Missing?

Arkhan, Melusine, and Mash quickly returned to the imperial palace together.

As they arrived and passed the lounge on the second floor, they encountered Ritsuka.

Just like Mash, Ritsuka was also extremely excited about Arkhan and Melusine's safe return. However, like Mash, her emotions bore some worry and anxiety.

"Sorry, Arkhan..." Ritsuka's face was filled with embarrassment. "This time we not only didn't help, but we almost got you into trouble."

Sensing her mood, Arkhan shook his head.

"Planning this was on me. Any mishaps are just my lack of foresight. It's not on you guys."

After saying that, he looked around in confusion.

"Where are Nero and Da Vinci?"

Normally, Nero would have rushed out by now, eager to congratulate them and probably throw a banquet tonight to celebrate.

"Da Vinci is busy dispatching soldiers..." Mash answered with a soft tone.

"Dispatching soldiers?" Arkhan raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "Why?"

Soon, he learned the details from Ritsuka.

"What?! You mean... Nero's gone missing...?" Arkhan seemed as if he heard something unbelievable, his face full of shock.

Even Melusine beside him looked momentarily stunned.

Ritsuka nodded solemnly.

"Her Majesty's attendant said that she was bathing in the afternoon, but by evening, she still hadn't come out... the attendant got worried and checked, only to find she wasn't there..."

"After we came back, Da Vinci immediately gathered soldiers to search for her, but they haven't found her yet..."

After discussing Asterios's disappearance and Camelot's trap for Arkhan, Ritsuka and Mash concluded that even if they rushed to help him, it would be too late, so they chose to return to the Holy Roman Empire and wait for further news.

On their way back, they encountered Da Vinci, who was also forced to return due to losing her target, Atalanta.

As a result, they went back together.

Little did they know, as soon as they returned to the Holy Roman Empire, they received such devastating news.

In broad daylight, Nero had inexplicably disappeared, and no one even knew when or how it happened.

Da Vinci immediately sealed off the information and sent soldiers to search for Nero's whereabouts. It had been five hours since then, and the entire empire had been turned upside down, almost to the point of tearing the earth apart.

Understanding the severity of the situation, Arkhan furrowed his brows tightly, contemplating for a moment before speaking up.

"Take me to where she disappeared."

Without delay, they all went to Nero's bathhouse.

Hot spring water bubbled up from the ground, emitting steamy heat, while majestic marble pillars surrounded the bath, reminiscent of Roman grandeur.

"Sir Arkhan, about Her Majesty..."

Nero's attendant stepped forward, her eyes red from crying, making it evident she had shed tears before.

"I've already got the gist of the situation." Arkhan nodded slightly. "I'll see if I can track down any clues about her disappearance."

"Please, you have to find Her Majesty!"

The attendant begged in an anxious voice and bowed her head deeply.

Since Nero vanished, she hadn't sipped water or a bite to eat. After sobbing her heart out, her body and soul were exhausted, held up only by sheer willpower.

"Ahh, leave it to me."

Arkhan quickly circled the bath, finally stopping in front of it.

With a gentle motion of his hand, a pitch-black spatial hole unfolded.

After observing for a moment, a pensive expression quickly crossed his face. Shortly afterward, he withdrew his hand, and the hole vanished.

"Well, any discoveries?" Ritsuka asked eagerly, with others wearing equally anxious expressions.

"It's pretty much as I suspected..." Arkhan turned to them. "Someone used spatial magecraft to take Nero from here."

Upon hearing his words, the attendant's eyes went dark before losing consciousness.

Mash, quick on her feet, rushed to support the attendant's falling body.

"But we didn't detect any traces of spatial magecraft earlier, did we?" Ritsuka frowned.

They had used Chaldea's equipment to observe the surroundings but found no traces of magecraft.

Arkhan flicked his finger and began to explain.

"This is sophisticated spatial magecraft, with a long casting distance and subtle traces. It's hard to detect unless you specialize in spatial magecraft."

At his words, the mood of everyone dampened.

It was evident who was the culprit.

In this world, only that woman could wield spatial magecraft to such an extent.

"Camelot is quite a distance from here, right?" Mash puzzled. "Even if Merlin is a skilled mage, could she really do that kind of thing?"

Arkhan shook his head slightly.

"Highly unlikely. Even as a Grand Caster, it's impossible to silently snatch someone from afar like that without anyone noticing. I suppose she discreetly left spatial coordinates on Nero's body at some point, waiting for the right time to take action."

After saying that, he sighed softly.

"I should have noticed this earlier..."

"Please don't blame yourself, Mr. Arkhan!" Mash rushed to reassure him. "It's not your fault at all!"

"Merlin has always been a cunning woman; nobody knows her true intentions..." Melusine chimed in earnestly.

As he realized that this trouble was more severe than he expected, Arkhan rubbed his temples.

He hadn't expected Merlin's true target to be Nero and not him. It seemed like that so-called trap was probably just to delay him from returning to the Holy Roman Empire ahead of time.

Could it be that Merlin had even expected his decision to bring back Asterios, Medusa, and Atalanta?

Just that thought alone sent a chill down Arkhan's spine.

Until now, the only one who truly posed a threat to him was the Lion King, but now, it seemed he had to deal with Merlin as well.

"So, you're saying Merlin did intentionally ignore and leave Her Majesty behind, just like we suspected?" Ritsuka's face creased with worry. "I wonder what she really wants to do with Her Majesty..."

"Besides Merlin herself, I doubt anyone knows..." Arkhan replied, gazing out at the gradually darkening sky through the window. "But whatever her intentions are, we can't just sit idly by and watch it unfold."

===

Since the news about Nero's disappearance was timely blocked by Da Vinci, not many people knew about her absence at the moment. Ordinary residents were clueless, but they still could sense a tense atmosphere around them.

To prevent such a long-distance kidnapping from happening again, Melusine reinforced the space of the entire Holy Roman Empire with her magecraft, ensuring there were no loopholes.

On the same night, Arkhan used Cosmic Juggernaut to make a quick trip to the Holy City of Camelot.

From a distance of hundreds of meters, he observed that the entire city was completely sealed off.

Defensive magecraft on the city walls was fully activated, while the space around the city was completely locked down and reinforced to the point of being impregnable, with no visible weaknesses.

However, this indirectly confirmed Arkhan's suspicion—the so-called Holy Selection was not fully prepared yet, and there was still some time before it could be executed.

In other words, they still had a chance to turn the tables.