During Professor Winraus’'s lecture, Kenneth's gaze drifted to the empty seat where Lucian usually sat. Days had passed since Lucian's last appearance in the academy, and the absence was starting to gnaw at him.

  I wonder if something happened, he thought, his focus slipping further from the lecture.

  When the class finally ended, Kenneth caught up with Ash in the hallway. He tried to sound casual but his concern was clear. “Have you heard anything from Lucian?”

  Ash shook his head, slinging his bag over shoulders. “No nothing.” His frown deepened as he added, “But our guard's noticed something strange lately—there've been a lot more Luminel guards in the town than usual.”

  Kenneth's brow furrowed. “Luminel guards?”

  Ash nodded, “Yeah, and not just the usual patrols. They've been moving in groups, keeping a close eye on things. Our head guard mentioned it the other night—said it feels like looking for someone or something.”

  Kenneth's worry deepened, a knot forming in chest. Lucian's absence, the increased Luminel presence—it couldn't just be a coincidence. Something's wrong, he thought, his mind racing with possibilities.

  ＊＊＊

  Rika and Kenneth were summoned to Professor Nero’s office, the unusual tension in the air setting both of them on edge as they stepped inside. Kenneth couldn’t shake his concern over Lucian’s unexplained absence, but the gravity in Nero’s expression told him this was something else entirely.

  “I’m assigning this investigation to your club,” Professor Nero said, his tone heavy as he slid a file across the desk.

  Kenneth opened it, revealing profiles and photographs of young children. Their innocent faces stared back at him, but the weight of the file’s contents turned his stomach.

  He glanced at Rika, who leaned in closer, her expression darkening as she scanned the details.

  “These are the missing children,” Nero explained. “Most of them are vassals to the elemental families.”

  Kenneth and Rika exchanged a look. The significance of the case wasn’t lost on either of them.

  ＊＊＊

  Back in the clubroom, the group huddled around a board, pinning up the profiles of the missing children. The room, usually filled with lively chatter, was now silent with focus.

  “Besides being vassals to noble families, I don’t see any other clear connection,” Ash muttered, frowning as he scanned the board.

  Rika tapped a finger on one of the profiles, her tone thoughtful but tense. “Anya Lambert is from my family’s vassals. Emilia Morgan and Felix Kline are tied to the Mistral family. Casey McCann comes from the Gairos family. All of them serve powerful families. Could this be some kind of ransom scheme? Money, maybe?”

  Kenneth frowned, something about the pattern gnawing at him. “It feels… off,” he murmured, his voice uncertain.

  Joash, who had been studying the profiles in silence, finally spoke. “There’s another connection,” he said slowly. His tone was deliberate, drawing everyone’s attention. “They’re all Elementless.”

  The room went still as the words sank in.

  “Elementless?” Rika echoed, confusion flickering in her expression. “But noble vassals are supposed to inherit elemental magic, right? It’s part of their duty to the families they serve.”

  “Exactly,” Joash said, his voice steady but heavy. “These children haven’t inherited magic yet. They’re supposed to one day serve their lords by gaining the elemental magic tied to the families they serve, but right now… they’re vulnerable. Someone is targeting them because of that.”

  Ash’s frown deepened. “My family has reports of similar cases—children who went missing and were later found. But when they came back, they’d lost their pnevma completely. It’s like they’d turned into Commoners. Most of those cases weren’t linked to noble families, but… this could be related.”

  “No way…” Aine whispered, her voice barely audible. Her usual confidence was gone, replaced by a shaky disbelief. “Someone’s trying to remove their pnevma?”

  Kenneth’s fists clenched at his sides, his jaw tightening. The thought of children being stripped of their pnevma sent a chill down his spine.

  The group exchanged uneasy glances, the weight of the revelation settling heavily over them. This wasn’t a simple search for missing children anymore. This was something far darker, far more disturbing.

  Ash rubbed the back of his neck, struggling to find the right words. “If someone out there can actually drain pnevma from these kids… what kind of power are we dealing with? Who could even do something like that?”

