Why?
That was the question that was surely in everyone's mind as we stormed the industrial complex.
Why would a man of such intellect and influence box himself in the middle of the city? It made no sense, no matter how much I thought about it.
The industrial complex has one major entry to it and is like a giant mousetrap.
It just did not feel right.
Jan and I were standing off to the side, leaning on the carriage with our arms crossed, guarding Kale as she sat inside.
I was grateful for this opportunity, as it allowed me to reflect more on this whole ordeal.
Lord Vasqe lived close to the southern wall; his estate was practically a minute's walk from it. He would have had a secret passage to get him out of this city in no time.
Besides the battle that took place between the Princess and that Demi-Human, he could have slipped away without a problem.
Then why did he go the extra mile? Why would he come here?
A yell brought me out of my thoughts as I looked up to see Chief Yamla call out to me.
"Jacob, Jan, bring Kale to this building. We believe we have something for her to use."
On that note, I looked over to Jan and gestured towards the building with my head.
I started moving forward, pushing myself off the carriage, while Jan went to get Kale.
A few steps in, I stubbed my toe on something and stumbled forward, taking heavy steps to balance myself out.
When I got my footing, I turned around to look back, and there was nothing, just a manhole cover.
With my luck, I somehow managed to get my toes stuck in the curved handle of the cover.
Before I could think more about it, Jan and Kale walked beside me, and I joined them to avoid getting chewed out.
Stepping inside the building was comfortable, but not for long.
Because the room we entered next was cramped with the most important people in the city at this moment.
The Duke, Galreid, brother to King Belreid, beside him, the Commander of the western forces, Bridhu.
Then there were City Commander Opus and all the Department Chiefs standing around a table on which was a handkerchief.
The Aura inside this room was truly intimidating, especially because all eyes were on us.
Normally, I wouldn't feel nervous in a moment like this, but today was starting to get on my nerves.
I took a gulp and turned to Kale as she moved forward and took the handkerchief in her hands, and looked at it, reading the initials VQ embroidered in it.
Without saying a single word, she placed the maps on the table and placed the handkerchief on them.
Then the silence was shattered with a single word. "Igna."
We all watched in silence as the handkerchief rose in the air and ignited, burning to ash.
It was always a spectacle watching magic take place in front of me.
Once it was done, the ash began to fall like snow and spread across the entire map.
"What on Earth?"
I questioned, as heads turned toward me and I cleared my throat. "Sorry."
No one said anything else and turned back to Kale as she sighed. "He is under a cloaking spell. We will not know his location as long as the spell is maintained."
"That means he is a lost cause?"
The Duke questioned as Kale shook her head. "Not necessarily, the cloaking spell works by blending a person's Mana signature with the environment, and any Mana activity in their vicinity would break the spell, and I would be able to pinpoint their location."
"Meaning, he has not been teleported, nor is he being carried by another person. But still, he could get out on a horse or carriage."
Chief Yamla spoke, gritting his teeth and drawing a sharp breath
Kale coughed as she pointed at the table.
"Given that the ash spread across the map of the city only and not on the map of the county is because the spell was put in place in a hurry; it carries some imperfections, meaning he can't move too fast or the spell would wear off."
"Soo..."
The Duke said as he uncrossed his right hand, holding it forward, getting everyone's attention. "You mean to say he is within this city?"
Kale quickly nodded a few times, blinking her eyes.
"I see."
He spoke calmly, looking left and right, before he stopped to look at the Department Chiefs and spoke in a monotone voice.
"Do we need to print out a special notice? Get out there, tell your men to get to work."
With that order, the Chiefs moved out of the room. I felt Chief Yamla pat my shoulder and lightly squeeze it before walking past me.
The Duke turned to me, and I thought that my time in the force was over. "Excuse me, young man, but you said something about Earth, right about now. Are you also from Earth?"
"Yes, My Lord. I am from Earth. I came here eight years ago and joined the City Watch seven years ago. The name's Jacob Smith."
I bowed slightly as he nodded. "I see, I hope you found Paneria a welcoming place and did not suffer too much."
Damn, I did not expect that, but hey, I'll take it, as long as I get to keep my job.
"Lord Galreid, Jacob is one of our finest Inspectors; he has never let us down, and I believe he can be useful to you. His investigatory skills are the best in the city; his deduction and reasoning are profound. He has solved many cases that seemed impossible."
Surprisingly, it was Commander Opus who said this to The Duke. I wonder what they would say if they knew I was just trying to imitate characters like Sherlock.
Honestly, I didn't know that Commander Opus knew about me. Guess you learn something new every day.
"Good, Young lady, please keep up the locator spell and notify us the instant you find anything. Young man with blonde hair, please escort the lady to the office."
Upon hearing the Duke's order, Kale and Jan stood up and bowed before leaving.
Then it was just me, the Duke and Commander Opus and without wasting a single second, the Duke spoke.
Why? Let me take a moment to get my bearings, please!
But my thoughts seemed to only stay in my mind, and I received my order.
"Search these buildings, Vasqe came here for a reason; there must be something of value. We need you to uncover it; you will get as many men as you need."
