To attend the morning class, Laura von Adelheit silently walked from the annex building.
The quiet hallway of the annex felt strangely unusual. Had it always been this quiet?
Laura glanced at her antique wristwatch. It was 9:10 AM.
‘…What is this?’
Since the first class began at 9:30 AM, it was normal for students to be heading to the classroom from the annex at this time.
However, the hallway was oddly silent. The only sound echoing was the sound of Laura’s shoes.
Occasionally, muffled voices could be heard, but they were too faint to comprehend. Laura noticed that this change occurred shortly after she had faintly heard something akin to an explosion.
Having studied quietly in the soundproof library since early morning, she wasn’t sure exactly what that explosion had been like….
‘Could there be a fire…?’
Laura gazed out the window beyond the hallway. In the distance, two plumes of dark smoke were rising into the sky.
‘…It’s probably nothing.’
Feeling a bit anxious, she paused momentarily but continued walking. Fires occasionally broke out in the city, and nothing had happened at the academy. She dismissed it as unimportant.
“Was it a terror attack?”
“Yeah. I heard briefly that the professors running by mentioned that someone committed a terrorist act in the city.”
“Are they out of their minds? A terror attack right in the middle of the city….”
The corridor leading from the annex to the main building. As she rounded the corner, she saw students conversing, and she felt a slight sense of relief.
She had been somewhat anxious about the unusual atmosphere of the academy. She cautiously approached the students.
“Hey.”
“…Huh?”
“Hey, isn’t that Lady Adelheit?”
Since the grade-by-grade duel, more students recognized her face. Realizing they were all first-year students like herself, Laura asked.
“What do you mean, a terror attack?”
“Ah… didn’t you know? I heard there was a terrorist attack in the city.”
“We just heard a noise earlier and rushed out; we only caught bits of conversation, so we’re not sure.”
The students’ information was limited. Laura sighed lightly and nodded.
“Thanks. Then…”
Laura continued on her way. Her steps remained calm as ever.
Upon reaching the corridor heading toward the main building, Laura paused briefly when she noticed someone approaching from the opposite direction.
It was a person wearing dark blue maintenance clothing. For some reason, they had pulled their hat down low, but it resembled the appearance of a maintenance worker she had occasionally seen around the academy. Laura thought nothing of it and resumed her stride, passing by the worker.
“…Adelheit student! Adel—!”
Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in her ears.
“Should we split up and search?”
“It’s more dangerous to split up.”
“Ugh, really….”
The voice belonged to Professor Antorelli. Normally, his tone would have been a bit cooler, but for some reason, he was calling Laura’s name in a hurried voice.
Professor Antorelli’s voice came from around the corner heading toward the main building. As Laura turned the corner, she felt an involuntary shiver.
“Professor, who are you looking for?”
“Ah, student Chloe.”
Chloe. This was why she had appeared before Professor Antorelli. Laura’s steps toward him halted abruptly.
Grade-by-grade duel. The memory of that day resurfaced.
Although she had won the duel against Chloe, the humiliation of not achieving a decisive victory lingered. The way her father had watched Chloe with curious eyes.
Laura was unhappy with all of that. But what she could not bear more was.
‘Professor Antorelli, you….’
Even though Laura was the winner, Professor Antorelli’s gaze had been solely fixed on Chloe.
He had regarded her not just as a genius but as a student worthy of ‘recognition.’ The moment that acknowledgment had turned toward someone else.
“……”
Remembering that made Laura’s mind race. Putting her relationship with Professor Antorelli aside, she didn’t want to meet him now.
Later. After morning class, she thought she would go see him then.
At that moment, she turned to use another corridor leading to the main building.
– Click.
A hard and cold sensation pressed against her temple. The moment Laura felt it, her body froze reflexively.
A cold and heavy texture. Solid and carrying the weight of lethal intent. The shape of it flashed through Laura’s mind.
‘A gun…?’
A handgun, cold and menacing, aimed unerringly at Laura’s temple. The secrecy and precision of the action left her no time to even draw her cane.
She acknowledged she had been distracted by Professor Antorelli, but she never imagined she wouldn’t even feel a hint of presence. Slowly, Laura raised both her hands.
Satisfied with her compliance, a hoarse voice akin to sputtering phlegm spoke lowly.
“Wise choice. If you had shouted, I would have put a hole in your head right away.”
“…Do you really think you’ll get away with this?”
“Puhuhu…. Do I think I’ll get away with it? Of course not.”
Having allowed the ambush to unfold in an instant, Laura couldn’t even see the face of the assailant who had taken her hostage. The handgun in the assailant’s hand poked insistently at Laura’s head.
“But I have nothing more to lose. On the other hand, your father has a lot to lose.”
“My father…?”
“I intend to take everything from your father, just as he once did to me.”
The assailant’s laugh was unsettling. Laura longed to use magic to subdue him, but the way he held the gun was that of someone well-trained. It felt as if he had never put it down for years.
“And…. For a parent, there is no greater treasure than their child.”
Moreover, the rage laced in the assailant’s voice. Hatred that felt palpable.
