Chapter 76: Disappeared
The two of them headed toward the Academy district together.
Elias was also planning to register for the examination, so he was extremely enthusiastic. Along the way, he kept telling Lathel every rumor he had heard from a baker, a carriage driver, and even an old man who claimed he had once worked as an Academy guard, only for it to turn out that the man was actually selling hair-growth medicine.
Lathel only heard about half of it.
The other half of his thoughts were still occupied by Catrina.
Until a black carriage suddenly stopped beside the road.
Elias also stopped talking.
The carriage door opened. A pair of slender legs stepped down first, followed by a familiar cloak and dark purple-black hair that shimmered slightly beneath the sunlight.
Kiyome.
The moment she stepped out of the carriage, she looked at Lathel, and her gaze first stopped at his neck.
It lasted only a moment, but Lathel still noticed.
"Looks like you’re not with Catrina today."
Kiyome smiled.
Lathel did not answer that. Instead, he took out his writing board and wrote:
[Were you looking for me?]
"You could say that."
Kiyome walked closer.
Elias, standing beside Lathel, looked at her, then at Lathel.
"Your friend?"
Before Lathel could write anything, Kiyome answered:
"Not necessarily."
Elias nodded very seriously.
"Then not yet."
Kiyome: "..."
Lathel lowered his head to hide the corner of his mouth.
Kiyome looked at the two of them for a moment before finally deciding to ignore Elias and asking Lathel:
"You’re going to the Academy?"
He nodded.
"Registering through the normal process?"
Lathel nodded again.
Kiyome slowly took a small silver-white card from inside her cloak. The emblem of the Church was engraved on its surface.
"Then you’ll have to wait at least three days for an identity check, followed by another round of basic evaluation." She raised the card. "I can take you inside today."
Elias immediately asked:
"For free?"
Kiyome turned to look at him.
"Is anything in this world truly free?"
Elias thought very seriously before shaking his head.
"No."
He even raised the remaining bread in his hand.
"Bread costs three coins too."
Kiyome decided not to continue talking to him.
She looked at Lathel.
"You’re looking for Soul-Anchoring Grass, aren’t you?"
Lathel immediately raised his head.
It was the first time since Kiyome appeared that his expression had visibly changed.
Seeing that reaction, she knew she had chosen correctly.
"The Garden of Eden has it."
Lathel immediately wrote:
[You know Leviana needs it?]
"I know more than you think."
Kiyome smiled faintly.
"But the Soul-Anchoring Grass in the Garden of Eden is not sold outside. Even great nobles cannot simply buy it with money."
Lathel already knew part of that, so he did not ask further.
He only wrote:
[Condition.]
Kiyome raised an eyebrow slightly.
"You’re not going to ask whether I can really help you first?"
[Condition first.]
The smile on Kiyome’s lips became clearer.
"You’ve changed."
Lathel did not like that sentence and simply continued staring at her.
Kiyome finally raised the silver card.
"I can take you through a side gate and introduce you to someone with the authority to grant special auditing status. If you pass the test, you can access the outer Academy area today."
She paused briefly.
"In exchange for one favor."
Lathel frowned.
[What favor?]
"I haven’t decided yet."
He immediately wrote:
[No.]
Kiyome: "..."
Elias, standing beside him, nodded.
"I also think that sounds suspicious."
Kiyome looked at the two of them.
One mute.
One idiot.
For some reason, standing together made her feel as though the two were deliberately joining forces to make things difficult for her.
She slowly exhaled.
"Fine. I’ll change the condition."
Kiyome looked at Lathel.
"You only need to come with me to the testing location. If what I said is false, you may leave. I won’t ask you to sign a contract, hand over any property, or do anything at all before confirming your right to enter the Academy."
She tilted her head slightly.
"How about that?"
Pandora immediately spoke.
"Something smells wrong."
Lathel thought:
’I know.’
"And you’re still considering it?"
’Soul-Anchoring Grass.’
Pandora fell silent.
That was exactly the problem.
Leviana could not wait forever.
Lathel looked at the silver card in Kiyome’s hand, then toward the Academy gates far ahead.
Finally, he wrote:
[I’ll go.]
Kiyome smiled.
Elias immediately pointed at himself.
"What about me?"
"You use the main gate." Kiyome answered naturally. "This is a special introduction. Only someone with a guarantor can enter."
Elias frowned.
"I can wait outside."
Lathel immediately wrote:
[Register first.]
Then he added:
[I’ll meet you inside.]
Elias looked at him. He was clearly still somewhat uneasy, but in the end he nodded.
"All right."
He pointed at Kiyome.
"Don’t bully my friend."
Kiyome: "..."
Lathel lightly tugged Elias’s clothes before he could say anything else.
Kiyome turned and stepped into the carriage.
Lathel followed.
