Camelot came out of his room again.
But this time he was wearing a suit.
He stopped in front of the mirror in the hallway and adjusted his collar.
It is an unusual fashion in this family to wear raincoats.
In the reflection, there was no longer the drunkard that Tatiana had told me about.
He looked like a true heir of a noble family.
Camelot went down to the first floor.
Arthur was still waiting for him in the hall.
«Father, I thought that after the Searchers left us, you would go to your room.»
The Viscount looked up.
For a few seconds, his face became thoughtful.
«Yes, I decided to look at your outfit first.
This suit suits you.»
«Thank you Father.»
Camelot stopped next to him.
«By the way, I have one question for you.»
«What do you want to know from me?»
«I wanted to ask about the Search Engine Studio.
Who are they?
I’ve never heard of them before.»
Arthur was silent for a while and then went to the window.
«It’s not surprising.
The Search Engine Studio is not an ordinary detective organization.»
«I noticed.
But how are they different from our family?
After all, our ancestors had something similar.»
Camelot recalled the pale faces of Ilard and Northed
«And they look like they’re investigating crimes after their own deaths.»
Arthur couldn’t help but chuckle.
«Many people say the same thing.
But in fact, Search engines are the people who find crimes, they don’t solve them.
Therefore, together with them, there may be a person who can solve the problem.
»
«Does this mean it’s okay?»
«For Search engines?
More than enough.
The studio has been around for several centuries.
They are able to fight magic, defend against it, and search.
But solving the problem is not their job, they can only make it worse.
They don’t catch criminals.»
Arthur turned around.
«And what’s the point then?»
«It makes sense.
They find what has been lost, stolen, or hidden.
Their methods are based on search magic.»
Arthur pointed to an empty spot where two Search Engines had been standing recently.
«Pendulums, monocles, special lenses, filaments, mirrors.
»
«Then what is it for them?»
Arthur paused.
«Each search engine specializes in a certain type of footprints.»
«And those two?»
«Ilard specializes in spatial footprints.»
Camelot recalled his words.
«Displacement magic was used here.»
«And the Northed?
Who is he?»
«He works with residual traces.»
«What does that mean?»
«With traces that are no longer there.»
Camelot thought about it.
«That’s why he understood about Tatiana.»
«Maybe.»
«And their titles?
He said he was a third-circle search engine.»
«The Studio has seven circles.»
«Seven?»
«Don’t interrupt.
The first circle is engaged in simple searches.
Missing things, people, the usual footprints.»
Arthur curled his finger.
«The second circle works with magic items.
The third is with events that have left their mark.»
Camelot remembered the broken window.
«So they’re quite serious specialists.»
«You’re right.»
Arthur looked at him.
«But there’s another reason why I turned to them.»
Camelot was immediately wary.
«Which one?»
«The Search Engine Studio once investigated one of the most famous cases related to the Canham family.»
Camelot froze.
«With our family.
What happened then?»
Arthur looked at the Canham crest on his clothes.
«The disappearance of an unfinished painting.»
Camelot felt a familiar tension.
«What was painted there?»
«No one knows for sure.
It’s like all our past ancestors have forgotten what she looked like.»
«What do you mean?»
«Because all the records about her were magically erased.
After the disappearance of that painting, several members of our family began to see strange things.
Some claimed to have heard voices from empty rooms.
Others said they saw people who never existed.»
Camelot…
«And what did the Searchers find?»
«They didn’t find anything.»
«At all?»
«They found a trail in the greenhouse, but it didn’t lead them anywhere.»
Camelot felt a silver grimoire appear by itself at the edge of his vision.
Several pages began to turn over.
[A match was found with current events.]
[ Object: Greenhouse.]
[Connection to unknown painting: Confirmed.]
Camelot smiled.
It looks like this story is getting more interesting.
But before he could ask any more, a horn sounded from outside.
Tru-oo-oo-oo!
Arthur turned his head sharply towards the window.
The first carriages appeared on the access road.
The council has finally arrived.
The trumpets sounded once more, and silence fell in the main hall of the manor.
The servants lined the walls, Arthur stood at the entrance, and Camelot was next to him, trying to keep a calm expression on his face.
The doors swung open.
Four people entered the house.
All four of them were dressed the same: floor-length red robes and tall red caps decorated with thin gold lines.
Camelot studied them for a few seconds.
The Council.
Although there are four of them, there are four different people among them.
The first was an elderly man with a long gray beard and heavy eyes.
The second one looked younger, but he was constantly frowning, as if he was dissatisfied with everything that was happening in advance.
The third was a woman with short dark hair and cold eyes.
The latter looked like the youngest of the four and was writing something down in a small red notebook all the time.
They hadn’t even managed to walk into the center of the hall when a man with a gray beard said with displeasure,
«So these are the current Canhams?»
Arthur bowed slightly to them.
«Welcome to the Canham Estate.
We are honored to take the Advice.»
«Don’t waste time on pleasantries, Viscount.»
The man looked him over.
«We didn’t come here for tea and gingerbread.»
Arthur remained calm.
«Of course you’re right.»
Camelot noticed that the woman from the Council was looking at the paintings on the walls.
But not with interest, but rather with disappointment.
«I heard that almost nothing has changed in the manor.» she said.
«We tried to preserve the legacy of our ancestors.»
«Legacy?»
She chuckled.
«All that’s left of it is the name.»
The room became even quieter after her outrage.
Camelot felt Arthur stiffen slightly.
«Please don’t draw conclusions before the inspection begins.» he said calmly.