"Levian's spellbook... has been found?"
Surprise etched onto Oliver's face.
Carol responded to Oliver's astonishment with a nod.
"A student named Luna Railer has it."
Oliver rubbed his chin and adjusted his glasses.
"Luna... Railer..."
"But why wasn't there any news? Something unique like that, word should have spread..."
Carol's statement made sense.
Typically, if professors find something unique, they'd usually document or share their research about it...
"Who's been keeping this quiet..."
A few names came to mind.
Notably, Cromwell and Mcguire.
These professors tended to act as they pleased.
They neither conformed to the Academy's rules, nor heeded the advice of the Vice Principal or their peers.
They pursued research in their own way and reveled in their eccentricities.
Still, the reason these professors were tolerated despite such behavior was due to their exceptional results.
As the Vice Principal, Oliver couldn't simply dismiss these professors.
Moreover, Principal McDowell favored these professors, giving them considerable influence within the Academy.
"Could it be them..."
Oliver rubbed his chin, furrowing his brows.
Now was not the time to worry about this.
Whether Cromwell or Mcguire had suppressed the information could be determined later.
The task now was to acquire Levian's spellbook.
It would surely cause a stir in the academic community.
A magical book that activates a magic circle with one's own mana.
It was an unprecedented invention and discovery.
He planned to exclusively control this technology, a technology that could revolutionize academia, with the Fred family and himself.
He can leverage this achievement to secure the position of Principal.
The he could deal with the problematic professors after assuming the Principal's role.
"So, what's the plan?"
At Oliver's question, Carol let out a sigh.
"...That's the issue."
"What is?"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"We initially planned to kidnap Luna Railer today."
Oliver frowned at Carol's words.
"Kidnap?"
The thought of abducting a student from the Academy wasn't a decision to be taken lightly.
The Academy was responsible for its students' safety.
The students were the Empire's future and the offspring of nobles.
If word got out that the Academy couldn't protect a student, it would lose credibility.
It was this trust that enabled the Academy to receive substantial support from the nobility.
This wasn't a trivial matter.
"Why not just steal the item?"
At Oliver's suggestion, Carol shook her head.
"We barely know anything about the spellbook. If Luna has a unique ability, and only people with this ability can use the spellbook, the research process will be significantly more complicated."
Oliver nodded in understanding at Carol's explanation.
That made sense.
If the item couldn't be used by an average person, numerous tests would be needed to figure out the unique attribute.
Such experiments wouldn't just be expensive, they'd also be time-consuming.
"So, what was the initial plan?"
"We thought to use mercenaries."
"Mercenaries?"
"The plan was to hire mercenaries to start a fire at the dormitory and create chaos. In the confusion, we'd take Luna Railer. It would appear as though Luna Railer died in the fire."
But there was an issue with this strategy.
"Luna Railer is a top-notch wizard. Even other professors notice her. And you think she would die from just a fire?"
Carol responded to Oliver's question with a smug grin.
"Isn't Principal McDowell absent?"
"You expect me to handle it?"
Oliver tightened his fist.
He was hinting that he should bear all the responsibility.
"Who do you think you are to make that decision?"
Carol smiled at Oliver.
"Have you forgotten who put you in your position?"
Upon hearing this, Oliver's eyes widened.
"You're not suggesting... the Astria family is involved, too."
Seeing Oliver's reaction, Carol grinned and clapped his hands as if he had an idea.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"Oh, but Rudy Astria messed up our plan. Why wouldn't he cooperate, being part of the Astria family?"
"You mean that kid? Isn't it obvious? No matter how capable he is, there's no way Ian Astria would tell him about it."
"Huh?"
Carol voiced his confusion, but Oliver didn't elaborate.
"Well... you don't need to know that."
Carol frowned at his words, but he continued.
"So, should we rehire the dismissed mercenaries?"
Oliver wasn't a fan of this plan, but since it was an order from the Astria family, he had to comply.
