Chapter 22

Felix muttered behind her. Elena quickly turned around to look up at him.

He was breathing heavily, and he handed her the coat that had been draped over the back of the chair.

“I checked the other rooms, but he’s not there, and there’s no sign of anyone entering.”

Felix swiftly put on his own clothes and approached her again. Seeing that she still hadn’t thought to put on the coat, he took it from her hands and helped her into it.

“Just in case, let’s go to the security squad.”

He didn’t give her time to respond, grabbing her hand immediately. His hand was cold, perhaps from anxiety.

Elena ran after him at full speed. Her throat burned as if it were on fire, but she couldn’t afford to slow down.

Panting heavily, they entered the security squad building. Inside, the man who had looked like a bandit when they had seen him a few days ago was stretching. Hearing the door, he turned toward them and recognized Elena.

“Oh, young lady, it you from before. Do you need help? It’s early, so the baby must still be asleep. But more importantly, is that man next to you…?”

It wasn’t hard to guess what he might be imagining as he glanced at Felix, but neither Elena nor Felix had the time to react.

Felix, just as impatient, strode up to the knight in an instant and slammed both hands on the table.

“Has there been any report of a baby being found? A child with blond hair and gray eyes.”

The knight, sensing the gravity of the situation, rubbed his bearded chin with a serious expression. His gaze shifted from Felix to Elena.

“Is the baby from before missing?”

“Yes.”

Elena nodded urgently. The knight’s expression grew even more severe.

“Did you see the kidnapper’s appearance?”

“No, it’s not… it doesn’t seem like a kidnapping. There’s no sign of anyone breaking in.”

“You’re saying no one entered, but the baby disappeared?”

“Yes. The baby was sick, so I stayed up all night nursing him. I fell asleep for a moment, and during that time, he vanished. We need to find him quickly. He’s unwell, and we don’t know what will happen if we delay. Please help us. Please find our Little One.”

Elena, on the verge of tears, stepped forward to stand beside Felix.

The knight, who had been listening intently, suddenly had a peculiar look on his face.

It was no longer the face of someone sympathizing over a missing child but rather the face of a knight interrogating a criminal.

Elena immediately understood the meaning behind his gaze when he spoke.

“I hate to ask this, but just in case…”

He lowered the hand that had been touching his face and crossed his arms.

“You’re not reporting the baby as missing to avoid punishment for abandoning him, are you?”

“What are you saying…?”

“Hey!”

Before Elena could shout in protest at the absurd accusation, Felix slammed the table again. His body trembled with rage, unable to suppress it.

Elena, too, felt her hands shaking uncontrollably from the surge of emotions.

But the knight showed no sign of regret for his words. There was no apology or excuse to indicate he had misspoken.

“It may sound harsh, but isn’t it strange? On the first day of the Festival, you asked if anyone had reported finding a baby who couldn’t even walk yet. And now, just as you said back then, the baby has suddenly disappeared.”

His voice grew louder, and his face reddened as he continued.

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to consider other possibilities?”

For a moment, Elena was at a loss for words. Beyond the anger his words stirred, she couldn’t think of a response.

After all, from his perspective, the situation was utterly absurd.

Even she couldn’t explain why Little One had disappeared.

But whether the knight believed them or not, the impossible had indeed happened. And at this very moment, Little One might be trembling in fear in an unfamiliar place.

Elena wanted to lash out at the knight, pouring out her anger, but finding Little One was more important.

Felix seemed to share the same sentiment. He clenched his fists on the table and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

“You can think we abandoned the baby if you want. But that doesn’t change anything, does it?”

Felix placed his still-trembling hand on Elena’s shoulder.

“Whether he disappeared or we abandoned him, the fact remains that the baby is out there alone in this cold weather. So please, go and find him.”

He gritted his teeth as he muttered the last words. At the same time, his pendant glowed faintly.

“If you find him, contact Verka Academy.”

