At the same time, a growing commotion filled Bessare's training field, creating a chaotic atmosphere.
"Have you searched over there?"
"Already checked!"
"Still haven't found anything!"
"We have to find them! Keep looking!"
Shouting to each other, the knights spread out in all directions around the training field, and under the direction of Kaiser, Axel, and Diego, they dug into the ground, conducting a thorough search as they went.
Now, the once grand and meticulously designed training field had turned into a huge deep pit that went straight into the ground, filled with countless fragments of stone and rubble—a complete ruin.
To anyone unaware, it might seem like the place had been abandoned, explaining the desolate sight before them.
Because the training field's magic barrier had already been deactivated, the people of the Mavros family could now enter and exit freely—some rushed through the deep pit, shouting toward the surroundings, some were turning over piles of rocks and debris, working hard to dig, and others raised their staffs, casting magic, seemingly probing for something.
Needless to say, they were searching for people—or, more precisely, the two powerful Sword Saints who had been engaged in a battle not long ago, transforming the training field into the wreck it was now.
Unfortunately, this task was clearly not going smoothly.
"Nothing... Nothing... Nothing... Dammit! They're nowhere!"
"How can they be nowhere?!"
Axel and Diego had both fallen into a state of anxiousness.
Let alone them, even the usually composed Kaiser seemed a little anxious at this point, as proven by his grim face and clenched fists, his emotions clearly in turmoil.
"Master!"
Lizbeth, on the other hand, was searching in another direction, wandering in confusion while calling out in a voice that almost sounded like crying.
As for Nibald, he was holding a magic crystal, eyes closed, using the power of the magic item to cast detection magic, but unfortunately, it seemed he wasn't having any luck either.
Seeing Nibald in such a state, Kaiser couldn't help but approach.
"Grandmaster Nibald, have you found anything?" Kaiser asked in a deep voice.
"...I'm afraid I have to disappoint you." Nibald opened his eyes, a worried expression on his face. "I haven't discovered anything here either since this magic item designed to detect life responses in the area hasn't reacted at all... Hmm, this either means something is obstructing the detection or that the two of them aren't here at all..."
"How is that possible?" Kaiser's face darkened. "Why would they suddenly disappear like that?"
"I want to know what happened as well..." Nibald furrowed his brows deeply. "Even if something happened to them and their life responses completely vanished, there should still be corpses left behind. Yet, we've found no corpses. It's too strange."
"Could they have been blasted off to another place?" Kaiser racked his brain, imagining all possible scenarios. "I mean, the last clash between my father and Sir Brynhart was very terrifying. Even with the tactical-class magic barrier protecting the training field, only the outer shell held up against the aftermath while the inside collapsed like this. Could it be that the shockwave threw them somewhere else?"
"Honestly, that likelihood is very small..." Nibald sighed and then shook his head. "As you said, the training field is protected by a tactical-class magic barrier, so the shockwave from their final clash was mostly contained inside. Just think, with the barrier still functioning, how could those two have passed through it and been thrown elsewhere?"
"Then what other reason could explain their disappearance?" Kaiser asked with a frustrated expression. "They couldn't have been completely obliterated in the last clash, could they?"
At this, Nibald immediately fell silent, which made Kaiser unable to help but feel a jolt in his heart.
Could that really be the reason they hadn't found those two?
He had to admit that the last clash between his father and Riezel had indeed been quite shocking and terrifying. If an ordinary person had been caught in the aftermath of that clash, it was likely they would've been reduced to dust, their bones crushed, with not even a trace of their remains left behind.
However, those two weren't ordinary people—they were among the strongest on the continent, Sword Saints, so no matter how one looked at it, they shouldn't have met such a fate.
As Kaiser tried to comfort himself, Nibald spoke again, offering him some reassurance.
"Don't overthink it. Sir Raven, with Moniz on him, wouldn't just vanish like that." Nibald said, glancing at the deep pit. "As for Sir Brynhart, Miss Lizbeth just told me—her attendant contract is still active, which proves that he's still alive."
"Is that so..." Kaiser felt a bit relieved, but then something seemed to cross his mind. "By the way, since Miss Lizbeth is Sir Brynhart's attendant, and they have an attendant contract, can she use their connection to locate him?"
Sadly, his hopes were once again dashed by Nibald.
