Jacob and Grace only had a few seconds to enjoy their little moment before the arrival of the police shattered it.
Several officers rushed into the tavern with batons in hand, shouting at the top of their lungs.
"Police! Nobody move!"
"Hands where we can see them!"
"...What's going on? They're all unconscious."
"Don't waste time. Arrest every one of them. And search the rest of the building. If you find anyone, bring them in."
The captain immediately began issuing orders.
Then another clear voice added to the list of commands.
"And find the hidden door."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Half of the officers handcuffed the tavern staff Grace had knocked unconscious and hauled them away. The other half headed into the kitchen to search for anyone hiding inside.
The captain turned with an irritated look toward the person who had just given orders—a purple-haired young woman riding on the back of a gray-haired girl.
It was Christina and Mira, who had also arrived at the Skoda Tavern.
"And who are you?" the captain demanded. "What gives you the right to order my men around?!"
After climbing down from Mira's back, Christina answered with perfect composure.
"I am Christina Fenelbia."
The instant the captain heard she was a noble, he dropped into a full dogeza without hesitation, his voice trembling with fear.
"My deepest apologies! I failed to recognize you! Please forgive my disrespect! I meant no offense—it was only my ignorance!"
Christina couldn't have cared less.
The moment she finished introducing herself, she ignored the captain completely and began searching for the hidden door.
Still slightly out of breath from running, Mira noticed the captain was still kneeling and quietly reminded Christina.
"Milady."
The captain couldn't stand until Christina gave permission, but leaving him kneeling there would only interfere with the investigation. That was why Mira spoke up.
Without even looking away from her search, Christina casually said,
"You may stand."
"Yes, ma'am!"
The captain immediately sprang to his feet and resumed supervising the operation.
A moment later, one of the officers approached to report.
"Captain, we didn't find anyone else. But it looks like someone searched the kitchen before we arrived. Every cabinet has been opened, and everything inside has been taken out."
"A burglar?" the captain muttered. "What about the back door? Did anyone escape through it?"
"It was still locked. The children nearby also said they didn't see anyone leave through the back during this time."
"So the culprit got away before we arrived..."
He turned toward Christina with an ingratiating smile.
"Miss Fenelbia, with your renowned brilliance, what do you think the culprit was after? Please enlighten us."
Like someone who bullied the weak but groveled before the powerful, the captain shamelessly sought her wisdom over something completely irrelevant.
Christina had met plenty of people like him.
"That's not important," she said coldly. "Find the hidden door first. We solve the Phinto Powder case before anything else."
To Christina, men like the captain were easy to command. They feared authority.
The captain immediately puffed up his chest and barked at his subordinates.
"You heard her! Search for the hidden door! Check every suspicious spot!"
"Yes, sir!"
Since Jacob and Grace had already emptied every cabinet while searching, the officers found it almost immediately.
"Captain! We found the hidden door! It's inside this cabinet!"
The moment Christina heard the report, she hurried into the kitchen.
Gripping the edge of the counter, she crouched down to inspect it.
Embedded in the floor was an iron ring attached to a concealed trapdoor.
After examining it, she stood back up using the counter for support, then took several steps backward and looked at the captain.
The captain hesitated.
"Miss Fenelbia..."
"What are you waiting for?" Christina said impatiently. "Get down there and arrest them."
She hadn't expected the police to be this slow to understand.
"Yes, ma'am!"
The officers immediately pulled open the trapdoor and climbed down the ladder one after another.
The ladder led to a hidden underground workshop.
Inside the secret chamber, a group of filthy-looking men were hard at work.
Some sorted raw ingredients.
Others ground them into powder.
Some sifted the mixture through fine screens.
Others weighed and packaged the finished product.
Suddenly, a bell rang overhead.
Everyone froze.
A fierce-looking middle-aged man shouted,
"The bell! Hurry! Hide everything!"
The workers immediately stuffed every piece of equipment and every bit of Phinto Powder into storage holes hidden throughout the room.
Just then, a young man with messy hair held up a hand.
"Wait... I hear voices."
He listened carefully toward the doorway leading to the ladder.
"...Stop packing! Run! It's not the warning bell!"
He could hear the police climbing down while shouting, "Move! Move! Move!" to each other.
Realizing the authorities had already arrived, he immediately ordered everyone to flee.
The older man instantly cast earth magic, breaking open a concealed wall that led to an escape tunnel.
Without another thought, everyone abandoned the workshop and sprinted for the passage.
As long as they escaped, they could always rebuild later.
But every one of them valued their own life above all else, scrambling to be the first to reach the exit.
The first man finally arrived.
He grabbed the doorknob and twisted it.
Then shoved.
Nothing.
"It won't open!"
"Break it down! Hurry!"
Several men immediately threw themselves against the door.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Again and again they slammed into it.
What they didn't know...
...was that they were trying to force open a door that would never open.