Hearing those words from Eldrin, Paul felt a strange unease stirring inside him.
He furrowed his brow and asked,
"But... why did they allow Crimson Talon to make the situation this bad?"
His tone was filled with doubt, his expression tense with confusion.
Eldrin turned to Paul, noting the concern in the young prince's eyes. With a steady voice, he answered,
"Actually, Prince... when they were exiled by the empire, most of them accepted their fate. Some even blended into the city, helped build it, and became part of the community."
His voice was calm, but serious.
Paul frowned.
"Then how could they pull off something like this? A trap, this openly?"
His confusion deepened. He pulled out several worn documents—notes compiled by Anna and Edeline from their observations and analysis—and handed them to Eldrin.
After receiving the document from Paul, Eldrin read through it quickly. His eyes scanned each line with growing disbelief.
Once he finished reading, he looked up at Paul, his expression tense with shock, and asked, "Is this real?" His voice still carried a trace of disbelief.
Paul gave a firm nod.
"Everything's been cross-checked. Edeline and Anna even gathered some of the statements from different sources without telling each other. The details match."
Eldrin exhaled slowly, turning his gaze toward the city with a worried look.
"Then this situation… is far more critical than I thought."
Seeing Eldrin's suddenly grim expression, Paul tilted his head, confused.
"Wait… isn't this the kind of thing they always do?"
His tone held confidence—perhaps even mild annoyance, like he believed it was just another case of bad actors stirring trouble.
Eldrin turned back to him, but this time his expression was gloomier.
He sighed before answering,
"Actually… no, Prince."
He paused, choosing his words carefully.
"It's true that Crimson Talon has been involved in a few disputes lately. But from what we understood, they only acted as mediators in small-scale local feuds. That was the public story."
He looked down for a moment, ashamed.
Then, meeting Paul's eyes again, he continued with a serious tone,
"But if this document is accurate… it means those 'disputes' weren't random at all. The ones starting them were their own men."
After reviewing everything and understanding the gravity of the situation, Paul looked at Eldrin sharply and asked,
"So..."
His voice was firm, his expression serious.
"Is there any way to stop them—or get rid of them completely?"
Eldrin shook his head slowly, his face grave.
"We'd need solid evidence, Prince. Real, undeniable proof."
He met Paul's eyes.
"Especially since… they're still officially considered citizens of the Thalmerin Empire."
Turning his gaze toward the distant city, Eldrin narrowed his eyes.
"And it's certain—if this case escalates, the Thalmerin Empire will gladly twist the narrative and put the blame on us."
Hearing that, Paul's expression turned gloomy. He looked at Eldrin with a trace of worry in his voice.
"Do you think Greta can get out of the city safely?" he asked, his tone uncertain.
Eldrin smiled reassuringly and gave a firm nod.
"Of course she can, Prince."
His gaze shifted toward the city, thoughtful and calm.
"Even if Crimson Talon is starting to act openly, Countess Isolde is still the highest authority within her territory. They can't move against her."
Then, rubbing his chin with one hand, Eldrin turned back to Paul.
"But... if you want her to leave quickly and safely—without giving them a chance to interfere—there's actually a very simple solution."
His lips curled into a small, clever smile.
Paul's face immediately lit up, hopeful. He leaned in slightly.
"Say it! So... what should we do?" he asked eagerly.
Seeing his enthusiasm, Eldrin chuckled.
"You see, Prince..."
He gave Paul a knowing look.
"Even though they carry the name of an imperial nation, there's one thing they can't change about themselves."
He glanced at the documents Paul had handed him earlier, then met Paul's eyes with a serious expression.
"Their status. They're still registered as commoners."
His voice was confident, almost triumphant.
Paul froze. His body stiffened as realization struck him like lightning.
Then suddenly, he shouted,
"Ah—how could I forget!?"
He grabbed both sides of his head, completely exasperated.
Liselotte and Eldrin both burst into laughter, unable to hold back their amusement at Paul's dramatic reaction.
Still chuckling, Eldrin gave a slight butler's salute.
"Well then, Prince... I'll be off for now."
Paul, still a bit red-faced, nodded with a sigh.
"Yes... go on."
He turned back toward the house.
As Eldrin passed Liselotte, he shared a brief glance and nod with her. She returned it with a smile, still giggling softly.
As Eldrin gazed toward the city, his expression turned grim. The faint moonlight reflected in his eyes as he muttered quietly—serious and resolute:
"Even if they're surrounded and can't slip away… we have a thousand ways to extract Greta's team, Your Highness.
Because no matter how well they pretend, this is still our kingdom's land."
After entering the house with Liselotte trailing behind him, Paul tapped his earpiece and spoke with a serious tone,
"Renya… it's simple. You just need to leave the city using your status as a noble of this kingdom."
There was a brief silence. Paul furrowed his brow.
"Hey… Renya, did you hear me?" he asked, confused.
A moment later, her voice came through—tinged with surprise and a hint of embarrassment.
"Y-Yes… I didn't expect that..."
Paul sighed as he walked toward the living room, his expression heavy.
"Yeah... the answer was that simple all along," he muttered. Standing by the window, he stared out with a distant gaze.
"How could I be so stupid..."
Sitting down at the worktable where his half-finished rune sketch waited, he tried to shake off the gloom.
"Alright... still a lot to do," he grumbled lazily, picking up the enchanted component he had prepared.
Renya's response came quickly and crisply:
"Roger."
With that, Paul ended the communication and leaned over his blueprint. Staring at the incomplete diagram, he exhaled slowly and said to himself,
"Time to work..."
Then, with renewed focus, he continued inscribing the complex magic runes onto the component. His hands were steady, his mind fully focused on the rune patterns he had already envisioned.