Toward evening, at Silver and Tin Palace.
It should have been dinnertime, yet the highest-ranking people in Avalon had gathered in the Tea Room, seriously discussing something.
Everyone except Grand Justice Arius had gathered here.
"The results of the investigation at the scene are out."
The Grand Guardian looked at the report in his hands and said solemnly, "We confirmed the presence of Shadow traces... It really was a Shadow Demon.
"But the door to the secret chamber was never opened. We also detected remnants of the Path of Love inside. Arius and I went to confirm it personally. The type was Flesh Magic."
"—Then it was transformation magic, a witch's sorcery. It's reasonable that a Shadow Demon could sneak in, and a witch could sneak in too... If I'm not mistaken, they should both have entered and exited through the ventilation ducts."
The speaker this time was a young woman who looked to be just over thirty.
She had long, pale-golden curls and deep-blue eyes. Her skin was fair, her figure full, and her ears slightly pointed. Her appearance gave off an air of nobility and severity.
She was Shafiya, Avalon's Grand Adjudicator of this generation and the highest-ranking leader of the Bureau of Supervision. She was also a Half-Elf.
Because she possessed half-elven blood, Shafiya looked somewhat younger than her actual age. In truth, she was considerably older than the Grand Guardian.
Even in Her Majesty the Queen's presence, she did not sit particularly properly.
She crossed her legs, leaned back into the soft sofa, and said lazily, "Wasn't I right before? The ventilation ducts are right inside the secret chamber. That's obviously unsafe.
"Even if the prisoner is sealed and unable to escape, you can't rule out someone entering through the ventilation ducts. And taking it a