Count Dorell was a scrawny little old man, and he looked rather displeased standing there in nothing but a white nightshirt.
But Count Dorell wisely held his temper in front of Cecilia. He merely shrugged and managed a rueful joke. "Hello, beautiful Lady Cecilia. Meeting under such embarrassing circumstances is a shame for us both. I think you could have given me a little time to at least put on my formal attire."
Cecilia was no good at trading noble pleasantries. "I'm sorry, Count Dorell, but I have to follow procedure. Checking your fief for suspicious individuals is good for its security, too."
"Ha! My fief, is it?" Count Dorell replied with the restrained sarcasm of a nobleman.
In truth, Count Dorell had reason to be upset. The Imperial Army had already taken over the defenses of every noble fief in Central Province, large and small. Otherwise, how could a lord have been dragged out of bed on his own land without even enough time to dress properly?
Cecilia ignored him. She ordered the young nobles of Dorell Fief to form a line, then began examining them one by one.
As someone who was effectively an awakened one herself, Cecilia could easily identify an awakened one in disguise. The awakened ones' "transformation" ability worked on people of the Spirit Realm, but not on a fellow awakened one like her.
So if someone looked different to Cecilia than they did to the people of the Spirit Realm, that person was suspicious.
Cecilia led the way, with Sister Celine and Knight Captain Phil following close behind.
"The first one," Cecilia said.
After a careful look, Phil said, "White silk nightclothes. Nothing unusual."
A faint blue light flickered in Sister Celine's eyes as she examined him. "No magical disguise."
"The second one."
Cecilia