Going after Leo and Cedric unnoticed wasn’t too difficult.
They didn’t pay attention to anyone other than each other.
Cedric moved forward with a determined expression, never letting Leo out of his sight.
“They are so passionate.”
Cyril and Myra unhurriedly followed them at a distance, not bothering with hiding.
In fact, they moved with leisure, as if on a relaxing walk.
In this brief window of time, a question still lingered on Cyril’s mind.
Why does Myra care about Cedric at all?
Not only her.
The people from the manarail, his classmates, and even some professors.
How come so many people adore that commoner so easily?
Are some people just meant for it?
“There’s got to be something to it.
I know!
Cedric must be an adept manipulator!
He probably also pays someone to spread good rumors about himself.”
The butterfly on his shoulder twitched her antennae in surprise mixed with disgust, as if saying, ‘How despicable!’
…Who knows?
Still, since the question pursued him, Cyril decided to ask directly.
While not letting Cedric out of his sight, he casually said to Myra, “Why do you like him so much?”
Myra turned to him, confused.
“Cedric?
I don’t like him…”
“The opposite, actually.
I disagree with his mindset.”
“Then why care about him at all?”
Myra observed Cedric’s back and gave a helpless sigh.
“Because he is a really talented mage.
It would be easier for our future if he owed us a favor or two.
It’s business and nothing more, you could say.”
“…Is that why you approach me as well?”
It would perfectly make sense.
That was just how human relationships worked in general, Cyril felt.
Still, he decided to ask that on a whim, for no reason in particular.
Myra sharply turned her head in his direction, eyes widened.
“Huh?”
Her face quickly colored with panic, Myra yelled out.
“No!
Definitely not!”
Cyril stopped, giving her a blank stare.
The desperation in that voice appeared genuine to him.
Was it really that important for her to answer this way?
Cyril couldn’t help but feel a certain way about her loud outburst.
“What an idiot!
She ruined our chase!”
With helplessness, Cyril turned to face the front.
The panic on Myra’s face was quickly replaced by awkwardness.
She stiffly looked ahead as well.
The two people they were following, of course, noticed the noise.
Leo and Cedric were now looking at them with confusion.
“Thorne and…
the commoner girl?” Leo mumbled with a frown.
He warily raised his hands, as if about to cast a spell.
“What are you doing here?
Why are you following us?”
“Hooo?
This guy thinks he can fight with us?
Does he have a deathwish?” Rhamn observed his stance with a flame lighting up in her red eyes.
Cyril calmly gazed at Leo, then looked to Myra to the side.
Let her deal with this.
He couldn’t be bothered.
Myra slowly recovered her composure and stepped forward without any panic.
She pointed at Leo with a righteous expression on her face.
“Leo, I don’t know what you did, but it’s probably something bad.
Give it up already before it’s too late!”
Leo’s eye twitched.
His face quickly reddened as fury filled his eyes.
“How dare you?!
What gave you the right to-”
Before he could finish his sentence, Cedric walked forward between them.
“It’s alright.
Thank you for worrying about me, but no need.
This is between us,” he solemnly said.
Cedric bowed to Myra at ninety degrees, showcasing his clearly practiced skill of apology.
Leo immediately showed a triumphant smile, looking the happiest Cyril had ever seen him.
“That’s right!
So, scram from here!”
His face practically screamed, ‘Nothing you can do,’ and ‘I am the best.’
At least Cyril had that impression.
“This guy…”
Myra’s face became awkward, dissatisfaction flashing in her eyes.
She had the face of someone whose plans for the evening were suddenly cancelled.
Somewhat sheepishly, she gave Cyril a side-eye, who only shook his head in response.
“Looks like that’s it,” he said.
“We have no choice but to allow Cedric to fall into a nasty plot.
What a pity~”
“That’s right!
Scram already!” Leo added with glee.
Since Cedric himself didn’t want help, then they simply have to stay on the sidelines.
That’s what Cyril intended to do in the first place.
And while Leo’s words gave Cyril a strong urge to hit him, he ultimately held himself back.
It was a simple urge that he had no trouble reining in as a human with some years of experience.
However, Morpho didn’t have years of experience, nor was she human.
Affected by his emotions, the red butterfly shot forward, heading straight for Leo’s head.
“What the-?!” Leo exclaimed as the butterfly hit him in the face.
“Ouch!”
He flinched, taking a step back while massaging his forehead.
She landed a good strike.
Perhaps it might even leave a small bruise.
As Leo recovered, the surprise on his face gave way to anger.
