Chapter 79
A midnight search had begun. A different kind of clamor, unlike the bustling daytime filled with students, echoed through the darkened Sancennes Academy. While the search was underway, I left the on-site command to Filgret and sat across from Juliana in the Chancellor's office. Juliana's face was a mask of blatant displeasure, as if she were being subjected to some grave injustice. Yet, this could hardly be called a commotion. A noble holding a proper title, young as he might be, had gone missing. It would be far stranger not to conduct a search. Juliana spoke, her voice laced with irritation.
"Is all of this truly necessary, Princess Sera?"
"Whatever do you mean?"
"He is merely an orphan of commoner origin, is he not? He was never of the right stock to set foot in the noble world to begin with. Perhaps he finally realized he was out of his depth and simply ran away?"
I was momentarily speechless at Juliana's sheer audacity. It was a load of nonsense so profound I hardly knew where to begin refuting it. William Roberts had inherited his noble status through perfectly legitimate procedures, and the disappearance of such a figure was undeniably a grave matter. But then, Juliana's words were never rooted in logic to begin with. To the nobility, a commoner-born upstart receiving the protection of the royal family must have felt like an encroachment from both above and below. Her choosing abduction—showing no fear of clashing with me—might have been a reckless way of venting her deep-seated resentment toward this state of affairs. I offered her an angelic smile as I replied.
"May I take those words as an official statement from the Chancellor of the Academy and a representative of the Sancene family?"
"Of course, without a doubt. Every noble in this kingdom shares the same sentiment. Shouldn't we exterminate the maggots before the flies start swarming in earnest?"
Her casual, effortless crossing of the line began to kindle a spark of genuine anger within me. Maintaining my smile, I issued a warning.
"As you well know, I am William Roberts's official guardian. I shall take any insulting remarks directed at him as a personal affront to myself. I advise you to watch your tongue."
She flinched for a fraction of a second, but her eyes quickly hardened with hostility once more.
"Ah, yes, so you are. Yet, there are quite a few who harbor suspicions regarding that very arrangement. Why on earth would Graham entrust his precious heir's guardianship to you, of all people, rather than his other friends or relatives? Fufu, surely it cannot be, but there are rather scandalous rumors whispering of a secret tryst between Your Highness and the boy."
Even by the most generous standards, her words amounted to high treason. The escort knight listening beside me, unable to endure it any longer, reached for the hilt of his sword. I raised a hand to stay him and replied breezily.
"Fufu, one is free to imagine whatever they wish. However, the moment those thoughts leave your mouth, you must be prepared to bear the heavy consequences."
"Well... I believe that goes for both of us."
Every single word out of her mouth is utterly insolent. The only reason Juliana could behave so audaciously toward me was because she had something to fall back on. It wasn't just the backing of the Noble Council or Carmel. In the original novel, she possessed another identity besides being the Chancellor of the Academy. She was a powerful mage and the owner of a Grimoire. In the original story's twisted, depraved plotline, she had bonded with Carmel over this shared affinity. She had served as an accomplice, assisting Carmel in conducting all manner of perverted magical experiments on Princess Sera. The power of a mage who possessed a Grimoire was off the charts. She likely believed that a mere handful of knights posed no real threat to her. Such was the confidence that bled through her flagrant disrespect. Even if I were to fly into a rage and order her head struck off right here, she was certain she could somehow deflect, resolve, or simply overpower the situation. I had no intention of prematurely revealing my hand before I grasped the full scope of her plans. Just then, the door swung open with a bang, and Filgret returned.
"Your Highness, I have returned to report the results of our search. As of now, we have found nothing out of the ordinary."
"I see. You have done well."
Have they already smuggled him out? That was highly probable. Yet, he had to be somewhere nearby. Juliana spoke to me, a triumphant smile spreading across her face.
"It seems it was a false alarm after all, yes? There is no way such an incident could ever occur here at Sancennes Academy. For a princess to have such clouded judgment... Fuhut."
"It is too early to jump to conclusions, Marchioness Sancene. He may simply have been moved elsewhere. Furthermore... there is still one place we have yet to search."
"Do you no longer even trust your own knights? And where on earth might that be?"
