65 – Meanwhile, at the Academy
The prince of Elverent, who had enrolled in the Academy, was assassinated.
The rumor spread like wildfire across the continent.
It was only natural that the death of a member of the most noble tribe on the continent caused a stir.
The fact that the perpetrator of this hot rumor was a mere commoner also fueled the spread of the gossip.
Many were curious about the truth and details of the incident.
How could it be that a prince was murdered by a commoner?
However, the specifics were not disclosed.
All that was known was that the culprit, Wade Heblon, killed the prince within the academy before fleeing.
In any case, the continent was abuzz with the shocking rumor, and the academy itself was no different.
One event followed another, and since the perpetrator, Wade, was quite famous within the academy, it was only natural for the internal atmosphere of the academy to become chaotic.
And with Wade, who should have received the boiling interest and attention, gone missing, the misplaced interest turned towards others.
Specifically, those around Wade.
Among them, the person who garnered the most attention was none other than Mary Blunoa.
***
“Hey, there…”
“Ah…”
Pretending not to notice the gaze and hesitation directed at her, Mary quietly walked on.
“Oh, Mary… Good morning.”
As someone recognized her and approached, Mary turned her gaze to identify the person and greeted them with a gentle smile.
“Yes. Good morning, Lena.”
For Mary, it was a familiar face and someone she had a fair amount of acquaintance with.
Sharing the commonality of being nobles from the same kingdom and having a close family position, they were one of the quickly growing close pairs within the academy.
“You don’t look too good… Are you okay?”
Lena asked, examining Mary’s face with a concerned expression.
“Oh, I’m fine. Thank you for worrying.”
In response to Lena’s concerned question, Mary smiled gently and lightly shook her head.
“…That’s good to hear. But if you ever want to talk about any worries, feel free to let me know. I’m here to listen.”
“Yes. I appreciate it.”
After exchanging a few words, Lena and Mary parted ways.
And the smile that had been on Mary’s face all this while.
“…”
Vanished the moment she was left alone.
Lately, it was always like this.
Everyone watched her, whispered about her, and paid attention to her.
It was only natural.
She was the closest person to Wade.
To be precise, she was Wade’s attendant and childhood friend.
There was no way the attention wouldn’t be on her.
At least for now, the situation had calmed down a bit, but right after the incident, the atmosphere was even more intense.
Filled with suspicions that perhaps she was somehow involved in Wade’s wrongdoing.
No, it didn’t just stop at mere glances.
They actually called her in for a thorough investigation at the academy.
It was the incident of the death of a prince from the Elbrent Empire.
Elbrent’s side couldn’t help but pressure the academy, and a very thorough investigation was conducted.
As a result, those around Wade underwent a meticulous investigation, especially Mary’s case was even more severe.
Although it was revealed that there was no evidence of guilt, it didn’t mean all suspicions were dispelled.
However, what truly troubled Mary were not those suspicions.
No, more precisely, she didn’t care about others’ speculations.
The reason for her pale complexion and visibly troubled appearance was different.
‘Wade….’
She was worried about Wade, her childhood friend.
Mary was well aware of Wade’s exceptional power, but still, she couldn’t help but worry.
He was in a position where he was being pursued by the empire.
Even if Wade possessed extraordinary power like a ten-sword rank, as a human, he had his limits.
He couldn’t handle the full force of the empire alone.
Simply put, even among the ten swords affiliated with Elbrent, there were two, and there were several more individuals at a similar level of prowess.
Wade couldn’t possibly withstand the entire might of the empire on his own.
Knowing this, Wade must have quickly chosen to escape, but the fact that such a formidable force was chasing him remained unchanged.
Therefore, Mary couldn’t find peace of mind.
Separately, regarding Wade’s allegations, Mary didn’t believe them.
Even if Wade had indeed killed the prince, she thought there must have been a good reason for it.
Mary knew better than anyone that Wade wasn’t the kind of person to kill someone without any reason.
“….sigh.”
Thinking about what Wade might be doing by now, Mary let out a small sigh.
Lately, she couldn’t even sleep properly due to worrying about Wade.
