The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen-Chapter 257: The Apostle’s stronghold (2)

The round table where the student council members were seated.

Around twenty members of the student council sat there, their faces stern and tense.

The student council president, Shartia, spoke up.

"Everyone must have heard by now. First-year students have been going missing."

Mikhail responded.

"I've heard about it, but I'm not sure what’s going on. Were they kidnapped, or did they leave on their own?"

Yuria chimed in.

"I heard about it too. There's a student in our department who's suddenly gone out of contact...."

Hannah sighed.

"Why is there never a quiet day at this academy?"

Luine grumbled.

"Why was I called here? I'm useless anyway."

Despite their complaints, all twenty student council members listened attentively to Shartia.

Two months ago, the student council brought up the issue:

At first, it was dismissed as a case of truancy due to individual whims, and those students were sent to disciplinary hearings. But as the number of missing students grew to one, two, and then three, the student council began to sense that something was off.

It wasn't just truancy—it was a disappearance.

The scale of the incidents was beyond what could be considered a mere youthful rebellion. The student council began to realize this was something far more serious.

"Over the past three months, more than twenty students have gone missing. As of today, the count is twenty-two."

Hannah nodded at Shartia's words, her voice heavy.

"This is serious."

"Exactly."

"This might be beyond what we can handle. I think we should request help from the Imperial Family this time."

The Crown Prince, who had been quietly listening, shook his head and let out a deep sigh.

"Impossible."

Hannah frowned and shot back.

"What do you mean, 'impossible'? We have two members of the royal family in the student council."

"That's why it's impossible."

"How can you say it's impossible without even trying? You know as well as I do that this is beyond our capacity."

"The law against seeking external help was established by the academy's founding president. Any issues that arise within the academy are to be resolved by the academy itself. If the professors and the president decide it's beyond the students' capability, then...."

"Bullshit."

Hannah clicked her tongue and glared at the Crown Prince.

"What?"

"It's because of your position. You just want the credit of having solved this without relying on the Imperial Family, don't you?"

"Histania Hannah."

"What? Isn't this academy supposed to be equal for everyone? Are you going to try and suppress me with power?"

"You're crossing a line, Hannah. Don't think you can get away with everything because you're a Histania."

"Oh, I'm so scared. Should I drop out?"

"..."

Bang!

As the atmosphere grew colder, Shartia slammed her fist on the table, sending a sharp glare around the room.

"Enough! Both of you, stop it! What are you doing, acting like you're three-year-olds?"

Despite Shartia’s rebuke, Hannah continued to speak defiantly.

"President, you should think about this too. We haven't been able to handle anything that’s happened at this academy so far."

"I said, enough."

"The incident during the ranking competition, Hans using dark magic—honestly, we barely managed to handle it, and if it weren't for the butler, we wouldn't have been able to resolve what happened at the ball."

Hannah glanced at Luine, Mikhail, and the Crown Prince as she spoke.

"Let's be honest—we haven't resolved anything on our own, have we? At the very least, if we could get help from the butler...!"

Bang!

"Ricardo is a student on leave. To put it bluntly, he's practically expelled and is an outsider. Are you saying we should call him and ask him to help with our problems? What would people say?"

"..."

"This year's batch is the worst."

"..."

"In my time, we handled everything ourselves. The academy has really gone downhill. These days, all you kids know how to do is complain. What do you think your peers would say?"

Shartia spoke with a voice full of frustration as she addressed Hannah.

"I know. I know our situation isn't good right now, but what can we do? We have to use this opportunity to restore the public's trust."

"But still...!"

"This isn't just about tarnishing our reputation; it will smear the entire academy."

As the student council president, Shartia had to say what needed to be said. She knew the reality—that the issues they faced were beyond what the student council could handle.

But this time, it was different.

Shartia gestured lightly to the student standing beside her, signaling them to distribute what they were holding.

The student next to Shartia nodded and began placing papers on the table in front of the council members.

"This time, we can solve this on our own."

The members unfolded the papers and gasped.

"When did you gather this information?"

The papers contained testimonies from witnesses who last saw the missing students and a map marked with circles indicating the locations where the students were believed to have disappeared.

Hannah widened her eyes as she looked at the map, then glanced at Shartia.

"Weren't you busy?"

"I am. I'm so busy I feel like I'm going to die with all the work piling up, but I had to at least put out the most urgent fires."

"Wow..."

Shartia spread out the map and spoke with a voice laced with newfound confidence.

"Let me say it again—we can solve this on our own. There's no sign of cultist involvement, and the disciplinary committee has already confirmed the location."

Shartia nodded towards Rohan, the head of the disciplinary committee, sitting at the far right of the round table, acknowledging his hard work.

Rohan seemed to sense Shartia's gratitude, and he stood up cautiously, nodding in return.

