Chapter 10

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Here's a very rough map which I promised. Lots of geographic features are not on here. I also want to thank everyone who reads my story. I read all your guys' comments and I appreciate all of them both good or bad. This is my first novel so bare with me, I am going to write this how I want to write this. This a fantasy world so don't expect anything to be realistic(at all) or any characters to be reasonable(at all). Realistic fiction is too boring for me to write. Some time skips are coming in next chapter(s) as we set up the next arc in Zyrus. Enjoy this short chapter

https%3a%2f%2fs10.postimg.org%2fjtov2c2c9%2fmap_Solus.png [https://s10.postimg.org/jtov2c2c9/map_Solus.png]

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A Frame job

Slavery happening in a free country? It looks like I have uncovered a major issue here. Although it doesn't really affect me directly I can't turn a blind eye to such a travesty. All I have to do is get evidence to the proper officials.

My problem is going to be how to find the proper officials, obviously with this large of operation going on there has to be corrupt officials. Maybe I can find a ledger or a paper trail. Time to do some reconnaissance.

I sneak up to the the building. It looks like there is two entrances a front entrance with a several guards posted close by and a back entrance that goes into the alley that doesn't open from the outside. There are a few windows but they appear to locked from the inside. Smashing one the windows would most likely attract attention unless I could mask the noise. That would be a risky approach, just to look for some evidence that is maybe not there.

After determining that there is no connection to the prison area to the sewers I find myself in a pickle. I don't really want to stay here in Toulia longer then I have to, news of the what happened by the river of Coll is surely going to reach here by tomorrow or even later tonight. That is when I think all hell is going to break loose.

Then it comes to me, why try to find evidence when I can just create it? I am certain that when they find all the bodies of the dead mercenaries they will track it back to where Roland and his group lived. If I can plant evidence there connecting them to these guys, I would pretty much assure that they would get raided by the guards. I just have to watch and see what guards try to come and leak the information back to these guys and plug up the leaks.

Inside of Roland's ring was a personal journal, if I can forge his hand writing decently I can add in an entry incriminating Hans Vols the leader of this criminal organization. I just have to make it seem like they could be connected to my disappearance.

On somewhat of a timetable I go ahead and decide to get a room. The inn keeper sort of gave a weird look when I said I needed a room but she took my money none the less.

I spend about three hours practicing forging Roland's handwriting, and I have gained a new skill from it Forgery level 3. Gift of the Adept is overpowered, gaining a skill and leveling it up twice in three hours is too much. Anyways this is sufficient, I doubt they will would take the time to take this to a handwriting expert before following this lead that may lead them to a potential kidnapped princess. They will discover plenty of evidence when they raid to incriminate these guys.

After adding an entry about Hans being a collaborator of my kidnapping and mentioning his human trafficking ring. I headed out to Roland's place.

The building appears to be vacant for right now but that doesn't mean it necessarily is. I creep up to the entrance, being the middle of the night there are few people out right now, but I don't need any potential complications so I waited for a little bit for an opportunity to approach without anyone seeing me. I had Roland's key so I opened the door. My heart skips a beat when I see someone just inside but he is passed out drunk. This first room is a big lobby area I am assuming that Roland's office is in the back here. After opening another locked door with Roland's keys I finally found his office

I slip Roland's journal into his desk to complete the frame job. After locking up the doors I opened to get in I slipped back into the street. Now I need to wait so I can see if there is a leak of information when the journal is discovered.

Finally at around sunrise a group of about 30 guards approached the building, I laugh to myself I can only imagine the rude awakening that drunk bastard is about to get. After a few hours the guards finished up and it appears they are headed back to their barracks to go over what they found. Time to catch some rats.

Sure enough after the guards had reconvened at the barracks I spotted one guard leave walking briskly towards the slums. Got you scumbag.

I quickly slipped through the busy streets to intercept the guard. Having such a tiny body makes this so easy to tail him without his knowledge. After several minutes we finally are in place where I can take care of the him. I wait for him to pass by the alley I picked out to be his resting place.

“Mister guard help help!” I come up to him .

Uninterested the guard said, “Sorry I am on an important mission little girl go find another guard to help.”

I then hold out a handful of gold coins in front of him , “ But there's 2 men sleeping back here in this alley, and I cant wake them up. They have a big bag full of these coins! I have never seen this color before I have only ever seen ones that are not as shiny as these ones.”

“Well that sounds like like a serious problem, go home little girl I will take care of this.” He snatched the coins from my hand and left.

He quickly went down the alley oblivious of me stalking behind him pulling out both of my daggers.

“ Where the hell is this bag of gold” the guard was looking around for it in a hurry.

I ran up and stabbed him with both daggers simultaneously through both kidneys. All he could do was gasp as we went into immediate shock. I quickly followed up and slipped my stiletto dagger into his throat for overkill as he fell forward. I have become extremely effective at assassinations with daggers, I must say.

I quickly leave as someone may see me here with a soon dead guard. I head over to the kidnapper's hideout. In case any more corrupt guards are coming to warn these guys.

There are probably other corrupt guards but I guess they aren't coming to these guys rescue like that first guy. I waited for several hours to enjoy the show that would ensue. This time there was at least 50 guards and it looked like there were a few high ranking military members too. Good this is going to be a massacre.

The kidnappers not surprisingly gave up pretty easily after a few minutes and they are being led out in shackles and loaded up in a barred wagon. Hans however is being taken by those high ranking military officials I saw earlier to a different location, and I am willing to bet the sun doesn't shine there. They are going to 'politely' ask him a few questions about his involvement with my disappearance and he painfully is going to have no idea what they are talking about. He deserves this fate though, I don't feel guilty in the slightest.