He raised his hand and flailed at the butterfly.
In Cyril’s eyes, Morpho was slapped away, wobbling through the air.
“Watch your pets, Thorne!” Leo angrily muttered as he caressed his forehead.
“You don’t want them to-”
However, as Leo gazed back at the front, he froze in surprise.
Cyril was suddenly standing in front of him, looking down with a completely flat look in his eyes.
“Thorne?”
Silently, Cyril reached out and quickly grabbed Leo’s arm.
Leo hastily attempted to wriggle himself free, but soon found that the hand holding him had strength far beyond his own.
He felt like his arm was suddenly lodged under a boulder.
And that boulder got increasingly heavier with time.
“Stop-!” he uttered in pain.
As the force on his arm became greater, Leo’s face twisted more and more.
Soon he began screaming from pain.
Annoyed by the sound, Cyril made one smooth motion.
He twisted the arm he was holding in the direction it wasn’t supposed to move.
“Ah!” An even higher-pitched scream erupted from Leo.
He fell to the ground, holding his now broken arm with tears welling up in his eyes.
Cyril looked at him with a frown.
“What is he crying for?
It’s only a broken arm.”
Determined to silence the cry, Cyril kicked Leo.
Leo’s head, followed by his entire body, was flung in a circle, and he lost consciousness.
With that, Cyril took a deep breath.
“You forgot his other arm!”
The red butterfly landed on Cyril’s shoulder, completely unharmed.
Thankfully, she was something more than a butterfly.
Cyril patted her red wings with relief.
As he gradually calmed down, a slight doubt settled in.
Morpho wasn’t harmed in any way.
Did I overreact?
“Nonsense.
He deserved it.”
Cyril looked around to see what the others were up to.
He half-expected a certain someone here would interfere, especially since they have a history of doing just that.
However, that didn’t happen.
And upon taking a look, Cyril discovered the reason.
Myra, like a guard apprehending a petty criminal, held Cedric on the ground with his hands locked behind him.
When he looked at them, Myra let go and stood straight.
She gave him a theatrical salute with a satisfied smile on her face.
The sight caused Cyril to reflexively say, “Good job,” and nod his head in approval.
She doesn’t seem disgusted, so maybe it’s fine?
With that, Cyril looked at Cedric, who slowly got up from the ground.
Cedric sent one look at Leo’s unconscious body, sighed, and faced Cyril with a slight frown.
“You shouldn’t have-”
He suddenly interrupted himself and shook his head.
“No, it doesn’t matter.
Thank you for wanting to help me.
I’ll handle the rest from here.”
Cedric crouched in front of Leo’s body and began rummaging through his pockets, trying to find something with a solemn expression.
Myra waited for a moment, observing his actions, and asked.
“What did Leo do?”
“He kidnapped my friend to make me drop out from the academy,” Cedric replied without turning his head.
Myra’s eyes widened.
Cyril too looked at Leo’s body with newfound surprise.
So he wanted to protect someone like that?
I guess he doesn’t value his friends that much.
“True!”
“And you are still trying to protect him?” Myra asked, similarly befuddled.
“It’s a complicated matter.
I just have my reasons, okay?
I know Leo is acting like a jerk, but I can’t just let him be harmed like that.”
“I see.” Myra nodded with realization.
Something close to approval shone in her eyes as she pinched her chin and contemplated.
“A case of kidnapping…
That would be difficult to solve on our own.”
She didn’t ask any more questions, thoughtfully staring at the ground instead.
Cyril didn’t say anything either.
He stood still with his arms crossed.
Using this moment of silence, Rhamn began chastising the butterfly on his shoulder.
“You can’t be that careless, young lady!
You should always think before you do anything!”
Morpho sheepishly folded her wings, accepting it all in silence.
She didn’t even try to defend herself.
A feeling of remorse soon flooded from her, mercilessly attacking both him and Rhamn.
Rhamn’s words gained less and less sharpness.
Eventually, she smiled, her eyes narrowing as if seeing the cutest thing in the world.
“Fine!
Just don’t get into danger anymore!” Her anger was gone as quickly as it came.
You’re going to spoil her like that.
“What?
Of course not!
Morpho is such a good butterfly, she can’t be spoiled!
Isn’t that right?”
The red butterfly eagerly nodded her insect head, her compound eyes sparkling with pure joy.
Finding it difficult to endure this attack, Cyril looked away, returning to the situation at hand.
Coincidentally, Myra finished her contemplations and turned towards Cedric.
