Chương 25: A Race Against Time

For the next three days, I waited to see if any royal funeral rites would be held. But it seemed the Royal Family had chosen their reputation over mourning their only princess. And so, Claire Cassandra vanished from this world silently - a cruelty that bordered on the farcical. The only thing that mattered now was how much longer Rachel had to live. If I were the King, I wouldn't want to keep such a loose end around for long. Sooner or later, they would orchestrate an "official" death for the "Princess."

The most effective way would be for her to fall in battle; it would highlight the Royal Family's ultimate sacrifice and bolster the people's faith. With Rachel's abilities, she could easily escape on her own. The only problem was her younger sister, who was still being held hostage. If I didn't find where Sophia Hustler was being kept before the next mission was issued, Rachel would undoubtedly be the next to die. It seemed this hostage rescue mission had to be moved to the top of my priority list.

I had originally intended to wait a while longer, until I was stronger and had established a solid network of connections. With my current standing, there was precious little I could do. But the die was cast. Whether I liked it or not, it was time to move. That night, I sat at my desk to compile every clue I had gathered. Rachel and Sophia had grown up in a Church-run orphanage. The Royal Family had always kept Sophia under their thumb to force Rachel to serve as their shadow guard.

When the Awakening Day arrived and Rachel received the Holy Mark, Sophia was officially moved into hiding. Rachel mentioned she had searched throughout the Royal Palace and the estates of high-ranking nobles but couldn't gain access to the Church's secret facilities. Furthermore, Claire seemed to be a favorite of the Church - she was always accompanied by serving priestesses.

Perhaps it was because Claire's appearance, with her golden hair and blue eyes, closely mirrored the traditional image of the Goddess Halunar. The Church likely wanted to exploit that iconography later on. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Thinking back to my first isekai life, the fact that I was able to "accidentally" slip into the coronation and the divine blessing ceremony so easily was highly suspicious.

I used to attribute it to luck, but looking back, it was likely because the Church's efforts to pave the way for a fraud like Claire had created the very loopholes I slipped through. So, one thing was certain: Sophia was in the hands of the Church. The question was... where in the Church? Places that even Rachel couldn't infiltrate must be incredibly clandestine and fortified with multiple layers of anti-intrusion magic. What could possibly drive the Church to be that cautious?

A memory flickered in my mind, a piece of information I had stumbled upon only recently. If there was a place where the Church deployed high-level barrier magic and maintained absolute secrecy, that must be that place. If so, Rachel's sister could be in danger. I had to move, and I had to move fast. The following day, I intentionally arrived at class just as the first lecture was about to begin.

The lecture halls at Imperia were designed like university auditoriums, with long, tiered rows of desks curving toward the lectern. There were no assigned seats, allowing students to sit wherever they pleased. I spotted Alice, sitting near the back as usual, and made my way toward her. No one found this unusual; Alice and I had become somewhat closer since that day at the infirmary. As the instructor began the lesson, I whispered to the girl beside me:"I have something to ask you. When are you free?"

Alice looked surprised, her expression shifting to one of flustered hesitation.

"Huh? Can we do it now? I have to have lunch with my Lady, and I have to head straight home once classes are over." The "Lady" she referred to was undoubtedly Rushia Matthew. The breaks between classes were quite short, but it would have to do. I didn't want whatever I was about to do to negatively impact Alice; her life was difficult enough as it was.

"This needs to stay between us. Can you meet me at the stairwell leading to the attic during the break?"

"... Okay."

"I'll head out first once the bell rings. Wait a moment before following me." Alice nodded in agreement, her face clouded with bewilderment. When the break finally arrived, we met as planned without raising any suspicion or being followed. The Academy's main building had an attic used for storage. While a staircase led up there, it was rarely used and remained very secluded. Wasting no time on pleasantries, I cut straight to the chase:"I think I might be able to use mana. Tell me, was what you said last time true?

That servants in noble households who can manifest mana are sent away to the Church?"