It was early autumn, and the honey locust trees growing on both sides of the road were starting to turn yellow. A group of teenage boys were picking the flat long fruits from the trees and storing them in baskets. An elderly man was sitting on a small stool, and every time the boys were slacking off, the street was pierced by the man's loud scoldings. It would have been understandable if someone had asked the old man to lower his tone or at least mind his words, but everyone in the street seemed too busy to pay attention to the situation.

The sun has almost set and the street, being too far from downtown, was poorly lit. It seemed that the lamplighter, assigned to this area, was late. Judging by the lack of response from the shop owners, it wasn't his first time. Cornelia wore a cape, but the lack of light made it easy to keep this walk secret. Vice-Captain was reluctant to talk about the sudden issue inside the palace walls. To avoid making him wait, the girl simply changed her shoes for comfortable ones and put on a coat over her dress. The Princess was used to walking on the main streets of the capital, but this was an opportunity to look beyond the familiar districts. She tried not to stare for too long but still looked around curiously. Kroghan didn't seem to mind her slower pace though his gaze was more indifferent towards their surroundings.

The workers returning from the chemical factories passed by in groups. Most of them simply chatted, eager to go home. But some turned back and ended up in bars, which the street did not lack. Cornelia could easily imagine how these small, yet numerous drinking rooms were filled with laughter and loud arguments during more prosperous times. But now it was monotonous murmuring, which could not even muffle the sound of beer mugs clinking.

They reached the corner of the street and turned around. The alley was much narrower and now they had to follow each other. Here, hidden from the passersby's eyes, Cornelia spotted a signboard with a butcher's knife and a hunter's bow. She had already seen a few such shops in the past years, but this time, despite its mixed reputation, it had quite a lot of customers. Contrary to regular butcher shops, these types were selling meat from hunted creatures.

The Retaliation war against the nymphs took a heavy toll on humanity. So, even if some plants and creatures could be useful to mankind, many people distanced themselves from the gifts of this new world. And, as if that wasn't enough, many creatures shared the features of insects. Few humans were fond of this class of animals. Most found these chimeras repulsive. Flydeers and spitting boars, as well as some smaller game, such as honey squirrels and stork hoppers, were exceptions that confirmed the rule. During life on territories like South, South-East, and so on, people rarely ate the meat of local creatures.

Deep in thought, Cornelia followed vice-captain further down the alley. Houses that seemed decent from the street look shabbier here. A few additional storeys built over the years as the city grew leaned over the alley, making the princess feel as if moving to the next territory would cause them to collapse.

Finally, Kroghan stopped in front of a wooden door, which was no different from any other they had passed. The man opened the door and, with a nod, invited the princess to enter. The first thing she noticed was that the room was larger than she had expected. It looked as if someone had removed several walls to enlarge the space, but fortunately left the load-bearing columns intact. All this space had been wasted on crates, stools, and sacks filled with wool, making the room seem even bigger and emptier.

There were five more people in the room: the inspector, three lower-ranking policemen, and Dietrich. The policemen, busy collecting evidence, greeted the newcomers with a curt nod. Their plain gray clothes contrasted with Dietrich's burgundy silk shirt, decorated with rubies, and Kroghan's knight's sword. Their plain grey clothes contrasted with Dietrich's burgundy silk shirt and sword decorated with rubies. The young man was talking to the inspector, so Cornelia had a chance to calm her surprise before he noticed her. Dietrich was not happy to see her there. Leaving the inspector behind, he stormed over to vent his frustration and anger on Kroghan.

"You could have reported to His Majesty or Prince César, but you chose the one who would not severely punish you."

"I reported it to the person who would help and seek truth, not just punish," - as always, the vice-captain remained unruffled. "And I also reported to the royal family. That's all that mattered"

"How convenient for you!"

"Could you please stop arguing and explain the situation?" Cornelia patted the knight on the shoulder. Dietrich began to apologize, then remembered he didn't greet the princess. When his hasty speech was finally over, Kroghan asked: "I thought Sir Herwig was supposed to be here?"

Herwig, Dietrich's second older brother, was the head of the city police. His involvement in the case again signified its importance.

"He was here and has already left," replied Dietrich. "He had been called to work right from Ravenglass Thermae."

"I would be quite upset too if some rascal interrupted my visit to Ravenglass Termae," sympathetically noted Kroghan. ""Come to think of it, it's been a while since I've been there - too much work."

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Before the conversation took a completely different turn, Cornelia interrupted: "Certainly, you didn't ask me to come here to talk about the public baths, did you?"

Kroghan glanced at the knight, but the young man just repulsed it back. Whatever it was, it was difficult for either of them to start the discussion. Much easier it was to talk about the famous hall of the Ravenglass terms with its magnificent onyx pillars and turquoise waters.

