Chapter 71: The Vanishing Act

The next day.

As the morning sunlight began to shine on the grand structures of the Imperial City, the once peaceful palace was instantly swept up in a tremendous whirlpool.

“The Marquis has vanished!”

A cry, close to a scream, shattered the dawn’s silence and swiftly spread throughout the imperial palace.

In the underground prison, which had been tightly sealed all night, the ringleader of the rebellion, Marquis Fabian, had disappeared without a trace.

Naturally, it was Emperor Beltar who was most violently enraged.

His face twisted with fury upon receiving the report that the traitor had vanished without a hint.

“How could this have happened! I ordered the place to be guarded so thoroughly! In a place not even a mouse could slip through, just how did he manage to disappear?”

The emperor’s thunderous voice shook not only his office but the entire palace.

In his agitated tone were both disbelief and the anxiety that the seed which could once again threaten the empire’s stability had vanished.

The prison wardens cowered on the floor, trembling, unable to provide any explanation for the inexplicable event that had occurred overnight.

The investigation began immediately.

Skilled knights and inspectors rushed to the underground prison and searched every nook and cranny, but all they found was an unbelievable scene.

The iron bars were tightly locked, with no signs of damage anywhere.

If the marquis had forced his way out, there should have been at least a trace, but not a single mark could be found.

It was as if he had simply vanished into thin air.

He had disappeared as if by magic.

The imperial palace instantly became as frantic as a massive beehive.

As Emperor Beltar issued his stern command, all of the empire’s intelligence networks were mobilized.

“Find Marquis Fabian at once! Leave no clue unchecked! Anyone who so much as finds his shadow shall be richly rewarded!”

The emperor’s wrath spread an intense web of investigation across the entire empire.

All city gates were sealed, and the inspections of suspicious individuals were tightened.

Secret orders were sent out to information guilds and assassin organizations scattered across the empire to search for the marquis’s whereabouts.

Like casting a vast net, the empire began to concentrate all its resources on finding the missing marquis.

The atmosphere in the imperial palace grew cold and tense.

The brief peace earned after quelling the rebellion was swept away, replaced once more by anxiety and unease following the marquis’s mysterious disappearance.

How could Marquis Fabian have disappeared from such an impregnable prison?

The entire empire was ensnared by a massive question mark, chasing after any sign of the vanished marquis.

His disappearance felt not like a simple prison break, but as an ominous harbinger of another great conspiracy’s beginning.


---


“What? Marquis Fabian disappeared from prison?”

In truth, no one was more shocked by the marquis’s clean escape than Rohan himself.

The fact that a prisoner had vanished from the imperial palace’s underground prison, renowned for its unbreakable security, without leaving a single trace, was beyond comprehension.

What kind of magic or trickery had been used? Or was there some unimaginable power behind it all?

Despite an entire day of investigation, the marquis’s whereabouts remained utterly unknown.

“This just... doesn’t make any sense.”

Unable to hold back his frustration, Rohan, who had come to inspect the prison himself, ran a hand through his hair and muttered.

Retina, standing beside him, also surveyed the inside of the cell with a grave expression.

Her sharp eyes swept over every corner, as if determined not to miss even the smallest clue.

“There’s no sign of a forced escape. The guards’ testimonies all match. Really... it’s a complete mystery.”

There was an edge of wariness in Retina’s low voice.

She seemed to be considering the possibility that this was more than just a simple jailbreak.

“Ah, that’s right. Shakan should still be here.”

A thought occurred to Rohan. The marquis who had vanished right before their eyes.

Perhaps Shakan, imprisoned in the same dungeon, might know something.

He and Retina made their way deep into the underground prison.

Inside the dark, damp cell, a familiar shadow could be seen beyond the iron bars.

It was Shakan, sitting against the wall with a bandaged arm.

His red eyes still gleamed sharply, though he looked somewhat weary.

“Shakan.”

At Rohan’s call, Shakan opened his eyes. He glanced between Rohan and Retina, wearing a cold, indifferent expression.

“Do you have something to say, human?”

His voice was as cold and hostile as ever.

“Marquis Fabian has disappeared. Did you... happen to see anything?”

Rohan asked directly.

His gaze was sharp, as if he would not let even the slightest change in Shakan’s expression go unnoticed.

