Shion Lan sat on his bed, training after the team's meeting where they agreed to begin their mission the next day. He decided to start his training, even though the girls wanted him to explore the area with them. He refused, believing the three of them were more than enough to cover everything so he read the file of the case but....
"Very strange...."
Shi Yun Lan spoke as he saw the case also so Shion asked him,
"What do you mean by 'strange'?"
Shi Yun Lan mentioned some points,
"The crime, the criminal, the witness and the royal inspector."
"???"
Shion couldn't understand so he looked at the details again and said,
"The crime is the kidnapping of the children of the common in the range of 10 and 12 but the latest one was the Enfo Kito the young master of the house of Kito and his age is 13. But it doesn't matter. We are here to complete our mission and the detectives will do their jobs."
Shi Yun Lan said,
"It's not the crime just, the all of it is—"
"It's not our business."
Shion said that with a cold voice but Shi Yun Lan didn't hold back and said,
"If you want to score a high degree you can stop this case instead of completing it and it will be quicker than your way."
"..."
Shion fell in silence for a while as he was making his decision.
...
In her investigation, Solan Neumann spread her souls to gather a lot of information so she can end the test quickly and help Shion to score a high degree.
"Milady, you make a lot of work and he is in the mansion. It's not fair!"
Polter wasn't satisfied with that but Solan spoke,
"Didn't he say that he would listen to me if we finished the test? So I will do my best for him."
"You.... just forget it."
Polter gave up as he knew he couldn't change her mind.
Solan thought,
' Shion will accept me..... I hope so... '
...
The concept of the technique began to take shape in his mind, (Stellar Summet: Path of the Stellar River). Shion activated his stellar aura, making the concept clearer. He tried once again to merge the stars of fire and water while visualizing the technique. Flames, cloaked in starlight, merged with luminous water. Guided by the technique, water fused with fire, forming a scorching, blazing torrent—like a river of stars that burned everything in its path.
However, the flaw of this technique was that Shion couldn't release it instantly. He was like a novice mage who had to mutter words and make gestures to activate a spell—something no opponent would allow. Only one thing was missing to complete his technique, Sword Aura.
While he was immersed in his contemplation, a voice came from outside his room,
"Sir Lan! There's a package for you!"
Shion opened his eyes, got up, and opened the door. He found a long wooden box, sized for a sword, bearing the emblem of the Aroum family. He took it inside his room.
"Well, let's see if he could make it properly."
Saying that he opened it.
Inside was a sword in a black sheath, decorated with white dots like shining stars in the night sky. Beside it was a letter. Shion opened it and read,
"I apologize for the delay in crafting and delivering the sword—it was truly difficult. But in the end, I managed to forge it properly. I hope you like it. Don't forget to tell me when you want a new design.
—Steve Aroum"
Shion smiled and lifted the sword. The weight felt just right, just as he remembered from Shi Yun Lan's world when a supervisor once allowed him to hold his sword. He drew the blade—it had a white edge, long, single-edged, incredibly sharp, and thinner than any sword he had seen before. Steve's ability to craft such a thin blade was true mastery, and Shion silently praised him.
He swung the sword lightly, recalling a sensation he hadn't felt before—since he was in Shi Yun Lan's body. Satisfied, he sheathed it and continued training until nightfall.
Later, he was summoned to discuss the case.
"Those girls.... I hope no one would make a misunderstanding about us."
As it was the midnight, he went to the meeting room where the girls were gathered.
Violet Night said, "I think you're the only one who was relaxed today."
Shion replied, "My apologies, team leader, but you won't get useful information with the method you followed."
The girls were surprised. Shion continued,
"First, let's talk about the kidnapped children. Initially, they were from homeless and extremely poor families who might even sell their children, so their disappearances were reported late. Later, the reported children were from common families, and the investigation was progressing well until it reached the Kito family—then it stopped after one of their children was abducted."
He added, "So if we think about it, we might assume the kidnapper is from the family we're staying with, right?"
They all agreed.
