The Master of the Villains Has Disappeared

The first impression was of an edelweiss.

Her gently flowing white hair and elegant face were like a flower.

The faint elegance that emanated even from the brief hand gesture that manipulated the magic circle.

The magic circle that Ainel had just handed over as a pretext to test her qualifications as a professor, which had now become perfectly the girl's own.

'Yurt family, was it...'

Even the moment when she slightly sipped the black tea brought by Ainel's secretary was befitting of a young lady from a count's family.

It showed that she had been educated in the refined manners of nobility.

Her attire, which wasn't too flashy, was also pleasing.

It was restrained without being burdensome to the eyes, yet beautiful to look at.

However, because inside that beautiful exterior resided a prodigy of talent who made a long train run in the sky instead of on the ground.

Ainel willingly accepted the girl, who in her judgment had reached at least the 4th tier, as a member of Primus.

"There's a curriculum left by the previous professor, so please refer to that as needed."

Of course, there would be some resistance.

To those who hadn't seen the elegant flow of mana the girl had created, she was just a young girl.

Therefore, Ainel requested the ancient dragon in front of her to lend his name.

For now, the girl's name was associated only with the Yurt family.

"If she's a child under Lord Orphion's protection, no one would dare look down on her."

"Hmm..."

After pondering for a moment, the ancient dragon stared intently at the girl beside him.

What responded to the dragon's gaze was a still calm look.

"...Do as you wish, Lord Patron."

"How do you think I'll do it?"

"You won't listen to me anyway."

"You know me well."

"..."

Ainel was slightly surprised inwardly at how close the dragon and the girl seemed to be.

After all, they were beings with completely different lifespans.

'Well, I suppose even an ancient dragon can't help but cherish such a child.'

Ainel could only guess that it was just because of the girl's outstanding talent.

One way or another, it was the first time the dragon had cared this much for a human child.

A moment later, the dragon, who gave a slight smirk towards the girl who was glaring at him slightly.

"When a professor's authority becomes light, the weight of teaching also becomes light."

With these words, he accepted Ainel's request.

Next came the guidance to the residence where the girl and her sister Isabel Yurt would stay.

"If you have any questions about life at Primus, you can ask the caretaker, Jade."

Ainel smiled slightly and said this as she saw the guests out of the dean's office.

Only when the sound of footsteps had disappeared far down the corridor could she finally let out a deep sigh.

'...It's going to be noisy for a while.'

From the start, this attack incident was not something to be taken lightly.

Although she pretended to be calm in front of the ancient dragon, normally Ainel herself should have been busy without a moment to spare.

The fact that the people attacked were Primus students.

In other words, the situation had already gone beyond the category of a simple robbery case, given that they were talents closely related to the major powers of the empire.

But more than anything else.

The fact that the noble blood 'Princess Irina Ardenia' was on board the train made Ainel feel dizzy.

'If anything had happened to that child, what on earth would have happened...'

This attack incident was a kind of terrorism.

Or, a rebellion against the empire.

The imperial palace was already more sensitive than ever due to the eccentricities of the First Princess 'Lilian Ardenia'.

It should be considered a great fortune that there were no casualties in the attack on the train to Primus.

"...We were lucky."

○

The noble blood of the Divine Beast who reigns at the highest place and rules over all, Casar Ardenia.

One of the heirs of that sacred being, Irina Ardenia.

She was walking down the long corridor of Primus that she could only return to today.

Yet her thoughts remained unsettled.

'...Who on earth could it have been?'

The sudden attack.

The men who barged into Princess Irina's first-class compartment.

Although the Divine Blood was not harmed thanks to the escort knights accompanying Princess Irina.

The identity of the one who resolved the more fundamental danger was still unknown.

All she could remember was the numerous mana circulating outside the train.

In the end, the first person that came to mind for those mana that protected the passengers with small protective magic circles was the Grand Magician of the capital.

However, that name did not exist on the passenger list.

As a result, Princess Irina's doubts had to persist for a while longer.

"...I'd like to at least say thank you."

As she walked, recalling her memories from when she was on the train, she suddenly arrived at the dormitory.

"Ah, it seems the news has already spread..."

As much as she wanted to lie down on the soft bed right away.

A few letters had arrived for Princess Irina, so she had to reply to them first.

-Rustle.

The first letter she opened was from the First Princess Lilian.

The letter from her sister, whose taste in men had suddenly changed drastically a few weeks ago, was mainly about the attack on the train to Primus.

Among them, what took up the most space was the question about the person who resolved the attack incident.

｢Who protected my precious sister, I'm a bit curious. Irina, if you know the name of this benefactor, I'd like you to tell me─｣

"...I'm sorry, sister. Nothing has been revealed yet."

At least, it wasn't someone she could have encountered in the first-class compartment where Princess Irina was riding.

However, she couldn't flatly refuse the request of the First Princess, who had recently been rumored to have gone mad.

-Rustle. Rustle.

｢There are rumors that it was a mercenary hired by the dean, and rumors about a secret function of the train. I'll let you know as soon as the exact details are revealed─｣

Princess Irina wrote the reply in the gentlest tone she could muster.

