Chapter 194 – Prologue
Luke did not come to the fountain where we were supposed to meet up.
This fact made me more than a little restless.
This was a popular place for people to gather, especially at night.
There were others sitting and waiting by the edge of the fountain. However, they all eventually found the person they were waiting for, and left together.
Waiting there, alone, at the start of such a lively night. It was starting to chip away at my heart.
In the first place, he was the one to call me here. And to not show up? What did this mean?
As an adult, surely he could give her the courtesy of sending a message.
In conclusion, this was unforgivable.
For putting me through this, I am quite sure that it is necessary to give Luke an equal punishment.
(For starters, he can taste this fist.)
Also, he has to take responsibility for making me feel this strange emotion. Even if I don’t know what it is.
And so with this rage in my heart, I ate some steak skewers and fried potatoes that I bought at a food stall, and made my way home.
(Still, what if something happened…)
It really was unusual.
Indeed, he was not the kind of person that got along with others. But when it came to me, he was always quite serious, and tended to arrive at a promised place before I did.
In fact, during our long acquaintance, this might be the first time I was stood up.
(Maybe there was an emergency, and he was unable to come…)
After being promoted to Magus-rank, he would have a lot more duties.
Either that, or it could be related to his position as the heir of the Waldstein house.
I was a commoner, so it was not the same for me. He was in the center of a complex society of nobles.
There must have been something he could not avoid.
I imagined him, unable to come or contact me.
In my mind, he regretted it sincerely.
And so my heart felt a little less heavy.
(After one punch, we can have a little training bout, and I’ll feel better.)
I thought. But when I went to the royal palace the following morning, it was quieter than usual.
The 7th unit office that I shared with Luke.
The two empty leather-back seats that were placed apart from each other.
I had come half an hour early, and used the time to process the documents and stack them on his desk.
Eventually, there was a tower that nearly reached the ceiling.
I was satisfied. This was a good revenge.
I looked forward to seeing the shock on his face when he entered the room. As I waited, someone knocked on the door.
(That does not sound like him.)
I opened the door.
Ms. Leticia was standing there.
“Ms. Noelle. You’re early… Huh?”
“A tower of documents made by my wrath.”
“It certainly is tall.”
“It is very tall.”
Ms. Leticia looked like she wanted to say more, but she didn’t.
“Where is Captain Luke?”
That had such a refreshing ring to it.
Now that I thought about it, I had never heard her call him that before.
“Yes. He is not here yet.”
“That’s unusual. He is usually here by now.”
“Indeed. He should definitely be here.”
There was only ten minutes left before starting time.
“Perhaps he has relaxed too much, now that he is promoted.”
“I don’t think he is that kind of type.”
“But he was working hard all of this time in order to become a Magus-rank Magician. So this promotion is different compared to the others.”
It was a wish he had for so long, so perhaps the sense of accomplishment had made him forgetful.
Also, it could be burnout. Life was complicated, and sometimes there was some bad mixed in with the good.
As I had been working in a hellish magic artificer guild, it gave me the ability to be able to excel as a Royal Magician. So I knew that it was not easy, saying what was good or bad for a person.
“That is true.”
Ms. Leticia held a hand to her mouth thoughtfully. And then she said,
“Did he say anything to you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Anything that was unusual.”
My heart skipped a beat.
That night, Luke had been trying to tell me something.
Something special.
I didn’t know what it was, but it was clear that it was important to him.
“No, I wasn’t told anything.”
“I see.”
Ms. Leticia nodded.
“A lack of courage, perhaps.”
“Courage?”
“It’s nothing. Ms. Noelle, you should just continue to work normally.”
She then handed me a few sheets of paper.
“These are the necessary procedures for the promotion, so will you hand them to him?”
I nodded and accepted them, and with great respect, watched Ms. Leticia leave.
I then took off my boots, climbed onto the desk, and placed the papers on the top of the tower.
(That should do it.)
What kind of face will he make when he sees this?
Will he be surprised or exasperated?
Maybe he will be speechless.
(I’m starting to feel very excited about this.)
That moment when he steps into the room.
But he did not come.
I did my best to cover for him, so that things did not blow out of proportion.
“I’m sorry, but Luke seems to be running a little late. If you don’t mind, I will handle this for him.”
