Upon hearing the frantic shouts of the old man, the two golden knights stationed there went on full alert, their hands not even leaving the sword scabbards tied around their waist.
"Yvain, you stay here!" Sir Gawain, the golden knight of Logress Kingdom, said before leaving him to go to the place pointed by the old man.
Unconsciously, Arthur stepped in front of the princess in an attempt to shield her from any further trouble.
Sir Gawain reached the shaded area and looked around, trying to find any signs of someone being there. But nothing happened. There was no one, not even a trace of anyone having been there.
"There is no one here, my prince." Sir Gawain bowed and said.
To make sure everything was fine, Gawain ran towards the room next door and continued his search. Just like the first room, he searched the place from top to bottom, only to have the same result.
Prince Arthur looked at Princess Gwen one more time, before running towards the room and searching around for a bit. He looked around before asking the old man.
"Master Gaious, what was it?"
The old man named Gaious looked around in confusion and said. "It's… It's gone, sire."
"What do you mean it's gone?"
"A few moments ago, I could feel someone's presence, but now it's gone without a trace." The old man shook his head.
"How could someone be instantly gone just like that?" One of the knights asked in doubt.
"I… I am not sure about that…"
"Was it magic? "Yvain joined in.
"I can't say for sure, sir. I have never seen magic that can instantly make someone disappear without leaving a trace. Don't get me wrong, I know the existence of things such as invisibility spells, if it's such spell, I would still be able to feel his presence ."
A moment later, Sir Gawain returned back and reported he didn't find anyone nearby, but he had told the guards outside to search the area around them and report to him the moment they spotted anything suspicious.
There were a few moments of tense silence, before a laugh suddenly filled the room.
"Hahaha, my Prince, was this your idea of a joke? I am sure some girls would love to be protected by you, the charming prince and the famous knight of the Logress Kingdom… I wonder, how many girls did you manage to ensnare this way?"
"This… No…" The previously talkative prince was suddenly at a loss for words.
"Don't worry, Prince. I will help you find more information about this Merlin guy. If I come across any clue, I'll remember to tell you."
Princess Gwen paid her respects and left, followed by Yvain. The Knight of the Lion was silent throughout the whole ordeal.
Right after the princess left, Prince Arthur stared at old Gaious with a look full of disbelief. "Master Gaious, are you sure of what you saw?"
"I… I was, sire, but now, I am not so sure anymore…"
The prince let out a long, tired sigh, before ordering Gawain to put extra guards around the palace next time.
"Master Gaious, if there really was a person that could disappear without a trace, how frightening do you think that would be?"
"That would be very frightening, sire…" The old man answered while keeping his head down.
"I see you realize that already. I need you to find out about the possibility of such spells existing. Go and ask your wizard friend for counsel. We can't afford to be lax about this situation."
The young prince looked at Gaious one last time, before walking towards the door. Right as Gawain was about to open it for him, the prince stopped and whispered.
"Gawain, I need you to pay more attention to Princess Gwenneth."
Hearing the order, Gawain the Maiden's Knight could only give a wry smile in response.
"No, the situation isn't what you're thinking. If there was really a threat there, it might not be targeting us but her, which means she could possibly be in danger without her realizing it. Do you understand?"
"Yes, my prince." Gawain gave a quick bow. "It shall be done."
Prince Arthur nodded and left the place.
Outside of the fort, a figure could vaguely be seen, blending right into the dark of night.
"That was close." Emery allowed himself to stop holding his breath and sighed. "That was close, if I was found out, it would have been very troublesome."
When he was found, he quickly [blink] away from the assembly room. Although his eavesdropping was cut short, it was not all bad for Emery, as he managed to get a few morsels of information from the short time he listened to their conversation.
First, he now knew that Prince Arthur was the one in charge of the investigation of Sir Bagdemagus' untimely death.
The prince's knowledge about Merlin's presence made Emery sure the prince knew more than what he told the princess. From what he had gathered so far, he was confident the prince would most likely lead him to clues about Keane, Bagdemagus' silver knight, or even Morgana.
In addition, something seemed to be going on within the fort. Considering the amount of guards and knights posted there. It was very highly guarded. Emery would dare say it was probably more secure than a palace. In addition, there was the matter of that painting depicting the sword of Excalibur.
He decided to return at a better time to search up the place, preferably when there were less guards walking around. Perhaps during the tournament?
For now, he had obtained all the clues he needed, including the most important clue: Arthur's involvement in this mess. He decided to keep in mind what he saw today and find out more about the prince through other means.
For now, he had the tournament to prepare for. Considering his circumstances, it was important he made sure victory was within his grasp.