The Reborn Magus and His Prince

Chapter 17

"No, Professor. We were wondering if Tim had applied for a leave from the academy."

Orphys had a thoughtful look before answering. "He did not from what I remember. I'll have to check the committee."

She stood up. It wasn't even a minute when her butt touch the soft chair and she has to run an errand, cutting her rest. 

"Wait, Professor!" 

He and Emilia followed her on her way to where this committee is.

"What is it this time?" with an impatient tone, Orphys faced her students again. 

"Can we come with you?" 

"We're worried about our friend." He quickly added when she's about to sound her refusal. 

"Alright." She consented and resumed her fast pace walk. 

One professor and two students following behind her walked in a corridor devoid of the usual disturbances of students. Only the heels of the older woman clicking on the ground can be heard. It was the place only for the staff of the academy.  

One pair of heels halted in front of a closed door, the two did the same but with a certain distance from her. 

"Wait here." 

Orphys without knocking entered the door which had a sign of 'Committee of Special Admitted Students'. 

She closed the door behind her, not letting the two peek inside.

More than to call it a committee, this department was a one-man show only. The was small, only one desk and three chairs were inside. Two shelves on either side of the room stood with their messy files. A man with an equal messy appearance as the room was sitting with his feet on the desk. His hair is unkempt and the shirt is not tucked, and missing a necktie. Completely disregard the academy's dressing code. That's why Orphys never like coming in here.

She cleared her throat to get the man's attention from fiddling with what looked like a cube in his hands. "Mr. Brook!"

"Oh hey! Miss Wendy!" Mr. Brook only took a quick peek at her and continued his game. 

She rolled her eyes in annoyance and flicked her two fingers. A hand made of wood emerged from the surface of the table. It gripped the ankle of the messy guy, he yelped in surprise. 

"Oh, w-w-wait! My ankles going to break!"

Mr. Brook quickly removed his feet from the desk when the hand loosened its hold. He opened his drawer and hid his toy. With a clumsy way of brushing his hair to the way, he stretch his clothes to make them presentable made only the woman curl her lips in disgust.

"Miss Wendy," he said, now in a much more formal voice. "Please take a seat."

Orphys ignored the offered sit and much-preferred standing. "I'm here for the withdrawal of the special admitted student Timothy Dan from the academy."

Brook creased his brows. "Already?" 

At the same time, he opened the right drawer where he put the files for the three students. He took a folder with the name 'Timothy Dan' on it.

"Are you certain he's withdrawing?"

"Positive. The boy had not returned from the weekend and did not apply for any leave of absence."

"Wow. He's gotta be the fastest among the history of this program to drop out."

He opened the files. This kind of case was not new for him. Those specially admitted students would one day not come back from coming home to the academy without prior notice. And he had to contact for them to say that they were quitting the scholarship offered by the academy and won't be coming back anymore. There were two reasons for that, bullying and not meeting their expectations for the academy. The higher-ups did not care about them as long as they don't kick a fuss and they will continue this farce of a program.

Only this boy Timothy Dan had broken the previous record of one month before quitting school.

"As formal procedures, you have to take a formal letter from this student to officiate his withdrawal."

"You mean me? I have to go to Dan's home?"

"Yes, who else?"

"What about the one who recommended him?"

Brook skimmed the files he's holding and found a name. "You're out of luck. It's Professor Hall. The old man had retired just this year and spent his days wandering the continent."

"Ugh. Fine then."

Without much choice, she took the folder that was being thrust to her. 

"Good luck~"

Ignoring that annoying voice, she slammed the door on her way out. 

"Anything from Tim, Professor?" 

Emilia, what she believed her name ambushed her with Albertine. She almost forgot about these two. 

"He's withdrawing from the academy."

"Withdrawing?! But that can't be!"

Orphys suddenly felt a headache from this problem dumped to her and now some girl in denial about a boy shouts at her. She felt she could explode. "You better watch your mouth, young lady."

Seeing the growing darker expression of the professor, Emilia immediately apologized. "I-I'm sorry, Professor. It's just Tim had not even told us."

Orphys did not care about her anymore and opened the folder to look for the address of Timothy Dan. 

Yulian saw the folder with the name of Tim being out in the open. He tiptoed his feet and tried to take a peek from the side. 

"What are you doing?"

The professor notices his sneaky move. 

