Chương 68: A Bounty for the Boy They Buried

Mira sat behind her desk reading the latest reports concerning magical crimes, political movements, and several guild members who apparently considered written instructions personal insults. The amount of paperwork had not decreased during the year Sieghart remained beneath Lunar Arc. If anything, protecting his identity created additional reports that only Mira could safely examine. She finished reading an investigation concerning stolen mana stones before reaching for the next document.

The office door suddenly opened without warning. Ronan stepped inside. Mira did not raise her eyes from the report.

"How many times must I tell you to knock?" Ronan stopped with one foot across the threshold. He slowly moved backward, closed the door, and knocked twice from the corridor.

"Come in." He opened the door again.

"Sorry."

"That stopped being convincing years ago."

"I was in a hurry."

"You are always in a hurry whenever you forget basic manners." Ronan entered and closed the door. His usual amusement was missing, and one hand remained hidden beneath his cloak. Mira finally looked up.

"What happened?" Ronan approached the desk and removed a folded sheet of rough paper. He placed it over the report Mira had been reading. The page had been torn from a wall. Small fragments of dried glue remained across its corners, while rain had damaged several lines near the bottom. Mira unfolded it carefully. A painted face occupied the center of the poster. Crimson hair surrounded a young child's pale features.

Several strands on the right side ended in bright blond tips, and the green eyes resembled those of Lord Alaric Emberhart. Sieghart looked approximately five years old in the image. The artist had probably created it from descriptions provided by soldiers who witnessed the eastern war. His face lacked the sharper lines produced by another year of growth. The expression was also wrong. The portrait showed a cruel smile beneath eyes filled with barely restrained madness.

Whoever commissioned the image wanted people to see a monster before reading a single word. Large red letters appeared above the portrait. WANTED FOR MURDER, ARSON, AND TREASON The accusations continued beneath Sieghart's face. According to the poster, he burned his grandparents' farm, murdered Edric and Elara, and disappeared after swearing vengeance against the human lands. A substantial bounty had been placed upon his capture.

The poster claimed payment would be offered whether Sieghart was delivered alive or dead. No royal seal appeared anywhere on the page. House Emberhart's crimson sword emblem was also absent, proving the notice had not passed through official channels. Mira read the text twice before placing the poster flat against the desk.

"Where did you find this?"

"A market town two days north of Seraphina."

"How many?"

"Enough to cover several walls. People were passing around smaller copies in the inns." Mira examined the portrait again.

"It isn't his father's work."

"That was my conclusion." The earlier notices distributed by House Emberhart had requested information concerning a missing child. They promised rewards for Sieghart's safe return and carried Alaric's official seal. Those notices included warnings that anyone harming or attempting to conceal the Crimson Sword King's son would face severe punishment. This poster offered money for a corpse. The bounty did not identify whoever promised payment.

It instructed hunters to contact intermediaries operating from several inns and trading posts across the eastern territory. That arrangement allowed the people responsible to spread the notice without attaching their name. Most desperate mercenaries would care more about the reward than the person providing it. Mira traced one finger over the accusations.

"It took them a year to create this."

"Maybe they needed time to confirm he survived."

"They could have spread the rumor earlier." Ronan pulled a chair toward the desk and sat without waiting for permission.

"Then why wait?"

"Because the timing matters." Mira looked toward the locked cabinet containing every report related to Sieghart. The official search had weakened several months earlier, and most communities no longer expected to find him.

"This appeared after public attention began fading. Someone wants people searching for him again, but this time with permission to kill." Ronan leaned forward and studied the writing.

"The rumors are spreading quickly. People say Sieghart destroyed the farm because his grandparents tried to stop him from attacking the Emberharts."

"That contradicts the evidence."

"Most people haven't seen the evidence." Mira released a tired sigh. A destroyed farmhouse, two dead grandparents, and a missing child created an easy foundation for lies. Almost nobody beyond Lunar Arc knew what truly happened that night. The local investigators found signs of several magical explosions, but officials loyal to House Emberhart quickly restricted access to the site. That secrecy allowed rumors to replace facts. Someone merely needed to provide a story frightening enough for people to repeat.

"What else are they saying?" Ronan's expression became more serious.

"That he hated Aura users because he was born without a combat Aura. Some claim he joined foreign mages after the eastern war."

"Convenient."

