Two days passed and Iria was still busy with the case of the missing children.
As he said, Prime Minister Casar Mareyi introduced an officer from the Investigating Bureau to the Queen and with the help from the Chief of the Bureau, the investigation goes on.
It was evening when Officer Dillon, the one in charge of the case came to meet the Queen in the palace. Elian informed the arrival of the Investigation Officer to the Queen and the latter met the officer in the meeting room.
"We check every province in the capital as you ordered, Your Majesty," the officer started. "Apart from the existing 7 cases, we have 26 cases in the other remaining provinces. That means there are 33 cases in 20 provinces and all are below 8 years of age." Shaking his head, the officer added, "This can't be a normal situation, Your Majesty."
"When did it started?" Iria Helev promptly asked.
"The same as Sera Province. Three weeks ago," Officer Dillon replied. "From the 18 provinces that I inspect, none have more than 3 cases. That's why the Magistrates don't report the situation to the court. They think that two missing cases are not abnormal and they aren't wrong. If they know the situation in other provinces, it might be different, Your Majesty."
"Three weeks," the Queen muttered and let out a breath. "That's enough time to transport many children to a place far away from our kingdom." Giving a brief thought, she looked at the officer and said, "You should form a new team for this, Officer. It isn't long since the last missing case happened. So, we still have a chance but we can't afford to lose any more time."
"I understand, Your Majesty," Officer Dillon replied with his head lowered. Then he left the palace to comply with the Queen's order.
Soon, Elian walked inside and bowed.
"Your Majesty, I just receive a message that says all the provinces in the capital are now secured. General Hanson Lorin said that everything is fine for now. He will also search the provinces just in case he might find some clue."
"That's good," Iria remarked and looked up at Elian. "Someone is playing a game on us. They are careful not to alert us and it must be their way of stalling time. So, I want you to secure all the gates at the border and throughout the kingdom. No one should leave or enter without a thorough check."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Is there anything else?"
"Send a letter to His Majesty and inform him of the situation. He is in the western province, so I think he will be able to check if there is the same case there. If not, he can also take precautions. He might also want to return," the Queen instructed.
With that said, Elian bowed and left the meeting room.
Once she was alone, the missing cases completely occupied Iria's mind once again.
Children as young as 8... wasn't this too cruel?
What were they trying to do with the children?!
Most importantly, who was the one behind this?
As someone who was so new to administration, the Queen was feeling too lost.
She spent years leading soldiers and fighting wars. She always hated to participate in the administration of the kingdom and it was why she turned down all titles during her years as the Commander of the Alewine Army.
Yet now, she had to do just that and Arin wasn't even here.
Leading everything alone was too different from just lending a hand and she realized that Arin held out well. It's so exhausting to deal with all the affairs of the kingdom!
* * *
The messenger from the palace took one day and a half to reach the Cisea Province in the west where the King currently stayed. Receiving the letter, Antony walked inside the Magistrate's office and handed the letter to the King who was chatting with the Magistrate of the Cisea Province.
Arin Helev read the letter and quickly looked at the Magistrate. "Do you have any missing cases recently?" he asked.
"No, Your Majesty," the Magistrate who was a man in his 40s replied. "I don't receive any report."
Feeling uneasy with the strange incident, the King rose from his seat and walked out of the office. Antony quickly followed him.
"Is something wrong, Your Majesty?"
Arin gave a thought and turned to Antony who asked him the question. "Gather the soldiers and send them out to each province here in the west. I want to know if there is any child missing case. If there is, I want to know the details. Right now, Antony. We don't have time."
The right-hand man was feeling confused but he bowed his head without asking any question. "Yes, Your Majesty."
*
Though the King was eager to hear the result, it took a while for the soldiers to check each province. As such, two days passed when everyone was back at the Magistrate's office.
"Your Majesty." Antony who walked inside the King's chamber bowed to greet the King.
"Did you find out anything?" Arin Helev quickly asked.
"There are three cases throughout the western province," Antony informed the King. "One case each in three provinces."
Despite the number being three, it was quite relieving for the King. "I doubt it would be connected to the ones in the capital," he remarked. "How long are they missing now?"
"The first one is two weeks ago. One is five days ago and the last is three days."
The King nodded. "There are many missing cases in the capital. Just in case, we should tighten the security. The Queen already issued an order to secure the gates, so it will be hard for the culprit to move around with ease."
"I will work on that," Antony promptly replied.
"The Aliron Army settled in this province," the King pointed out. "I want you to inform the Commander of the Aliron army that I want to meet him."
Just when Antony tried to turn around, the King changed his mind.
"I will go there myself.. I plan to pay them a visit before I leave anyway."
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