Laura instinctively sensed it. If she even hinted at using magic, this assailant would have no qualms about blowing her head off. She realized that this assailant had little patience for anything.
“Enough chitchat. Follow me.”
Following the assailant’s gesture, Laura slowly turned her body. For now, following his orders was the best course of action.
– They said a terror attack happened in the city.
Suddenly, the words of the students she had encountered earlier came to mind. Laura’s complexion turned pale.
‘Could it be… this person is the terrorist….’
The explosion that had occurred in the city. The realization that the perpetrator was right behind her was staggering.
“Adelheit student! Where are you!”
Laura moved on, hearing the desperate call of Professor Antorelli.
Unaware that the assailant had flinched slightly at the sound of the professor’s voice.
“Damn it….”
I gripped my hair, a chaotic mess, and leaned my back against the hallway wall.
There was no sign of her. Nowhere to be found. Laura von Adelheit had completely disappeared.
I followed the students’ testimonies that claimed to have seen her coming out of the library.
I searched every nook and cranny of the annex where the library was located and wandered through the corridor leading from the annex to the main building.
But Laura was nowhere to be seen.
“Head Priest, she’s not here either!”
“There’s no sign of her here, either…!”
“Professor, shouldn’t we just split up and search….?”
“…….”
Chloe muttered uncertainly. I contemplated her words seriously, then shook my head.
The perpetrators were those who had committed the grave crime of bomb terrorism. With the safety of the academy at stake, splitting up was not a wise choice.
Whether it was from Chief Curbin or not, Dean Damian was quickly taking steps to evacuate the students to safety. However, the Caldera Imperial Academy was vast, perhaps overly so.
This meant that professors couldn’t evacuate all the students. They were doing their best to assist with evacuations through the school broadcast, but how effective that would be was uncertain.
If the instigator of this incident was Cesar, the sense of unease only intensified. Cesar was consumed with vengeance. This meant he was likely to lose his sense of judgment.
I couldn’t help but wonder if he would harm innocent students… but that was uncertain. Cesar’s deep-seated hatred knew no bounds.
Moreover, it was unclear whether this was indeed an act instigated by Cesar. I ran through the academy, informing every student I encountered of where to evacuate.
And still, I couldn’t find Laura. There were few reports of her being seen, and even when I went to the locations mentioned, there was no sign of her.
And if Laura had been caught by Cesar… the situation would spiral out of control.
“Damn it….”
My legs gave way. Slumping against the wall, I buried my face in my hands, taking a deep breath.
It felt hopeless. If I failed to find Laura, I…
‘…I promised.’
They are my students. Children I must protect, and no one can harm them. That was my path to atonement.
And Laura is my student. The fact that her father is the Duke of Adelheit is a separate matter.
Before, I had tried to convince myself of that while harboring vague feelings about it.
But when faced with the situation, it had become unequivocal. I must protect the students, and Laura.
“…Professor, I think we should head to the evacuation shelter first.”
“Y-Yeah. Head Priest. She might already be at the shelter.”
Professor Esther and Sofia the Sub-priest spoke to me, their faces anxious. They struggled to mask their own concern, yet their attempts to comfort me filled me with a lump in my throat.
I slowly raised my body. They were right. It was possible she had passed through the place we had left behind.
We hurried to the evacuation shelter, which was the auditorium where the first-year students had their entrance ceremony.
‘She better be there… please….’
It felt like my breath was held tight. The translucent barrier shrouding the auditorium finally came into view as we rushed ahead.
It appeared the academy professors had used magic. Without hesitation, I moved toward the well-protected auditorium.
Inside, countless students had gathered. Students looking around anxiously, and others, soft-hearted, bursting into tears in the arms of their friends.
I pushed through the crowd. Hoping Laura was here, I didn’t forget to call her name loudly.
“Laura von Adelheit! Are you here? Please respond!”
I searched for a long while.
No matter how much I called Laura’s name, there was no response. I couldn’t see her white hair anywhere.
After circling the auditorium three times, I had no choice but to acknowledge it.
Laura von Adelheit had vanished. My body, which had been weaving through the gathered students, came to a halt.
And upon realizing that fact, I felt it.
A sharp sensation. Intense hostility. And an ominous premonition that felt all too familiar. As I sensed it….
“Ah, no….”
It felt as though my heart stopped.
And then it happened.
– KWAANG—!!
From outside the auditorium, not far away, a deafening explosion echoed.
On the other end of the phone, the unbelievable news.
Upon hearing it, Maximilian von Adelheit suddenly realized he was sitting on the floor. Grabbing the receiver, Maximilian asked anxiously.
“C-Could you say that again…?”
[ …Your Excellency. A terrorist attack occurred in the city a short while ago. Our agents rapidly compiled the information and believe it was a targeted attack against you. The evidence left at the scene seems too staged, however…. ]
“…….”
[ Your Excellency. It’s anticipated that Laura von Adelheit is in danger. ]
The moment he heard those words from the Director of the Federal Intelligence Agency, Grace Kirk Coverain.
“A….”
Maximilian felt as if the sky was turning yellow.
