Chapter 21

Olivia and the others returned to the surveillance building with the trash from Tiana's room. They couldn't spread the trash out in Tiana's room, after all.

On the table in the surveillance building's living room, they spread out the scraps of paper that had been in the trash can. There were about three crumpled papers, all of which appeared to be hand-drawn maps of the White Rose Palace, presumably written by Tiana. The maps had numbers on them, and while the maps were the same, the numbers were different.

"Do you have any idea what these numbers mean?"

When asked, Nis sighed, placed his hand on his chin, and after thinking for a moment, muttered, "Maybe..." and hurriedly left the room. When he returned, he brought a bundle of papers that were closed in a booklet. He compared the papers from Tiana's trash can with the booklet and nodded, saying, "I understand."

"These are the locations and the number of prisoners assigned to the excavations, as well as the number of surveillance officers monitoring them. The locations change about four times a day."

"Can I see it?"

The booklet Nis brought was not a map but a list of prisoner numbers and their assignments. It also included the times and locations for each day. The locations changed every two weeks, and the numbers of prisoners assigned to the locations on Tiana's hand-drawn maps matched. However, it was strange that there were only three sheets of paper in Tiana's trash, one less than the four shifts per day.

"…I only took a quick look, so I apologize if I'm wrong. Isn't the last… the evening shift missing?"

There seemed to be two shifts in the morning and two in the afternoon. Looking at the papers in Tiana's trash can, they appeared to be maps of the first morning and afternoon shifts.

"Yes, you're right. The last afternoon shift is missing."

"Tiana's prisoner number was 214, right? So, the last area she was assigned to would be Area 8… right?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"The location of Area 8 is far from the surveillance officers, isn't it?"

"Yes. The surveillance officers are mainly stationed at the exits to prevent escape. From here, you can leave this side, but on this side, you would have to move towards the center, where there are no exits."

"I see…"

As Nis said, the entrance and exit of Area 8, where Tiana was last assigned, had only one entrance. The other side led to the center, where the royal family lived. Originally, there was a wall that prevented access to the center, but part of the wall had collapsed, allowing access to the center.

"Tiana's first afternoon shift was in Area 7, right next to Area 8, wasn't it?"

"Yes. In the afternoon, there's only a short bathroom break, so we move them to nearby areas."

"How long is the break?"

"Twenty minutes."

"Can everyone go outside during that time?"

"Yes, most prisoners go outside."

The break was twenty minutes. In that short time, it would be impossible for Tiana to escape the surveillance and leave. However, since Tiana was not seen at the end of the excavation, it was reasonable to assume she disappeared during the break or while excavating in Area 8.

"Can you take me to Area 8?"

When Olivia asked, Nis looked confused and looked at Alan and Silas for help.

"Well… the prisoners are currently excavating…"

He probably thought it was inappropriate to bring a noble lady close to the prisoners. Alan and Silas also seemed to be struggling with the decision.

"I want to go now. If possible, I'd like to talk to someone who was excavating in Areas 7 and 8 with Tiana…"

"You want to talk to the prisoners!?"

Nis's eyes widened. Alan pressed his forehead and looked up at the ceiling, while Silas chuckled.

"Olivia has a strange kind of courage, which is troublesome."

Silas said this while peering at the hand-drawn map Tiana had made that Olivia was looking at.

"Olivia is right; it is a point of concern…"

"Even if we say so, she won't listen. Nis, I'm sorry, but could you bring one of the prisoners who worked with Tiana on the excavation, preferably someone with good behavior? And Olivia, you must not ask the prisoners working on the excavation any unnecessary questions. You tend to get distracted by unusual finds and forget your purpose."

That was a harsh comment. But, she had to admit, she might indeed do something like that when she got excited.

"Olivia, you can only ask questions to the prisoner Nis selects and brings. Do not talk to the prisoners who are currently excavating. Understand?"

Even Silas was giving her a lecture as if she were a small child.

Olivia, though somewhat dissatisfied, nodded obediently to avoid being forbidden from going.