Chapter 199: An Unexpected Absence

Professor Antoine Chastellain was late.

Under ordinary circumstances, Ilya wouldn’t have found that particularly unusual.

The professor oversaw several research projects at SkyRune Lab, taught at Holy Trinity Academy, and occasionally disappeared into his office for hours whenever an experiment produced results worth investigating.

However, Antoine had never missed a workshop without notifying his students beforehand.

By the time the session was supposed to begin, the twelve members of SkyRune’s academy workshop had already gathered around their respective tables. Some continued reviewing their calculations while others prepared the equipment for the afternoon’s experiments, apparently assuming the professor would arrive eventually.

Ilya shared that assumption.

Their work on the ancient mana distribution component had progressed well enough that the older students could continue without constant supervision. After several days of examining its surviving inscriptions, they had successfully reproduced a simplified version of the artifact’s feedback mechanism.

There were still countless questions left unanswered, but at least the research was moving forward.

For once, Ilya had been looking forward to an afternoon that didn’t involve being battered around a training ground by Hakon.

Unfortunately, twenty minutes passed without any sign of Antoine.

Then thirty.

By the time the workshop’s senior members began discussing whether to contact the department office, Ilya had finished reviewing the previous experiment’s measurements.

"Did the professor mention anything about being absent?" he asked.

The fourth-year student responsible for coordinating their experiments shook her head. Antoine had approved their schedule the previous afternoon and specifically instructed them to prepare several additional configurations for testing.

There had been no indication that he intended to cancel the session.

Nevertheless, the workshop could continue with theoretical work.

The students divided their remaining tasks, leaving the experimental apparatus untouched until someone with the appropriate authority could supervise its operation.

Ilya returned to his diagrams, although the unexpected absence remained at the back of his mind.

Perhaps something had happened at SkyRune’s main research facility.

Considering how many projects Antoine supervised, an urgent problem there would hardly be surprising.

That explanation remained plausible until an administrative assistant arrived approximately fifteen minutes later.

She spoke briefly with the workshop’s senior student before informing everyone that the afternoon’s session had been suspended.

Professor Antoine had requested an indefinite leave of absence.

No explanation had been provided.

The announcement naturally attracted attention.

Several students began discussing whether the professor had fallen ill, while others wondered if something had happened at the research facility. Someone suggested that the recent restrictions on Rune Tech shipments might have caused a serious problem with one of SkyRune’s contracts.

Ilya found that explanation unlikely.

Even an expensive research dispute wouldn’t normally require Antoine to abandon his teaching responsibilities without arranging someone to supervise the workshop.

Still, there was little point speculating without information.

He packed his notes and returned the diagrams to their storage cabinet. Whatever had happened, the academy would presumably provide an explanation when it became appropriate.

For the moment, he intended to use the unexpected free afternoon to finish his remaining coursework.

That plan lasted until he reached the main corridor.

Something was happening outside.

Students had gathered near the entrance to the Magic Department, and several members of the academy’s administrative staff were moving through the building with unusual urgency. A group of professors passed through the corridor without acknowledging the students who stepped aside to let them through.

Ilya recognized one of the men as a senior instructor from the Department of Magical Engineering.

The professor was speaking to another faculty member about an emergency meeting.

That was strange.

Holy Trinity occasionally held unexpected administrative meetings, but they rarely required so many instructors to abandon their ordinary schedules simultaneously.

Ilya continued toward the entrance, where the growing crowd had begun discussing a report circulating through the academy’s communication network.

Apparently, there had been an incident somewhere in the capital.

The details were unclear.

Some students claimed that Imperial knights had surrounded a government building, while others insisted that an explosion had occurred near the eastern residential district.

Neither account appeared particularly reliable.

One student even suggested that a dangerous magical artifact had escaped from a research facility.

Ilya wondered how an artifact was supposed to escape.

Presumably, someone had neglected to lock its cage.

He decided against contributing to the speculation.

Instead, he approached one of the notice boards used by the department’s administrative staff. A freshly posted announcement confirmed that several afternoon lectures had been temporarily suspended due to an ongoing security incident.

The academy had also restricted unauthorized departures through its eastern entrance.

That was considerably more serious.

Holy Trinity possessed its own security personnel and maintained close connections with the Imperial authorities, but ordinary disturbances within the capital rarely affected the academy’s operations.

Whatever had happened was apparently significant enough to justify additional precautions.

Ilya considered contacting Anastasiya.

His sister had been dealing with the consequences of the Volnograd affair and might already have received information through her own connections.

However, before he could decide whether the matter warranted interrupting her, a familiar voice called from behind him.

"Ilya!"

Solenne approached through the crowd, carrying a folded notice.

Unlike the students surrounding them, she seemed to have obtained something more substantial than secondhand rumors.

