"Gu? Saridon?"
Tales repeated the name in disbelief, looking back and forth between Raphael and Gu's cell as he tried to seize a thread of clarity from the memories and thoughts tangled together in his mind.
"Explain."
The Prince reined in his emotions and stared seriously at Raphael:
"Now."
Raphael was silent for a moment before awkwardly tightening his arm:
"Your Highness, even though you were born into royalty, the Secret Section never clearly established your intelligence clearance..."
"Explain!" Tales interrupted him bluntly.
"I am explaining," Raphael cut him off coldly:
"I simply must clarify, Your Highness, that from here on, I can only disclose information no higher than the 'Madman' level without violating regulations."
The "Madman" level...
Tales shook his head impatiently:
"You don't need to explain the Secret Section's rules to me—just explain."
Raphael gave a cold laugh:
"I wasn't saying it for your benefit."
The Aridbone man slowly raised his arm. At some point, a black crack had appeared on his forearm. The texture of the muscle within it writhed faintly, concealing an eerie shadow.
Just as it had six years ago.
Tales froze at once.
The Prince struggled to pull his gaze away from the other man's arm and forced himself back to the subject at hand.
"As you can see, this man's surname is Gu and his given name is Tang—or so it appears on the surface, at least."
Raphael gazed somberly at Gu's cell door:
"He was born into an official family in the Eastern Kingdom of Suye. After his family fell into decline, he joined Suye's royal intelligence organization: the Black Robe Guard."
Gu Tang.
The Black Robe Guard.
Tales's expression changed:
"You mean he was a Suye spy?"
Raphael nodded, then shook his head:
"A former spy—at least according to the information