Lilith let out a sharp, dismissive scoff. "A normal person couldn't lay a finger on Haruto anyway. That Kenjin boy isn't a threat; he's just noise."
Still, her chest tightened with a knot of unease she couldn't quite shake. If Haruto wasn't here, and he wasn't at the palace... where on earth had his chaotic energy dragged him this time?
Without another word, she turned on her heel and strode out of the mansion, pulling her carriage doors open. She hadn't been genuinely worried at first, but the silence surrounding his disappearance was starting to grate on her nerves.
Before snapping the carriage door shut, she looked back at Asobi, who stood watching from the porch. "Stay here and keep an eye on the mansion," Lilith ordered. "And the moment Haruto shows his face, tell him to get back to the palace immediately."
"Got it!" Asobi called back with a wave.
The carriage lurched forward, the wheels kicking up dust as they hit the road. Inside the carriage, Lilith pressed a hand against her temple, her mind racing. If I want to find a lunatic like Haruto, I need to think like a lunatic. What kind of reckless, absurd stunt would he pull when he was bored out of his mind? She needed a lead—something explosive enough to draw him out of hiding.
Lilith stared out the carriage window as the wheels rattled against the stone road. If I want to find out what triggered his sudden disappearance, I need to look at what happened right before he vanished, she thought. I need to speak with the professors. What was taught that day? There must have been some specific topic or spark that caught his restless mind.
She tapped sharply on the front panel, calling out to her driver. "Change of plans. Head straight for the Academy. Let's see what kind of chaos he left behind there."
As the carriage pulled up to the grand gates of the Academy, the courtyard was buzzing with the usual hum of student activity. Everything looked infuriatingly normal—students walking between classes, study groups chatting in the shade, and guards patrolling the perimeters. There was no visible sign of Haruto's erratic energy anywhere.
Not wasting a single second on pleasantries, Lilith bypassed the main halls entirely and marched straight toward the administrative sector. She shoved open the heavy oak doors to Elera's office without even bothering to knock.
Elera looked up from a stack of curriculum logs, her expression shifting from mild surprise to polite composure as she recognized the uninvited guest.
"Oh," Elera said, a faint, knowing smile touching her lips as she leaned back in her chair. "If it isn't the Princess. What brings you to my office today?"
Lilith slammed her hands down onto Elera's desk, the wood rattling under the impact. Her eyes narrowed into a dangerous glare. "Cut the games, Elera. Where is Haruto? You must know."
Elera didn't even flinch. She tilted her head, a teasing smirk playing on her lips. "Oh? So Haruto didn't send you to confirm my offer? How tragic."
Lilith's expression darkened. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Nevermind," Elera waved a hand dismissively, leaning back in her chair.
"If you're looking for him here, you're wasting your time. The last time he showed his face around these halls was five days ago."
"Five days ago," Lilith repeated, her tone dropping dangerously low. "Did he tell you anything before he left?"
"No," Elera replied smoothly. "In fact, I assumed he was safely tucked away back at the palace with you. He isn't?"
Lilith slowly shook her head, a fresh wave of frustration washing over her. She had already checked his mansion, she had interrogated Asobi and Rutherford, and now the Academy was at a dead end. Where else could a bored, unpredictable genius possibly go?
Realizing she was chasing ghosts if she didn't get specific details, Lilith reined in her temper and straightened up. "Fine. Skip the small talk. What was the exact lesson topic on the day he was last here? What did you teach the class?"
Elera's playful demeanor shifted slightly, replaced by professional curiosity. She tapped a finger against her chin. "On that day? We covered the structural foundation of the grid... specifically, Layers."
Lilith's expression froze at the word. Layers.
Her mind raced, instantly piecing the puzzle together. While it was true that Haruto approached everything new with an insatiable, almost reckless curiosity, the concept of "Layers" was entirely different. He wasn't the type of person to blindly walk into a restricted zone just for the thrill of a textbook lesson; he knew well enough that exploring the deeper, unstable tiers of the grid alone was practically a slow suicide mission. He wouldn't throw his life away over structural theory unless he had a specific objective in mind.