"The consortium just circulated an emergency advisory," she explained. "Several transport routes in the eastern district have been closed, and businesses are being instructed to keep their employees away from the area."

"Do they know what happened?"

"Only that the Imperial Guard has established a security perimeter around a school."

Ilya’s attention sharpened.

"A school?"

"A preparatory academy. I haven’t confirmed which one yet."

Solenne unfolded the notice and showed him the information she had received.

It contained several street names, a list of temporarily restricted routes, and instructions for businesses operating near the affected district.

The advisory made no mention of an explosion or magical artifact.

It did, however, indicate that Imperial security forces had assumed control of the surrounding streets.

Something about that troubled him.

A disturbance involving students would ordinarily be handled by the local authorities. Deploying Imperial forces suggested that the situation had already escalated beyond their capabilities.

Ilya examined the listed streets.

He recognized the district.

Several well-regarded preparatory schools operated there, serving children from wealthy merchant families, government officials, and portions of the capital’s nobility.

Then he remembered something Antoine had mentioned during their previous workshop sessions.

Lucile attended a preparatory school near their home.

The professor had recently taken time away from his research to attend one of her academic presentations.

Ilya didn’t know the school’s exact address.

Nevertheless, the coincidence was unpleasant.

"Solenne, can you find out which school they’re talking about?"

"I’ve already asked. The consortium’s office is trying to verify the reports."

That was sensible.

Solenne had apparently recognized the limitations of the advisory and requested additional information before spreading rumors.

They moved away from the crowded entrance and waited while she contacted one of the consortium’s representatives through a communication device.

The response arrived several minutes later.

A name.

An address.

And confirmation that Imperial security personnel had surrounded the institution.

Ilya recognized the school’s name from a conversation with Antoine.

Lucile’s school.

That explained the professor’s sudden absence.

However, it also raised a much more troubling question.

What sort of incident required the Imperial Guard to surround a school full of children?

Solenne continued reading the message.

According to the latest information, the authorities had instructed nearby residents to remain indoors while specialized personnel assessed the situation.

Several individuals had reportedly entered the school earlier that morning and prevented students and faculty from leaving.

Their identities remained unknown.

No official statement had yet been issued concerning their motives.

"Hostages?" Ilya asked.

"That’s what they’re investigating."

The situation was worse than he had anticipated.

A preparatory school was hardly an ordinary target for a group capable of provoking such a substantial security response.

The presence of children from influential families might explain the Imperial Guard’s involvement, but it offered little insight into what the perpetrators intended to accomplish.

Ilya considered the information carefully.

There was no reason to assume the incident involved Distortions or anything supernatural. Ordinary criminals could be dangerous enough, particularly when they possessed hostages.

Nevertheless, the recent inspections of restricted Rune Tech components suddenly seemed more relevant.

Perhaps the authorities had been investigating the same individuals for some time.

Or perhaps the two matters were completely unrelated.

He had no evidence either way.

For now, the sensible course was to gather reliable information rather than invent connections.

"Has the Imperial Guard requested assistance from SkyRune?" he asked.

Solenne checked the notice again.

"Nothing mentioned here."

"Then we shouldn’t interfere."

Ilya understood enough about hostage situations to recognize that additional people appearing at the perimeter would only complicate matters.

He had no authority to participate in an Imperial security operation, and being Antoine’s student offered no special privileges.

More importantly, any reckless interference could place the hostages in greater danger.

That included Lucile.

He could only imagine what Antoine was experiencing.

The professor had spent the previous afternoon speaking proudly about his daughter’s school presentation. Now, less than a day later, he was apparently dealing with the possibility that she had been taken hostage.

Ilya hoped the authorities would resolve the situation quickly.

Solenne soon received another message confirming that the Imperial Guard had begun restricting public communication concerning the incident.

The consortium had instructed its employees to avoid sharing unverified information.

That seemed reasonable.

With children involved, careless rumors could cause unnecessary panic among families who had yet to receive official confirmation.

Ilya returned the communication device to Solenne and thanked her for the information.

He still had several assignments waiting at the academy, but concentrating on them would probably prove difficult until he knew more about the situation.

Fortunately, there was one practical thing he could do.

He contacted the department office and informed them that he would be available if SkyRune required assistance with any technical work related to the incident.

The administrator accepted the message without making any promises.

That was enough.

Ilya had neither the information nor the authority to accomplish anything more.

He returned to the workshop to collect the remaining materials he had left behind, where several students were still discussing Antoine’s sudden absence.

By then, the news had begun spreading through the academy.

Most knew only that an incident had occurred at a preparatory school and that Imperial forces were involved.

Few understood why Professor Antoine had left so abruptly.

Ilya chose not to speculate about Lucile’s circumstances in front of them.

The professor deserved at least that much consideration.

Meanwhile, outside Holy Trinity’s walls, the Imperial Guard continued establishing its perimeter around the school.

And the children inside had yet to be released.