"Why do you think Miss Lizbeth's still here, wandering around aimlessly?" Nibald chuckled bitterly. "She's already tried sensing Sir Brynhart's location, but for some reason, the connection between them has become so vague that she can't pinpoint Sir Brynhart's exact position."
"Wh-Why is that?" Kaiser asked in frustration. "I remember the strength of an attendant contract should generally be stronger than a regular contract since the original contract magic was the attendant contract, and all other contracts are derived from it, right?"
"Yes, you're right." Nibald nodded and then explained. "However, no matter the type of contract, its strength ultimately depends on the magician who casts it. If the magician's abilities are too weak, even an attendant contract can be weaker than a slavery contract or other forceful types of contract magic."
"But isn't that even stranger?" Kaiser furrowed his brow. "As far as I know, Sir Brynhart isn't just a Sword Saint, but he's also a Tactical-Class Magician. While that's hard to believe, if the rumors are true, then it means he's a magician with quite high abilities, so the strength of his attendant contract should be quite strong and shouldn't have gone wrong over something so minor, right?"
"Hmm... that only points to one thing then..." Nibald's voice dropped, almost as if he was talking to himself. "He's not facing a minor problem right now..."
Hearing this, Kaiser's expression changed.
Nibald looked at Kaiser's tense face and continued.
"Even though this is just my guess... I think Sir Brynhart and Sir Raven most likely ended up in a very special place that has some very powerful interference."
"It means whether it's our magic trying to detect them or Miss Lizbeth trying to sense her master through the attendant contract, all of it has become unstable due to this interference."
"I have two hypotheses about this."
Nibald held up two fingers.
"First, during their final clash, Sir Brynhart might have sensed something was wrong and used teleportation magic to try to escape the collapsing battlefield, but due to the residual energy from the battle or Sir Raven's Dark Abyss Sword Style over-absorbing outside-world powers, the space itself became distorted. As a result, both of them were swept into an uncontrollable space transference and ended up somewhere unknown."
Nibald's words left Kaiser and everyone around stunned.
"You mean... Sir Brynhart can use space magic?" Kaiser asked instinctively. "Isn't that a type of magic only magicians with Imaginary compatibility can learn?"
In response to this question, Nibald's answer was simple.
"Well, Sir Brynhart is exactly that kind of magician..." Nibald sighed helplessly. "Otherwise, why do you think his carriage could barge in through all the heavy guards and magic defenses of your family so easily?"
Kaiser was speechless upon hearing this before feeling a mix of realization and a chill running down his spine.
Such a realization came because he finally understood how Riezel managed to get a carriage into the Mavros family's main residence so effortlessly.
As for the chill, it came from the fact that Riezel had such an ability but had never used it once during his battle with his father.
Space magic was no doubt extremely powerful magic, and the fact that Riezel could push his fully equipped father to this point without even using such magic and nearly defeating him made him shudder.
What if Riezel had used it?
In other words, his father, whom he was so proud of, hadn't even forced his opponent to show his full strength.
Such a realization hit Kaiser hard.
Of course, now wasn't the time to focus on that.
"So, what about the second one?" Kaiser adjusted his mind and asked again. "What's the second hypothesis?"
Nibald didn't answer immediately but instead closed his eyes for a moment before slowly opening them and speaking softly.
"Earlier, Miss Lizbeth was attacked by unknown people in the forest."
"From the information gathered at that time, I've come to understand the cause of the frequent disappearances in Mavros Territory."
"And now, Sir Brynhart and Sir Raven have also mysteriously disappeared."
"What I want to say is... this is likely related to those people."
Nibald then revealed everything about Felix and the attackers without hearts, telling Kaiser everything.
After hearing the whole story, Kaiser's expression changed multiple times, eventually turning pale.
Just then, a startled shout rang out.
"Hey! There's something strange here!"
As soon as the shout rang out, everyone's attention was immediately drawn to it.
Lizbeth was the first to snap out of it and quickly ran toward the source of the shout. Nibald, Kaiser, and the others followed suit, rushing in the direction of the shout.
Not long after, everyone arrived at a particularly dark corner underground.
For some reason, not only was there no rubble or debris in this corner, but it also seemed to have been soaked, as the ground was covered in a strangely colored, muddy state.
Seeing this, both Nibald and Kaiser's pupils shrank.
Why?
It was because they immediately thought of the kind of being that could cause such an effect.
""Underground Demon Beast Yarakulon!""
Nibald and Kaiser exclaimed in unison, their expressions becoming grim.