"MORGANE!" Roared Thorian Bellor, his eyes bloodshot after feeling his link with the girl break entirely. Yet, he wasn't done venting as he screeched again in frustration, "RAAH!"
Next to him, Gabriel Ashford's eyes widened in shock. They had been discussing signing a contract to import manufactured handbags from the Agnivana kingdom a minute ago when the king's sudden outburst distracted him.
'Did he go mad?' He thought, narrowing his eyes and gazing at the king's fluttering blonde hair and blue eyes. 'No. he's too young, so what compelled his anger?' He pondered, assuming someone must have contacted him through a spell initially. Then, he remembered the name.
'Morgane? The adopted princess with a rare affinity and incredible natural talent for magic?!' He exclaimed inwardly, wondering what transpired to her for the king to burst into rage.
"This stupid commoner slave. She dares to taunt me? ME?" Thorian screamed, his eyes releasing wisps of dark red mana as slight tremors distorted the surrounding air.
"My king, please calm down," Gabriel said, trying to appease the volatile man's fury. Yet, his mind raced. Depending on the girl's plight, he might reap unexpected profits if he played smart.
Upon hearing the Marquis, Thorian's eyes cleared, reason returning to them. Yet, his anger was far from being quelled. Through gritted teeth, he ordered, "I want Morgane's picture plastered on every wall in every city. I'll reward anyone who provides information about her location with ten gold coins. A hundred to whoever brings me her head and a thousand if she is still alive."
Then, he continued, his voice echoing through the royal castle, delivering his promise fully, "Send the arrest warrant to every allied kingdom and prepare a battle mage division to investigate her last known location."
'I'd rather see you dead than let you roam freely,' he thought, regretting his decision to let her attend the College of Alchemy and Transmutation for half a year and realising he had been too lax in his way to handle the summoned.
"Gather the kids and make them go through brainwashing once a week. Also, increase the slave mark potency. I want to be warned at the slightest rebellious thought," he commanded, unwilling for the same scene to repeat itself with the others.
After all, what allowed Morgane to free herself was his dismissive approach and reliance on the automatic application of the slave spell. Now, he would be more active and supervise their actions directly.
Listening to his commands, Gabriel's eyes sparkled, a plan forming in his mind. 'The failure must know where she is since he monitors the college's Gate,' he thought, his lips curling into an imperceptible smile.
'With her affinity for souls, she'll be a fine addition to my ranks. I can also use her after capturing the boy to make the absorption process easier,' He pondered in a second, planning to make a move personally.
Then, he rose from his luxurious seat, taking Find your next favorite novel on NovelHub today!"
"Sit down this instant," Thorian responded, his fist slamming on the table and his eyes narrowing. "Morgane asked me to invite you for the entire week specifically. You won't leave before I ensure you had no hand in her escape!" He said, his voice dripping threats and his mouth ready to call his familiars at the slight sign of disobedience.
Stunned by the revelation, Gabriel bit his teeth in anger. Why did no one inform him, and why did she want him to be in the royal castle? He thought about it before screaming inwardly, 'She is with the kid! After the fiasco with Thomas, he took measures to keep me busy!'
Then, he remembered Jean's words about alerting him with an ugly grimace. 'I won't admit this garbage was right. Never!' He screamed inwardly, sitting back on his chair.
Then, recovering his bearing thanks to his years of politics, he said, "I have nothing to do with her actions. I don't know where she is and never contacted her." Then, tapping his index rhythmically on the table to alleviate his irritation, he added, "I'm willing to pass through a lie detector spell to reassure you, my king. I only want to help before she slips away and disappears into the wild."
"Humph. Of course, you'll go through spells to verify your claims. I won't believe she chose you randomly among all the nobles in my kingdom," answered Thorian before calling one of his royal mages.
Unfortunately, his keen perception played against him in this situation. Since he realised the boy had caused his invitation, he would have to reveal his conflict with him.
'I need to play it smart not to reveal too much,' he thought, fresh sweat glistening on his forehead as a middle-aged mage entered the conference room and immediately cast a spell.
"If anyone lies from this moment, an alarm will ring to alert everyone," said the mage before stepping aside and letting the king proceed with the questioning.
"When did you see Morgan for the last time?" Thorian asked, his blue eyes drilling holes through Gabriel's old body.
"Haven't seen her for a few years. The last and only time was during your adoption ceremony," Gabriel responded, confidence filling his voice. In this situation, not leaving the slightest doubt he was guilty was the best course of action, and he knew it.
"When did you last contact her?" Thorian asked, frowning after not hearing the alarm and wondering if the Marquis was truly innocent.
"I never contacted her," answered Gabriel with a firm head shake. Then, he added, aiming to cut the interrogation short, "I did not see or contact her. I think we can stop here, my king."
"I have one last question," Thorian said, his growing confusion irking him to no end. "Why did she request you to be invited into the castle to distract me?"
'I couldn't avoid this one,' Gabriel thought, gritting his teeth, before answering, "Because one student she frequents is considered a criminal in my territory. I'm guessing she came with him to Belloria for the holidays and wanted to distract me from the boy."