I took on his work while thinking about how he’d have to buy me dinner to make up for it.
And this happened over and over.
“Surely this is too strange? He’s more than an hour late now.”
Said Misha. And even I was starting to worry.
As a way of getting back at him, I had finished all of the work already. And so they should be able to deal with things if I left for the rest of the day.
“I’m going to go and check on him.”
And so I slipped out of the palace and headed to the Waldstein house where Luke lived.
It was a great mansion that was close to the center of the capital.
Behind the fence, there was a vast green field of grass.
I rang the doorbell.
A butler appeared, and I asked about Luke.
“Master Luke has not returned since last night.”
“Last night?”
My mouth felt dry.
I had a bad feeling about this.
“What time did he leave?”
“It should have been around 7 o’clock in the evening.”
Judging by the time, he must have left to meet up with me.
However, he had never shown up at the fountain.
(Maybe something happened to him.)
I quickly returned to the Royal Magician headquarters, and explained the situation to Mr. Gawain.
“I’ll search for him. Noelle, you go and report to Mr. Ernest.”
“Understood.”
The captain of the 1st Unit and the Director of the Central Administration Bureau. With President Chronos absent, he was the highest in command currently.
“I understand. I will send what personnel we can spare to join the search.”
“Please let me…the 7th Unit, participate as well.”
Mr. Ernest looked at me carefully.
After thinking about it, he said,
“I will permit it. You will lead them.”
“Thank you!”
With the help of the other members of the 7th Unit, we searched desperately for Luke.
If something happened to him, it must be on the route between his house and the fountain.
And so we followed his tracks and questioned people.
“Please. Can you tell us anything about this man?”
I showed him the photograph. The man, who was in his thirties, looked at it with a troubled expression.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know anything.”
“Thank you.”
However, no matter how much we searched, we could not find a single clue.
“That’s all for today. Thank you, everyone. Don’t work overtime. Resting is part of your job as well.”
I sent everyone home and continued the search myself.
“Please. Do you know anything about this person?”
“I’m busy right now.”
People turned away with cold words.
That was how things were in the city.
Everyone had their own troubles and doubts. Caring for yourself was the most you could manage.
Still, I had to do something.
I continued to search instead of sleep.
However, I still came out empty handed.
And time kept passing.
There was no progress until one night, a week later.
“Have you seen this person?”
I asked a tall man with a scar on his face.
“How would I know? I haven’t seen him.”
“Thank you.”
He took a few steps away and then stopped.
“…Wait. Let me see that again.”
I showed him the photograph.
His thin eyes narrowed even more.
“I think it was an alley near the central plaza. I saw someone who looks like this guy. He was being helped as he walked. I thought that perhaps he had drunk too much. But there was something strange.”
“Strange?”
“The sleeve of his coat was wet and dripping. It looked like it could be wine at first. But when I saw it under the light, it was definitely a different kind of red.”
He said.
“I remember thinking that it could be blood.”
I felt something cold flow from the back of my head.
Perhaps, things had been too good.
I knew that you never knew what the future might bring. But somehow, I just believed that our days would continue without much change.
And so this situation, and the possibilities that arose from it, put me in complete shock.
“Where was it that he was walking?”
“Sorry. I’m really busy now.”
“Pleaase. You have to tell me.”
And so he told me which back alley it was.
I focused my attention and searched for traces of magic energy.
However, I could not find anything that would give me a clue.
(It’s rained a few times since then.)
It took me a week to get here, and it seemed like all the traces had been washed away.
From the dim alley, I could see the entrance to the central plaza, lit up with magic lanterns.
(He was this close…)
Had I been here on that day, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.
I knew there was no point in regretting it now.
Even if I could return to that night, there was no chance of me coming here..
Still, I couldn’t help but think about it.
Surely there must have been something I could do.
And then he would still be here.
I heard footsteps.
Cold and mechanical.
“Ms. Noell Springfield.”
I turned around.
A middle-aged man was standing there.
He pulled out a pocket watch from his coat.
“I am from the 1st Unit of the Royal Magicians Order. Mr. Ernest and the other captains and vice captains have called for an emergency gathering. Please return to headquarters and head to the central meeting room at once.”
thanks for the chapter