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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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Chapter 181
It wasn’t until a day had passed that the children realized Cuculli was missing.
“But why haven’t we seen Cuculli at all yesterday or today?”
“I don’t know? Maybe she’s holed up in her room?”
Even though they had traveled together, they didn’t keep track of each other’s whereabouts or daily activities.
After all, this trip was meant for relaxation.
There was no set schedule, and they freely roamed around the resort, passing the time.
There were even some who stayed holed up in their rooms, refusing to come out, with the air conditioning artifacts working perfectly.
So, most assumed Cuculli was just sleeping off the effects of the drinking session from the previous night… until Luke made a sharp observation.
“It’s lunchtime, why isn’t she in the dining hall?”
“Maybe she ordered room service?”
“But she wasn’t seen this morning either? Does she order room service for all three meals?”
“That’s unlikely. I’m her neighbor, and I’ve never heard room service come.”
“Huh?”
Something was amiss.
The children began to investigate.
They asked the staff and their peers.
But since the night of the drinking session…
No one had seen Cuculli.
With a creeping sense of unease, Cuculli’s close friends ran to her room.
Thump thump…
“Hey! Open the door.”
With no answer, Luke didn’t hesitate to grab the doorknob.
Luckily, the door wasn’t locked.
The children peered into Cuculli’s room with puzzled expressions.
“…What? All her stuff is here.”
“Did she step out for a moment?”
But what made them all slowly shake their heads was when they noticed.
“That’s not it.”
“Huh? Why?”
“It’s hot.”
Then, he pointed to the cooling artifact on one side of the room.
“Cuculli’s room is much hotter than outside. To be this hot, she must not have turned on the cooling artifact for at least half a day.”
Luke added another comment.
“So, she couldn’t have just stepped out for a moment. How could she leave this off when she’s so sensitive to heat?”
The children began to murmur with wide eyes, their expressions turning serious.
“So, she must have been gone from the room for at least a few hours?”
“Did she wander outside?”
“That doesn’t make sense. Even if the resort is huge, how could no one see her? No one saw her at all.”
Leaving her roommates aside, Leciel muttered suddenly.
“What if she went off the island?”
“…Without packing?”
“She might have had something urgent.”
Several other hypotheses were presented.
They were hidden to scare everyone, involved in a crime, and so on.
They soon realized that no matter what they did, they couldn’t get an accurate answer to their questions.
Evergreen cautiously added.
“If she went off the island, wouldn’t someone know?”
…They had to go find her.
The person responsible for this trip.
.
.
.
Yussi was staying in the suite room on the top floor of the resort, occupying an entire floor.
The children rushed to the front of her hallway.
Simon Julian, the butler who attended to Yussi, stopped them.
The sudden visit must have been awkward, but his expression remained warm and gracious.
“Students, I’m sorry, but the principal has instructed not to let anyone in. It’s difficult to…”
“It’s urgent!”
“No matter how urgent it is, I can’t help it. If you tell me your business, I can relay it…”
“Sir, Cuculli is missing!”
Simon’s composed expression was shattered.
Click-
The door to the suite room, which had been tightly closed, opened.
Yussi, dressed in formal attire, walked out with bloodshot eyes.
The children couldn’t help but shut their mouths for a moment because her expression was unusually fierce.
[****…]
Through the crack in the open door, the children could hear urgent communication taking place.
There were many speakers and a considerable distance, so they couldn’t hear the exact contents, but they could sense that something significant had happened from the atmosphere.
Yussi, who noticed the children’s gaze, closed the door with a bang and spoke.
“Say it again. What happened to Cuculli Evans?”
The children immediately abandoned the hypothesis that “Cuculli had left with permission.”
‘Did she just disappear without a word? Or was she really kidnapped?’
As everyone was in a state of confusion, Evergreen quickly explained.
“She’s gone! She’s not in her room, and she hasn’t been seen in the resort building all day yesterday or today!”
“…Are you sure she’s missing? Maybe she went out to the coast or somewhere?”
“Even her friends who were playing here didn’t see her…”
Yussi’s eyes turned cold.
If she were someone who didn’t know the ‘circumstances,’ she would have been most concerned about safety first.
But she wasn’t.
…Ironically, she had just heard what had happened outside.
‘She left the island.’
Yussi squinted, lost in thought.