  The room went silent again, the gravity of his question pressing down on them like a storm cloud.

  ＊＊＊

  The group split up to cover as many of the missing children’s families as possible. Joash, Rika, and Ash went their separate ways, each heading to different families affected by the disappearances, hoping to gather any clues or insights. Kenneth and Aine, meanwhile, were assigned to visit the Kline family, whose son Felix was among the missing.

  At the Kline residence, Kenneth and Aine sat across from Felix’s parents. The weariness etched into their faces spoke of long nights and quiet desperation, shadows lining their eyes as they clung to any hope for their son’s return.

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  Aine leaned forward, her tone both gentle and resolute. “We’re here to help, Lord Kline. Anything you can share about Felix’s recent activities or anyone he might have encountered could be crucial.”

  Simon Kline, the head of the family, nodded before summoning the guards and butlers who had accompanied his wife and son on their last outing. One of the butlers stepped forward, visibly tense, his gaze fixed somewhere distant as he spoke.

  “We took Mistress and young Master Felix into town, as usual,” he began, his voice low. “But… at some point, we encountered someone cloaked and hooded. After that… it’s just blank. I can’t recall anything past that moment.”

  Kenneth’s brow furrowed as he leaned forward. “Do you remember anything about that person?”

  The butler hesitated, frustration flickering across his face as he tried to dredge up any useful detail. “They were cloaked… definitely hooded. But I’m fairly certain it was a woman.”

  Kenneth exchanged a glance with Aine, sensing the tension thickening in the room.

  “A woman?” Aine asked, her voice calm but probing, encouraging the butler to dig deeper into his foggy recollection. “Was there anything at all that stood out? Even something small?”

  The butler shook his head, frustrated. “I wish I could say more. But everything went dark… like she cast a spell on us. We only remember waking up later, and by then, Felix was gone.”

  Simon’s expression hardened, his worry evident. “Please, anything you can do to help us bring Felix back…”

  Kenneth gave a reassuring nod, determination in his eyes. “We’ll do everything we can, Lord Kline. Thank you for trusting us with this information.”

  With that, he and Aine exchanged a silent look, understanding that this mysterious woman might hold the key to the kidnappings.

  ＊＊＊

  The group gathered in a quiet corner of a café that Aine had carefully picked for its privacy. The soft hum of chatter and clinking cups filled the air, but their table was a stark contrast to the warmth around them. Scattered with papers, photos, and hastily scribbled notes, the atmosphere at their table was tense and focused.

  “Anya disappeared while she was playing inside her family’s estate,” Rika said, her brow deeply furrowed as she reviewed the notes. “Her maid remembers nothing—just waking up on the ground with Anya gone.”

  Ash nodded, crossing his arms as he leaned forward. “Same thing happened with Casey. Everyone who was with her has no memory of what happened, like they were wiped clean.”

  Aine tapped her fingers against the table, her sharp gaze fixed on the photos. “So it’s a woman using sleep magic,” she said thoughtfully. “But that doesn’t make sense—it’s rare, and no elemental family is known to have it. How is she even able to use something like that?”

  Joash leaned back in his seat, his expression grim. “If she’s not connected to any family, we can’t trace her through lineage. Without that, we’re running out of leads fast.”

  The group fell into a heavy silence, the weight of the mystery pressing down on them. Kenneth let out a quiet sigh, his eyes fixed on the scattered photos of the missing children. Their innocent faces stared back at him, and the thought of what they might be enduring made his chest tighten.

  Before anyone could speak again, the server arrived with their food, carefully placing the dishes on the edge of the table. The group shuffled their papers, stacking the photos and notes into a neat pile to make room.

  As they worked, the server hesitated, her gaze lingering on one of the photos. She pointed at Casey’s picture, her brow furrowing in recognition. “Oh! Is that the girl I saw the other day?”

  Kenneth’s head snapped up, his full attention on her. “You’ve seen her? Where?”

  The server gestured out the window, her voice thoughtful. “Just down the street, near the park. She was with a woman—they seemed close, like they knew each other. She looked… happy.”

