The Missing Students
The sun was setting, just as it always did after a frantic day of seeing patients. Though, in this city, the thick smog made it difficult to tell whether the sun was setting or simply giving up, but the result was the same.
Once evening arrived, I climbed into the carriage driven by Otto and headed back to the estate.
“Good work today, Otto.”
“Please take care, Young Master.”
I acknowledged his greeting through the carriage window. Considering that eight years ago he had expressed his desire for us to “not get too close” with every fiber of his being, this was a massive improvement.
The moment I returned home, I headed straight for the kitchen. Today’s menu was boudin noir aux pommes—blood sausage, pan-seared and served with roasted apples, vegetables, and scrambled eggs.
When the finished dish was placed on the table, Father let out a hum of admiration.
“Julian, what is the main ingredient in this sausage?”
“It is pig’s blood. The nobility in the southwestern regions often make sausages from it.”
“Is that so? Thanks to you, Julian, I feel as though I’m traveling across the Empire right from our dining table.”
The reaction was positive. Ever since my engagement issue had been resolved, my parents no longer interfered with my cooking. It seemed the House of Eschenbalt, my new fiancés, didn’t mind that I cooked for myself. With that hurdle gone, my parents were now free to simply enjoy my food.
Clink, clink. To the left of my parents, sitting directly across from me, a small boy was locked in a fierce battle with his fork. It was Freed, who had turned seven this year.
“It’s yummy, Brother.”
Sausage, roasted apples, and scrambled eggs—it was a combination any seven-year-old would love, so his reaction was expected. The problem was the salad, which had been pushed to the edge of his plate.
Freed was slowly, surreptitiously nudging the vegetables toward the corner of the plate while pretending to reach for a piece of sausage with his fork. He seemed to think he was being subtle, but it was painfully obvious.
“Freed, I sautéed them in butter to make them taste better. Do you really dislike them that much?”
“Umm… sorry, Brother.”
Just then, Freya’s fork darted toward Freed’s plate. Swish. The salad that had been pushed to the corner was moved right back to the center.
“…Little Sister?”
“….”
Freya feigned ignorance. When Freed secretly pushed the salad back to the corner, Freya moved it back to the center again. I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to use physical enhancement magic against a seven-year-old, but the more the cycle repeated, the more Freed’s lower lip began to tremble.
Finally, the moment Freed’s hand hesitated over a carrot, Eri, who was sitting next to me, stood up and reached out with her fork.
Nom.
Before Freya could react, the salad had vanished. Freed’s face lit up with joy, while Freya’s brow furrowed in annoyance.
“Sister. You shouldn’t spoil Freed like this.”
“When you’re young, you should eat what you want. He’ll learn to eat his vegetables when he grows up.”
At Eri’s words, Freed beamed. “Thank you, Big Sister!”
Eri chuckled and ruffled Freed’s hair. “I’m only eating the carrots for you. You have to eat the spinach yourself.”
“Ugh…”
Freed slumped, poking at the innocent spinach with his fork, while Freya wore a look of triumphant victory.
Watching my siblings across the table, I steered the conversation elsewhere.
“Freya, the first year of the senior division is almost over, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Brother.”
“A year already. How has it been?”
“Honestly, it was a bit tough at first. The density of the classes is completely different from studying at home.”
Freya dabbed the corner of her mouth with a napkin. She was currently attending the Academy’s senior division. Usually, hereditary nobles didn’t attend the senior division because they didn’t have enough time to learn their family’s secret magic. Most only started attending the Academy once they reached the undergraduate level.
But Freya’s situation was a bit different.
“Law is difficult because there’s just so much to memorize.”
She wanted to become a judicial officer like Father, and our parents were supporting her dream. So, she was currently studying in the Law Department of the senior division, learning the laws of the Empire.
“Still, I met a great senior in my study group, so I was able to adapt well.”
“That senior’s name was Valeria, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. She’s scheduled to graduate this year.”
Valeria. The top student of the senior division’s Economics Department and one of my scholarship students. I remembered her because she was the sister of the Saint (candidate). It was a relief to hear that she was guiding Freya. Even setting aside her status as the Saint’s sister, she was a student with exceptional potential.
The interesting part was that I hadn’t specifically introduced them. Valeria had joined the student council for the sake of her career, and Freya had joined because she wanted to enter public office. They had simply hit it off and become friends naturally. When I first heard they were close, I felt the world was truly small.
“Freya, were you the head of the disciplinary committee?”
“Yes. Senior Valeria recommended me, so I think I’ll be the vice-president next year.”
It seemed Valeria had taken a liking to Freya. I wasn’t entirely sure why. ‘She never showed her true personality in front of me, so how would I know?’
I had grasped the personalities of my other scholarship students through several meals, but I still couldn’t pin down Valeria’s. Whenever we ate, she remained quiet and gave safe, neutral answers. There wasn’t a single clue to infer her character from. The only thing I had figured out was that she was a severe siscon—obsessed with her younger sister.
