The plot thickened when Haruto's shadows overheard a critical piece of information: his former classmate, Akari, the healer, had become a reluctant guest of the King.
Wracked with guilt over Haruto's banishment, she had voiced her doubts publicly.
The King, fearing her influence, placed her under "protective custody" in a gilded palace suite, using her as a PR tool to show his "compassion" while secretly planning to force her into a marriage with his son to cement his legacy.
Haruto saw a dual opportunity: rescue an ally and deal a massive blow to the King's credibility.
The Guard orchestrated a daring, public rescue during a royal festival. Using shadow decoys and Sun Elf illusions, they made it appear as if Akari vanished into thin air in front of thousands of citizens, turning the King's propaganda event into a spectacle of his incompetence.