At Felix’s final words, the knight seemed to realize something. He hurriedly ran toward the door leading deeper into the building. The last thing Elena saw was him grabbing the doorknob before her vision went white.

Once again, dizziness overwhelmed her, and the scenery around her changed. They were now standing in front of her dormitory door.

“Just in case, he might have come here.”

Felix, breathing heavily, barely managed to say the words.

Elena didn’t even ask if he was okay. She quickly opened the door and rushed inside.

“Little One!”

She ran straight to her room. But the room was empty. She checked the living room and Alice’s room afterward, but there was no trace of Little One anywhere.

Felix took her hand again and led her out of the dormitory toward the boys’ dormitory.

Since it was still early, they managed to reach Felix’s room without using invisibility magic.

“Stay here.”

He sat her down on the sofa and warned her sternly. Elena immediately stood up again.

“I’m coming with you to look.”

“Stay here.”

Felix placed both hands on her shoulders and sat her back down.

“I’ll find Little One. You stay here and don’t move.”

“No, I also…”

“Did you forget about Anguis?”

At that name, her body froze reflexively. But she quickly regained her composure and opened her mouth again.

“It’ll be fine. He wouldn’t dare show up in a crowded place like last time.”

“That’s what you think. He’s unpredictable. And whether it’s two of us or just me, the result will be the same.”

Before she could argue further, Felix gave her a reason she couldn’t refute.

“It’s much easier for me to use spatial magic alone than with you.”

With that, their argument ended. Seeing her sit quietly without any further objections, Felix straightened his posture and issued one last warning.

“Don’t even think about going back to your room to look for Little One. As I said, your room isn’t safe either.”

Elena nodded slightly. Felix also nodded back at her before his pendant glowed, and he disappeared.

“Please, find Little One.”

“I will.”

Once Felix was gone, leaving her alone, Elena felt even more uneasy.

The cold air made her shiver. She considered lighting the fireplace but froze at the sight before her.

Felix’s room was filled with traces of Little One from the day before.

The crushed strawberries, the small bunny doll he had sucked on, the wooden block toys, and the large bunny doll Felix had bought for him as an apology…

‘He loved that new doll so much.’

It was about the same size as him, so it must have felt like a friend. Little One had been particularly attached to the bunny doll all day yesterday.

He had hugged it while babbling, chewed on its ears, and even rolled around using its belly as a pillow.

Elena sank back onto the sofa, hugging her knees and burying her face between them.

Time crawled by. It had passed so quickly when she was playing with Little One. Now, she felt as if she had turned to stone.

Felix returned around the time Little One would usually wake from his nap.

He opened the door, his face etched with exhaustion, and said nothing.

He simply shook his head slowly.

***

There was no time to dwell on the shock of not finding Little One. Felix took her hand and led her to the administration office.

Without even asking why they were there, Elena followed him inside.

“What brings you here?”

The staff member at the administration office gave them a curious look.

It was rare for a man and a woman to visit the administration office together.

Felix, speaking for the still-dazed Elena, replied.

“We’d like to change rooms.”

The staff member’s expression grew even more puzzled.

“Change rooms? What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. We’d like to change rooms.”

“Whose rooms are you talking about? It doesn’t look like you’re asking to swap rooms with each other.”

“Elena Bellote and her roommate, Alice Tosman. Please move them to a different room.”

The staff member’s violet eyes turned to Elena. Still dazed, she tried to focus on the staff member’s face.

“Is there a problem with the room?”

“Well…”

“The security is compromised.”

Felix interrupted her and explained the events of the Festival concisely. From the mysterious appearance of Little One on the first day to his sudden disappearance.

After hearing the story, the staff member’s face hardened.

She left, saying she needed to consult her superior, and soon returned to guide them to a new room.

“Professor Deros hasn’t returned yet, so we’ll investigate the cause later. For now, it’s best to move rooms.”

“Thank you.”