#109
“Since when?”
“I definitely saw him after checking in the cafeteria this morning and returning to his dormitory room. When he didn’t come out even though the exam time had arrived, I came to the training ground first, but seeing that he’s not here either…”
I’m anxious.
I quickly looked toward Karn. His snickering laughter was irritating, as if something was greatly amusing him. Just as I was about to head toward Karn, Yutis grabbed my arm. With his back to Kuatrin, Yutis gestured with his eyes toward the First Prince in the distance. It meant that moving rashly now could draw the First Prince’s attention.
Though I wanted to move right away, I couldn’t. What should I do in this situation?
If it were Iria, the protagonist of this story, perhaps she would know what to do.
I looked at Iria, who was preparing for her match against Karn on the other side. Iria was putting forth effort for her own story. I couldn’t burden her with another load.
If someone concerned me and worried me, it was right for me to take responsibility.
“Let’s start by checking near the dormitory. Yutis, please search around the school.”
“Andelion.”
“It’s fine. My exam is over, and there shouldn’t be any problem with me leaving first.”
Though I said this, it wasn’t without risk. The very act of behaving differently from ordinary students increased the possibility of drawing attention. However, I couldn’t just sit and watch. There was no time for further deliberation.
I moved quickly, not giving Yutis a chance to stop me. As I rapidly walked, the faces of Mujin waiting for me in my room and the Duke who was continuing the political struggle day by day to gain power for our sake flashed through my mind. My selfishness could burden them both, perhaps even endanger them, but still, I couldn’t stop walking.
Thinking of them, I shouldn’t be doing this. But it felt like the best action I could take right now. If I didn’t move at a time like this, I felt I would become someone shameful to Mujin and the Duke.
Since he wasn’t in this area, I thought I should at least go to Tus’s dormitory room. It would be fortunate if Tus was still in his room. I quickly headed to his room. Finding Tus’s room wasn’t difficult. Most commoners’ rooms were clustered together, and there were nameplates on the doors, making it easy to identify whose room was whose.
I first knocked on Tus’s door and called his name.
“Are you in there? It’s Andelion!”
Despite knocking several times, there was no sign of anyone inside. I waited for a moment, but it seemed no one was there. It appeared he had already left his room. So he had disappeared on his way to the training ground…
I should have properly asked Karn, regardless of whether Kuatrin was watching. If I had just asked where Tus was, the matter could have been resolved easily. I felt regret. Just as I was turning around, wondering if I should ask Karn now, I saw Rikin entering the corridor.
It had been a really long time since I’d seen Rikin.
After he said he needed time, I had kept my distance from him. Moreover, since I had been avoiding Persis and Iria recently, I naturally hadn’t encountered Rikin either. He also looked surprised, probably not expecting to see me here.
“Oh, hello?”
Rikin spoke first. I bowed my head in greeting and tried to pass by him. Just as I was passing, he grabbed my arm.
“Didn’t you have an exam today?”
“It’s over.”
“Ah, is that so?”
I frowned slightly and looked at Rikin. I thought he would understand with that, but Rikin held onto my arm without letting go. I didn’t understand why he was doing this when time was of the essence. I turned my shoulder slightly to free my arm from Rikin.
“Please let go.”
“Is something wrong? Your face…”
“Nothing’s wrong.”
“Really?”
Listening to his voice repeatedly questioning me, I felt a bit annoyed. I bit my lip tightly and met his gaze.
“Didn’t you say you needed time?”
“That’s…”
“It seems you still need it, so please let go.”
I believed Rikin would release my arm if I said this much. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand why he was acting this way, but I didn’t need to constantly accommodate him. So I spoke as coldly as I could and waited for his reaction.
But even after a long while, Rikin didn’t let go of my arm. Caught in place, unable to pull my arm away, I couldn’t do anything.
“Really, this is…”
“I’m sorry.”