Juliana's expression remained locked in a mocking sneer. I smiled thinly and pointed to the floor.
"Right here. Search beneath the very spot we are sitting on, Filgret."
"Ah...?"
The smug curve of her lips faltered. For the first time, a flicker of panic crossed Juliana's previously unflappable face.
"This is my private office where I conduct my duties as Chancellor. Naturally, there is nothing beneath it. If we are to go by that logic, you would have to tear up every floor and ceiling in the entire academy. Throwing a tantrum just because you found nothing is quite unbecoming, is it not?"
My, how her tongue wags when she's cornered. Ignoring her protests, I turned to Filgret.
"Tear it up, Filgret."
"Understood, Your Highness."
Filgret immediately barked orders to his knights, directing them toward the exact spot I had pointed out—the spot from which a faint trace of mana had been leaking for some time.
"Wait! I told you to wait! You wouldn't dare—"
Crash! The knights' swords struck the floor in unison, and the wood caved in with a heavy thud. A secret door, hanging loosely from its hinges, dangled beneath the newly made opening.
"And so, we have discovered a place we have yet to search. With something this suspicious right under our noses, we can hardly ignore it, can we?"
Juliana glared at me, her face contorted with rage. She seemed utterly at a loss as to how to handle this unexpected turn of events.
"Princess Sera... how did you know...? How did you know there was a hidden space here...?"
"It would be a grave mistake to assume that everyone within this academy is on your side, Marchioness."
"Ugh..."
Naturally, I threw out the lie to breed paranoia. I had only known something was down there because I sensed the trace of mana. Still, it was more than enough to sow seeds of doubt in her mind.
"Begin the search, Filgret. It is a mage's secret workshop down there. We do not know what traps or dangers might await, so proceed with the utmost caution."
"Yes, ma'am."
Just as they were about to descend the stairs leading down, Juliana, whose face had been sour as vinegar, stepped forward to block their path.
"What is the meaning of this, Marchioness Sancene? Surely you do not intend to obstruct our search even after we have uncovered such a place?"
"There is... nothing down there. I swear it upon my honor as a noble..."
Her tone has finally grown polite. Yet, the words themselves were not even worth listening to.
"Do you truly not grasp the gravity of the situation? As Viscount William Roberts's guardian, I have a duty to ensure his safety. If you persist in your resistance, I will have no choice but to authorize the use of force."
I gave a firm nod to the knights. They looked ready to shove Juliana aside and storm down the stairs at any moment.
"Wait, just wait! Fine! I will guide you down myself. To you, Princess... If you see it with your own eyes, surely you will understand."
"To me, personally?"
"Yes... I can prove to you beyond a shadow of a doubt that whatever is down there has absolutely nothing to do with this incident."
'If a mage invites you in, refuse them thrice.' It was a well-known proverb in this kingdom. Stepping into the workshop of a skilled mage was no different from walking straight into the belly of a beast. Thus, this was a transparent ploy. Though she wore a look of desperate distress, it was painfully obvious she was plotting something by drawing me and my strongest knights down into her domain. Even so, I smiled and accepted her offer.
"Very well, Marchioness. Since you insist so earnestly, it would be rude of me to decline. Lead the way."
For a fleeting instant, a sly, wicked smirk flitted across Juliana's face. She truly is a third-rate villain. Juliana descended the stairs first, followed by myself, Filgret, and two other knights. The subterranean chamber was roughly the same size as the room above. But while the Chancellor's office upstairs was a quiet, orderly study fit for a high-ranking official, this place was unmistakably a mage's workshop. Scrolls and various chemical ingredients were scattered across several desks. Inside transparent glass vessels, strange vapors rose and fell like a slow, rhythmic breath.
"You see? This is strictly a private space for my personal research, entirely unrelated to young William. Surely you are satisfied now? If so, we should—"
It was true that William was nowhere to be seen. And it did appear to be a workshop dedicated to magical research. Yet, if that were all it was, there would have been no reason to construct such a highly secretive chamber.
"Indeed. You were using this place... to research forbidden curses."
I spoke as my gaze fell upon a scroll unrolled across one of the desks. My eyes locked onto the illustration of a twisted, intertwined branch of mistletoe—the symbol of Mistylia.