Just then, Father, who had been listening quietly, nodded.
“We should send a graduation gift to that Valeria’s house sometime.”
“Is that alright, Father?”
“Freya, she’s taken such good care of you. Surely we can show that much gratitude.”
I nodded as well. If Father sent a gift, Valeria’s mother would likely be pleased. I would send a graduation gift as Director Shun as well.
“By the way, does that Valeria have any thoughts of entering public office?”
At Father’s question, Freya shook her head.
“No. She says she’s planning to join the Merkur Merchant Guild as an apprentice accountant. She’s been receiving a scholarship from the guild, so she has to stay there for ten years.”
“It’s a shame, but it must be a good thing for her. They say many children are choosing to enter the Merkur Merchant Guild instead of public office these days.”
“Right? Isn’t it amazing? Let me tell you how incredible that senior is…”
Stars lit up in Freya’s eyes. She put down her fork, clasped her hands together, and leaned forward.
“Her internship was only a month long, but as soon as it ended, the guild master personally offered her a permanent position. To an intern! And she hasn’t even graduated yet!”
“That is certainly impressive.”
Freya’s voice grew louder and louder. I had felt it during the Foundation Festival, but this child became like this whenever she introduced someone else. If you asked her to introduce herself, she would speak in a voice like an ant, but when talking about someone else’s achievements, her eyes would shine as if they were her own.
‘Does she brag about me like that to others, too?’
That would be a bit embarrassing. Regardless, once Freya was fired up, she didn’t stop listing Valeria’s virtues. Thanks to that, I was finally able to get a rough grasp of the personality I hadn’t been able to decipher despite dozens of meals.
Before long, the meal ended. Father went up to his study first, and Mother followed with Freed to the second floor. Only Eri, Freya, and I were left at the table. I called out to Freya as she was about to stand up.
“Oh, Freya.”
I pulled a check from my vest pocket.
“Here’s your allowance. Buy some gifts for the people who helped you out at the end of the semester.”
This was all part of networking. It was a necessary task if she wanted to enter public office. Of course, she could have handled it with her own allowance, but that might not express enough sincerity. That was why I made sure to provide extra.
Freya’s eyes widened as she took the check with both hands.
“Brother, isn’t this a bit too much?”
“You need to buy a graduation gift for Senior Valeria, too. After hearing you talk, it sounds like you owe her quite a lot.”
“…Thank you, Brother.”
Freya folded the check politely and tucked it into her pocket. Eri, who had been watching with her arms crossed, shook her head.
“Teacher. Haven’t you lost all sense of money? Who gives an allowance in checks?”
“Then would you prefer your snack money in coins, Eri?”
“Now that I think about it, I can feel your heart in the amount written on the check, so I think it’s good.”
I gestured toward Eri with my chin.
“Come to think of it, today is the day for your transfusion, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s right, Teacher.”
“Come upstairs. I’ve prepared it with the heparin.”
Eri followed behind me. Freya, left in the dining room, bowed her head deeply to express her gratitude.
***
A few mornings later, the day was the same as any other. I went to the clinic, saw patients, left blood pressure readings and infection screenings to Eri, and ate lunch at Wangcho’s restaurant—it was a routine existence. Wangcho begging for his gout medication was the same as always, and me nagging him to cut out meat was also the same.
“Teacher, I can’t give up meat.”
“Then I can’t give you the medicine. I won’t be coming here as often soon, anyway.”
“But…”
“For your information, I’ve already informed the other healers of your face, Wangcho. They’ll nag you just as much as I do, so if you eat whatever you want just because I’m not here, you’ll be in trouble.”
“….”
It was while I was continuing my afternoon rounds that the magic communication device in the corner of the office rang. It was the Merkur Merchant Guild.
‘At this hour?’
Regular reports were scheduled for the weekend. It was rare for the guild to contact me on a weekday afternoon. With that doubt in mind, I turned on the device.
— [Young Master. My apologies, but I have an urgent report.]
It was the voice of the guild’s secretarial office. The tension in their voice was palpable.
“What is the matter?”
— [It concerns the scholarship students. Two of our foundation’s students have been unreachable for three days.]
“Unreachable?”
— [Yes. According to the Academy, they haven’t attended classes for two days. Their belongings are still in the dormitory, but the people themselves are gone….]
“What are their names? I have more than one or two scholarship students, you know.”
— [Ellie from the Department of Alchemy and Karl from the Department of Swordsmanship. And….]
“And?”
— [Though she is not a scholarship student, it is said that Lady Nihilit is also not seen at the Academy today.]
“Secretary.”
I took a deep breath and spoke to the secretary on the other side of the line.
“Dispatch the Ironclad Special Forces. Immediately.”