After sending Shade in search of clues, I descended to the first floor, where I met up with the girls. While waiting for my dinner, I chatted a bit with them. At the moment, I decided not to share what I had discussed with Grid, as I didn't want to unnecessarily worry them. Only when we had concrete information would I inform them.

Anyway, as soon as my food arrived, we resumed the meal. Ana was already on her third plate, and I sincerely wondered where all the food she consumed went. At least it didn't seem to go to her chest. While observing Ana with a curious look, she suddenly turned to me, interrupting the meal.

"What's up?"

I asked. Ana fixed her gaze on me for a few seconds before parting her lips to utter the following words.

"I feel like Ma-kun thought of something naughty just now while looking at me"

Hearing these words, I discreetly coughed and averted my gaze from Ana. Then, I pushed my cake in her direction, and she, apparently forgetting about the incident, started eating the cake with a cheerful smile on her face.

"My king, may I have a moment of your time?"

Shade's voice echoed in my mind, grabbing my attention.

"Shade? What's going on?"

I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I found a document that seems to be related to what you asked me to investigate. It was in a safe inside a mansion"

Hearing Shade's words, I couldn't help but be surprised. I had sent Shade in search of clues less than ten minutes ago, so the fact that she found something in such a short period was actually quite astonishing.

Anyway, I didn't want the girls to overhear the conversation I would have with Shade, so I just said that I needed some fresh air and went outside the inn. Later, I entered a nearby alley and quickly looked around to make sure I was truly alone.

Once I confirmed that, I mentally called Shade, and she appeared in front of me through the vortex. She had both hands raised, making a bowing pose, and between her hands was the document she had mentioned earlier.

"You did an excellent job, Shade"

I praised. Hearing my words, Shade trembled slightly but soon composed herself, her voice echoing in response.

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"Thank you for your words, my king"

I put a small smile on my face upon hearing Shade. Although it seemed inappropriate to compare her to a puppy waiting for her owner's affection, I had no negative intentions in making that comparison. However, another thought crossed my mind.

"Would you like something as a reward, Shade?"

Upon hearing my words, Shade's body trembled again, and shortly after, she shook her head from side to side.

"I wouldn't dare ask for anything in return. My greatest reward is being able to stand by the king's side"

I was glad to hear those words from Shade, but still, I felt that I should at least congratulate her. She's always been helping me, and considering that, I thought it would be a strange gesture not to offer any reward. After all, what would be the difference between her and a slave if I didn't express my gratitude for the constant help she provides me?.

“I understand, but still, I want to gift you something. You've been a great help to me, and you're not my slave, but my companion. So, I think it would be nice to be able to offer you something. Don't think too much, just tell me if you have any requests. It can be anything, as long as I can provide it”

Listening to my words, Shade remained silent for some time, seeming to contemplate my words. One minute, two minutes, three minutes passed, and no voice was heard from Shade. Did she really need to think so much about it? What the heck is she going to ask me, anyway? While thinking about it, Shade's voice finally echoed.

“Since that's the case... will the king allow me to have a day with him? Just the two of us?”

I was surprised to hear Shade's words, not because I thought her request was unreal or anything, but... was that all she wanted? After thinking for three whole minutes, what she had asked me was much more normal than I expected.

“Ah, if that's what you want, of course, we can do that”

As soon as I said that, Shade turned her gaze to me with a wide smile on her face, her dark eyes shining like the Milky Way as she watched me. No matter how you looked at it, she seemed extremely happy with it.

“Thank you, my king. I'll be looking forward to our meeting then”

Saying these words, Shade disappeared. Anyway, were we going on a date? Now that she said it, it really seemed like that. To be honest, I was just thinking we would walk around randomly, but from a woman's point of view, this must be considered a date.

Anyway, Shade disappeared without leaving a trace while muttering something. I, on the other hand, just returned to the inn as if nothing had happened. The document was currently in my storage, and I would read it as soon as I got back to the room.

I decided to say goodbye earlier to the girls, who seemed focused on the conversation. They just told me they would go up after they finished talking. Upon arriving in the room, I closed the door and sat on the bed, taking out the document shortly after.

I started reading word by word written inside the document, and, just as I had imagined, Leona's mother had been killed by Darian, although not by his hands. Apparently, Darian hired some mercenaries to complete this task for him.

The mercenaries weren't really from Arclight, but given the circumstances, Darian managed to disguise their features skillfully, which ended up resulting in this situation. Anyway, in the document were also the reasons why Darian killed Leona's mother, along with other confessions.

In general, Darian wished to conquer the throne of Anima for himself. However, Leona's mother became an obstacle to his plans. Another revelation was that Leona's mother and Darian were relatives, albeit distant. Furthermore, despite looking like a document, it was closer to a diary than a formal record.