18. Lilia! (Father's POV)

"Lilia! Lilia! Why?! Why won't they stop!"

I was so close to catching up. She was right there, within my reach. If only I had just stopped the Raag Dragon she was riding. I mean, I did manage to catch the man who was ahead of us, didn't I?

There were five guards surrounding me. At this point, I was prepared to crash through them all if I had to, just to break free from the circle. But just as I steeled my resolve to ride the dragon, the Captain slammed his own mount into me from the side.

"Ngh—! What are you—!"

"Forgive me, My Lord."

The Captain grabbed my swaying body and dragged me straight off the dragon.

He dragged me off. Me, a Marquis. He, a member of my own guard, who was supposed to protect me.

"You must know the rules. The guard must not cross the barrier. And that is not all."

While holding me in a restraint from behind, the Captain said quietly.

"Setting aside the nobility, the Four Marquises must never leave the Kingdom."

"Aaaaagh!"

It must be quite embarrassing for an adult well into their thirties to be screaming like that. But no matter how much I shrieked or struggled, the Captain didn't let go of me, and no one from the guard left to chase after Lilia.

What's the point of being a Marquis if I can't even chase after my precious daughter? Is the Kingdom truly a nation worth protecting at such a cost?

"Do not forget. If you are lost, the next person to carry the weight of Allvance will be young Lord Luke, and he is only ten."

I gasped. Luke. If that boy, who has only just begun learning magic circulation, is forced to maintain the barriers, it will undoubtedly shorten his life. It's impossible. Luke is the precious heir to Allvance who cannot be lost. No—even if he weren't the heir, he is my precious child who cannot be lost.

Only when the strength had left my body did the Captain finally release me.

"Captain, regarding the target."

I heard the voice of a guard coming to report. The target. Not Lilia.

"They fled along the Walsole road. Judging by the route, it's likely they plan to rendezvous with their accomplices in the woods just past the barrier."

"Any sign of the accomplices?"

"None, sir."

"And the dragon? Has it stopped?"

"Not within our sight. Normally, they follow the lead dragon, but that one was racing as if it were trying to flee from us."

Fleeing from us? Is that because we were chasing them? Don't be ridiculous.

"My Lord, when a Raag Dragon goes rogue on its own, it is usually due to its instinct to protect its pack. I suspect it judged that it had to protect Lady Lilia and the maid from us."

"Then why didn't you stop the dragon carrying Lilia?"

The captain briefly pressed a hand to his head as if exhausted, then answered.

"When two or more dragons are running, the ones behind will follow if you stop the lead dragon. It is extremely rare for a dragon to act on its own judgment like it did this time. If we had stopped the dragon carrying Lady Lilia, the culprits would have escaped past the barrier."

"Then what is the point of this rescue party? To catch the criminals, or to save the girl!"

"No."

The captain lowered his gaze.

"It was our mistake to be so certain we could secure both of them."

"Did you not think that if it came down to one, it was acceptable to lose the other?"

He was under no obligation to answer my mutterings.

"If we were forced to choose between them... we would have chosen Your Excellency."

So that's how it is.

"Aah!"

My scream was swallowed up by the grasslands.

Luke, I'm sorry. I couldn't bring Lilia home.

That day, we pushed our exhausted bodies to the limit and traveled all the way to Kerrie, a town on the border of Wester. To keep our business a secret, I was draped in a hooded cloak and immediately taken to a military garrison.

At this rate, I might as well be a criminal. After resting in the barracks for one night, we were told we would head straight back to the Royal Capital, Gardester. We were only permitted to be away from the capital for ten days.

Heading back? I think they mean being escorted back.

Even so, my body, which had been tense for three days straight, demanded rest, and I must have slept soundly until morning.

The next morning, before returning to the capital, the captain invited me to accompany them back to the border with an escort.

"So this is the border."

I was taken aback. There were no walls, no fences. It wasn't even clear where the border actually began; there was nothing but an open plaza.

"Keep a close eye on the people walking by."

Told that, I began observing the people passing through the plaza. Even if the border itself isn't visible, it is still the line between two countries. Mostly, it seemed to be merchants pulling dragon carriages back and forth.

Those merchants seemed to hold something like a certificate, showing it to an official in a small shack to obtain permission. However, the other people, who didn't carry much luggage, weren't being checked at all.

Looking closer, I noticed that a few people would pause for a split second. They would stop as if momentarily startled, then cautiously resume their walking. It was the same for both the merchants and the pedestrians.

"That is the barrier."

"That is correct, Your Excellency. It is invisible, but the barrier is right there; only those with magic in them can sense it."

It was true that many people seemed to pass through without feeling a thing. A surge of anger welled up inside me. A border isn't something you can actually see, and if people can move back and forth so freely, why was I forced to give up on Lilia?

"It is true that they are free to pass through. However, those from the Frontier are not permitted to stay within the Kingdom."

"And why is that?"

"Those without Kingdom identification are not allowed to stay overnight, conduct business, or work. In short, almost everything is restricted within the Kingdom. Especially here, in this border town."

Then why do so many people come here?

"Because it is impossible to regulate day-trippers who don't use established shops. On the other hand, those with Kingdom identification are free to enter and exit the Frontier."

That makes sense.

"Those who conduct business on a large scale in the Frontier will find it increasingly difficult to trade within the Kingdom. Because of that, few people actively engage in trade with the Frontier."

A sense of entitlement, then.

"When Void-kin appear along the border, people are free to enter the Kingdom to escape. However, making a living there has become quite difficult."

"Why are you showing me this?"

"Why?"

The captain suddenly stared into the distance.

"Can you see the guards over there?"

On the far side of the plaza, there was indeed a group of armed men; they were dressed sloppily, but they appeared to be wearing uniforms.

"That is the Wester Border Guard."

"So, they're something like our escort unit?"

"No."

He denied it flatly.

"In a case like this, where a VIP has been kidnapped, the Border Guard should normally be notified. However, if we were to contact them..."

"If we were to contact them?"

"They'd be overjoyed to find her, and then they'd start thinking about who to sell her to."

"You can't be serious."

"That's exactly why we kept your existence a secret as well. If they were to suspect why a Marquis would be heading to the border..."

"Lilia would be in danger..."

"Even if she were found safe. To be blunt, our only option is to have a highly skilled individual search for her privately."

The Captain spoke with finality. He was essentially saying that they wouldn't be doing anything themselves.

It felt as if he were telling me that if I had time to sit around wondering if I was just a bird in a cage or what my purpose in life was, I should be thinking of more practical solutions instead.

"You."

"Yes, Your Excellency?"

"What is your name?"

"Pardon?"

The Captain looked stunned by my question, then burst into laughter.

"Ha... Hahaha! So this is the arrogance of one of the Four Marquises. It's almost refreshing."

It was the first time I'd ever seen him show such emotion. The Captain straightened his posture.

"I believe I already introduced myself, but allow me to do so again. I am Graces Remington, Captain of the Guard's Special Forces."

Remington. A Marquis, yet he has no magic. I see.

"We're heading back to the Royal Capital."

"You don't need to tell me that."

We'll regroup and find Lilia.