Chapter 35: 35

Chapter 35

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Naturally, the Academy was a mess.

It was one thing for a student to go missing, but it was another for two students to simultaneously disappear, with one of them being the Imperial Prince himself. And considering the circumstances were kidnapping, the buzz was all the louder for it.

Occasionally there would be a minor incident, like a student getting lost, the odd fire getting out of hand, or maybe an injury at most. But never something this big.

To say the Academy might have to shut down for good if they couldn’t find the missing Prince by the end of the day would be no exaggeration. And since this was an incident involving the Prince, they were ready and willing to search all night if need be.

But the rain was intense, and wouldn’t stop until early dawn, so the search commenced at that time.

And to their luck, the Prince was found without injury. They were panicking about the rain all night, but the Prince was found resting calmly in an abandoned cabin in the middle of the forest.

That small cabin was filled to the brim with professors, the search and rescue team, even Dottir who came along. The members of the search team bowed and showed their respect.

[Professors] “Prince, you’re alright!”

[Dottir] “Your Highness……”

The professors got a word out before Dottir. Dottir had been losing his mind the entire night, on the verge of collapsing entirely out of worry for the Prince he failed to protect. Their nerves were all so frayed that the professors made the mistake of calling out his title rather than his name.

Their reaction was so much that the search party had no choice but to remain kneeling as well.

Lexus gave a slight frown, then vaguely gestured his hand. The search party had keen eyes, and immediately took that as a sign to stand up, quietly moving to their feet.

[Professor] “We were all so nervous. We had a feeling something terrible happened to you, so we really—”

[Lexus] “Shouldn’t you be worrying over the student who actually went missing instead of me?”

[Professors] “Oh……”

Slowly, the panicked professors turned to Valentia, who was quietly standing next to Lexus.

[Professors] “Then, are you alright, Miss Valentia?”

[Valentia] “Yes. Thanks to Mister Lexus, no harm came to me.”

For reasons unknown to the others, Lexus awkwardly covered his mouth with his hand.

He just felt a little weird for a second. Hearing Valentia refer to him as “Mister Lexus” was just a little strange. Though, obviously she couldn’t call him anything else right now since the professors were present.

[Professors] “It is good that you’re unharmed. Can you tell us what happened? Who kidnapped you? Do you have any idea who may have done this?”

[Lexus] “Enough.”

As the questions started pouring out, Lexus cut them off.

[Lexus] “Save your questions for later. She needs to rest.”

[Professors] “Ah….”

[Lexus] “Besides, we’ve got no energy left since we’ve been suffering in the cold all night and we haven’t eaten a thing. And I’d rather not stay in this stuffy old cabin any longer, so we should just get moving, right?”

His voice was soft like he was just giving a suggestion, but there was no doubt about it—this was an order.

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The rest of the students already went home. The storm was getting out of hand and since such a terrible incident occurred, it was only right they were sent off on their way. As it became more well known, the noble families sent carriages to take their heirs home before they even reached the capital.

Under the armed escort of the knights sent to assist the search, Valentia returned to the capital in a luxurious carriage, the likes of which she’d never experienced before. The carriage was a comfortable ride, but her mind felt very heavy.

[Valentia] “This might end up being a little troublesome.”

[Lexus] “Definitely. But don’t worry about it. They won’t bother you.”

The way he said that made it sound like he was going to make sure that nothing bothered her after this.

The situation was so unusual that even after Valentia arrived at the capital, she wasn’t allowed to return home immediately and the Academy was temporarily closed pending an investigation into the incident.

Honestly, right now, Valentia was more desperate for a bath than a meal, and luckily, they were considerate enough to allow her that. After being given the chance to soak in the warm water and wash her body, the fatigue she’d built up overnight seemed to go away just a bit.

After her bath, she was finally ready to eat. She felt a little hungry, and the light soup she had was easy on the stomach. Valentia slowly ate all that was prepared, including a dessert. She needed to stay well in preparation for the incoming investigational procedures.

Once that was done, someone came to pick her up. Not only was the Principal and a few key professors present, but also a couple of investigators from the Imperial Palace—likely there because this incident involved the Imperial Prince.

[Investigator] “Clearly you cannot even manage your own Academy.”

[Principal] “Just what exactly do you mean by that?”

[Investigator] “If you could, you would’ve realized sooner than a student had been kidnapped. Guaranteeing the safety of the students should be your first and foremost priority.”

[Investigator] “Furthermore, the Imperial Prince was the one who rescued the student in question. In what world does that make a lick of sense? If anything were to happen to His Highness, we would have the most unfortunate task of explaining this to His Majesty.”

[Principal] “But within the Academy, the Prince is also a student, and he…”

[Investigator] “So no matter what befalls the Prince, you wish to treat him as any old student? Is that what you are trying to say?”

The investigators wanted to hold the Academy accountable for what happened, clashing fiercely against those who disagreed. Watching this whole squabble unfold, Lexus spoke out.

[Lexus] “Why are we talking about me right now?”

Somehow, they felt a little guilty when he indifferently jabbed at them like that.

[Principal] “Ah.”

[Investigator] “Tch.”

[Lexus] “How come none of you are mentioning the victim who was actually in danger?”

