## CHAPTER 74: The Address in the Files
Within a few days after the catastrophic incident at the school's courtyard, the academy's high head gathered together in a closed-door session. The air in the council chambers was thick with tension as they discussed the immediate security of the pupils and the structural safety of Althelgard. The string of student disappearances, which the administration had at first conveniently ignored, had escalated into a real predicament for them. In order to completely avoid a massive political scandal that could ruin the institution's reputation, they came together to quietly sweep the details under the rug while formulating a narrative for the public.
As for the victim of the hour, Caspian was formally allowed to go home to have proper rest and specialized treatment away from the academy's prying eyes. Interestingly, Edna, Louisa, Silas, and Zerav all stopped coming to school as well. A strange, almost eerie sense of quietness returned to the lower-class sectors of Althelgard. Since it was only a few days before the official end of the term, the school administration allowed their sudden absence, and they took absolutely no disciplinary penalties for it.
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### Final Day Before the School Break
Lyra, Casel, and Elisa walked side by side through the grand, vaulted hallway of the main building. The final classes of the term were officially over, and the rest of the student body could finally go home for the holidays. Yet, this scene, which was supposed to bring a sense of relief and excitement, did not. Instead, all three of them held deep looks of heavy worry on their faces rather than happiness.
"I miss Caspian," Elisa said, her voice dropping into a small, fragile whisper.
"You're not the only one, Elisa. I miss my roomy, too," Casel said, letting out a long, heavy sigh as he adjusted the strap of his bag. "I just hope it's nothing too serious. The guy looked like he was held together by pure willpower before he blacked out."
"The fact that the other four commoners left the campus with him as well isn't exactly calming," Lyra added, her brow furrowing as she remembered the absolute lack of emotion on Silas's face when the barrier dropped.
Elisa looked up at her, worry painted incredibly clear on her cute face. Realizing she was accidentally making the panic worse, Lyra quickly curved her words as fast as she could, forcing a soft expression.
"But... you know Caspian. I know he's fine. He's tougher than anyone we've ever met," Lyra said, offering a slightly nervous laugh after.
But a superficial reassurance wasn't quite enough to clear the lingering clouds of worry from Elisa's face. "I sure hope so," Elisa said softly, turning her head back toward the front as all three walked along in an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds.
Seeing the awkwardness stretching between them, Casel decided it was up to him to break the ice. "I don't know about you guys..." he paused, successfully getting their full attention. "But I'm not sure I'll be able to truly enjoy this break if I don't know how my roomy is doing."
"I don't say this aloud very often," Lyra agreed, her sharp eyes softening, "but Casel is right."
"He did get hurt protecting us, after all," Elisa spoke up, a small spark of determination lighting up her features.
"Then it is settled!" Casel said, his baseline excitement instantly returning, his broad smile returning to his face. But a second later, he stopped completely in his tracks, a look of sudden realization dawning on him. "Wait. Big question... who actually knows the way to his house?"
Elisa blinked, staring at him blankly. "You're his roommate, Casel. How do you not know where he goes during the weekends?"
"What! I didn't think to ask that far!" Casel shot back defensively, waving his hands in the air. "We usually just talk about training, food, and class. Hey, I still ride or die for that dude, regardless!"
"Great. What do we do now?" Elisa asked, turning her head toward Lyra in defeat.
"Don't worry, I know exactly where he lives," Lyra said calmly, adjusting her uniform collar.
"What?" Casel's jaw dropped. "How?"
"As the class representative, I am strictly obligated to submit student reports from our sector weekly so the administration can organize and make regular updates to the general school database," Lyra explained, her tone practical. "But since our class has been completely without a assigned teacher since the whole Master Grey incident, I've had to step up and handle the faculty's data entry part as well. And let me tell you... when you see the exact same off-campus residential address appear five separate times in a single folder, it's pretty hard to forget."
Casel's eyes widened as the pieces connected in his mind. "Wait... all five of them live under the same roof?"
"Luckily for us, the location they registered isn't too far from the academy grounds. It's an easy detour before we head to our respective family estates," Lyra said, a rare, genuine smile appearing on her face.
"Look at you, our amazing class rep, casually abusing her administrative power for the greater good! I've never been so proud," Casel teased, nudging her shoulder playfully.
Elisa let out a bright chuckle at his words, the heavy atmosphere finally lifting.
"It's not an abuse of power, you idiot, it's a administrative privilege," Lyra said sternly, though the faint blush on her cheeks betrayed her serious tone, and Casel just laughed it off.
"Regardless of the technicalities, let's go see our friend," Casel said, turning toward the grand exit of the academy.
"You mean Caspian, right?"
A deep, surprisingly steady voice boomed from the shadows behind them. The three students stopped dead in their tracks, their smiles instantly vanishing. They turned around in unison, only to see Alium Castamir standing right behind them in the center of the hallway.
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