“Your Highness Cornelia,” Dietrich started from afar, and was instantly interrupted, “I’ve told you a hundred times already – call me Lia. I hate my full name.”

“I find it charming and beautiful though. I'm sure you say so just to show your displeasure with their majesties.”

The only two familiar men in the room continue to beat around the bush, and the princess is never a patient type. Ignoring the knight's last remark, she turned to the inspector.

“What is all this fuss about?”

"Ah, Your Highness," - the man who had already started to lose his hair but still had no wrinkles on his face, sighed so deeply, as if letting out all the air he had ever breathed. Clearly, this couldn't be a good sign. Cornelia stepped forward and looked over his shoulder. There were several crates. Some of them were filled with bags, but at least one open crate contained awfully familiar items that had no reason to be there.

"Riffles," uttered the princess in a single word. Although it was an exaggeration to call these primitive things what their ancestors called weapons. Over time, the technology they used deteriorated, along with lack of parts. Still, by the look of it, these firearms were still in working order. "They should be stored in the royal armory. How did they end up in the back street?"

Even without looking, she could feel the inspector tense up.

"We are investigating this, Your Highness."

"You all know very well that when my father finds out about this, heads will roll like rotten apples off the tree. I'm not threatening you," Cornelia quickly reassured the stiffened man. Even in poor light, she could see beads of sweat on his forehead. "But it would be best if we could solve this quickly without disturbing the king."

"Yes, Your Highness, I understand," said the inspector. "We're currently questioning those who were transporting the crates. We'll also look for any witnesses."

"Good. Make sure you ask them if they had a buyer or just wanted to sell them on the black market. In the meantime, I'll check the royal armory and guard. Report anything you find through Sir Dietrich. Dietrich, you stay with the inspector for now."

"Yes, Your Highness," the knight replied, and the two men moved to a corner of the storehouse to continue their interrupted conversation.

Cornelia walked to the crate and borrowed a pair of gloves from one of the police officers. She took one of the guns and inspected it. This was really bad. Although these particular rifles did not belong to the original weapons that humankind had brought with them, and their quality could not compare to those of the originals, they were still working guns. The weapon factories of each country were regarded as the most important and protected facilities. They produced firearms to their best abilities, but it was never enough, and such weapons tended to break more often than the old ones. Their range and accuracy also lost out to the original rifles. However, the number of working original weapons decreased significantly over time, and they were more valuable than gold. After all, these weapons were one of the few things that humans could use to fight against nymphs, so their use and storage were strictly controlled by the royal family. All other conflicts, hunting and suppression of criminals or rioters should be solved with more primitive and easy-to-make weapons. If a nation were to lose its supply of ammunition and guns, it would have disastrous consequences. Not to mention the stationing on repeatedly attacked borderlands, such as the West.

Trying to suppress the depressing thoughts, the princess returned the gun to the crate. There was nothing particular about it, except for the erased brand mark. Probably, whoever stole it was trying to cover up its origin. Cornelia turned around and found Kroghan right beside her. His composure impressed her again. If she were in his place, she wouldn't be able to remain so calm, especially in front of the king. The vice-captain of the royal guard looked at the guns and said, "If we can figure out the motive, it will be easier to find out who is behind it."

He wasn't wrong, but the princess shook her head.

"There are too many possibilities," she said. "It could be other countries trying to strengthen their army, or nobles planning a revolt."

"With the taboo on using firepower against people, I doubt it," Kroghan paused and spoke in a quiet voice. "We cannot rule out the possibility that the ultimate buyer is not human at all."

The girl flinched and looked at the vice-captain. "No way. I cannot believe that any human would deal with nymphs. That would be digging your own grave."

"You know what they say - money can buy anything."

"But not to that extent," the thought of someone selling humanity's fate for a few gold coins disgusted her. Cornelia looked at the crates again. Reluctantly, she compromised. "Still, we need to check all speculation. Even the most absurd ones."

"What speculation?" Dietrich had already finished his conversation with the inspector and joined in the conversation. The princess shook her head, avoiding his question. The young man was already concerned about her involvement in the situation. Adding another ridiculous theory would not help. The knight sighed. He let this pass, just to voice his discontent.

"Anyway, Your Highness, what were you thinking when you agreed to his request? This is not a flydeer hunt or a Draw mission. It's a dangerous matter. Those who stole the rifles will do anything to get them back and cover their tracks."

"Still, I doubt they would harm royalty," said Kroghan, not missing the chance to contradict the knight again. "They will face a cruel death and the extermination of their families for such a crime."

"Don't worry," Cornelia said to her old friend, smiling. He might nag too much sometimes, but he genuinely cares about her. "I will be careful, although I agree with Kroghan that harming a member of the royal family requires being an utter fool or being driven into a corner. I intend to investigate without taking such reckless steps."