With those words, everyone left, leaving me alone in this room.
Ever since I had entered, this was the first time I was able to get a clean look at the room.
It was neat, like a conference room for a small business.
A long table, some pin boards between the windows and one large chalkboard at the back.
The roof was a simple grey; the floor was wooden, yet it did not creak.
I paused; the floor should creak, given the way the wood is laid out. This type of flooring relies on grid beams to support the wooden planks.
Suspicious, but not quite it.
Maybe behind the board, how thick are the walls between the buildings?
Guess, I'll take a look.
Opening the window, I looked at the walls across the street, and I think the walls are apart by a distance of one measly foot.
Nothing much can be hidden in there, so where would I hide something?
The board, the floor, the roof, I can feel them call out to me, yet I feel something is off. It is too easy. No way would one of the most paranoid and smart people in the city just half-ass it when hiding something.
So I just stood there for a moment before scoffing.
"This is stupid."
I shook my head and walked out of the room and into the hallway. I turned to my right and walked towards the main door.
On the Entrance, I just felt like hitting the top of the doorframe, so I stood on the raised threshold and slapped the doorframe protruding down from the ceiling.
Tok!
Came the sound from the wood, stopping me dead in my tracks. I looked back up and knocked on it.
Tok!
Once again came the sound of hollow wood.
But I knew there was nothing in it; it was made to throw someone off.
I looked back at the stairs and walked towards them.
To test if my theory held out, I tapped the face of the stairs with my toes and pulled the extended wood upwards towards me.
Just as I had expected, the stairs were hollow and creaked when I stepped on them. The wood also moved as if it would open like a chest.
"This is a dummy building, all of them are."
So without giving it a second thought, I left.
On the streets, I could see the soldiers arrest suspects and criminals and throw them into carriages.
With the Duke overlooking the operation, Commander Opus remained by his side to protect him.
That's when one of the soldiers tripped, as he was stepping on the sidewalk from the road.
For god knows how long, I stared at the sidewalk, and I don't know what compelled me, but I walked to it and bent down, checking the sidewalk.
It was odd, I closed my eyes and stood up, walking forward, and I too hit my toe on it.
Meaning this sidewalk was slightly higher than every other place in the city.
They say that there is a fine line between Genius and Madness. Was Vasqe mad enough to really do it?
There was only one way to find out.
"Someone give me a hand."
I called out, and Lord Galreid walked to my side and asked. "Found something."
I nodded as I pointed towards the sidewalk. "It's off; there is something under the sidewalk."
Hearing my words, Lord Galreid did not question them one bit and turned to Commander Opus and gestured towards the sidewalk.
Giving a quick and powerful nod, Commander Opus knelt beside the sidewalk and dug his hands in the concrete before ripping it apart and turning the slab of sidewalk upside down.
Where the sidewalk once was, there was now a dark hole in its place and before I could say anything, Commander Opus created a sphere of light and held it above the hole.
Now that it was illuminated, we looked down at it and we saw a walkway with filing cabinets lined along the wall, which stretched the length of the sidewalk.
"Good job, Jacob, you have done a great service to us."
The Duke held my shoulder as he looked me in the eyes.
Who knew I would get personal gratitude from the Duke today. Could things get any better?
Just as I thought that, Chief Palo came and spoke with the Duke. "My lord, we have searched through the buildings in this sector and apprehended all the criminals. Shall we move to the next sector?"
The Duke nodded and turned to me as Chief Palo went to the others.
"Go in there and recover valuable documentation, names we can trace, clues that may help us find more of Vasqe's network and accomplices. Commander Opus and a platoon of Special Forces will stay with you. I will be moving to oversee the rest of the raids."
I bowed down with my hand on my chest. "Yes, my Lord."
"Once you find something of use, join us at the next location."
By the time I raised my head, he had moved on with the majority of the forces.
Before entering the hole, I decided to take a deep breath, to collect myself, and that was when Commander Opus hit me in the shin.
"Rest comes after the work is done, justice won't be upheld if you stop even for one second. Now, let's see how deep this rabbit hole goes."
Without thinking, I nodded, and Commander Opus jumped inside. I stood on the edge and took a deep breath. Now that I was looking, it was roughly twelve feet deep; must be an access point nearby with a ladder.
So I looked around and saw some other soldiers, breaking the sidewalk to look for more of these spaces while a large chunk stood guard around the sector.
"Scared of a little drop?"
Commander Opus called out as I looked down, shaking my head.
"No, commander, just I don't have Mana like you do, so I would probably break a few bones if I jumped."
"I see, I forgot about that, my apologies, just jump down, I will catch you."
Well, if he says he will catch me, then there is nothing to worry about.
And so I jumped inside and just as I was about to hit the floor, Commander Opus caught me using telekinesis.
"See?"
He just had to add that part before setting me down on the floor.
After that, the two of us began looking at the cabinets, and so I realised that this just might be above my pay grade.
Sigh
I can't help but sigh, looking up at the hole I jumped down from.
"So your paranoia maddened you to the point that you would rather hide this under the open sky than keep it inside your own property. Yet, you could not let it out of your sight; it must be impossible to get some good sleep."