The door closed, and the carriage slowly rolled toward the western side of the Academy.
Elias stood by the road and watched it for a very long time before finally turning toward the main gate.
...
Around the same time, Catrina opened the door to Lathel’s room.
No one was inside.
She stood still.
Her gaze first fell on the silver chain lying on the floor.
The lock had been opened.
The bed was empty.
Lathel’s small bag and the writing board he usually carried were also gone.
Catrina did not ask immediately.
She simply stood there for several seconds before slowly turning toward the female knights behind her.
"Where is Lathel?"
No one answered.
Her voice remained very calm.
"I asked..."
The eyes behind her mask gradually turned cold.
"Where is he?"
The female knight who had unlocked the chain stepped forward and knelt down.
"I let him go."
The air in the corridor seemed to freeze.
Catrina stared at her for a very long time, while the female knight only lowered her head.
"I am prepared to accept any punishment."
The mana around Catrina began to fluctuate.
Her fingers at her sides slowly tightened.
But at that moment, she noticed the paper on the table.
Catrina walked inside, picked it up, and read.
[I’m not running away.]
That first line alone made her fingers pause.
She continued.
[I simply can’t continue staying somewhere I don’t have the right to decide whether I can leave.]
Catrina’s breathing slowly calmed.
[I’m going to the Magic Academy.]
[When both of us are calmer, I’ll talk to you.]
Then the final line:
[Don’t hurt the person who opened the door for me.]
Catrina stood completely still.
The mana that had been fluctuating around her body gradually disappeared.
The female knight remained kneeling outside the door.
Only after a very long time did Catrina fold the note.
"Raise your head."
The female knight obeyed.
Catrina looked at her.
"You disobeyed my order."
"Yes."
"You released someone I ordered you to keep."
"Yes."
"You understand the consequences?"
"I do."
Catrina fell silent.
Then she said:
"Stand up."
The woman froze.
"Your Grace?"
"I said stand up."
The female knight slowly rose to her feet.
Catrina looked at the chain on the floor.
When she spoke again, her voice was very low.
"You did the right thing."
The entire corridor fell completely silent.
Even the Black Rose captain showed surprise.
Catrina tightened her grip on the note.
"The one who was wrong..."
She paused.
"...was me."
Then Catrina turned around.
"Prepare the carriage."
The captain immediately asked:
"Where are we going?"
Catrina looked at the words on the note one more time.
"The Academy."
She walked outside.
"I want to see him."
...
Catrina arrived at the Academy less than half an hour later.
Before the carriage had even fully stopped, she had already stepped down.
Two Black Rose female knights immediately followed her, while the captain quickly handed a crest to the guards as soon as she left the carriage.
"Duchess Catrina Veyr."
The moment they heard the name, the expressions of the two gate guards immediately changed.
No one dared stop her.
Catrina walked straight into the reception area.
It was more crowded than she had expected.
Dozens of young people were lining up in front of the registration counters, while parents and servants gathered around the outer area. Constant conversation filled the hall, making it quite noisy.
She did not care.
Catrina walked directly to the nearest counter.
A woman wearing an Academy robe immediately stood.
"Your Grace..."
"Lathel."
The woman paused.
Catrina placed the piece of paper containing his name on the counter.
"Lathel Kirlinghalm. Around twenty years old. Black hair. Unable to speak. Did he register here today?"
The woman immediately lowered her head and checked the list.
One minute passed.
Then two.
Catrina remained still, but the hand by her side had already begun tightening.
Finally, the staff member raised her head.
"I’m sorry, Your Grace. There is no one named Lathel Kirlinghalm on today’s list."
Catrina did not react immediately.
"Check again."
"Yes."
This time, two people searched through the registration ledger, visitor list, and recommendation list together.
Nothing.
The staff member began to grow nervous.
"He truly isn’t here."
Catrina looked at her.
"Other gates?"
"There are three side gates, but every visitor entering through them must be recorded."
"Check."
"Yes."
...
Ten minutes later, the result was still the same.
Nothing.
Catrina stood in the middle of the hall, her face behind the mask paler than usual.
The note Lathel had left was still in her hand.
It clearly said:
[I’m going to the Magic Academy.]
He had no reason to lie.
Lathel had wanted to come here for a long time.
Leviana needed the Soul-Anchoring Grass, and Lathel himself wanted to learn magic.
If he left the estate, the Academy would definitely be the first place he came.
Yet his name appeared nowhere.
"Your Grace."
The Black Rose captain quickly approached.
"Our people have already checked the southern and northern gates. There’s no sign of Lord Lathel."
Catrina immediately turned her head.
"The western gate?"
"They’re checking it now."
"How long?"
"About five more minutes."
Catrina did not wait.
"Too long."
She immediately started walking.
"I’ll go myself."