“Can you tell us more about the kidnapping?”
Cedric interrupted his rummaging.
Pulling something out of his pocket, he showed Myra a brass bracelet with an intricate design.
It showed a faceless figure in a forest surrounded by all kinds of animals.
The picture carried a serene feel to it.
“This is Anna’s bracelet, a memento from her biological mother.
She never goes out without wearing it.”
“Leo gave it to me, and that’s all I know so far.”
Myra grabbed the bracelet, observing it from all angles in thought.
“At least we are not without clues.” She nodded, an idea shining in her eyes.
“This is a magical item, correct?”
Cedric’s face gained a bit of hope as he nodded.
“Yes.
There is a weak healing spell on it.”
“Then we can try hiring a mage proficient in tracking.
They are rare, but I think I can find one.
As long as this healing spell was used at some point, they’ll have something to work with.”
“This might take a day or two, though.”
Cedric’s face gradually became brighter, at least until the mention of a day-long delay.
“Is it impossible to do it faster…?”
As they began discussing the plan in a bit more detail, Cyril continued staring at the bracelet in thought.
A memento from her mother…
This situation is technically my fault…
He wanted to avoid interfering but in the end acted on nothing more than an impulse.
Satisfying your selfish impulse then leaving the mess to someone else doesn’t seem like the most noble thing to do.
“I see no issue here.
It’s literally what nobles do all the time.”
“…”
On his shoulder, Morpho twitched her antennae with guilt.
Then it’s settled.
Finished with his internal decision-making process, Cyril looked at Cedric.
“I have a method to track your friend.
We can start right away.”
Cedric widened his eyes in surprise, staring at him in silence.
“You do?!” Myra muttered, giving him the bracelet.
“Morpho has a method, to be precise,” Cyril said.
He held the bracelet in his palm, letting the red butterfly land on it.
Morpho’s sense of smell was wondrous, capable of easily capturing magical traces with extreme precision.
It was something akin to her innate ability.
Morpho’s insect legs danced in place for a moment, carefully touching the bracelet.
Her antennae twitched a few times, and she flew up, flying in a circle.
“She got it.” Cyril nodded at the sight.
Cedric’s face immediately became ecstatic as he raised a fist in the air.
The dark cloud hanging above him disappeared instantly.
“Yes!
Thank you!”
However, in a moment, hesitation went across his face.
Cedric looked at Leo on the ground, a certain emotion shining within his eyes.
Don’t tell me…
“We can’t just leave him like this,” Cedric said with a worried expression.
“Let’s-”
But his following words were interrupted.
Cyril turned around and began walking.
“He’ll be fine.
Leave the rest to the guards,” he said without looking back.
Cedric’s face froze.
He slowly glanced at Myra, as if hoping for her to say something.
“He’ll really be fine,” Myra said with a helpless smile.
“This area is safe.
He’ll get robbed at most.
Let’s go.”
Cedric was left speechless.
…
After picking up his bags, Cyril followed Morpho back onto the shopping street.
Myra and Cedric walked at his side, silent.
Cedric’s face was optimistic but a little tense.
His eyes were fixated on the butterfly leading them.
Myra walked with more leisure in her steps.
In fact, it might’ve been his imagination, but Cyril felt her eyes were the same as those of a kid playing pretend.
“Does she think a kidnapping is fun?!”
“…Me too.
But in her case I say it’s concerning.”
Right.
Before half an hour could pass, they reached a particular corner, where Morpho fluttered in front of a quiet little cafe.
“It’s here.”
Closer than expected…
Cyril peered inside of the cafe’s windows, feeling disappointed for some reason.
Finding nothing unusual at first glance, he turned toward Cedric and gave him his bags.
“Stay here.
I’ll check what’s inside.”
Cedric, with a confused expression, picked up the bags.
He blinked once, then hurriedly said.
“You don’t have to put yourself in danger.
What if Leo hired some guards?
I’ll deal with the rest.”
Cyril only silently stared at him, and Cedric slowly went quiet.
“Alright…”
“Is he doing this on purpose?
It’s like he’s indirectly saying the situation is dangerous for you but not for him!”
You are paranoid.
With his bags taken care of, Cyril glanced at Myra by his side.
She looked back at him with a certain eagerness in her eyes.
It appeared like she was looking forward to this.
But, perhaps, Cyril was projecting, as he felt something similar.
Since he had the opportunity to perform like this, he won’t miss it.
He nodded to her, and she nodded at him in perfect sync.
With that, they walked towards the cafe.