[At the same time]

Three kilometres away from the Akashic Record building.

A castle made of white sapphire stone with towering walls and cone shaped spires stood on top of a hillside.

Surrounded by a river and military personnel on guard, it was the crown of Evana City.

The White Sapphire Palace of Evana. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The translucent sapphire was in reality a nano circuit built into the stone itself, which rapidly and continuously pulsed mana throughout the entire castle, including its grounds and every tree on them.

A technology built for both defence and offence. It was said that no spell in existence could break through its mana circuit. From the day the castle was completed, not a single intruder raid had ever been recorded.

But that being said...

"I do not see many guards around here." Irene noted, as she was led by a maid through the interior of the Sapphire Palace.

She had received a call just that morning from the Queen herself, requesting her presence for an urgent case.

To Irene’s observation, the maid replied calmly.

"It was the Queen’s order. That no one be allowed inside until what truly took place here had been uncovered."

"Is that so?" Irene hummed. Her golden eyes dropped to the maid’s white apron tied around her waist.

It was wet, with a few small pieces of vegetable stuck to it.

"We are here."

The maid announced, stopping in front of a well maintained metallic door with a faint violet sheen. There was nothing written on the door or above it.

She raised her hand and placed it on the sensor beside it.

Beep.

With a single sound the door slid smoothly open.

Bright white light covered the entire ceiling. The room was well maintained, and the smell of alcohol and the bitterness of medicine hit Irene’s nostrils immediately.

Irene’s feet stopped for a moment as a memory flashed through her mind. The maid noticed and turned around to look at her.

"...Hm?" The maid’s eyes landed on her face. For some reason, Irene was making the expression of someone who had just figured out something she wished she had not. "Detective Irene?"

With the maid calling her, Irene finally snapped from her thoughts.

"Oh. uhh... apologies." She took a step inside.

The maid for the last time looked at her, and then proceeded to lead her.

There were several doors on both sides as they walked past them.

Irene didn’t look at any of them, and proceeded behind the maid before they finally stopped in front of one particular door.

The maid proceeded to say something to Irene, but before she could, Irene spoke up.

"The Queen is inside, yes?"

"U-Uh... yes. She is." The maid was visibly startled. That was exactly what she had been about to say to her.

’Strange... her mood suddenly changed.’ The maid thought, glancing at her. She waited behind the door, before declaring.

"Your grace, Detective Irene is here."

"Let her in," a voice carrying ages of knowledge came from the other side.

The maid opened the door and allowed Irene to enter first.

Irene stepped in before the maid even gestured her forward. The first thing her eyes landed on was the bright interior, the bed, the beeping sound of machines beside it, a small figure laying on it, and just beside her a woman with bright green hair and crimson eyes looking down at the girl with pity.

Irene stopped just beside the bed and greeted her with a small polite smile.

"How have you been, Dr. Anise?"

The queen turned her head toward her. Her long ears twitched, and her crimson eyes finally settled with something softer on Irene’s face before she nodded.

"I am doing fine, Irene." Then she turned back to look at the bed.

A small girl with half her face covered in bandages and her entire left shoulder in stitches and wrappings was laying on it.

"I needed some time alone." The queen said. She looked at the girl, stroked her hair gently, then gestured at the maid to leave.

As the room emptied, Irene stepped closer to the bed and looked at the girl.

She did not say anything. The same expression of anger and quiet regret settled on her face. Her golden eyes swept the body from head to toe in a single swift motion.

"We are alone now. You can drop the honorifics." The queen said.

"Just this morning we found her and a few of her playmates in a severe condition inside the castle grounds. We still do not know what caused it, or how they sustained so many bruises—"

Irene spoke before she could finish.

"She was drugged."

"What?" Anise blinked.

"She was drugged." Irene repeated, pointing at the girl’s chest. "Untie the bandage. You will find a tiny syringe mark between her breasts."

The queen was momentarily taken aback, but she trusted Irene more than anyone else in this city. Without questioning her, she untied the bandages over that area, and exactly as Irene had said, there was a small syringe mark.

"...Oh, you are right. It is barely visible under all the bruising. How could I miss something this important...." Anise said, then looked up at her detective friend.

"What does that mean? And more importantly, how did you know there would be a mark like that?"

Irene did not answer the second question.

"Someone drugged her and all of her playmates. It was most likely someone within the palace."

The girl clearly looked like the child of one of the maids. Or perhaps an orphan.

"She will be just fine once the drug wears off. A day or two at most." A quiet regret washed over Irene’s face, and something like irritation gripped her chest.

Anise looked at the girl laying on the bed. "If that is the case, I want you to find whoever did this."

"...Yes." Irene replied, lightly nodding her head and pulling the brim of her hat down over her eyes.

With that said, Irene glanced from the corner of her eyes at her friend. The queen of Evana. The one who had built this place centuries ago. The one who was now standing in front of her in this sorry state.

"Seriously... Anise you..." Irene muttered, biting her own tongue. ’Why did you have to end up like this?’

"Did you say something?"

"No. Nothing." Irene replied, then added, "anyways, Anise, could you give me the details of all the maids, and military officials currently working inside the palace?"

"All of them?" Anise tilted her head. "Sure, if that helps. I will have Asmud deliver it to your place by tonight."

"Tonight?" Irene spoke up suddenly. "No. Err... If possible, could you make it more urgent than this?"

Anise found it a strange request at first, then she recalled this detective’s track record and thought better of questioning it.

"Alright. I will see to it."

Irene nodded, knowing full well she would never receive that report today.

She took one final glance at the girl and asked something that had been on her mind the entire time.

"Did you find anything else on her body? Or any of her friends who ended up in the same state?"

Anise shook her head. "Nothing strange."

"Is that so?" Irene rubbed her chin, then asked another question. "Is Princess Lillian out in the city right now?"

"She is." Anise nodded. "Did you meet her?"

"Oh, no." Irene shook her head. "But I plan to."

"Hm? Why is that?"

"Nothing much," Irene said, turning around. "I will be leaving now to look into this case. I will reach out once I find something."

After she left the room, Irene found the maid waiting outside, still wearing the same damp apron uniform.

"You were standing here the whole time?" Irene narrowed her gaze at her.

The maid bowed at her arrival.

"Yes. I will escort you out of the palace—"

"There is no need." Irene raised her hand and walked past her. "I can find my way out on my own. Besides, this is not my first time coming here."

"As you wish."

Irene walked down the stairs, and as she did she took out the rectangular device and tapped on the screen.

The first thing she checked was the time.

"It is almost two in the afternoon..."

She did not have much time left.

"Shit." She clicked her tongue.

’I will have to ask Lillian for help again.’

She already knew where to find her.

As she walked down the stairs of the palace, she had been continuously casting her own designed spell into the air using Astral Matter.

By doing so, the spell lost its ability to be manipulated by any mana oriented spells that had been cast over the city.

’I am still too slow at this.’

She needed to think faster. Otherwise nothing would come of this time either.

But she was not alone in this. She was glad that she would get to work with Leon again.

With his help she had made significant progress, and had even recovered her own memories of the loops.