"They say he plans to return with an army and burn every noble house that rejects magic." Mira looked toward Sieghart's false smile on the poster. The story resembled the propaganda once used against Seraphina. Her opponents accused her of planning to exterminate Aura users long before she considered responding with force. Someone was deliberately connecting Sieghart to the most frightening version of her ancestor's history. If ordinary people believed the rumors, they would report every unusual child using magic.

Mercenaries would search remote roads, while ambitious Aura users would hunt him for the bounty. More importantly, the propaganda would isolate Sieghart. Anyone offering him shelter risked being accused of treason or collaboration with foreign enemies. The people responsible did not merely want him dead. They wanted the entire human territory to participate in killing him.

"Someone is directing this," Mira said.

"The portrait, intermediaries, printing, and distribution require money and organization."

"A rival family of the Emberharts?"

"It is possible." Weakening House Emberhart offered obvious political benefits. Alaric's reputation remained nearly unmatched among combat Aura users, and his family had defended the eastern border for generations. Painting his eldest son as a murderous mage would damage that reputation. Rival houses could accuse Alaric of concealing a dangerous child or failing to control his own bloodline. The accusations might also create conflict between the Crimson Sword King and the magical families of Seraphina.

Even false rumors could become useful if repeated by enough people. Ronan rested one elbow against the chair.

"Would a rival family destroy the farm?"

"If they believed Sieghart might strengthen House Emberhart, yes."

"They killed the parents of Alaric's wife."

"Political families have started wars over less." Ronan looked unconvinced.

"They had to know the attack would anger him."

"They also expected Sieghart to die. Without a surviving witness, they could blame foreign enemies or the Firians." Mira tapped the bounty poster.

"Now they are blaming Sieghart himself. That suggests the original story became unusable once they learned he escaped." A rival noble family remained only one possibility. Descendants of Seraphina's radical students could also want Sieghart removed before he grew powerful enough to oppose them. Foreign governments possessed reasons to fear another Endless Magus within human territory. Firian survivors might seek revenge for their commander's death.

The list continued growing while the available evidence remained almost nonexistent.

"Did you trace the intermediaries?" Ronan nodded.

"Two disappeared before I arrived. The third was a tavern owner who received payment from a masked courier."

"Description?"

"Average height, heavy cloak, gloves, no visible weapons. The owner couldn't identify the voice or sex." Mira frowned.

"A useless description."

"He remembered one thing. The courier paid with old silver coins from the western kingdoms." This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"That could be intentional misdirection."

"It probably is." A professional organization would never distribute recognizable currency without expecting investigators to follow it. The coins might have traveled through several hands before reaching the courier. Mira folded the poster along its original lines.

"What have you learned about Lord Emberhart?" Ronan leaned back and crossed his arms.

"Not much that helps."

"Tell me anyway."

"He repelled another invasion at the eastern border four months ago. Smaller than the Firian offensive, but large enough to earn attention." Alaric had defeated the enemy commander in a duel before leading a counterattack beyond the border. The victory strengthened his political position and reminded nearby factions why House Emberhart remained feared. Sieghart's younger sister also began attracting attention.

Her Aura had manifested unusually early, and instructors described her talent as exceptional even among the Emberharts. The recognized heir possessed everything her older brother supposedly lacked. Strong combat potential, noble training, and parents willing to display her achievements publicly.

"House Emberhart appears stronger than before," Ronan concluded.

"If a rival family ordered the attack, they failed to weaken Alaric directly."

"They may have prevented something worse from their perspective." Mira nodded. That possibility remained the strongest motive. Sieghart and his father were distant, but political enemies could not depend upon that distance lasting forever. Children became adults. Resentment weakened, alliances shifted, and shared enemies created cooperation between people who disliked one another.

If Sieghart reached his full potential and eventually supported House Emberhart, the family could control enough military and magical power to dominate the eastern region.

"What about Alaric's search?" Mira asked.

"It stopped." Mira's fingers became still.

"Completely?"

"His soldiers no longer question travelers or inspect villages. The public reward for Sieghart's safe return was withdrawn several months ago." That development bothered Mira more than she expected.

"Did he find evidence that Sieghart died?"

"Nothing I could locate."

"He should know what happened during the war."

"He received the official reports. He knows Sieghart killed the Firian commander, healed Edric, and survived the battlefield." Mira looked toward the poster.