Moreover, since she had no outlet for such worries, she had to pretend to be someone who had never expected such behavior from Wade and wear a mask of indifference as usual.
As those days continued, Mary became increasingly pale.
“─That’s it for today’s class.”
Today too, amidst various thoughts swirling in her mind, the professor’s low voice signaled the end of the class, and Mary left the lecture hall with heavy steps.
Many people passed by her, and once again, many gazes were drawn to her.
Ignoring those looks, Mary walked quietly.
She walked until she reached the platform, boarded the tram.
After leaning her body against the swaying tram for a while, she got off.
And started walking again.
Mary’s steps halted in front of an old building.
A former club building that was no longer in use.
Until recently, it was a place she had never visited before, but now it felt quite familiar.
Leaving behind the face of someone who suddenly came to mind, Mary stepped inside.
After walking through the quiet interior for a while, she arrived at her destination.
In front of a door labeled ‘Historical Research Society.’
Taking a deep breath, Mary opened the door.
Screech─
Along with the creaking of the old door, the scene inside came into view.
And now, even the faces had become familiar.
Inside the shabby room were Rachel, Ayla, and Estelle, sitting with somber expressions.
“…Everyone’s here.”
Watching them, Mary greeted with a forced cheerful voice.
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“…Miss Mary, welcome.”
“Ah, hello… there….”
“You’ve arrived.”
Each of the three women welcomed Mary in their own way.
There was no sign of discomfort from them about Mary’s visit as a non-member.
Exchanging greetings with the three women, Mary took a seat.
“Any news?”
“Not really.”
“…I see.”
It was the expected response.
But hearing it directly still dampened her spirits.
“…….”
“…….”
So, silence descended in the shabby room.
The Historical Research Society always had this kind of atmosphere.
More precisely, it had been like this since Mary started showing up at the Society.
Considering that Mary’s reason for coming here was Wade’s escape, it was only natural.
After the incident, and once the investigation was roughly concluded, Mary started visiting the Society frequently.
While there was an intention to alleviate the unease by conversing with people in similar situations, the main purpose was to gather information and news.
Rumors about Wade’s whereabouts and condition.
Although Mary was of noble birth, she lacked the means to obtain such information.
On the other hand, the women here all had superior means. Especially Estelle, who was known for her exceptional information network on the continent.
Therefore, instead of running around herself, Mary judged that visiting here would be a better way to gather information about Wade.
Indeed, Estelle had been providing information about Wade using her network.
Where he was currently located, his approximate condition, his direction, and more.
Each time she heard such information, it brought relief knowing Wade was unharmed, but it didn’t ease her mind entirely.
Because it meant Wade was still being pursued.
Perhaps due to that, the atmosphere in the Society remained consistently somber.
‘Wade….’
Trying to soothe her anxious thoughts about Wade, Mary recalled the memories of that day.
The day Wade disappeared.
***
“Wade, can you spare some time tonight?”
That afternoon, Mary went to Wade and asked him that.
With a serious expression that didn’t quite suit her, Wade gazed at Mary with a puzzled look.
“Okay,” he readily nodded.
It was the answer she wanted, yet Mary couldn’t bring herself to feel happy. Her heart was filled with tension, anxiety, and unease.
To Mary, Wade was a cherished childhood friend. He had always been by her side since they were young. But Wade was not just a simple childhood friend. Mary harbored romantic feelings for Wade, for reasons she couldn’t quite express. They had spent years together just as childhood friends, a relationship that wasn’t bad at all.
It was clear to Mary that Wade didn’t see her in a romantic light. However, she was convinced that she was the closest woman to him in that sense.
The certainty began to waver after entering the academy. Women started to appear around Wade, clearly showing their interest in him. This wasn’t something new; Wade had a way of unintentionally captivating people. But this time was different.
The women who started to linger around Wade at the academy were, in Mary’s eyes, beautiful and exceptional individuals. Especially when it came to backgrounds, these women were outstanding to the point where Mary felt insignificant.
This fact only heightened Mary’s anxiety. If those kinds of people pursued Wade, wouldn’t his heart sway? It was fine for now, but if someone confessed to Wade, and he accepted it, then he would leave her side.