  The group exchanged startled glances, hope flickering for the first time in days.

  “Did you notice anything unusual about the woman?” Kenneth asked, trying to keep his voice steady despite the urgency.

  The server tilted her head, thinking. “Actually, yes. She’s with a different child every week. At first, I thought they were her kids, but…” She hesitated, her expression uneasy. “There was something about her. It didn’t feel right. That’s why I remember her.”

  Rika quickly laid out more photos of the missing children on the table. “What about these kids? Have you seen any of them with her?”

  The server’s eyes widened as she scanned the photos, nodding slowly. “Yes… I’ve seen a few of them, now that you mention it. She’s been coming around for weeks.”

  Kenneth leaned forward, his tone sharpening with urgency. “Do you know when she usually shows up?”

  The server frowned, thinking back. “Around this time, actually. She tends to walk down the street every week. If you wait, you might see her today.”

  The group exchanged tense, hopeful looks, the spark of a lead giving them renewed energy.

  “Thank you,” Rika said quickly, gratitude evident in her voice.

  The server gave them a small nod and moved away, leaving the group staring out the café window. The street outside seemed busier now, the movement of people suddenly more significant as they scanned the crowd for anything out of place.

  Kenneth’s gaze didn’t waver. “If she’s out there, we’ll find her.”

  The server gave them a small nod and moved away, leaving the group staring out the café window. The street outside seemed busier now, every passerby suddenly more significant as they scanned the crowd for anything out of place.

  Kenneth’s gaze didn’t waver. “If she’s out there, we’ll find her.”

  Ash shifted uneasily, his arms crossed. “And what if she doesn’t show up?”

  “It’s better than sitting around doing nothing,” Rika replied firmly, her eyes never leaving the street.

  Barely a few minutes passed before the server returned, her face flushed with urgency. “There! That’s her!” she whispered, pointing toward the street.

  All heads turned, their gazes locking onto a woman walking briskly, holding the hand of a young boy who was looking up at her with a bright, carefree smile.

  Kenneth’s eyes narrowed, his stomach tightening. There was something about her—a faint, dark aura clinging to her like a shadow. It felt familiar, unsettling, like the energy he’d sensed near the withering patches on the Tree of Life.

  “That’s definitely her,” Kenneth muttered, his voice low but certain. A chill ran down his spine.

  Aine leaned closer, her expression tense. “She’s using the same kind of energy we felt near the Tree of Life. But why would she be here… walking out in the open like this?”

  Kenneth didn’t hesitate. “We need to follow her.”

  The group quickly slipped out of the café, keeping a safe distance as they tracked the woman. She walked with purpose, her grip firm on the boy’s hand. But as they moved closer, her sharp gaze flicked back over her shoulder, locking onto them.

  The woman’s expression didn’t waver, but her movements changed instantly. She lifted the child into her arms and quickened her pace, darting into a narrow alleyway.

  “She’s running,” Rika hissed, breaking into a sprint.

  The group followed, their footsteps echoing against the cobblestones as they turned into the alley. But as they rounded the corner, they collided head-on with two figures, the force nearly sending them all tumbling to the ground.

  Kenneth staggered back, his eyes widening in shock. “Lucian? Elena?”

  Lucian’s brow furrowed as he steadied himself, equally surprised. “Kenneth? Everyone? What are you doing here?”

  The group froze for a moment, stunned by the unexpected encounter. Rika quickly glanced past them, frustration bubbling in her voice. “No time! Did you see a woman with a child come this way?”

  Elena’s eyes narrowed as she looked in the direction they’d come from. “A woman… dark aura, carrying a child?”

  Kenneth’s heart skipped a beat. “Yes! You saw her?”

  Lucian nodded, his expression hardening. “We were tracking her too.”

  The pieces clicked into place, the urgency clear in everyone’s eyes. Without another word, the two groups merged, sprinting further into the alley in pursuit of the woman who had already vanished deeper into the labyrinth of streets.