Chapter 33: Arcana

“Sir. Ankertna!”

Sigrid turned around in surprise hearing the shout. Seeing a man she knew hanging from the gate, Sigrid approached and opened the gate.

“Sir. Arcana? How?”

Arcana’s appearance was not normal. Anyone who saw him would know right away that he had been beaten. 

As soon as the gate opened, Arcana grabbed Sigrid’s arm.

“Please save my sister, I’ll di whatever you want, so—”

Sigrid heard Arcana’s words and remembered that the guard said the house was empty.

“Calm down. What happened?”

“That motherfucker kidnapped my sister.”

Arcana’s face was swollen and his pronunciation was not clear. 

Sigrid frowned. “You mean Count Oren?”

“Yes.” 

His eyes glared at Sigrid’s scarlet eyes with a burning hatred. 

“Please save my sister, Sir. Knight. Then, I’ll give you my sould.”

“I don’t need a soul.”

When Sigrid gave a straight answer, Arcana made a bewildered face for a moment.

Sigrid looked around. “Come in, let’s hear the story.”

“I have to find her as soon as possible!”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m not a fool. I don’t start battles without proper information or plans.” Sigrid explained her view. And she literally did what she stood for. Even in a battle, if a chaotic battle occurred, Sigrid would have had a plan for it, and it was terribly good. In the military sense, she had a strong determination to carry out operations almost perfectly. Sigrid could be said to be a perfect soldier if her political sense excluded.

Arcana nodded his head. 

When Sigrid entered the mansion, the maids who had gathered to welcome the owner’s unharmed return were startled to see the wounded person behind her. 

“My lady?”

“This person is—?”

“Aaakk—”

“Please bring me warm water and some towel. Also, some medicine.—Sir Arcana, this way.”

Sigrid led him to the drawing-room. 

While the maids were boiling water, Arcana told a brief story.

“Not long after Sir. Ankertna left, someone knocked on the door. I opened it and found an unknown man standing in front of the door. And as soon I opened it, I was beated in the head.” 

Arcana lightly touched his own head. His blood was still oozing out. 

Sigrid rose from her seat and examined the wound in his head. 

“I have to sew this.”

“I’m okay Sir. Ankertna. Then, I fell. When I sobered, someone put a sack over my head and kept hitting me. And then I heard Seria’s scream. And that’s it. Then black out again. When I woke up, I was tied up and left in the woods.”

Sigrid looked at his left shoulder. He said he was fine, but it seemed even his shoulder have been dislocated. Being beaten up to this point and still alive was a fortune.

“Master, this maid bring the water and towels.”

“Put it there. — your shoulder, I’ll fix it.”

Arcana nodded his head. 

Sigrid felt his shoulder and arm with her fingers, looked at them, and gave a bit of pressure at once.

“ACK!!”

Arcana curled up in pain. 

The quick-witted maid quickly handed Sigrid a cold towel. 

Sigrid took off Arcana’s coat and put a cold towel on his shoulder. And when she handed the warm towel to Arcana, he began to wipe his face carefully.

“What about magic?”

“It’s sealed.”

“Sealed?”

“This is the last test to become a mage. We’ll have to seal our ability for a year.” 

Arcana chuckled. 

“I learned magic to protect my sister, but look. Now I’m like this.”

Tears flowed down at Arcana’s cheeks. 

Sigrid looked at him with a little pity. She then lifted her head. 

“Alright. Are you saying that Seria is being held captive?”

“We have to go save her right away. What that bastard would do to her…!”

“Alright. Have a rest.” 

When Sigrid said that, Arcana stood up from his seat. 

“I’ll go with you.”

Sigrid looked at him with a troubled face. “If you couldn’t use magic, you’ll just get in the way.”

“I’ll do something. Drawing attention or shouting…”

“No.”

Sigrid squinted her eyes.

“If you get arrested, it would be a problem. I’ll take care of it.”

If it had been this morning, Sigrid would have come Count Oren’s mansion head-on and entered to check on the kidnapped girl. But with what happened today, Sigrid learned that it would not work.

‘Well then.’

Sigrid had no choice but to save Seria in another way. With Arcana, who had been asking to follow her stuck at her house, Sigrid left her mansion. After a while, she arrived at the capital guard’s office.

“Sir. Ankertna?”

Armu stood up in surprise. Why did the person who just left come again?

“I’m going to check the a blueprint of a mansion.”

Hearing Sigrid’s answer, Armu asked, “Do you mean the drawing?”

“Yes, show me the drawings of Count Oren. The Imperial Order has the right to read, right?”

“Yes. that’s right.”

Armu was surprised. The Capital guard kept the blueprints of all the mansions in the capital. However, not many people knew that fact, and no one ever demanded the right to read. It was one of the numerous rights that had already accumulated dust. Until today. 

Armu guided Sigrid to the storage inside the capital guard’s office.

Cold air lew out as soon as the door opened. The smell of dust from old paper filled the room.

Armu found the blueprint of Count Oren’s mansion and presented it to Sigrid. He didn’t ask why. He didn’t even want to ask.

Sigrid scanned the drawings of the three-story mansion and put them in her head. Basement, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors. 

‘This dotted line in the basement… is it a ventilation window?’

After drawing the blueprint inside her head, Sigrid took her eyes off.

“Thank you, Sir. Armu.”

“It’s nothing Sir.”

“Please don’t divulge that I’ve read a blueprint here.”

“I will.”

Hearing Armu’s words, Sigrid smiled and left the capital guard’s office.

Sigrid looked at the sky. It was time when other people finish their dinner. Sigrid used to eat dinner early so she could have a bit of training, but for ordinary nobles, this time around would be the time to finish their lavish dinner.

‘Let’s hurry.’

Sigrid got on her horse and spurred it. 

She arrived in second place. It was Lunatil’s mansion.