That evening, the soldiers and civilians of Halfhorn City labored to repair the walls. Then a cloud of dust appeared above the road in the distance.

A troop of cavalry thundered out of it toward the city.

The riders wore the standard armor of the Imperial local garrison. They passed through the gates without slowing.

"Bring me your commanding officer!" their captain, a fifth-level Imperial knight, called from the saddle.

Before long, Knight Span was helped out, half his body wrapped in bandages.

The cavalry commander looked down at Span and inclined his head. "Honored Knight, I am Garon, deputy commander of the Second Cavalry Regiment under the governor of Lille Province. By His Excellency's order, the territory within roughly ninety miles of Halfhorn City is now under temporary military administration. I am assuming supreme command."

Garon tossed him a scroll. "The order bears the governor's own signature."

Span looked surprised. "The governor... Is His Excellency nearby?"

"No. The governor remains in the provincial capital." Garon's expression was grim. His gaze passed over Span's wounds, and he sighed. "I must warn you, Knight: you are in serious trouble. The eldest son of Count Raymond, deputy commander of Imperial Headquarters, was attacked and disappeared within your jurisdiction. The news shocked the governor. You should prepare for the consequences of this grave dereliction of duty.

"The governor used the Magic Guild's transportation array to send this emergency appointment directly to every force taking part in the spring maneuvers. Under his orders, all thirty thousand local garrison troops in Lille Province will halt the exercise and launch a full search for the young master of the Rowling Family, centered here on Halfhorn City.

"As for your report that a mage openly attacked a local military encampment... you should prepare yourself for that as well. The governor may order you to the provincial capital to testify before a tribunal. You must understand that your report may cause tensions between the Imperial military and the Magic Guild."

Span's face turned ashen. His military career was as good as finished. A mage had attacked the local garrison camp under his command, and the young master of the Rowling Family had vanished on his watch.

In fairness, what could a mere fourth-level knight have done against a mage of such power?

But after a disaster of this magnitude, someone had to serve as the scapegoat.

Span saluted and forced himself upright. The movement tore at his wounds and beaded his brow with cold sweat, yet he held himself with dignity. "Thank you for the warning, sir. I will obey every order from His Excellency the Governor and transfer command to you at once. And... if the governor summons me to the capital, when do I leave?"

"Now." Helplessness flickered in Garon's eyes. He raised his voice. "By the governor's second written order: Knight Span, deputy captain of the Halfhorn City Garrison cavalry, is hereby suspended for grave dereliction of duty. Every officer in the Halfhorn City Garrison is demoted by half a rank. You will redeem yourselves through meritorious service and wash away this disgrace. Knight Span, you are to depart immediately. The governor expects you in the capital before sunset tomorrow."

At the sight of Span's injuries, Garon softened. He lowered his voice. "Knight Span, I know this was not truly your fault. Your wounds prove you did everything in your power. I will report exactly what I have seen. Privately, I do not consider you negligent. This simply went far beyond your ability to control."

"...Thank you." Span sighed and shook his head. "I did fail in some respects. Very well, sir. Knight Robert of the Rowling Family is at the garrison camp outside the city. I believe you should meet with him. Apart from that... there is nothing more."

As soldiers stripped the wounded knight of his helmet and officer's insignia, Garon felt a pang of sympathy.

Span, oh Span... Do you have any idea what your report has set in motion?

On the surface, the affair concerned a female mage abducting the Rowling Family's young master. But however noble the boy's birth, was that alone enough to halt the spring maneuvers of thirty thousand troops?

The true root of the matter was the conflict between the military and the Magic Guild.

Mages might be an extraordinary class permitted to stand above the law, but this time one had openly attacked an Imperial local garrison. To the military, the offense was intolerable.

It challenged both the Imperial military and Imperial rule itself. Taken to its logical conclusion, the attack amounted to rebellion—to treason.