"I see," Lilith muttered, her tone cooling as she processed the information. She offered Elera a curt, dismissive nod. "Thank you for your time."
She turned on her heel and started toward the office door, but Elera's voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Are you certain you don't want assistance?" Elera asked, standing up from her desk and smoothing her uniform. A calculated, confident smile crossed her face. "If you're hunting for Haruto, I happen to be entirely free right now, and frankly, keeping track of him sounds far more entertaining than reviewing curriculum logs. I'll come with you."
Lilith paused at the threshold, her eyes narrowing as she looked back. A wave of suspicion hit her—Why would Elera suddenly volunteer to tag along? What does she stand to gain?
But then a pragmatic thought overrode her hesitation: Two minds are better than one, and having the Academy's administrator on hand might open doors that would otherwise remain locked.
"Fine," Lilith said sharply, turning back to face her. "If you're coming, don't slow me down."
Lilith narrowed her eyes, studying Elera's composed expression for a long moment. She didn't entirely trust the instructor's motives, but time was running out. Without another word, she turned and climbed into her carriage, sliding across the plush seat to make room. Elera gracefully followed, settling in right beside her as the heavy doors clicked shut.
As the carriage lurched forward, Elera rested her chin on her hand, a thoughtful smile playing on her lips. "If we're actually going to find Haruto, we can't search like logical people. We have to think like an absolute idiot who is pathologically obsessed with thrills."
Lilith's eye twitched. That description is painfully accurate, she thought, though she refused to give Elera the satisfaction of agreeing out loud. Instead, she fixed the instructor with a cold, piercing stare. "Let's cut the riddles. What do you actually stand to gain by helping me find him?"
Elera didn't flinch under the gaze. She simply chuckled, her eyes gleaming with amusement. "Let's just say Haruto owes me a rather significant explanation, and I prefer collecting my debts in person."
Lilith suspected there was far more to it than that, but before she could press further, the carriage suddenly jerked to a violent halt.
The driver's voice trembled through the front panel. "P-Princess! One of the carriage horses... it's limping badly. Its leg gave out. We can't push them any further on this terrain. If you give me fifty-four minutes, I can send a messenger back to the stables for a replacement team—"
"Fifty-four minutes?" Lilith snapped, throwing the carriage door open in sheer frustration. "We don't have fifty-four minutes to waste standing in the middle of—"
She stopped dead.
As she stepped out onto the cobblestones, the high walls and heavy iron-reinforced gates loomed directly ahead of them. She wasn't just anywhere on the main road. The carriage had broken down right at the outer threshold of the Layer Entrance.
Before Lilith could voice her realization, Elera stepped out gracefully behind her. The instructor scanned the towering, restriction-locked gates, a slow grin spreading across her face. She turned to Lilith and gave a subtle, knowing nod toward the heavy structural access point.
Daisy stepped forward, brushing a strand of dark hair from her face as she looked up at the towering structural gates. "Well, if fate practically dragged us to the exact doorstep, it means there's at least a connection worth investigating. Let's check this sector first. If there's nothing here, we move on."
Lilith crossed her arms, frowning deeply at the ominous, heavy threshold. "Only a complete fool would wander into a Layer zone alone without backup."
Elera offered a sharp, confident smile, stepping past them to push against the heavy access seal. "And that precisely is why we're here."
Lilith stood frozen for a second, a sudden, unnerving thought washing over her: Knowing Haruto's reckless obsession with pushing limits... he actually might be crazy enough to come down here.
Without another word, Lilith swallowed her hesitation, fell into step behind Elera, and together they crossed the threshold, vanishing into the deep, echoing shadows of the Layer.
The air grew heavier the deeper they descended into the Layer's outer trading hub—a chaotic, neon-lit underground bazaar packed with shady merchants, scavengers, and rough mercenaries looking for quick thrills. Everywhere Lilith turned, eyes lingered on her with brazen disrespect, a horde of rough-looking men staring unblinkingly until Elera casually rested her hand on her weapon, making them look away.
Amidst the noise, a sharp, energetic voice cut through the air.
"Princess?! What on earth are you doing here?"