‘How did she get the news? I just heard it through an emergency meeting.’
If she hadn’t been seen since yesterday, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume she left the resort right after the incident occurred.
Yussi turned back to Simon and asked another question.
“Did any students enter or exit the docks yesterday or today?”
“No, none.”
“What are the chances of stowing away on passing ships?”
“None.”
Simon shook his head.
No new arrivals or departures had been recorded yesterday or today.
Thus, the only ships that had come and gone from the resort over the past two days were Glendor’s.
“They’re likely cargo ships for transporting supplies and small yachts for staff access.”
All of Glendor’s ships were thoroughly checked for stowaways with the help of personnel whenever they docked or departed from the resort, for security reasons.
Therefore, the possibility of Cuculli hiding on one of them was nil.
‘Swimming, perhaps.’
Yussi looked out the corridor window at the waves of the Payrun River.
Even if she were a combat department student with a strong physique, swimming to the mainland from here was impossible without any gear.
Especially with all sorts of aquatic creatures lurking.
Lost in thought, Yussi quickly whispered a few instructions to Simon (check the video records of each dock, bring the agent assigned to monitor and protect the children, initiate tracking, etc.).
Meanwhile, the children exchanged meaningful glances.
The principal seemed convinced that Cuculli had left the island without permission.
Naturally, questions arose.
‘Why would Cuculli leave the island without permission?’
‘Did something happen in her tribe? I should contact the family as soon as we return.’
At that moment…
Yussi ordered the children, who seemed strangely restless, to disperse.
“Listen carefully, everyone. As of now, no one is allowed to leave the resort facilities. Don’t do anything. Don’t gather and just stay in your rooms.”
Under her ominous aura, the children couldn’t object.
…Of course, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t do ‘anything’ at all.
.
.
.
[Aqua-blue hair, height 170cm, horns about 3cm on each side… If anyone knows her whereabouts, please inform the resort staff immediately.]
A broadcast seeking Cuculli or anyone who has seen her echoed repeatedly throughout the resort grounds.
Resort staff continued their busy search.
Although the vast majority of children obediently followed the principal’s instructions and waited quietly in their rooms, a few children who were particularly close to Cuculli gathered secretly in Luke’s room, avoiding the eyes of the staff.
Leciel, Ban, Gerald, Evergreen, and Luke were among them.
“…”
For once, they couldn’t laugh and chatter as usual.
“I suspected that something big had happened, but I didn’t expect it to be this big…”
As soon as they returned to the room, the children immediately contacted the outside.
The first to establish a connection was Ban.
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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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Thanks to him, the children could see the front page of the newspaper that a servant of Dietrich brought.
They were able to hear the news of Dorempa’s death through urgent news.
“Oh, it’s not a misinformation, is it?”
“Oh my god, Cuculli.”
A brief synopsis was written that they had suffered an uprising while secretly stopping a conspiracy by the Demonic Church in the north.
The children discussed the news with grim expressions.
“…Cuculli must have known and left, right?”
“But how did she know? The news was only reported in the media a few hours ago.”
“Could she have had a separate communication network?”
“What should we do about Cuculli…”
Gerald sighed deeply, Evergreen shed tears, and Leciel stared at one corner of the room with a hardened expression.
Meanwhile, Ban and Luke exchanged anxious glances with each other.
They spoke almost simultaneously.
“Strange.”
“This is strange.”
“What’s strange?”
The children cocked their heads in confusion.
“What’s strange about it?”
Ban replied promptly.
“Isn’t it strange how quickly this major incident was reported in the media?”
Dorempa wasn’t just the chieftain of a unified demi-human tribe but also an indisputable ally of humanity.
His death was a significant event that shook one of the pillars of the Human Alliance, and typically, information would have been tightly controlled until measures were put in place.
Most media outlets were usually closely linked to the royal family.
What they had done clearly violated the agreed-upon Embargo Regulations and was clearly a subversive action.
‘But there was movement in the media.’
They say an article has been leaked to the underground.
Of course, by now, the information has spread uncontrollably.
How do they intend to take responsibility for this?
Ban narrowed his eyes.
Endure the wrath of the palace over a single scoop from a single news outlet?
It’s absurd.
‘Moreover, it’s unbelievable that a distant incident in the far north was first known and reported by a single news outlet.’