The governor's advisers in the Lille provincial capital were already arguing themselves hoarse. What would happen once the report reached Imperial Headquarters?

The Empire's leaders had long resented the Magic Guild's position above Imperial law and believed mages enjoyed far too many privileges. This incident was certain to strain relations between the guild and the military. Rumor even held that His Majesty had soured on the Magic Guild in recent years after it failed to provide enough mages for the last southern naval expedition.

The Emperor was said to be considering cuts to the guild's annual privileges. News of the attack had already provoked outrage among officers in the provincial capital.

Before Garon's departure, more than a thousand local-garrison officers had signed a joint petition demanding that the governor compel the Magic Guild to punish the attacker severely.

But putting a mage on trial—an advanced mage at that?

The Empire's history held no precedent for it.

Span left for the provincial capital by carriage. In his condition, he was in no shape for a rushed journey, but the governor's strict order left him no choice.

Garon and his men took immediate control of the defenses. He detached soldiers to hurry repairs on the walls toppled by the previous night's earthquake, then rode to the local garrison camp outside the city. There he found Knight Robert changing horses.

Robert, too, was wounded, but he kept driving himself onward. A full day spent searching the surrounding country had exhausted his body without weakening his resolve. His horse, however, could go no farther, forcing him back to camp for a fresh mount.

Garon met with Robert at once. After learning that the local garrison forces were assembling for a large-scale search, Robert relaxed slightly.

"In addition, I imagine the Rowling Family's private forces have begun assembling. Their light cavalry should enter Lille Province by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. The repercussions of this affair are enormous... I fear..."

As a retainer of a great house, Robert understood the currents of power well enough to finish the thought. "You mean the repercussions of a mage attacking the military camp?"

"Yes," Garon said slowly. "I brought a thousand cavalry, and the main force is still assembling. I now command everything within roughly ninety miles, but to be honest, I have little confidence. The governor has issued an absolute order: Young Master Du Wei must be found. Because..."

Garon glanced around and lowered his voice. "The governor wrote to me in confidence. For all the uproar, the great figures above us will not dare break openly with the Magic Guild. At most, they will seize the opportunity to apply pressure. Even His Majesty would hesitate to offend the guild rashly. Appearances must be maintained, of course. A few official letters of condemnation will go out, and then the crisis will be whittled down until it disappears.

"The military camp was attacked, but no one was killed. At least that leaves room for reconciliation. But that young noble is the key. If—and forgive the harshness—if anything has happened to Young Master Du Wei, the matter may become impossible to settle. Knight Robert, do you understand me?"

Robert considered this briefly and nodded.

If Young Master Du Wei had suffered an accident—or even...

The death of Count Raymond's eldest son could never be allowed to pass. Rumor said the count cared little for the boy, but that was beside the point: a young master of the Rowling Family would be dead. The honor of the house would compel the count to pursue the matter to the end.

How could the great Rowling Family, a glorious martial house with centuries of history, allow itself to be violated and humiliated? If the count tolerated his own son's murder, the world would take it as proof that the family's authority was crumbling.

As the head of the house, the count would certainly demand justice.

And if Count Raymond refused to relent, the Rowling Family's position and connections could rally a formidable bloc within the Imperial military.

If that caused a direct confrontation between the military and the Magic Guild, the situation would become disastrous.

Everything therefore depended on recovering Young Master Du Wei alive and unharmed.

"How has the Magic Guild responded?" Robert asked.

"The Magic Guild? Hmph!" Contempt roughened Garon's voice. "What else would those people say? Their branch in the provincial capital replied that the matter would be handled internally. Internally! Someone openly attacked Imperial troops—an act of rebellion and treason—and they wave it away with those two words. The Magic Guild always shields its own, and its so-called internal handling usually means nothing will be done. They are unbearably arrogant. They think the Empire cannot survive without mages. Hmph!"