He gave a small laugh at being caught. "Nothing, Professor. I just want to know my friend's address so we can visit him."

"Even so, that's very rude of you to do that behi - " 

Wait a minute, something came to her mind. "You want to visit Dan?"

"Yes, Professor!" the both of them answered. But the one with a genuine concern for a friend, the other with an ulterior motive.

Orphys closed the folder with a snap. "This settled everything. You go visit your friend and while at it, ask him for a letter that he's withdrawing, you understand?"

"But what if he changed his mind and wants to return?" Emilia asked. This is the most she had talked about in one day. She's clinging to the flimsy bond, the three had created.

"Well, if he wants to return then he can return and if he wants to withdraw, I need the letter, okay?"

Emilia reluctantly nodded. 

"Oh, and by the way, only one of you could go."

The two students stared at each other when they heard this. This works for Yulian, he can't let Emilia be dragged into trouble. 

"I volunteer, Professor." He blurted before Emilia could speak up. 

'Sorry, Frost.'

"Okay, good." Orphys dumped the folder on his arms. "Everything's in there. Tomorrow you can go and I'll take care of your permit to go out and your leave of absence from your classes."

After taking care of her problem, Orphys felt her shoulders lightened. She turned her back to the two and went to the lounge. 

"You..." Emilia started but don't know where to start. She's good with him going to Tim's, only she felt disappointed that Yulian did not discuss anything with her before volunteering.  

"Don't worry, I'll tell Tim that you've been worried about him," Yulian lied.

Feeling that everything's already decided and nothing could be done anymore. She conceded. "Just try to convince him to return."

"Okay." Another lie.

Back in his room after dinner, Yulian started to prepare for his travel for tomorrow. In any way, Tim's house was only an hour away by carriage based on the address he provided. What he needed to prepare was for any expected fights he might encounter upon reaching him. But he highly doubts it. This address might be fake or those guys' morons to expose their location. Still, he's taking any chances to catch Calis. 

On Tim's bed, all of the belongings he had left were neatly packed and arranged by him including his books and articles of clothing. He had gone over them and turned everything upside down, but only found one clue. A photo of him and one older boy he found in between the pages of a worn-out book.

The photo contains a smiling Tim. he must be around ten years old when this was taken. The taller guy's had a resemblance to Tim's feature and had his hand on Tim's head, depicting a doting brother to his younger brother.

He tried everything to reveal the photo's secret but it only said that it's a normal one and nothing to be suspicious about. He and Ignis concluded that the taller man must be the other cloaked figure.   

That night, he and Ignis formulated their strategies on how to deal with the two just based on the few details they obtained in those encounters they had with them. Only when the god of light was satisfied with their plan did he let him sleep. And Yulian slept with a frown on his forehead. 

Early in the morning, he got up and took his breakfast. He briefly waved goodbye to Emilia before going to a carriage waiting by the dormitory. 

The carriage was arranged by the kindness left in Orphys' heart. Or else, he'll have to bleed his wallet.

The vehicle took off and soon the academy's gate was out of sight. It went past the commercial streets and as they go farther away. Yulian noticed the houses becoming more dreary and almost on the verge of collapse. The people walking were like resemblance of the houses. Unlike the colorful dresses and cheerful smiles of the people in the earlier streets, these people's faces were gaunt and he could see some patches on their worn-out clothes and shoes. Their eyes were sharp like hungry wolves eyeing the out-of-place carriage.

 The vehicle halted at an entrance of a narrow alley. The coachman's voice drifted inside. "I'm afraid I can not take you furthermore, Mr. Albertine. The carriage won't fit inside the alley."

"Alright." 

Yulian went down. The alley was just as run down as the others they had passed. Several men and some women loitering turned their eyes at him. But seeing the insignia of the carriage, they shuffled and scattered away. 

"Mr. Albertine," the grey-haired coachman called. "The address you wish to go to is within this alley, it's only two right turns away from here. But you best be careful around there, Mr. Albertine, this place looks very shady to me."

Yulian nodded at his kind warning and gave him a reassuring smile. 

The small figure then steps into the alley. Yulian never expected the place to be a slum. So was this a trap? 

He hastened his pace. He had reached a darker part with no one around and when he appeared into the light he was covered in a black robe with a hood covering his face. He put on a white mask similar to those he pursuits.