In the center of the library area, Franz Hualimand closed his eyes. He focused the flow of mana within his body, channeling it with high precision into his right palm, which remained pressed against the floor's surface.
A golden light began to glow from the point of contact after he activated the Mana Visualization magic, a high-level tracking technique of the light element. This magic was capable of capturing and replaying a sequence of events in an area based on residual mana traces left behind, akin to turning back time.
Just as the magic reached its stability point, a thin, transparent golden semi-spherical dome slowly erupted from Franz's body.
The dome instantly widened and expanded at a constant speed, piercing through the bookshelves, crawling up to the ceiling, until it finally enveloped the entire library area.
Once the scope of his domain was perfectly established, Franz immediately focused his mind, beginning to reconstruct the traces of magical energy left behind by anyone who had been active in this room.
Alright... let's start the reconstruction from when night fell.
At that very moment, right in one corner of the Mana Visualization magic domain, the air began to distort. Particles of light gathered and condensed, slowly forming the silhouette of a human body. In a matter of seconds, the visualization perfected, displaying the color of clothing, the contours of a face, down to highly detailed strands of hair.
The figure was Prince Lionias. The three-dimensional visualization created from the mana traces appeared incredibly lifelike, demonstrating the scene where the Third Prince was sitting calmly, reading a book on the desk.
Franz stood up from his position, then walked toward Lionias's projection.
King Estadian, who had merely stood in silence observing from near the doors earlier, now began to step toward Franz. He wanted to watch the event reconstruction process and see with his own eyes the form of the bastard who had dared to infiltrate and completely empty out all the books in the library.
Now, both Franz Hualimand and King Estadian stood side by side. The two of them closely observed every single movement of Lionias's projection at the library desk.
However, minute by minute passed within the reconstruction. All the Prince did was slowly turn the pages of the book one by one. As an experienced investigator, Franz felt that if they waited for this sequence to play out in real time, it would take hours before the infiltrator finally appeared.
"Your Majesty, it seems we must accelerate the pace of the events recorded here." Franz suggested, breaking the silence in a highly polite tone. "Besides, Prince Lionias is only reading without engaging in any other activities."
"Yes, that's a good idea. Do it!" King Estadian answered without the slightest hesitation. His impatience was beginning to peak. "I don't have time to watch that boy read and only wish to immediately know who the thief is."
After obtaining direct approval from the King, Franz raised his hand again. He channeled his mana back into his domain dome to manipulate the flow of time in the reconstruction.
Instantly, the movements of Lionias's projection inside the Mana Visualization became incredibly fast. His hands turned the pages of the book rapidly before finally, Lionias's projection stopped moving and fell fast asleep with his head resting on the book on the desk.
Shortly after the Third Prince's projection fell fast asleep, Franz caught an anomaly. In one area of his domain, about five meters from Lionias's desk, the airspace suddenly distorted. The distortion did not originate from the entrance, but rather appeared like a tear in mid-air.
Realizing that a drastic change was occurring within his domain, the middle-aged man immediately refocused his mind and mana to instantly pause the event reconstruction process right at that very second.
Every magical movement inside the dome froze instantly, like statues.
"Your Majesty, about five meters from here, someone has just arrived through a gate." Franz reported quickly, his tone turning much more serious. "Looking at the anomaly of that appearance, it seems to be the infiltrator we are looking for."
Hearing the crucial report, King Estadian nodded in understanding. "Lead the way, Franz!"
With Franz walking ahead, the two of them strode across the empty room toward the exact coordinate where the mysterious infiltrator had appeared.
However, when they arrived in front of the coordinate point of the appearance, King Estadian's and Franz's steps instantly halted. Both were transfixed, startled by the anomalous figure standing before them.
Their expectations of seeing the infiltrator's face were shattered to pieces. There, instead of a detailed three-dimensional projection like Lionias's, what materialized was merely a bright white physical human silhouette. It showed no facial contours, lacked any form of clothing, and didn't even reveal the slightest hint of hair color. It was nothing more than a body shape void of details.
As the best investigator who had handled hundreds of criminal cases, Franz could no longer hide his shocked expression. His brow furrowed, his eyes scrutinized the white silhouette from top to bottom with a look of disbelief.
This is impossible! For the first time in my entire life, I am seeing a tracking result like this within my Mana Visualization domain. Franz thought, still shaken by what he saw, his mind working furiously to find a logical explanation. Why does this infiltrator's form only appear as a white silhouette? Are they using a disguise artifact that erases the physical traces of their identity from the mana flow? Or is their mana density so pure and terrifying that my magic is incapable of reconstructing their true form? This is truly beyond my comprehension.
As for King Estadian, who stood right next to Franz and looked at the white figure, he felt utterly confused and frustrated.
"Franz!" King Estadian growled, turning to look at his investigator. "Why doesn't this infiltrator's form look like my son's form inside your domain? Why is his form just this damn white light?!"
"Forgive me, Your Majesty. I... I also do not know why this anomalous event could occur." Franz answered with absolute honesty. "This is the first time in the history of my career that I have seen someone's mana trace only capable of displaying a white silhouette like that, without the slightest bit of identity."
Hearing the highly disappointing answer from his kingdom's greatest and best investigator, King Estadian stood frozen. He could do nothing but hold back his explosive anger and his curiosity toward the infiltrator, who seemed to be mocking him.
However, amidst the confusion and tension plaguing the investigation in the library, a sudden interruption occurred.
Slam!
The sound of wooden doors being violently pushed open thundered throughout the room, followed by the hurried thud of running footsteps breaking in and shattering the quiet silence of the library.
Instantly, Franz's concentration was broken. He and King Estadian simultaneously turned their bodies, shifting their focus from the white silhouette toward the entrance.
The King's eyes shot a glare full of fury at the person who had just acted so insolently and disrespectfully while this investigation was underway.
However, the King's anger caught in his throat upon seeing who had arrived.
The person who had just barged in stopped a few meters from the King's position, panting heavily, as if he had just been chased by a horde of monsters.
That person was Pratesias Palledius Der Victoriaz, the First Prince and Crown Prince of the Victoriaz Kingdom. Someone who usually always prioritized etiquette and composure above all else now looked disheveled and out of his mind.
"Why do you dare enter this library running hurriedly without etiquette like that, Pratesias?!" King Estadian reprimanded, his voice pressed low, trying to restrain his anger so it wouldn't explode in front of Franz. "I hope you can give me a highly logical reason for your sudden arrival!"
"F-Forgive me, Father..." Pratesias answered with a trembling voice, still trying to regain control of his chaotic breathing. "This... this is about the Royal Treasury, Father... the Treasury!"
"What's wrong with our Treasury?" asked King Estadian, who suddenly got a bad feeling.
Pratesias looked into his father's eyes blankly, as if he himself still could not accept the reality of the sentence he was about to speak.
"The money, jewelry, precious items, and everything else in there... have vanished. Everything is gone without a trace!"
King Estadian's eyes widened. The bad feeling that had been bothering his mind ever since his first son's arrival had now been resolved.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"