It had been two days since Anggi and her small team left Glafelden. For a city with a population of nearly fifty thousand, the departure of three people was hardly anything significant. The residents of the city wouldn't pay much attention to the comings and goings of individuals.
However, this time was different. One of the three who left was the most wanted person in the kingdom. It was none other than the person sought by the very Crown Prince of the land. The capital, Lurich, had dispatched a platoon of elite soldiers on a mission to find her. This is why Glafelden had been bustling with activity as the special forces arrived. Nearly every hour, they patrolled every corner of the city, making the residents uneasy about what might be coming.
The special forces interrogated many citizens, even conducting intensive questioning with a few of them. They did this continuously, from dawn until midnight. Soon, the entire city knew that they were searching for a girl with long ears. Of course, the citizens had no knowledge of such a girl. If an Elvian girl had truly been living here, it would have been big news by now. Nevertheless, the special forces didn't relent in their search.
The Glafelden city hall, where the troops were temporarily stationed, appeared exceedingly busy, with soldiers constantly entering and exiting. Every few hours, each member would hand over reports before heading back out in search of more information.
In one of the rooms of the building sat a man in his forties. His sharp eyes scanned report after report placed on the desk in front of him.
"Captain Guffy! Here's the latest report from our investigation," a man said as he approached, carrying several sheets of paper. "These are the names of some suspicious individuals."
Guffy quickly grabbed the report that was placed on the desk and began to read it. After a moment, he sighed heavily. "Either the girl we're searching for is extremely good at hiding herself, or we're simply too inept to track her down."
The man straightened his back against the chair and made himself comfortable. Then, he took a sip from the cup of tea that had been prepared earlier. The bright sunlight from behind him warmed the back of his neck, but Guffy paid no attention to such trivialities.
"Let us continue searching for more information! It's just a matter of time."
"Very well. I leave it to you, Sergeant Fritz!"
"Understood!"
Fritz sat on the couch in the middle of the room. His expression was tense, his facial muscles stiff. Perhaps it was because he had heard the dissatisfaction in his superior's voice. The young man, in his twenties, had promised to find the person they were searching for, though he wasn't entirely sure he could do it quickly as he had claimed.
"Captain!" Fritz called, breaking the silence that had lasted for several seconds.
"What is it?"
"The Prince has ordered us to find a Haier-Elvian girl in this city. But is this Haier-Elvian really here? Or is it some kind of code or hidden meaning?"
"I don't know, and frankly, I don't care," Guffy replied, fiddling with his mustache, which resembled a bicycle handlebar, before covering it with the rim of his tea cup. He seemed to dislike his mustache being in contact with the tea. He took out a handkerchief from his uniform pocket and wiped the dampness from his mustache before throwing a glance at Fritz. "At first, I thought it was just some silly myth from the Elvian people. But I trust Prince Alucard. If he says it's true, then I must believe it."
Fritz's face softened, and he lowered his gaze to the floor. "Captain, what do you think... a Haier-Elvian is like?"
"Like what you've read in the history books. They're creatures that are a mix of humans and Elvians with tremendous magical power. I've never seen magic with my own eyes, but it seems like it's quite powerful. Maybe it's that power the prince wants." Guffy paused for a moment and looked out the window. "I don't know what the prince intends to do with the girl, but it's likely he'll recruit her as one of his personal subordinates. That's why we've been ordered to bring her back, but we must treat her gently."
Fritz was silent for a moment after hearing his captain's explanation and brief deduction. The young man then clenched his hands. "If the prince plans to do that, doesn't it mean he intends to use her in war?"
"To be honest, I don't know. But if it happens, we'll have to fight under his name, won't we?"
Upon hearing Guffy's words, the young man simply nodded heavily. In his heart, he felt anxious about the possibility of a war breaking out in the future. What he feared the most was the fate of his younger siblings.
A moment later, his thoughts drifted to an uncertain future, one where war ravaged the city where his siblings lived. Buildings were reduced to rubble, flames consumed homes, streets, fields, livestock, and innocent civilians—including his younger siblings. As he knelt, mourning their charred bodies, the smell of their burnt flesh filled his nose, making him want to vomit. But that suffering was nothing compared to the pain of losing someone so dear to him.
Slowly, Fritz fell into a pit of darkness, where no one could reach him. He would remain trapped there forever if it weren't for his captain calling his name loudly.
"Fritz!!" Guffy barked, after calling his name several times.
"Y-Yes, Captain!" Fritz snapped, his superior's loud voice making him straighten his posture reflexively.
"First, I want you to capture all the people whose movements are suspicious. If, up until now, their whereabouts haven't been known by the city's residents, then it's likely this girl has been hiding in plain sight, blending with the townsfolk. Second, send more undercover agents for information gathering. Third, analyze the flow of communications in places where all the information converges. Make sure those intelligence agents are stationed in every tavern and bar in this city!"
"Understood, Captain! I've already anticipated this, but we've only received useless information so far," Fritz replied.
"Good, continue with that! Information about this Haier-Elvian girl might emerge at any unexpected moment, so stay vigilant! Also, keep in mind that our target can use magic, so don't let your guard down!"
"Understood! I'll carry out the orders!"
Fritz stood and saluted Guffy. After his captain returned the salute, the young man turned toward the large door across from the sofa. As soon as he took a few steps, he was startled by a loud noise coming from the direction of the window. Guffy immediately turned to look at the source of the sound.
It turned out that the noise was caused by a pigeon flying into the glass window. Perhaps it had flown into the transparent glass without realizing it was there. The bird remained motionless outside the window, as if waiting for someone to let it in.
Guffy would have ignored it had the pigeon not been carrying a scroll tied to its leg. The man walked over and opened the window, allowing the pigeon to perch on the wooden frame. The captain of the "Elite Knights" took the small scroll from the bird's leg, unrolled it, and began reading. His face briefly showed astonishment, but then quickly shifted to frustration as he tightly crumpled the paper.
Fritz, puzzled by his captain's change in expression, wondered to himself, "Captain! What's in the letter?"
But Guffy ignored him, lost in his own thoughts. His mouth continued to mutter curses under his breath, albeit quietly, yet still loud enough for Fritz to hear clearly due to the silence of the room.
"Useless! How could he send me such important information at this time! When I see him, I'll smash his skull right then and there!" Guffy grumbled.
"Captain!" Fritz called softly. "Is everything alright?"
Guffy threw a glance at his subordinate, who appeared eager to know the contents of the letter.
"I just received information from an informant here in the city, and it's very important."
"What is it, Captain?"
"The identity of the Haier-Elvian girl we're searching for. From now on, order the members of the force to search for and capture any girl named Anggi in this city!"
"Understood, Captain!" Fritz answered firmly.
At that moment, the entire platoon of "Elite Knights" received a new command. With that, their search criteria became more focused. The Crown Prince's initial order was to capture the "Haier-Elvian girl" in Glafelden and bring her back to the capital. Now, that order had become more specific—to capture the "Haier-Elvian girl named Anggi" in this city.
With the target's identity revealed, their search became easier—far too easy, in fact. "Anggi" was not a common name among the people of Glafelden. Of course, because that name didn't originate from this world. Only a handful of people in this city could carry the name. It could only be Anggi Widya Damayanti. Now, it was only a matter of time before the Elite Knights tracked her down to the outskirts of the city, to the headquarters of "Kelam Malam," where she came from.