Empress Borough, Sodela Palace.
Wearing his crown, his face set, George III listened gravely as a palace earl delivered his report. Only after the earl finished relaying the latest news about Edessak did the king raise a hand to stop him.
"So an unidentified Demoness took Edessak away?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," the palace earl answered, his head bowed.
"Have you asked the representative sent by the Demoness Sect?" George III asked without expression.
"Ms. Panatiya has been confirmed erased by the Church of Evernight's Sealed Artifact 0-17, so..." The palace earl dared not look at the king's face. "But we do have two suspects."
George III said nothing. He merely looked down at the earl and waited for his answer.
The palace earl hurried on. "Two Demonesses are the likeliest suspects. One is Leland, the younger son of the former Count Lorena. He... no, she and Prince Edessak were childhood friends. She had every reason to take him away under these circumstances...
"The other is Vice Admiral of Ailment Tracy. After the incident at the Daniel Labyrinth on the Southern Continent, Prince Edessak once helped her. She had a motive to act as well..."
"That boy certainly attracts Demonesses," George III remarked in an inscrutable tone. Then he asked, "Which of them do you think is more likely?"
"Leland. After the Demoness of Affliction incident, she claimed to have broken with Prince Edessak... But in truth, she only wanted to protect his reputation and keep her identity as a Demoness from reflecting badly on him. She genuinely had his interests at heart.
"As for Vice Admiral of Ailment... I can't judge her character."
George III nodded. After a moment's thought, he said flatly, "Edessak colluded with a Demoness and secretly communicated with Intis spies. When his crimes came to light,