Meanwhile, at the eastern border, a troubling thought crossed Lilith's mind. She immediately summoned Sujibur.
Sujibur appeared and bowed. "Ma'am, how may I serve you?"
Lilith said, "Investigate this location."
Sujibur asked, "Why, ma'am?"
Lilith's eyes narrowed. "My father became MIA here. But why would he cross the border intentionally? And how did Elaar know he would be there?"
Sujibur hesitated. "Ma'am… what are you suggesting?"
Lilith responded coldly, "I'm not suggesting anything. I'm saying it outright — there's a traitor in our ranks. Someone lured my father — the former Captain — into a trap. And from what I can sense… the traitor is close. Very close to the Faust Mansion. This is someone who knows exactly what they're doing."
She continued, "Soon, I may have to use all of my magic. For now, summon Jewel here to personally lead the investigation. The fewer people who know about this, the better."
Sujibur nodded. "Understood."
He immediately contacted Jewel, stationed at the northern border.
Northern Border — Jewel's Orders
Jewel answered the call. "Go for Jewel. As of now, over 90 knights from Endless Justice have been taken down — that's about half their forces. And that's not counting mercenaries, if they decide to hire them."
Sujibur spoke quickly. "Captain Lilith has personally ordered you to report to the eastern border. She's assigning you to investigate and track down a traitor."
Jewel was taken aback. "What? But we're stretched thin here! David and the others are barely holding out, and we only have five men in this unit."
Sujibur assured him, "Don't worry. Captain Lilith will personally hold the northern line in your absence."
Jewel was silent for a moment, then said, "Understood."
The next day, Lilith arrived at the northern post.
Jewel saluted. "Ma'am, I will now take my leave and begin the investigation."
Lilith nodded. "Understood. And remember — the fewer people who know about this, the better."
"Understood."
Within an hour, Jewel reached the eastern border.
As he arrived, Sujibur greeted him. "Welcome, Vice-Captain."
Jewel responded curtly, "Show me the last known location of Captain Domr."
Sujibur blinked. "Starting the investigation so soon? Aren't you tired from the travel?"
"No time for rest. Just show me," Jewel replied.
Sujibur led him to a forested clearing. "This is where I last saw the captain."
Jewel asked, "Who were the last people he spoke with?"
Sujibur paused. "I was the last. But before he left, for some reason… my lady's husband, Tenebris, came and showed him a letter. That's all I know. Later that night, the captain spoke briefly with the current captain, Lilith."
Jewel's expression hardened. "Interesting. Alright. Give me the mana goggles, tracking gloves, and the Oculus."
"Understood, sir."
Examining the terrain, Jewel muttered, "No chance of footprints. It's been raining heavily for the past few days."
He activated a spell. "Light Magic: Lux Screen."
A glowing screen of magic scanned the ground, detecting traces of Domr's residual dark magic. A few paces ahead, Jewel noticed a broken tree.
Approaching it, he observed the damage. "This doesn't look like natural storm damage…"
Sujibur offered, "Sir, this could've been caused by a lightning strike."
Jewel took a small piece of bark from the damaged section, bit into it, chewed, then spat it out.
"No. This was not a lightning strike. Look — if it were, there'd be burn marks, but the bark is clean. And it contains traces of unholy magic. That means it was done by someone using unholy magic, not nature. And judging from the decay level, the damage matches the date Domr was last seen here."
He turned. "Now, give me the Oculus."
Sujibur handed it to him. "Here, sir… but I doubt it'll work in this terrain."
Jewel replied, "Not as it is. But with a little tuning using my light magic…"
"Light Magic: Heart's Eye."
A magical light lens formed and was inserted into the Oculus. Jewel peered through it — and his expression shifted.
Inside his mind: I found the traitor. But… it wasn't intentional. They were forced. Now that's interesting.
Sujibur asked, "Did you find anything, sir?"
Jewel turned and calmly replied, "Looks like… my investigation took an unexpected turn. I'll need a few more days to figure out my next move."
Sujibur nodded. "Understood."