After graduating from the academy, he might even leave Raekinwood. Such a future was something Mary didn’t want to imagine. But expressing her feelings to Wade was a daunting task. She was afraid of rejection, so she hesitated.
As time passed, and they entered the second semester, becoming second-year students, Wade became even more famous within the academy, attracting more attention. This made Mary feel even more anxious.
If she continued to delay, if she did nothing, she felt Wade would drift further away without any chance to intervene. That’s why she decided to take action, knowing well that there was a high chance Wade wouldn’t reciprocate her feelings.
Perhaps, more than anyone else.
However, that didn’t mean she could just stand still.
That’s why, even if she failed, Mary decided to confirm Wade’s intentions and bare her heart.
She thought that if Wade became even slightly aware of her, that would be sufficient.
With that mindset, she approached Wade.
She was afraid and hesitant, but she succeeded in summoning Wade.
However, as the appointment time drew near, her heart pounded as if it would burst, and negative thoughts crept in.
What if he rejects me… No, what if Wade ends up despising me?
Captivated by such negative thoughts, Mary waited with a heavy heart for Wade to appear.
Yet, even as the appointment time passed, Wade did not show up.
Ten minutes went by, thirty minutes passed, one hour, two hours, and still, Wade did not appear.
The news that Wade had become a fugitive after being accused of regicide reached her the next day.
***
Looking at it that way, it all seems so ironic.
Of all days, it had to happen on the day she had made up her mind.
It almost felt like the heavens were preventing her from conveying her feelings.
Although she quickly dismissed such thoughts due to worrying more about Wade’s safety.
Regardless, time passed while she was lost in contemplation, and before she knew it, it was the time when the sun began to hide behind the mountains.
“I suppose there won’t be any more information today,” Mary thought, then spoke up.
“…I guess I’ll be off for today—”
Creak!
Mary’s voice was abruptly cut off by the door swinging open.
With a startled gaze, she looked in that direction.
Standing there was a face she had never seen before.
It was a man who didn’t seem to belong to the Academy.
Before she could even question who he was.
Thump, thump—
Suddenly, Mary felt her heart fluttering.
A deep sense of unease suddenly gripped her heart.
“What’s the matter,” Estelle asked the man.
The man spotted Estelle and was about to bow when—
“It’s fine. Speak of your business.”
At Estelle’s cold tone, he paused, then raised his head again.
After a moment of hesitation, he spoke.
“…Wade Heblon has gone missing.”
““……!””
The air in the room stirred.
“What do you mean—”
“Calm down.”
Hurriedly trying to inquire about details, Estelle sharply interrupted Rachel’s words.
“It’s not entirely bad to have no news. Elvrent will not sit idly with Wade’s recruits slipping through their fingers. The fact that Wade is missing means, conversely, there’s a high chance Elvrent has lost track of Wade.”
“…….”
Upon hearing this, Rachel immediately fell silent.
Because she thought Estelle’s words made sense.
At the same time, a sense of expectation towards positive information arose in her and Ayla’s faces.
However.
Mary couldn’t easily rejoice.
Her heart, which had been unsettled for a while now, was still beating anxiously.
“Go on, explain further.”
Estelle’s command was issued, and the man began to explain.
“As you mentioned, it seems Elvrent also failed to secure Wade Heblon’s whereabouts. However…….”
“However?”
“…….”
The man, with a very hesitant look, glanced at Estelle, unable to open his mouth immediately.
Instead, he wiped cold sweat and even swallowed dry saliva.
As if he were someone who didn’t want to say more.
“What are you waiting for? Speak up.”
Nevertheless, Estelle was not going to entertain such reluctance.
Estelle urged the man on, and with a reluctant look, the man reluctantly continued.
“…There was a considerable amount of blood at the scene presumed to be Wade Heblon’s. The quantity was unusual, and judging by the remaining traces at the scene, it seems highly likely that he fell off a cliff afterwards…….”
Gulp, the man swallowed his saliva, then closed his eyes tightly before adding more.
“…Wade Heblon is presumed to be deceased.”
Thud.
Mary’s heart pounded heavily against her chest.