But Shakan let out a cynical laugh and shook his head.

“Why should I care about you humans’ affairs? Whether the marquis disappears or not, it’s nothing to do with me.”

Rohan felt frustrated at his uncooperative attitude.

He hadn’t expected him to be helpful, but to get absolutely nothing was disheartening.

‘Haa... What am I supposed to do?’

With a sigh, Rohan’s mind drifted to the ‘Wildflower’ book tucked into his robe.

It was an ancient tome he had acquired from the bookseller Goofy.

Since he had come across it while investigating the marquis, Shakan might know something about the script inside.

More importantly, he had once served at the marquis’s side.

Rohan cautiously took the worn book from his robe and held it out to Shakan.

“Do you... know what these characters mean?”

He opened the book to a page filled with strange writing and brought it closer to Shakan.

Upon seeing the unfamiliar script densely written, Shakan’s red eyes widened.

His expression was instantly overtaken by confusion and astonishment.

It was a reaction completely different from his previous cold hostility.

At that moment, Rohan was convinced.

There was definitely some connection between the marquis’s disappearance and these mysterious letters.

And perhaps, the entire mystery behind this event was linked to this script.

“...I...”

Shakan murmured in a trembling voice.

His eyes couldn’t seem to leave the page.

“You recognize these letters, don’t you?”

Catching his reaction, Rohan pressed sharply.

Without replying, Shakan kept his gaze fixed on the book, lips slightly parted.

His face was filled with shifting emotions: confusion, surprise, even fear.

“I... know nothing of it.”

In the end, it was impossible to get any information from him.

Rohan left the cell with Retina.

As they walked back through the corridor to the Boronia Palace, Rohan’s mind was filled with thoughts of Shakan’s reaction.

Once they returned to the palace, Retina asked cautiously.

“What really are those letters in that book? Shakan’s reaction wasn’t normal.”

“You felt it too?”

Rohan’s question made her nod.

“Hm, what could it be? I’ve never seen those letters before.”

Retina tilted her head as she examined the book.

“They say it’s the ancient Yubrita script. The language of a kingdom that fell long before Yuta existed.”

Rohan sighed quietly.

“This book belonged to Goofy. He said he once met an Elfiran who knew this writing when he was young. I’d hoped you might be able to read it...”

“An Elfiran who knows this script?”

At his words, Retina narrowed her eyes, thinking for a moment, then gasped.

“Ah...! There might be one.”

At her words, Rohan looked at her expectantly.

“Really? Who is it?”

She hesitated briefly, then spoke carefully.

“There’s one. An Elfiran who’s truly outstanding when it comes to languages.”


---


Despite the variable of the marquis’s mysterious disappearance, the punishment of the nobles who plotted rebellion proceeded without delay.

By order of the emperor, a massive trial was held in the Hall of Balance.

Nobles who had enjoyed power and privilege until only days before now trembled in chains, faces pale as criminals.

Rohan looked down at them with a cold gaze.

He remembered clearly just how much chaos their greed and foolishness had brought upon the empire.

The strict laws of the land defined their crimes plainly, and no one was exempt.

The trial proceeded swiftly.

Those nobles who led the rebellion were sentenced to death, while those who played a lesser or supportive role were stripped of their titles, had their lands confiscated, or were sentenced to imprisonment. Their fall was instantaneous.

The power they had once flaunted to the skies vanished like a dream, and only the cold reality remained to envelop them.

Meanwhile, Empress Emilia was also deeply affected by the shock of the rebellion.

With it revealed that she had known about the plot and ignored it, she, too, could not avoid strict punishment.

After much deliberation, Emperor Beltar sentenced her to lifelong confinement in the northern tower.

All rights and glory she had enjoyed as empress were lost, and she would have to spend her life repenting her sins alone in the cold, lonely tower.

Only the merit of bearing Prince Eliot and Princess Noah spared her from a harsher fate.

Young Eliot was sullen for some time after hearing of his mother’s confinement.

Knowing his mother was locked away in a cold tower left a deep scar even in his young heart.

However, when he learned she had coldly abandoned his sister Noah, he could no longer defend his mother.

The boy managed to endure the difficult times thanks to encouragement from his brother Rohan and the warm comfort of his sister Isabel.

And so...

The great incident of the attempted rebellion seemed to be drawing to a close.