"Then he probably knows Sieghart survived the farmhouse as well." Ronan nodded slowly. Someone rescued Sieghart from the destruction and buried Edric and Elara before leaving. The graves suggested a surviving family member rather than the assassin. Alaric possessed skilled trackers and access to the official investigation. He should have reached that conclusion long before the rumor appeared.

"Perhaps he knows where Sieghart is," Ronan said.

"He doesn't."

"You sound certain."

"If House Emberhart knew he was beneath the Lunar Arc, we would have received either a formal demand or a very angry visit." The Crimson Sword King did not appear like someone who would accept his son being concealed indefinitely by an independent guild.

"Then why stop looking?" Ronan asked. Mira considered several possibilities. Alaric might have concluded that Sieghart escaped intentionally and decided not to pursue someone who rejected the family. He could also be protecting him by making enemies believe the search failed. A darker possibility remained. Perhaps Alaric knew who destroyed the farm and stopped searching because continuing would expose something politically dangerous. None of those explanations could be confirmed.

"Has he investigated the attack?"

"Not publicly."

"Privately?"

"I found no sign of it." That answer made Mira's stomach tighten. The Crimson Sword King possessed the resources to investigate an attack far beyond anything Lunar Arc could deploy secretly. His lack of visible response felt wrong. The victims were his wife's parents. The intended target was his son, and the explosion occurred within territory protected by House Emberhart. Alaric should have torn the region apart searching for those responsible.

Instead, he returned his attention to the border and the training of his younger child.

"Either he knows more than we do," Mira said, "or someone convinced him that investigating would create a greater problem."

"You don't think he ordered it?"

"No." Mira refused to eliminate the possibility completely, but the theory still lacked logic. Alaric attempted to bring Sieghart into his household shortly before the attack. Killing him after he rejected the position would accomplish nothing that a direct order could not achieve more easily. The destruction also damaged House Emberhart's reputation and murdered members of his extended family. Alaric was cold, not irrational.

"This poster may force him to act again," Ronan said.

"Or it gives him a reason to remain silent." If Alaric publicly defended Sieghart, opponents might accuse him of protecting a murderer. If he rejected the accusations without presenting his son, the rumors would continue. The bounty placed House Emberhart in a politically inconvenient position. That strengthened the possibility that a rival family was involved. Mira unfolded the poster again and studied the distorted portrait.

"How is Sieghart doing?" Ronan asked.

"He will be difficult to recognize in another couple of years."

"That wasn't what I meant." Mira glanced up. Ronan's expression carried genuine concern rather than curiosity. He had visited the basement regularly throughout the year, although guild assignments occasionally kept him away for weeks.

"His face is changing," Mira continued, pretending not to understand.

"The portrait already looks too young, and his Illusion Magic is improving." Sieghart could alter the apparent color of his hair and eyes for several hours. Modifying facial structure remained more difficult, but his latest illusion changed the shape of his nose and jaw convincingly. Once the spell incorporated movement automatically, Sieghart could walk through crowded streets without resembling an Emberhart.

"Anything else?" Ronan asked.

"He should begin Summoning Magic soon." Ronan stared at her.

"I'm not asking how many additional ways he has learned to terrify people."

"He only has several dozen."

"I meant how he is doing." Mira looked toward the office door, as though the basement lay directly beyond it instead of several floors below.

"He appears calmer."

"That isn't an answer either."

"It is the only one I have." Sieghart no longer released heat whenever someone mentioned the farm. He listened to reports without interrupting and recorded every new detail inside his investigation notebook. He had also stopped asking when he would be allowed to leave. Every day became another opportunity to study, train, and improve his attributes. That focus looked healthy from a distance. Mira knew better.

"His anger is controlled," she said.

"It isn't gone."

"Does he ever talk about anything besides magic and the investigation?"

"Rarely."

"Friends?"

"He avoids most guild members."

"Hobbies?"

"Training."

"That isn't a hobby for him." Mira could not disagree. Sieghart read history only when it might reveal enemies or magical knowledge. He practiced illusion to conceal himself, runes to create tools, and combat spells to survive future attacks. Even the books he selected for entertainment contained information that might eventually become useful. He never complained about remaining underground. A normal seven-year-old would have become desperate for sunlight, open spaces, games, or companionship.

Sieghart treated every restriction as another condition to overcome. If the basement protected his identity, he accepted it without resentment.

"One year underground without complaining isn't normal," Ronan said.

"He has never been normal."

"He is still a child."

"Physically." Ronan noticed the distinction.

"What does that mean?"