"But there's another report," Shion continued, "describing the kidnapper in detail, claiming the witness saw him abduct the last victim before disappearing. The problem is—"
He pointed to the timeline.
"The crime occurred a week before the witness's statement. Why didn't he report it immediately?"
Solan replied, "Maybe he was afraid and needed time to ensure his safety."
Shion looked at the second princess, Jina Joul.
"We've heard one opinion. Do you have another?"
After a pause, Jina said, "It seems fabricated."
Shion smiled at her, making her blush slightly before Celisia Joul regained control.
"If we consider the first possibility," Shion continued, "it's strange. The kidnapper is described as fourth level with five stars—his senses should be sharp. Unless the witness is equally skilled, capable of hiding his presence perfectly. But then, why would he be too afraid to report it? Wouldn't it make more sense to fight him?"
Violet objected, "Not necessarily. There could be techniques or spells that conceal presence."
Shion smiled.
"If that's the case, why didn't the witness mention using such a spell? He could at least claim compensation afterward. So we discard the spell theory."
He turned to Violet again.
"Is there any stealth technique better than the Night family's?"
She hesitated.
"If so," Shion continued, "then how did the witness follow and observe the kidnapper clearly? And if he could, why not strike him when he had the chance?"
He pointed to the report.
"You met the witness, right? You know his strength."
They nodded.
"He's third level," Shion said. "So we discard the fear explanation—he wouldn't even survive seeing a fourth-level individual up close. That leaves the second possibility: the case is fabricated."
Celisia listened intently as Shion continued,
"If the case is fabricated, then the described kidnapper must be linked to the Kito family. As I said… the real kidnapper is from the Kito family."
He paused, observing their reactions. Jina—more precisely Celisia—was focused. Violet was analyzing. Solan… was looking at him with admiration.
"The key to solving this case," Shion said, "is not finding the supposed kidnapper, but identifying the real one within the Kito family—someone who gathered children for a suspicious purpose, eliminated a member of their own family, and framed an outsider."
He continued, "Now another question: why did the kidnappings stop?"
Violet checked the report—last incident two weeks ago, followed by the witness statement claiming the kidnapper was injured.
Solan suddenly said, "Maybe… he completed the required number!"
Shion smiled. "Excellent thinking, Sol."
She smiled softly.
Celisia said, "Forbidden rituals or human trafficking. Pick one."
"I won't choose yet," Shion replied. "We need to investigate further. Also, we must determine whether all children were taken by the same person or falsely attributed to one."
Violet added, "So we investigate the witness, track who influenced him, and look into forbidden magic or trafficking leads."
Shion nodded.
"And we must also investigate the Kito child—did he have influence, or did he discover something that got him killed?"
They all agreed.
But Celisia said, "There's something bothering me. If this case is so complex, why assign it to students like us?"
Shion thought to himself,
' I really don't like that woman. '
He pointed at the report.
"Who supervised this case from the royal inspectors?"
Celisia read the name, uninterested—until Jina took over and said in shock,
"Inolis Joul!"
Shion smiled.
"What do you think of him, Your Highness?"
Jina closed her eyes, silent.
Violet recalled, "He was once accused of bribery and falsifying investigations. His credibility collapsed, and afterward he was only assigned minor cases."
Shion said, "At first, this case was supposed to be simple. But if human trafficking or forbidden rituals are involved, then either the inspector is involved—or he was forced to stay silent. Either way, the truth of this case has been falsified."
Violet looked at him firmly.
"Shion, I trust your reasoning—but we're in a test. We need solid evidence."
"Give me a week," Shion replied. "The test lasts at least a month. While you investigate normally, I'll pursue my theory—and I'll find proof to stop this test."
Violet asked, "Then why did the inspector assign this case to the academy at all?"
Shion looked ahead calmly.
"Tell me, Violet—who is more credible? Students of the Royal Karath Academy… or a disgraced inspector?"
Realization struck her.
"If we handle the case as he intended," Shion concluded, "everything will appear fine… as long as we only capture the fake kidnapper."