14. Lia is Gone! (Father's POV)

"Why haven't you set out yet!?"

Even though I knew it was futile, I couldn't help but raise my voice at the Captain of the Guard.

"We have narrowed it down to three suspicious dragons that departed from the town under the cover of night, but we cannot say for certain which one is carrying Lady Lilia. It would be a waste of manpower to split our forces in three directions right now. Please, give us a little more time."

He was right. I knew that. Lia is gone, and Hannah is gone too. I realized they had been kidnapped sometime mid-morning. After all, it's Hannah who gets Lia ready in the morning, and Hannah who brings breakfast to her room. It was only when the kitchen staff finished their morning cleanup and realized Hannah hadn't come to pick up Lia's meal that they noticed something was wrong.

And now, it is already past noon.

I was away on official business at the castle, but I immediately summoned the Guard upon receiving word from the manor and have put them on the case.

To those in the surrounding areas, this country is simply known as the Kingdom, and the Guard is an elite unit within the Kingdom's army, specifically tasked with protecting the nobles who possess the power to maintain the barriers.

I don't know what they do on a normal day, but when it comes to matters involving the nobility, they have the authority to move the entire army.

To us nobles, they are highly capable protectors, but they are also troublesome overseers.

Just then, a messenger came rushing in and whispered urgently into the captain's ear. The captain nodded and immediately headed toward us.

"It appears Lady Lilia has been taken away to Razly in the south. Their purpose is unclear, but it is likely they are heading straight for the frontier. I will dispatch a pursuit party immediately."

With that, he turned on his heel.

"Wait!"

The captain looked back at me, appearing slightly annoyed by my attempt to stop him.

"I'm coming too."

"With all due respect, this is a race against time. Anyone without proper training will only be a burden."

"You should know well enough what my skill is when it comes to riding dragons."

I only ride Raag Dragons for fun, but there isn't a soul in this army who can match me. For a brief moment, the captain and I locked eyes in a standoff.

"Family members act on emotion. As long as you follow orders, you may come. Do we have an agreement?"

"Understood. I'll get ready immediately."

"Then head to the Royal Castle. If you aren't there in time, we depart without you."

With that, the captain turned on his heel and left. Raag Dragons are sturdy, so they can carry quite a heavy load if necessary. However, this time, we had to stay as light as possible. If we were heading to the Frontier, it would take three days at the fastest, so I quickly prepared supplies for one person, keeping in mind that we might need to stop for resupply and switch dragons along the way.

"Father!"

"Luke, I will bring Lia back, no matter what. As the eldest child of Allvance, you must stay behind and look after the estate."

"Yes, sir!"

I hugged my son with all my might—a boy I had barely felt any interest in only six months ago. I will bring Lia back. She is the one who taught me the meaning of a real family, and what it means to be happy.

I mounted the Raag Dragon waiting in front of the manor and headed toward the Royal Castle.

"Hmm, looks like you made it in time."

The captain spoke as if he were disappointed. I simply nodded in silence. There were about ten members of the guard gathered there.

"It might seem like a small number, but there's no evidence that this was organized crime. In fact, it looks like the culprits are traveling in a small group. Even if they have a few more people, our elite squad can handle them, and above all, I want to prioritize mobility."

I nodded silently once again.

"The targets are a woman and a child. We can catch up to them even if they're riding a Raag Dragon. Now, move out!"

At the captain's command, the Raag Dragon and the squad charged forward all at once.

We traveled at a steady pace without any breaks until we reached Razly. We arrived at a military outpost, where we dismounted the dragons to let them rest, taking a break ourselves in the process. During that time, the captain reviewed the information gathered by the small scouting party that had gone ahead to make inquiries in town. It's frustrating, but I suppose he's competent for a reason.

While I was taking a rest and trying to suppress the urge to get moving immediately, the captain came to deliver a report.

"Early this morning, a group matching the description visited a dragon carriage merchant. They said they were going to see a sick parent, but the wife was young and looked exhausted and terrified, so her behavior was strange. If this is human trafficking, the laws of this Kingdom don't reach the Frontier. They'll likely take the shortest route straight to the Frontier."

"Human trafficking..."

I had suspected it, but hearing it stated so clearly made me flinch.

"They'll likely think it's suspicious if someone has features as striking as Lady Lilia's. However, in the case of women, it's easy to hide them until they reach adulthood. It's possible they'll be sold to someone in the Frontier, or perhaps even someone within the Kingdom."

I stood up in a rage, instinctively about to lunge at the captain.

"That's exactly why we're resting here."

"What did you say?"

I froze, completely blindsided by his words.

"If we don't take breaks every few hours, our bodies won't hold up. Of course, I've already sent a small group ahead."

After a long silence, I quietly sat back down.

"We'll rest for three hours, then depart in four."

For now, I had no choice but to obey this man.

By switching dragons at each town's garrison and restocking our supplies, we were steadily closing the gap on the people who had snatched Lia away.

By the third day, we were only a few hours away from the border, but I was absolutely exhausted from the long-distance travel.

"From here on, we won't be stopping. We're going to catch them in one go. If you fall behind, you're on your own."

This captain is always so calm. Thanks to him, I'm able to keep my cool, too.

"Understood. I'm counting on you."

With that, I quietly settled back onto the dragon's back. The escort and I have been flying at our absolute physical limits to get this far. We're finally starting to close the gap on the group that's been ahead of us for over half a day. No—we *have* to catch them, or I'll never get my precious Lilia back. Come on, it's a race against time.