Luke added, as if agreeing.
“This smells fishy. Could it be the work of collaborators?”
“If so, what’s the reason for spreading the information?”
“Well, in cases like this…”
Luke narrowed his eyes.
Before he knew it, the other children were also focused on their conversation.
“It’s causing confusion… and it might be to divert attention to the north, or perhaps to lure someone there.”
After a moment of hesitation, he continued.
“Someone who would rush in without hesitation in anger over the chieftain’s death.”
Gerald chuckled.
“Wait. Are you saying those who killed the chieftain leaked the information to lure Cuculli to the north?”
“That’s a bit speculative, isn’t it? Cuculli left before the news was even released.”
“I can’t dismiss it completely, though. You know how important Cuculli is as the publicly recognized successor to the chieftain, right?”
Instantly, arguments broke out.
Among them, Luke suddenly recalled a conversation he had with Cuculli in the infirmary after the incident in the Bongma Forest.
“I’m fine. I’m strong, so it’s not a problem. And I’ll get even stronger soon.”
“How will you get stronger?”
“Curious?”
With her face buried in bread, Cuculli pretended to mumble evasively.
“…Have you heard of ‘baptism’?”
“No, if you don’t want to talk about it…”
He didn’t know the details.
Everything the children said might just be speculation.
Perhaps a fortunate media outlet stumbled upon the information and greedily leaked it, and Cuculli could return safely.
But Luke couldn’t shake off his unease.
Even if it was based on his accumulated experience as a mercenary.
There was some grand conspiracy behind this incident.
And he felt like he wasn’t the only one who thought so.
“Listen.”
When Leciel, who had been silent all along, spoke up, the children naturally fell silent.
“It’s a fact that the idiot has become a target of danger. She headed to the north, where the remnants of the Demonic Church lurk. Since they harmed the chieftain, they’re likely to target his successor as well. If the Demonic Church or collaborators pulled off some trick, they would naturally have Cuculli in mind.”
…Static filled the air.
It was a fact that the children had unconsciously avoided mentioning that Cuculli was in danger.
“Ugh…”
Evergreen let out a shallow groan.
To just watch a friend fall into danger in real time…
It felt like a boulder was pressing down on her heart.
On the other hand, there were broader concerns as well.
Awareness dawned on them that significant changes were occurring in the world they belonged to.
They were not unaware of how much the north contributed to the safety of humanity.
If Cuculli were to die following Dorempa, the continent would plunge into great turmoil.
…The world was becoming even more dangerous.
Such complex emotions kept their mouths shut for a while.
Evergreen was the one who broke the long silence.
“I’m going.”
Gerald questioned.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I’m going. To the north.”
“Suddenly!?”
“Not suddenly.”
Evergreen clenched her fists.
“Cuculli fought for Solintail during the break. I don’t know how many lives were saved because of her. I’d rather not sit idly by when such a friend is in danger.”
She couldn’t live her life as a coward forever.
Her burning emerald eyes seemed to speak as she did.
“Then I’ll go too.”
…No need to mention who said that.
“Me too.”
“Then I’ll go too.”
…There’s no need to mention who said that.
“Me too.”
“I-I’ll go too!”
It didn’t take long for all the children to nod their heads in agreement.
“We’ll protect Cuculli!”
Over the past semester, the bond among the children had become incredibly strong.
They couldn’t just stand by and watch a friend in danger.
On one hand, they felt confident.
They had always cooperated and fought together.
While it might be reckless for Cuculli to face the danger alone, they believed that together, they could stand up and fight.
Their mentor had told them so.
They were comrades who had to navigate this dangerous world together.
They had to grow and support each other.
They couldn’t afford to lose such precious allies.
With that determination in mind, the children looked at each other, feeling awed by each other’s courage.
“But you know.”
It was Gerald who spoke up.
“How are we going to leave this island?”
“Huh?”
“The principal won’t just let us go. She controls all the boat schedules, and unless we want to swim, there’s no way out. But wouldn’t it be risky for us to leave first?”
Everyone fell silent at his words.
But then, Ban remembered something.
“…Maybe there’s a way.”
.
,
.
Fifteen minutes later precisely, Lucas Wellington, the son of the Duke of Wellington, received a visit from his old friends.
“It’s time for repentance, Lucas.”
Luke grinned.
“Get me a boat.”
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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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