Chapter 119 Bad News
Rey and Adonis didn't speak another word to each other until they got to the Living Quarters.
Once they opened the door, everyone was already waiting for them in the living room—just as Adonis had said.
However, it wasn't just the students.
Conrad and all the four other members of the Royal Council were present.
Lucielle was also around.
'What's with their expression? They don't look so good…' That wasn't all that Rey noticed as he walked in, though.
He looked hard at the crowd of students before him, counting only twenty-four instead of twenty-six, minusing him and Adonis.
He didn't see Billy in the crowd, which surprised him since he was always a stickler for the rules
However, much more concerning for Rey was the other person who seemed to be absent.
'Alicia isn't here…?!'
The fact that he didn't see her in the Library also meant one thing—something happened to her.
'What's going on? Is she fine?'
As he looked at the downcast expressions of the Royal Council Members, as well as Lucielle, he could tell that his hopes were probably going to be dashed.
A dark feeling washed over him as he took his seat and waited for the official words of the ones in charge.
'Please… let it not be bad…'
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Conrad swallowed his saliva as he stepped forward.
As the Grandmaster, it was his duty to address the Otherworlders on behalf of the council.
Normally, such a role came with more prestige than burdens. He even enjoyed the attention and felt important in taking charge.
But now, things were different.
The words he was about to utter weighed heavily in his heart as he pried his lips open to speak
"This is a very worrying night. I have two pieces of bad news to give you."
As Conrad sighed, he studied the faces of his audience.
Most of them had defensive expressions, while a few others appeared genuinely worried.
'I need to handle this matter delicately. I would have preferred being more diplomatic, but the Hero demands we be honest with the Otherworlders…'
Adonis was the Alliance's biggest supporter. They couldn't afford to get him on their bad side.
"Tonight, two of your fellows—Alicia and Billy—missed curfew. As such, we tried to track them down using the Royal Badges we gave you, but encountered a problem…"
Conrad gulped as he struggled to finish his words.
"… The Badges have been destroyed. As such, we can't track them down."
Royal Badges were by no means delicate. However, they weren't particularly the strongest thing to exist.
'They're not something to break on accident. It would require deliberate effort to do so…'
"And so, we are confronted with two options…" Conrad continued, despite seeing the shocked and downright concerned expressions of the Otherworlders.
"One is that they both decided to defect from the Alliance, cutting all ties with the Royal Estate, and—"
The moment Conrad said this, an uproar arose from the crowd of students.
"What?!"
"Billy would never do that!"
"Do you know how hard he trains?!"
"Maybe Alicia did, but not Billy!"
"No… even Alicia wouldn't!"
"Why not? She's strong enough to survive on her own, right? She has no connections here too…"
"Yeah, she's always been a selfish one, hasn't she?"
"Anyway! That can't be the case!"
Conrad ignored the statements made about Alicia, but he too agreed with the words of the students.
Of all the people most likely to leave the Royal Estate for good, Alicia and Billy seemed like the last who would consider it.
Adonis had also said the same thing when this was brought to his notice.
That meant the second option was most likely the case.
"Something bad must have happened to them. In essence, they're in danger." Conrad explicitly announced the second option.
The students found themselves exchanging puzzled glances.
There wasn't an uproar like the last time, but doubtful faces filled the room.
Conrad understood why.
'They're both powerful Otherworlders—one of the best among the group. There aren't many who could face them and win.'
Given a couple more months, Conrad was even sure they could surpass the Alliance's most powerful Warriors and Mage respectively.
"It could be the case of a kidnapping, or some other trouble that we are unaware of, but what we do know now is that they're missing."
"Can you track their last location or something?" A voice emerged from the crowd.
It came from a dark-haired boy in the crowd.
Conrad shook his head and sighed, turning to Lucielle to explain.
"The Royal Badge doesn't work that way. It serves as a Conduit for Tracking Magic. As such, it only reveals the current location of whoever wields it when the Magic is cast."
Once the Grand Mage was done explaining, the room fell into loud murmurs.
Students had varying theories about what was going on and what could possibly have happened.
"If you all have any idea about where they were going, or the plans they had, then please speak up." Adonis' voice cut through the murmurs instantly.
His face oozed the most concern, and while he appeared worried, nothing about that diminished his regal handsomeness.
"I saw the both of them walk past the gate together. It seemed like they were going somewhere."
Justin raised his hand and spoke as forthrightly as he could.
He and his friends had been hanging out when they saw them. Even though he called out to Billy, it seemed the boy was too distracted by Alici to see him.
"I see…" Adonis murmured, his hand on his chin. "Notice anything else?"
"Not really. I know they were dressed casually and smiling together. I found it weird, cus I have never seen those two together before…"
Justin's words elicited more reactions from the students in the room.
One student in particular—Rey—tried his best to hide his supreme shock.
"Thanks for the details, Justin. It's very much appreciated."
Based on the information Justin provided, it was very likely that the two went on a date, or to a casual location.
That ruled out some areas they would have searched.
"Anything else…?"
A hand was slowly raised in the air, and Adonis sharply turned his attention to the one who raised it.
"Yes, Rey?"
Rey rose to his feet with a conflicted expression staining his face.
He appeared very confused, but also certain about something.
… The fact that Alicia would never be caught dead with Billy.
"Alicia and Billy had a falling out the other day when we went for that Excursion. I think it's strange that they'd be together."
"Hey! I know what I saw, okay?" Justin raised his voice, slightly offended by Rey's insinuations.
"I'm not invalidating that. I'm just saying…"
"And how do you know all of this? Because you're close to Alicia? Is that it?" Another voice echoed among the crowd.
Suddenly, bursts of laughter began to echo among the students.
It only lasted for a second at most, though.
"That's enough, guys! Two of our classmates are missing, and they could very well be in danger, yet you all are laughing?!"
Adonis' annoyed face seemed to bring the much needed sanity into the room.
"Thank you for your contribution, Rey. That will also be considered."
Rey returned to his seat, and a somber mood filled the room. It was at this point that the situation truly dawned on them.
Billy and Alicia were missing!
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[A/N]
Thanks for reading!
Brace yourself for the second round of bad news!