Linasien fell silent, staring blankly at the manacles on Lin's wrists. It took her a moment to stammer a response.

“Y-you were captured too?”

“Yep. Just as you see.”

While Linasien struggled to process the situation, Lin activated two Cosmos skills: Detect Presence and Trap Detection. Taking his time to scan the room, he found no surveillance devices or magical wards. Even though she’d been deposed, imprisoning a former imperial heir and a hero of the Demon Front with minimal guard presence spoke to the Shieldbearer’s overconfidence. Lin couldn’t help but chuckle.

“What’s so funny? Don’t you understand what’s going …