If he failed to follow the Astria's instruction, his downfall would only be a matter of time...
And if Astria were involved, the disappearance of a mere baron's daughter would be hushed up without any fuss.
"Proceed as planned."
A little while passed.
"Yaaawn...."
Robert yawned in his lab.
Today was Professor Robert's day on duty.
That's why he was still at the academy, well past his usual leaving time.
However, it was about time to go.
Being on duty just meant he had to stay at the academy until 10 pm.
Feeling hungry, Professor Robert rubbed his belly.
"Hmm... I might indulge in a drink tonight, for a change."
However, it was late.
He could go to a bar for a drink, but no liquor stores would be open at this hour.
He was also concerned about the potential hangover the next day if he drank at a bar, not to mention the extra cost.
"I just want a few drinks...."
Robert licked his lips.
"Now that I think about it..."
Robert clapped his hands as if he'd remembered something.
"Cromwell must have some hidden booze in his lab...?"
Cromwell was a family man now.
And his wife despised alcohol.
He had a tendency to act strange when he drank, which was why she didn't like it.
However, Cromwell wasn't the type to quit drinking.
For him, alcohol and cigarettes were essential.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})"He already left for the day...."
Robert smirked.
"I'll sneak in after my shift."
Sure, he could go steal the booze right now, but he was worried that others might look down on him if he was seen walking around with alcohol while on duty.
Even Robert, who usually didn't care about others' opinions, had a certain line he wouldn't cross.
"Hmm~."
Robert started humming a tune, excited about the prospect of pilfering Cromwell's expensive alcohol, as he continued his paperwork.
"Ugh...."
I yawned while studying in the library.
Then I checked the time.
The clock was slowly moving towards 10:30.
"Oh, it's already this late."
But something felt off.
"....Why isn't Luna here?"
The reason I was in the library was to give Luna at least a heads-up.
I assumed that if I just sat and studied, she would eventually show up.
But she didn't.
What's going on?
Luna was usually in the library. She would say something otherwise.
She always told me if something was up.
But not today.
"Is something wrong?"
I muttered to myself as I began to organize the stack of books.
"Huh?"
Then I heard a voice behind me.
When I turned around, I saw Riku and Ena.
"Oh, you're here. Welcome."
I greeted them cheerfully, but Ena looked around with a puzzled look.
"Uh, but... where's Luna?"
"Huh?"
I was taken aback.
"Luna... didn't she have something else to do?"
"Huh? No... She definitely said she would be studying in the library with us..."
A sinking feeling started to form in my chest.
Something wasn't right.
"Huh? Hey! Where are you going!"
Ena called after me, but I didn't look back and began to run.
Then I thought calmly.
The carriage of the Fred family is currently inside the academy.
The carriage was supposed to stay at the academy for a day.
Considering the distance from the academy to the Fred family's estate, the plan was to provide accommodation at the academy, they stay for the evening, and then leave.
Therefore, under normal circumstances, the carriage should only be leaving tomorrow.
That's how it was written down.
However, there was a slight discrepancy.
Six carriages.
Among them, there was one ordinary carriage.
No matter how I looked at it, it seemed suspicious.
The absence of Astina.
The sudden error in the documents.
The odd behavior of the Fred family.
Finally, the disappearance of Luna.
When I put it all together, a terrifying picture began to form.
Were they after Luna's spellbook...?
Or even Luna herself?
They had manipulated the carriage list, allowing an extra one to leave at night...
With that thought in mind, I decided on a course of action.
At this hour, the professor on duty would have already left.
It was too late to ask for their help.
So the first priority was to prevent the carriage from leaving.
The time of departure for that particular carriage was already recorded.
However, if the Fred family used their influence to quash this issue, the guards would be powerless to stop them.
I had to hurry.
I sprinted towards the main gate.
That's when I heard students screaming.
"Fire! Fire!"
Soon, smoke began to billow from the dormitory.
"Ah."
Hearing that, I became certain.
I had to move faster.
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