After reading her reply a couple of times, she picked up the second letter.

-Thud.

"Oh, there's a photo inside... ...Hehe, the bread must have been really delicious. Everyone's smiling."

The letter from the orphanage that Princess Irina was secretly sponsoring included a photo of the children.

The content of the letter was also full of sincere gratitude from the young orphanage director 'Karian' for Princess Irina's sponsorship.

Perhaps that's why.

Another warm smile bloomed throughout the time she was reading Karian's letter.

｢The children were really grateful. Especially Erite wanted to give a scarf she knitted herself to the sponsor as a thank you... Oh, she says it's a secret. I'd be grateful if you could pretend not to know─｣

"...A scarf, huh. I'm looking forward to it."

After glancing at the photo of the children and Karian eating together, she wrote her reply.

Princess Irina's reply, which contained a brief update about the events of today, was accurately transmitted to an orphanage in the outskirts.

-Rustle.

The one who picked up Princess Irina's reply that had just dropped was a slightly lean man.

The man, who had a generally neat appearance and wore round glasses, returned to the director's office and began to read Princess Irina's letter silently.

And, almost simultaneously, knock knock.

A couple of knocks were heard from the wooden door of the director's office.

"Brother Karian─! Can I come in?"

"Ah, yes. Come in, Rone."

As soon as the door opened, a young girl ran in and hugged the man.

The girl, who was happily telling him about an interesting thing that had just happened, asked for Karian's thoughts.

"Stars were twinkling in the sky and then went whoosh~ and fell. What do you think it was?"

"Hmm... A shooting star, perhaps?"

"That's right, a shooting star! I saw an actual shooting star!"

"Haha, that's amazing, Rone. I've never actually seen a shooting star myself."

The man's expression had the same gentle smile as always.

The girl continued to chat for quite a long time, making sure to tell him everything she wanted to say without missing a single word.

By the time the blue sky had begun to turn yellow in the evening.

Eventually, the man put down the girl he had been holding and left the orphanage, saying he would go grocery shopping for dinner.

"Umm... I'm sorry, but could you lower the price a little bit?"

"Good gracious, do you think we're digging up money from the ground to do business?"

"The children are in their growth phase. I want to make sure they eat a full dinner."

"You said the same thing last week, man."

"Ahaha. Did I?"

Up until he was haggling with the market merchant and buying various ingredients, it was an ordinary day.

However, just as the man's shadow was cast on a grocery store in an alley.

"Hmm, without salt, the flavor will be lacking."

The man stopped for a moment and muttered to himself towards the empty air.

Then, after putting down the ingredients he was holding on the ground.

-Step.

-Step.

Instead of going to the grocery store right in front, he turned to the alley on the left.

"Who are you? I don't recognize these faces."

He spoke to the empty air again.

And, at the same time, new shadows gradually appeared and surrounded the man.

"Karian, we were told not to kill Jirna at least."

"You've been stirring up the underworld for years. Now you really don't care about anything, do you?"

"...Did you think you'd be fine after hurting the boss?"

It was nothing but killing intent.

Everything pointed at the man from the surrounding shadows was sharp blades.

Only because the reddish sunset was gradually disappearing beyond the horizon.

"...Pian gets grumpy when she's hungry. Are you going to comfort her instead?"

"Who cares? Die─!!"

-Swish!

-Stab, stab, stab...

"...Kuhek..."

Countless sword marks were engraved and re-engraved around the man.

Two daggers that were somehow already in his hands.

The blade and hostility that hadn't been noticed until just before disappeared once again, hiding their form.

Just as everyone around was bewildered by the man's disappearance like a mirage.

-Slash─!

The view of everyone standing on two legs was split in half at once.

The sound of footsteps of the man who was already leaving the alley.

A moment later, the man, adjusting his slightly disheveled round glasses, made a troubled expression.

After all, the grocery store had closed.

"...Dinner will be bland today."

The man, scratching the back of his head awkwardly, said this as he bent down to pick up the ingredients he had put down a few minutes ago.

At the same time, a letter fell out of the man's pocket with a plop.

The man hesitated for a moment with Princess Irina's letter that he had stopped reading earlier, then unfolded the folded letter and began to read.

And, his gaze stiffened for a moment at Princess Irina's various casual remarks about the attack on the train to Primus written at the end of the letter.

｢I heard that the ancient dragon Orphion was also on the train. I don't mean to sympathize with the attackers, but they were really unlucky people.｣

"The ancient dragon... at the academy?"

He had a strange feeling.

A vague and uncomfortable feeling that he shouldn't just let it pass.

"...Arita."

It made the sage's first disciple, 'Karian Dezar', call out his confidant.

Soon, a woman who revealed herself from the long-cast shadow was given one request.

"Could you find out what happened at Primus?"

In the end, no answer came.

Because the woman who nodded her head towards Karian immediately melted into the shadows.

With the woman completely disappearing without any questions, Karian once again trudged towards the orphanage in the distance.

It was already less than 10 minutes until dinner time at the orphanage.

"Salt, salt, salt... ...Haa, I should buy it by the sack next time."