"Sometimes he speaks and behaves like someone much older. I don't know whether that comes from his upbringing, intelligence, or something connected to his magic." Mira remembered how quickly Sieghart understood political motives, technical explanations, and the consequences of every agreement offered to him. Seraphina's records described similar behavior during childhood. People once believed her unusual intelligence came from mana sharpening the mind.

Another explanation might exist, but Mira lacked enough evidence to pursue it. Ronan looked toward the folded bounty poster.

"Does he know how much money he has?"

"Of course." Sieghart had earned a small fortune charging equipment, assisting with enchanted tools, and occasionally healing injuries too difficult for the guild's ordinary supplies. Mira recorded every payment, even when Sieghart never asked how much he received. The money remained untouched inside a protected account.

"He doesn't spend any of it," Ronan said.

"He has nowhere to spend it."

"You offered to purchase things for him."

"He asks for books, materials, and equipment that help him train. Lunar Arc already provides those because they benefit us." Ronan sighed.

"He could ask for better food."

"He says the normal meals are sufficient."

"Toys?"

"He would dismantle them to study their runes."

"Clothes?"

"He requested additional pockets." Ronan rested his head against the back of the chair.

"That kid is depressing." Mira almost defended Sieghart, but the description carried more truth than she wanted to admit. He ate, slept, worked, meditated, and trained. His life possessed no goal beyond becoming strong enough to find and punish his enemies. The fury that once made rooms tremble had transformed into discipline. That change protected everyone around him while making the eventual result harder to predict. Ronan tapped one finger against the poster.

"Are you still planning to keep him from joining Lunar Arc?" Mira released another sigh.

"He hasn't asked."

"He won't."

"I know."

"Then perhaps we should." Becoming a member would give Sieghart an official place within Lunar Arc. It would also create relationships, responsibilities, and obligations beyond revenge. Ronan probably hoped the guild could give him something resembling a new home. Mira understood the intention but doubted a title would accomplish it.

"He possesses more magical skill than several experienced members," Ronan said.

"He works harder than everyone downstairs and has earned enough money to purchase half their equipment."

"Skill is not the issue."

"His age?"

"That is one issue."

"You accepted other children."

"Children who wanted protection, belonging, or a future." Ronan's expression became troubled.

"Sieghart wants a future."

"No. He wants enough time to reach his enemies." The distinction mattered. If Lunar Arc accepted him while revenge remained the center of his identity, the guild emblem would become another weapon he used toward that goal. Sieghart might obey rules and protect companions, but every relationship would remain secondary to the people he intended to kill. That mindset endangered missions, members, and Sieghart himself. Mira could not reward it merely because his magical progress impressed everyone who witnessed it.

"We will wait," she said.

"For how long?"

"Until he shows that something exists beyond his training and revenge." Ronan looked toward the office window. The river shimmered beneath the afternoon light while magical vehicles moved across a distant bridge.

"And if that never happens?" Mira folded the wanted poster and locked it inside the cabinet containing the other evidence.

"Then he will never join." Ronan remained silent.

"I wouldn't place much hope on it," Mira added. The answer sounded harsher than she intended, but she refused to lie. A year had made Sieghart calmer, stronger, and more dangerous. It had not made him happier. Ronan stood and moved toward the door. His hand reached for the handle before Mira spoke again.

"Knock next time." He glanced over his shoulder.

"I will."

"You always say that." Ronan left without proving he understood the lesson. Mira waited until the door closed before looking toward the cabinet. The wanted poster remained hidden inside, but its accusations lingered in her thoughts. Someone had transformed Sieghart's grief into a public story before he received any chance to define himself. They called him a monster and offered money for his body. Mira wondered what would happen when he finally saw the poster.

The propaganda might anger him enough to abandon another year of hard-earned control. Concealing it carried a different danger because he already distrusted adults who decided what information he deserved. Mira would need to tell him soon. She looked toward the stack of summoning manuals prepared for his next lesson. Sieghart could already create elemental attacks, illusions, runes, enchantments, and healing magic. Summoning would allow him to give form and limited independence to his mana.

Teaching that branch to someone like that might be a terrible idea. Unfortunately, terrible ideas had become an ordinary part of Mira's job. She reached for the next report, but the distorted portrait remained in her mind. The false Sieghart smiled like a child already lost to madness. The real boy beneath Lunar Arc rarely smiled at all. Mira did not know which image frightened her more.