Thinking he wouldn’t be able to apologize if not now, Rikin hurriedly apologized to me. As the situation flowed in a way I hadn’t expected, I didn’t know what expression to make.
When my mana first started to go berserk, I had gone to Rikin and confronted him about his behavior. He apologized to me then too, but it felt different from now. I hadn’t expected to hear with a voice full of conviction what had been said with a confused face, unable to grasp the situation.
“At that time, I…”
“Rikin.”
I stopped Rikin as he was about to continue. I too wanted to talk more with Rikin and unravel our pent-up emotions, but now wasn’t the time. At this very moment, I couldn’t know what difficulties Tus might be facing.
“Let’s talk later. Not now.”
“Is something wrong?”
“I need to find someone. Have you seen a first-year student named Tus? He’s about my height or a little shorter. And he’s somewhat small…”
“Ah, that student you saved before?”
It was interesting that he remembered Tus as the student I had helped, when Iria had probably stepped forward more when Tus was in trouble. Anyway, Rikin also seemed to know about Tus. As far as I knew, third-year students had no exams or classes today and had free time. Then he might have encountered Tus in the dormitory.
“Have you seen him today?”
“No. I haven’t seen him… But I did see Karn’s group heading behind the dormitory.”
That’s it. I had a strong feeling.
“Thank you.”
I greeted Rikin and quickly walked away, taking advantage of the moment his grip loosened. I naturally thought Rikin wouldn’t follow me. The last time I met Rikin, he didn’t follow, so I expected the same this time…
“You don’t have to follow me.”
“There might be something I can help with. Besides, if I let you go alone, I’ll get scolded by Persis.”
“Scolded? Persis wouldn’t do that in the first place.”
At my words, Rikin looked at me as if I didn’t know something obvious. Somehow, there seemed to be a feeling of pity for me as well. I felt strange whenever Rikin acted like this. I knew people had different perspectives, but whenever we discussed Persis, our opinions diverged.
“Well, if you say so, then I guess that’s how it is.”
Rikin just brushed off my words and went ahead. It seemed he intended to stay with me until the end. Even if I told him he didn’t need to come, Rikin wouldn’t listen. In the end, I sighed and set out with him to find Tus.
Moving quickly to reach the back of the dormitory, we both looked around. We searched here and there, but there was nowhere that could hide a person. No matter who Karn was, he wouldn’t have done something to endanger Tus’s life, but one never knew when and where an accident might occur. Ominous thoughts followed one after another.
I frantically looked around and tried to think of spaces where someone could be hidden. Where would be a place that’s rarely visited and not easily noticeable, but that a noble student would know about? Despite trying to recall places within the school grounds, I couldn’t definitively name a place in my mind.
“He’s not here either… What exactly are you looking for?”
“Tus didn’t show up for the exam today. Something seems wrong, so I’m trying to find him.”
“What does him not showing up for the exam have to do with you?”
I couldn’t say anything in response to Rikin’s words. To tell him, I would have to start from when Tus first came to me asking for help. And I would have to tell about how I rejected the child’s desperate plea, but the words wouldn’t come out. I kept my mouth shut without saying anything.
When I didn’t speak, Rikin also sensed the mood and didn’t ask further. He had always been like that. If Rikin noticed I didn’t want to talk more, he wouldn’t press and would remain silent.
I couldn’t explain everything in detail, but I decided to convey what I could say with certainty.
“He might be in a difficult situation. There’s no way he would miss an exam without a reason.”
Though I didn’t know much about Tus, I knew he was a commoner and that every exam was important for him. Commoners had more at stake in this school than nobles. Their future changed depending on how they graduated from this school. No matter what kind of practical exam it was, there was no way Tus would have skipped it without a reason.
“Alright. Then, do you have any other place in mind?”
If Karn had come to this area, there must have been a place they would have headed to. What flashed through my mind then was the old school building where people rarely set foot. Among those, a place where people’s footsteps rarely reached…
“The basement.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