[Investigator] “But punishment should be meted out to those who failed to maintain your safety.”

[Lexus] “It was my own fault for moving in first without informing anyone of the situation.”

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[Principal] “Your Highness…..”

Members of the Academy board seemed a little touched by Lexus somehow managing to turn the situation around.

[Lexus] “I acted impulsively and without any information because I thought a fellow student I was close to was in danger. You shouldn’t be wasting time talking about me. Rather, just think of me as someone who doesn’t exist.”

It was only then that they actually turned to the victim of the kidnapping. With eyes on her, Valentia swallowed back a bitter smile.

[Investigator] “We are glad you are alright, Miss Valentia.”

[Valentia] “Yes, thank you. I apologize for making everyone worry.”

[Investigator] “You did not intend for this to happen, Miss Valentia. Do not worry.”

They asked her questions similar to what they asked Lexus.

Things like if the person who attacked her held any grudge against her or if she knew the perpetrator. But as the questions started to grow in both length and intensity, Lexus did not hesitate to shut them down.

[Investigator] “But I have to ask—why you, Miss Valentia?”

[Valentia] “I’m sorry?”

[Investigator] “You have a bit of a reputation when it comes to your behavior. I heard you don’t get along very well with your fellow students.”

Valentia’s expression stiffened.

[Lexus] “Why are you asking that kind of question? Are you trying to place blame on the victim? What, so if someone has bad behavior, suddenly it’s okay for someone else to put out a hit on them? That it’s okay for them to die? Or are you insinuating she’s done something worthy of death? What kind of question is that?”

With a displeased expression, Lexus immediately pushed back. The investigator averted his eyes, quickly quieting.

[Investigator] “I misspoke.”

[Lexus] “Be more careful in the future.”

[Investigator] “Do you remember the perpetrator’s face?”

[Valentia] “Yes, I remember.”

[Investigator] “That is good to hear. Can you help us with a composite drawing?”

[Valentia] “Of course.”

[Investigator] “Once the sketch has been completed, we will inform the National Policing Agency and put out a warrant for their arrest.”

But just as things were about to quietly come to a close, Lexus stepped up again.

[Lexus] “A student almost got kidnapped, and you’re just going to end it there?”

[Investigator] “I’m sorry? What do you mean?”

[Lexus] “Out of all students, one in particular was targeted. If you leave things as they are, won’t something like this just happen again?”

[Investigator] “I, I suppose so.”

But there was no clear answer to be had.

[Investigator] “But it would be against school guidelines to give any student preferential treatment.”

[Principal] “And we must also take into consideration the balance of equality within the student body.”

[Lexus] “So you’re trying to tell me she needs to take care of herself and find a way to secure her safety on her own, is that it?”

No one could answer that either, but eventually they were starting to understand his words. The Prince was taking personal responsibility for failing to ensure his own safety at the time of the event, but that meant that the Academy needed to solve the issue of the remaining student’s well being. themselves.

[Principal] “There were mistakes made on the part of the Academy, so we will take responsibility for Miss Valentia’s safety. We will leave a reliable bodyguard with you until the perpetrator has been caught.”

[Lexus] “How fortunate. The Academy is willing to give you a bodyguard. That’s a relief.”

[Valentia] “Thank you.”

They were being forced into it, but she was grateful all the same. There was no chance the Baron would afford someone to keep her safe.

It was also good that Lexus was the one who pushed the Academy for it, considering Valentia thought an armed force protecting her would’ve made her stand out too much, and certainly would not have asked for help herself.

[Principal] “Now the question remains about whether or not we’ll continue the outdoor circuit in the future.”

[Investigator] “The natural course would be to dismiss it entirely, no?”

[Principal] “I would like to know what you think, Miss Valentia.”

[Valentia] “What I think?”

[Principal] “I’d like to hear things from a student’s point of view.”

Valentia thought for a moment.

[Valentia] “It’s a tradition, but we cannot rule out the possibility that too many people are involved in it, and it’s far too easy for unknown individuals to blend in with the crowd.”

[Investigator] “Exactly. So….”

[Valentia] “So I think it would be better to do it properly rather than get rid of it entirely.”

[Investigator] “Excuse me?”

[Valentia] “We should ban the use of servants and outsiders in the event, only utilizing those who have had their identities verified previously. And in accordance with the original intention of the event, the students should be the ones to handle everything. Rather than keep it in name only, I don’t think that’s a terrible idea.”

That was the conclusion she came to after thinking about it. 

It would be good to learn some useful skills. No one could predict the future and anything could happen, so she thought it would be helpful if she knew how to do things on her own, like making a fire.

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It was something she learned because of Lexus. Without him, even if she somehow managed to survive and make it to the cabin on her own, she would never have been able to keep herself warm. She would have helplessly trembled in the cold, leaving only a blue corpse behind.

[Principal] “Then let us take Miss Valentia’s opinion into deep consideration. Our meeting has concluded.”

And that was how this horrible incident was wrapped up.

And it was on that very day, a fire occurred in a house near the outer edge of the capital. The incident was covered in the smaller news publications, but overall, few were interested in the story of the house’s owner since there were no casualties.

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