Brt! Brt! Brt! The sound of alarm woke her up from the sweet dream she had. She swore it was a very good dream, but she couldn't remember anything much to her displeasure. Standing up, she watched her horrible morning face in the mirror. Normally she would fix her hair and washed her face before going down to have breakfast. But it was holiday season, and Pris and the maid were away if she remembered correctly. There was no one home but her.

Walking down the steps, she felt like she was forgetting something but she dismissed it as something minor. She probably forgot to turn the light or something. Then she turned to the living room. Her body froze in place like a statue.

Arthur was standing away from her and facing the table where a bunch of things was stacked. Her hair was a mess, her face even worse, not to mention she was still wearing pajamas. If Arthur saw her like that it would be a disaster. No, how could she forget Arthur was staying in her house in the first place? She didn't remember being that forgetful in the morning.

As if sensing her presence, Arthur turned to look behind him, but no one was there. He turned again, returning to his work on the table.

When Rose finally come to the living room half an hour later, she was very different than when she woke up. Her beautiful auburn hair was combed and wafting sweet fragrance. Her face clean and soft and focused, pretty as ever even without makeup. Her clothes were formal like her usual style, giving a serious and business-like impression. Pris followed behind her. Rose remembered wrongly.

"What's this?" She asked as she examined the living room. A detailed map of the city was laid on the table, its corners secured by books. Some parts of the map were circled by red markers, some were connected by lines, other scribbled with words and symbols.

Arthur turned his face. His expression severe, his usual smile nowhere to be found. "I haven't got any notable report since last night. Just the usual police patrol report. So I took my time compiling and reviewing past reports."

Rose had tried to do that before, searching patterns from the location of the kidnapping, but she found nothing. Using the computer didn’t help either. She might have missed something so Arthur's effort wasn't wasted, especially since he knew a lot more than her. "Find anything?"

"At first? No, but-" He pointed at the edge of the map, towards the mountain range surrounding the city from all side. "These are some mana nexus in the region, leylines. If you mark them and connect them with lines."

"Ah!" She drew the image in her mind. "It's like a magical rune, no ... a summoning circle, but for what?" Her tongue tripped by the sudden revelation. To think that someone was doing a large-scale magic ritual under her nose and she didn't even realize it. "What does it summon?" She wasn't a master of summoning magic, but she could confidently say that her knowledge of the subject was pretty vast and comprehensive. But the rune seemed alien to her. Not to mention the size that encompasses the whole city. What manner of monster needed such a massive rune to be summoned. "It's definitely not demonic."

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"It's not demonic. It's worse. Luckily, it's not done yet. It's still missing two or three points." He pointed at the location of missing points. "That is if last night nothing happened."

"You recognize the rune?" She gave him a questioning look but retracted it a moment later. It was Arthur she was asking, of course he knew about it. "What is it?"

Arthur scratched his head. "I ... could not tell you now."

"Lord Pendragon." Priscila interrupted him, but with the respect and politeness he deserved. "With all due respect, My lady is trying to solve our problem here. As we can see from the sheer size of this summoning circle, this problem is larger than we all originally thought. I beg you to not hide any information from us, My Lord."

"I'd like to tell you, but this information is not something I can share freely with someone outside the Long Table." Rose and Priscilla froze at that moment. If the information regarding their enemies was that high-level, then this kidnapper wasn't someone to be trifled with. Realizing the shock he caused, Arthur tried to calm them down. "That being said, there's a high possibility that whoever tried summoning it doesn't know what they are messing with. They probably thought this whole thing they created is going to summon a demon lord or two."

"Still ..." Rose was still troubled. "We must stop them at all cost!" She looked at the map again and marked the place Arthur pointed out. "We have three possible places for the next kidnapping to happen. Or whatever they are actually doing with those women."

Demonic summoning ritual usually demands blood sacrifices. If what's getting summoned was worse than a demon, then she couldn't imagine what they were doing with the victims.

"The kidnapping always happens at night, but we can't risk it. We must monitor the place as soon as possible." Rose continued. "I'll guard this one." She pointed at one spot.

"I'll go with you, My lady." Priscilla said.

"No. If this is a normal kidnapping, we can rely on the police, but it's not. I need someone capable and trusted on this."

"I can say the same to you, My lady. Your safety is my number one priority. I can't let you go alone to face an unknown danger even if you ordered me to." Priscilla's face was serious and her eyes showed no sign of backing down. "At least take Clara or Viola with you."

"Okay, I'll take Clara, but you have to take Viola."

"Rose," Arthur spoke, catching the attention of Rose and Priscilla. "Now that's the problem has changed, do you still want me to act as a mere supervisor." His face was filled with worries for her safety. While she was happy to see that face of him, she already determined to solve this problem with her own hand. This wasn't something that she'd need help with.

"Tell me, Arthur. Can this be considered an official mission given by the Long Table?"

His usual smile returned to his face, realizing that his worries were baseless. "Considering the possibility of what's being summoned, sure. If you succeed, you're one step closer to replacing your father's empty seat. And if you fail-"

"I won't." Despite all the danger and risk, the fire of spirit was burning within her chest. This was a chance to prove her worth. Not only to Arthur, but to her father and mother as well. Her first mission after she became a candidate for the Long Table.

"But still, this leaves one place unmonitored." Pris said, cutting short their celebration.

”Don't worry, I can order the Alpha team, they can-”

Arthur interrupted with a smile. "If I may suggest-"