity Management.
It was a place that served as the civil affairs office.
"Even if she used an alias, her identity would still be registered. There might be some clues to trace based on that. Though her hometown and such might be lies, we could at least deduce when she started her activities in the Empire."
"True."
A spy from Darkland, who operated under the alias of Elena.
Charlotte was determined to pursue her as far as possible.
Even if her identity was fake, she would have registered it, leaving a record of her origin and other information. Charlotte had seen her identification and asked various questions, but she couldn't remember the finer details, like her hometown.
Naturally, such personal information couldn't be accessed casually, but Charlotte was a princess.
Just as Bertus could search the personal details of all Imperial citizens with a word, so could Charlotte.
"Please retrieve and display all identity records registered under the name Elena in the Empire."
"Yes, I will prepare them immediately."
Upon the sudden appearance of the princess and her request for information, the bureau director began to work swiftly.
In the director's office, Ellen and Charlotte waited for the documents to be prepared.
Both of them knew that their current target was not Elena.
They didn't want to admit or even think about it, but they knew.
That Reinhardt was suspicious.
They knew without speaking it out loud.
"..."
"..."
Neither of them spoke, knowing that if they started a conversation, something might change drastically.
After some time had passed,
"Here it is."
A list of all individuals with the name Elena in the Empire was prepared.
Charlotte planned to deduce the activity period through the place of birth and identity registration date, and later call in the building owner of the shop to ask more details about Elena.
With that in mind, Charlotte went through the documents of people with the same name.
"This one."
Rustle
Charlotte picked out an identification document that matched the face of Elena she remembered.
Charlotte already knew Elena's face, so what she needed was the information written in text.
However,
That document became decisive evidence for Ellen.
"Wait... Just a moment..."
"Huh?"
"I... I know this person..."
Ellen's voice trembled.
"I know her."
At those words, Charlotte's brow furrowed.
"What? You've seen her before?"
Ellen had a good memory. That's why she couldn't help but suddenly realize something.
"Last year, during the second-semester group mission... In that castle... I saw a statue that looked just like her..."
It was a face that subtly resembled the statue, though it was different when examined closely.
A mage named Rellia who had briefly accompanied them in Darkland.
And the incident when they found a statue resembling Rellia in Castle Epiaux.
The events were so deeply etched in Ellen's mind that when she saw Elena's picture, the memories of that time inevitably came back to life.
"A statue? Why is there a statue of this person in the castle?"
"This person..."
Ellen mumbles with a trembling voice, in the grip of intense shock.
"A dragon..."
"What the hell... no, what are you talking about?"
Almost cursing in disbelief, Charlotte barely suppressed her urge to make light of the situation.
However, regardless of Charlotte's astonishment, Ellen's complexion was turning pale.
The enigmatic sorcerer Rellia, who had claimed to be a dragon.
A statue resembling Rellia in Castle Epiaux.
And Elena's picture, which seemed to be an exact replica of that statue.
In Ellen's memory, Rellia and the person in Elena's picture did not appear to be the same.
However, once a link in the form of a statue, a sort of neutralized appearance, emerged between them, Ellen couldn't help but entertain the idea.
The sorcerer Rellia, who hid her true abilities and followed them.
Reinhardt was with her at that time as well.
Ellen had a good memory.
"... Wouldn't it be good to have one more sorcerer with us?"
Though they had met the self-proclaimed dragon sorcerer Rellia by chance, it was Reinhardt who had intentionally brought her along.
"..."
With wide eyes, Ellen could not help but stare at Elena's picture.