Robert thought for a moment. "Sir Garon, I do not believe searching only within roughly ninety miles will be enough. The female mage who attacked the camp was far stronger than we imagined. I fear she has already traveled beyond that range, so I suggest—"

"I know." Garon nodded. "The governor's written order says roughly ninety miles, but he also told me privately that the range may be expanded as needed. It does not matter if we leave Lille Province; he has already contacted officials in neighboring regions. And roughly ninety miles east lies the sea. The governor has even requested support from the Imperial Navy. The Rowling Family has deep roots in the navy, so obtaining that support should present no problem."

Robert gave a bitter smile. "I only wish I knew how Young Master Du Wei is faring."

How was Du Wei now?

Badly. Very badly.

His shoes were ruined. A young noble's soft kidskin boots were hopelessly unsuited to forest travel, and thorns had shredded the cuffs of his trousers.

He leaned on a wooden staff sharpened at one end, equal parts walking stick and makeshift spear.

The powerful mage at his side had lost her magic, and he was only an adolescent boy. Every rustle in the woods might herald a predator.

They would have been safest beside the dragon, but safety could not feed them. They needed food, and above all, fresh water.

After making a circuit of the island, Du Wei had a rough grasp of its terrain: forest, almost without exception.

His mouth felt ready to catch fire, yet they had not found a single drop of fresh water. No spring. No stream. No freshwater pool.

The island was not large. Its overall shape seemed like a slightly flattened circle, and walking from east to west took only half a day. By Du Wei's estimate, it was roughly a mile and a half across.

A small island. And if such an island had no fresh water...

Du Wei shook his head and sighed.

The dragon could no longer help them, and riding it away was impossible. The silly girl's magic had failed as well. Her flight spell lasted a dozen seconds at best before she dropped from the air—and endless sea surrounded them.

They could not leave the island.

Without food or water, they would both be dead in two days at most.

Vivian trailed behind him, looking utterly miserable. Stranded on a strange island and stripped of the magic she had always relied upon, the young mage was terrified and lost.

Oddly, the young noble who always bullied her had become her sole source of security.

So when Du Wei proposed exploring the island, she insisted on accompanying him, even though remaining beside the dragon would have been safer.

Even if the island did contain some terrible beast, there was probably no creature in the world that would dare approach a dragon.

Without magic to ease the journey, half a day on foot left Vivian's feet throbbing. She suspected blisters had formed on her soles, but one glance at the grim young noble ahead silenced any complaint. She limped after him without a word.

Du Wei had troubles enough of his own, but he still noticed her pinched expression. A delicate girl like Vivian could hardly be accustomed to walking this far.

"Let's rest." He sighed, thrashed the surrounding grass with his staff to drive out any snakes, then helped Vivian sit.

Her feet hurt badly enough to bring tears to her eyes. Never had she imagined that merely sitting down could feel so wonderful.

Du Wei thought for a moment, stripped off his outer coat, and tore it into bandages. "Here. Those leather soles are hard. No wonder your feet hurt after walking this far. Wrap these around them for padding."

"Th-thank you." Vivian hesitated, her face showing her worry. "C-can we really find a w-way to leave?"

"Leave..." Du Wei smiled bitterly, unwilling to crush the girl's hopes again. "First we find food and water. We can worry about the rest afterward."

He gathered his thoughts. "After walking all day, I can confirm several things. Judging by the wind, this is the spring monsoon over the sea, so we're on an island in the Empire's eastern waters. The vegetation also places us in the south, perhaps even somewhere east of Lille Province. And..."

His expression grew strange. "There is something that worries me."

"Wh-what?"

"Haven't you noticed? We've crossed half the island without seeing a single animal. Not just large beasts—not even a snake or a mouse. It's as though the island has no animal life at all. And listen..."

Du Wei cupped a hand to his ear, his voice turning eerie. "Do you hear it? An island this large, with woods this thick... and not a single birdcall. No animals on the ground. No birds in the sky. That is far too strange."