"That's right. I confirmed it with my own eyes."

"Really?"

Nod.

Rohan unfolded the map and began to speak calmly, his voice full of certainty as he detailed the information he had gathered.

"It's about a three-hour carriage ride away. It's not too far, and it’s not too far from the capital, so requesting backup should be relatively easy...."

The council members’ reactions were mixed. The more spirited members of the disciplinary committee nodded, eager to restore the honor they had lost in the previous incident, while Yuria and Hannah remained silent, their expressions grim.

"Excuse me."

As the tense silence stretched on, Hannah raised her hand and asked Rohan a question. He had left out the most crucial detail.

"So where exactly is the place marked on the map? From the looks of it, it's either a cave or a forest. To be honest, I think it might be a cultist hideout. Don’t you?"

Rohan, who had been wearing a grim expression, shook his head firmly at Hannah's question and spoke decisively.

"No, it’s not. There was a cabin there."

"A cabin?"

"A bandit hideout. The missing students were all involved in gambling. I think we can guess why they disappeared without me having to spell it out."

"They were taken because they couldn’t pay their debts. Is that what you're saying?"

Nod.

Hannah clicked her tongue, shaking her head uncertainly.

"It still seems suspicious."

As the others remained silent, Hannah swallowed her frustration and bowed her head.

"Fine. Mikhail, do you have anything to say?"

Mikhail, who had been quietly listening, flinched at Hannah's question and carefully began to speak.

"President, may I share my opinion?"

"Go ahead."

"Thank you."

Taking a deep breath, Mikhail stood up and spoke cautiously.

"I think the idea Hannah suggested earlier is worth considering."

Hannah's lips curled into a slight smile. Having Mikhail agree with her gave her a significant boost. It meant she didn’t have to be involved in something she found dubious.

After all, Mikhail was someone who would oppose the idea of hiring the butler.

However, Mikhail surprised everyone with his next words.

"I support hiring Ricardo for this task."

The atmosphere in the room instantly chilled. Mikhail, of all people, had mentioned Ricardo’s name.

Mikhail, who had hated Ricardo the most—second only to Yuria, who had suffered the most because of him—had actually brought up his name. The mood in the room was one of complete shock.

Shartia, her expression tight, couldn't immediately respond to Mikhail’s proposal. It was easier said than done—bringing him in involved many complications. They would have to go all the way to Hamel to confirm his willingness, and there would be many eyes watching them. Shartia let out ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ a heavy sigh and spoke calmly.

"That’s impossible."

"..."

"I already told you, bringing Ricardo here would draw too much attention. And there's one thing you’ve all been mistaken about."

Shartia rubbed her throbbing temples and gave her opinion in a short, clipped tone.

"Ricardo has never once come because we asked him to. He always showed up on his own and caused a scene. He’s not someone we can just summon at will."

"Caused a scene"—though she said it that way in front of everyone, Shartia meant it more as "saved us."

Shartia sighed deeply and said.

"We're leaving tomorrow morning."

"..."

"Those in favor, raise your hands."

Everyone except Hannah and Yuria raised their hands. Those who did so thought of their juniors who might be trembling at that very moment, or they simply wanted to restore their honor as quickly as possible.

Shartia nodded slightly and asked the next question. This time, she asked those opposed to raise their hands.

"Two... Luine, what's your deal?"

Shartia glared at Luine, who had propped his legs up on the round table.

"What do you want to do?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Luine replied.

"I don’t want to go."

"What?"

"I’d only be a burden if I went. I’m just going to stay in the dormitory and rest. Give me a punishment or kick me out of the student council, do whatever you want."

"Hah..." Shartia’s sigh grew deeper.

And so, with a mix of anxiety and anticipation, the meeting finally ended late at night.

The next morning, at the crack of dawn, the student council members gathered in front of the academy.

Their target was a wooded mountain on the outskirts of the capital. A cabin halfway up the mountain.

At that same time...

I was gently patting the head of the young lady, who was knitting with a contented expression, as I greeted her.

"Miss."

"Mhm?"

"What are you making?"

The young lady raised her hands to show me the chimera she had made from yarn, smiling brightly.

"A scarf!"

"..."

"What do you think?"

It was an incredibly bizarre design. I couldn’t understand how a scarf could have legs and a head, but I gently patted the young lady’s head and spoke in a soft voice.

"Do you remember when I mentioned that I might have to leave for a short while?"

"Mhm."

"I might be gone for a day or two. Will you be alright?"

The young lady nodded vigorously, looking at Darvab, who was playing with Gomtangi in the mansion's yard.

"Yeah. I’ll play with Dad."

"Understood."

"Just bring me something tasty when you come back!"

"Yes, ma'am."

I smiled softly and patted the young lady's head again.

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My destination was the wooded mountain outside the capital. The stronghold of the Apostle.