The next scene truly makes me sick. I see a bunch kids some of them are just skin and bones being led out from the building. They all seem to be light sensitive, like they haven't seen light for days. How can people be this sick? How can this happen in a free country? A lot of people have gathered around and I can see several people enjoying happy reunions with there families.

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I see a lot of people looking sad though, because their loved one was not one of those whom was rescued. One woman in particular wearing a semi-transparent veil captured my eyes. She has several guards around her, and for some reason I cant take my eyes off of her no matter how hard I try. I can make out that she has sandy blonde hair and green eyes she looks like she is in her mid to late teens so she is probably looking for a sibling. Something extremely nostalgic about her, she is looking for someone very dear to her.

Then when she looks by where I am her gaze stops as if she has seen a ghost. She pulls back here veil to get a better look at me. I cant believe I didn't notice it earlier its MANDY!!

As much as I want to run up and hug her I cant! With all my willpower I peel myself away from her gaze and I quickly disappear into the crowd. Maybe she didn't know if it was me or not? I do have this concealment cloak on. I am sorry that this is something I must do oneesama. Tears of guilt stream down my face, I have stayed here too long I need to leave now. I need to become strong enough to where I dont have to hide behind castle walls to deal with men like Darius.

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Mandy POV

I just got married to the man I love. I am going be staying at my favorite place in the world. Being able to research magic and help young magicians for the foreseeable future. I have no worries financially since I am a princess and probable future queen. You would think I would be the happiest woman in the world.

In reality I am beyond the deepest despair I have ever felt, a hundred fold. My anguish is so bad that I have thought of suicide because the cause of my depression is all my fault.

Let me tell you a little story of how this happened.

I have the best sister in the world. I am not being biased she is simply the best. She is the most adorable, the hardest working, the smartest, the most talented, and anything that makes a little sister great she is the absolute best at it.

To be honest she is too talented and it scares me. So I am like a prodigy when it comes to magic. When my sister was born I was already a student here at Mahouren and I was the top student academically. I also had won the school tournament so I became a super celebrity. Anyways when I meet my sister I sensed that she had equal mana to me as a baby!

As she grew older I could sense her mana had become extremely pure, in fact the headmaster told me that apparently she had discovered and was cultivating mana on accident and had some of the most pure mana he has ever seen.

That is a total lie, my sister is not dumb she definitely was doing it on purpose and she definitely knew what she was doing. I am surprised mom didn't pick up on it earlier.

As a matter of fact I guarentee my adorable little sister is hiding a whole bunch of things. You see she has a gift that prevents people from using magic to see her status/skills. Since nobody can use identification magic on her, nobody really knows everything that she has. I bet she can see her own status but doesn't share it with us. I cant really blame her though.

Extremely talented people are used and not always willingly. I know first hand since before I was married I was constantly having people trying to court me. What is worse my dad made it public that me and Felix were an item and to back off but they never did. Other then people trying to marry me, some people wanted my magic to help them. In all honesty, a lot of my days are wasted politely declining these people.

So if I was harassed that much, I couldn't even begin to think of how much my savant-like sister is going to be but unfortunately this comes with the territory of being nobillity.

She had become somewhat of a recluse recently, constantly staying in the background. Mother and I were fearful that she depressed and her becoming shy was a byproduct.

So we decided we were going to try and help her out. We wanted her to see that she had no reason to be shy, that everyone like us would see her for the wonderful person she is and was becoming.

We planned to make her a bridesmaid and have her perform at the wedding reception. When we asked her instructor if she was ready enough to perform in front of people we got a big thumbs up.

She of course was stunning as a bridesmaid, my husbands little brother was totally swept off his feet by my sister who was half his age. He couldn't believe it when we told him her age.

Then the reception came and everything changed.

When Kara got on the stage and started singing it was literally as if the whole world stopped. Everyone was transfixed on her as she literally stole everyone's heart both guy and girl alike with her first song. Unbelievable, perfect, god-like are a few words I would associate with that first song. I knew she was going to be good because you know its Kara and all but this is on a whole different level. Her next few songs were equally impressive.

Then it hit me everyone would want a piece of her, even if she wasn't a princess. I cant believe I made her expose herself when she is still so young!

Then things got a lot worse, insurmountably worse. The tyrant king Darius had somehow crashed my reception and had heard Kara sing. Literally if there was one person in the world I didn't want my sister to be exposed to it would be him. I would rather expose her to the demon king himself. He of course now wants my little sister for himself, the sick pedophile.

Because of him we sent Kara back in secret. But today we got terrible news.

Somehow her escort had been all murdered, the only evidence of Kara they could find was her royal signet that was among charred bodies.

There is a strong chance that I was directly responsible for her death since I made her sing at the reception and that is why I am depressed.

Felix gave me a little bit of hope today though telling me about a raid on a building in the slums that potentially Kara could be there. I prayed so hard that I would be able to see her again.

I stood dumbfounded as dozens of pale and malnourished kids came out of the building. This has to be a joke right there is no way this is in Toulia, how could this go on beneath our noses. As the last kid came out, my stomach twisted as I hadn't seen Kara among the rescued kids.

I looked over the crowd envious as many families were being reunited.

Then it happened. I saw a girl hooded in a cloak staring right at me transfixed as if possessed. I could see her golden blonde bangs part back into the cloak. Then I looked into her eyes. The deepest blue eyes you have ever seen, deeper then the ocean, so deep you could literally lose yourself in them. I know those eyes. I know those eyes very well, those are Kara's eyes. I pull back my veil just to confirm without a shadow of a doubt that I am seeing Kara right now.

She is gone, where did she go!?

“Kara!” I screamed as I knocked people out of the way heading in the direction of the girl. I know what I saw Kara is still alive!