Supreme Magus

Ever since Kamila had resumed her job after the Magus ceremony, she worked faster and better than ever, finding clues that escaped the notice of most Constables and that Jirni was used to finding during her final sweep of a crime scene.

Also, Kamila had mastered Jirni's teachings, becoming a human lie detector.

"Now, if it's not beneath you, go interrogate the suspects in the green room, o Lady Magus." Jirni said with mock deference.

"As you wish, Lady Jirni Narma Tageta Ernas." Kamila gave her a bow as Jirni stiffened up for a second.

Middle names were the bane of every noble, even she. The only reason no one was chuckling was that they were too afraid of the Archon, especially during office hours when her interrogation kit was at hand.

'Everyone needs a particular trigger to make their talent bloom. I guess that for Kamila overcoming so many hardships in a row did the trick.' Jirni thought, appreciating the newfound sass of her apprentice.

'What the heck is wrong with me?' Kamila thought the moment she stepped out of the room, her face flushing in embarrassment. 'Even though I was pissed off at sergeant Junio, I shouldn't have teased Jirni.

'She is the only one who stood by my side when everyone else on the job piled up on me. Gods, I guess that receiving the title of Supreme Magus went to my head instead of Lith's.'

Even though almost two weeks had passed since the gala, whenever someone called Lith by his title, he would ignore them thinking they were talking to someone else. It always took him multiple calls or catching the reflection of his white robe to remember that it was actually him.

Kamila walked through a richly furnished corridor with one member of the Knight's Guard by her either side. Back when she had started working as a Constable, visiting noble households left her in awe.

The fine carpets were as soft as clouds and every wooden surface had been inlaid by skilled artisans, giving even a broom closet a majestic aura. At the same time, being constantly followed by soldiers whenever she went, even to the bathroom, had embarrassed her greatly.

There was no telling when and where an attack might take place so the Knight's Guard would never leave a Constable alone except that in safe buildings like the army headquarters.

After a while, the riches had become nothing but a glossy coating to the filth any noble household kept hidden and the presence of her bodyguards now reassured her. Living with Lith first and then working with Jirni had taught Kamila to always be wary of her surroundings.

She reached a door covered in golden strands centered around the handle that looked like a spiderweb. Corporal Assa tapped at the core of the magical lock with his silver wand and the threads anchored to the doorframe receded.

The walls of a noble household were enchanted to be harder than steel and channeled several arrays through the windows, leaving the doors as the only weak point. The Sealing Yarn would link itself at the arrays and extend their effects to the doors as well so that no one could get in or out until it was removed.

The green room owed its name to the ocean-colored wallpaper covering its walls but it was actually a tea room where the lord of the house would meet his guests. It was the closest place to the study big enough to comfortably hold the suspects and the members of the Knight's Guard watching them.

"I'm sorry for the wait, Duke Sazar. The Kingdom appreciates your patience and collaboration." Kamila said with a warm smile.

"What are you talking about? I didn't agree to anything, You barged into my home uninvited and without r-" Elyon Sazar was a burly man a few centimenters taller than her.

He abruptly stood up from his armchair while yelling, to intimidate the Constable with his build. One of the Guards already in the room moved by his side in a blur, needing to put just one hand on the Duke's shoulder to force him to sit back and cut him short.

"Suspects rarely ask to be investigated." Kamila was unfazed by his righteous fury and her voice was still amiable. "As for the reason, I already gave you a copy of the warrant. Here's another, in case you misplaced the first."

She placed the Royal Order on the crystal tea table between them, marking with her pen the most relevant charges and the Chamberlain's signature as if the Duke was too stupid to read the whole document.

"Now if you're done with your questions, I have a few of my own." Kamila didn't wait for an answer and put the box containing the communication amulets on the table as well.

Sazar's rage turned into fear as he recognized them. His thunderous voice became squeaky like that of a mouse, almost inaudible despite the silence of the room.

"I have no idea where those things came from. Someone must have planted them into my house."

"Really?" Kamila assumed a shocked expression, covering her mouth with a hand. "It would explain why we found them in your room, stored inside dimensional items disguised as cufflinks, paperweights, and even as a chamber pot."

Behind her, Assa tapped with his Forgemastering wand at his own dimensional item, conjuring a silvery mist that took the shape of everything it contained. His lunch, his personal communication amulet, and a few gifts for his boyfriend to take out at the last minute to pretend he hadn't forgotten about an anniversary.

A second tap and the Clean Slate spell made the item lose its imprint, spitting its content out.

"Except for one, it took us a comb search to find them. What's the point of keeping a chamber pot in your study when your mansion has many bathrooms?" Kamila said with a sly smile, taking a mental note of the Corporal's brilliant yet shameless idea.

"Do you really want me to believe that someone entered your room, enchanted your personal possessions, and then stored incriminating evidence?"

"I don't care what you believe. You can't prove those amulets are mine and that's all that matters." The Duke's eyes ran through the room for a way out, but an Adamant gloved hand pressed on his shoulder, making it impossible for him to stand up.

"That's just another common misconception. Corporal Assa, if you please." At Kamila's request, the Guard cast a quick spell on the amulets that made a blue string of energy sprout from their surface and reach Sazar.

The same happened for the cufflinks, the paperweight, and the chamber pot, proving that the energy signature their imprint bore was his own.

"Now, I'd like to know who you have been contacting in the Nestrar region and w-" Several Spirit Warp Steps appeared in the green room and people of all races walked through them, bypassing the air sealing arrays that enveloped the mansion.

The members of the Knight's Guard surrounded Kamila in a square formation to protect her, but the attackers unleashed tier three hexaelemental Spirit Spells that hit the Guards like trucks, sending them crashing against the walls.