Lilith turned to see a local attendant—a young girl wearing a merchant guild uniform—staring at them in absolute shock.
Lilith didn't waste time on pleasantries. She stepped forward, her expression ice-cold. "I have a few questions. Tell me, exactly five to six days ago, did a young man matching this height and description pass through here?"
The girl blinked, looking around the crowded stalls. "Oh—well, loads of adventurers come through here all the time, Princess. It's always packed."
Lilith's mind raced, calculating the timeline. Haruto usually stays out until around 10:00 PM, which is the official closing time for the outer gates...
"What about after closing time?" Lilith pressed. "Did anyone come through after hours?"
The girl let out a nervous laugh, shaking her head. "Are you joking, Princess? After closing time, only high-tier operatives—Level 50 and above—are allowed past the checkpoint. Anyone else would get shredded by the automated security or the beasts."
"Did anyone get through?" Lilith demanded, her patience wearing thin.
The girl hesitated, reaching for her ledger diary to flip through the logs. But before she could open it, Lilith lifted her hand, the faint, shimmering light of three Royal Crests catching the dim ambient glow of the bazaar.
The girl's eyes widened in sheer terror at the crest of ultimate authority. She slammed the ledger open, frantically scanning the late-night entries, and finally gasped, "Y-Yes! Someone did get through!"
Elera stepped closer, her eyes narrowing as she processed the attendant's records. "Wait... did you just say he was Level 5? Wearing basic clothes, his face practically hidden, and he walked past midnight all by himself?"
The girl nodded rapidly, clutching the ledger to her chest. "Yes! And he had three Royal Crests with him. He claimed he was on a direct order from the King and demanded entry!"
Lilith let out a breath, a mixture of exasperation and absolute certainty washing over her. It's him. No one else in this entire kingdom possesses that level of reckless stupidity.
Elera let out a low whistle, a triumphant smirk spreading across her face. "Well, Jackpot."
The guild attendant looked between them, her voice trembling slightly. "Wait... is that man some kind of dangerous criminal?"
Lilith shook her head, a faint, exhausted smile touching her lips. "No. Just an absolute idiot." She paused, scanning the descending stairwells that led deeper into the hazardous zone. "Tell me, did he ever come back up?"
"N-No," the girl stammered. "Once he went down past the midnight checkpoint, he never returned."
Lilith stood tall, her resolve hardening. She turned to Elera and gave her a sharp, definitive look. "Elera, head back to the surface. I'm going down into Layer 1 to drag him back myself."
Lilith didn't even hesitate. She turned on her heel and took a sharp step forward, determined to plunge straight into the dark descent of Layer 1.
Before she could take a second step, two massive figures materialized from the shadows behind her. Heavy iron boots clanked against the stone floor as two heavily armored royal guards blocked her path, their broad shoulders forming an unyielding wall.
"My apologies, Princess," the lead guard said, his voice echoing from behind his thick steel visor. "You cannot go any further. We have direct orders from the Queen. You are to return to the palace immediately. A carriage is already prepared for your escort."
Lilith tried to brush past them, her temper flaring. "Step aside! I have no time for this—"
The guards didn't budge an inch. They crossed their massive polearms, dropping an iron-solid gate right in front of her. "Orders are orders, Your Highness. You will not pass."
Lilith growled in frustration, balling her fists as she prepared to force her way through with raw magic.
Before she could strike, Elera's hand firmly caught her shoulder, pulling her back just a fraction. Elera's expression was uncharacteristically serious as she shook her head.
"Stop, Lilith. Don't do anything reckless right now," Elera murmured, her voice steady. "Look at the ring on your finger. It's still pulsing steadily, meaning Haruto is alive. But if you start a brawl with the royal guard down here, you'll just get yourself detained, and then neither of you will get out. You have to wait for the right opening."
Lilith froze, her eyes dropping to the glowing ring on her hand. The warm, rhythmic pulse of the metal grounded her, reminding her that Elera was right. Forcing her way through brute force here would only trap her in a political cage before she even found him.
She took a slow, deep breath, letting the fiery panic settle into a cold, calculating resolve. She stepped back, eyeing the armored guards with a sharp glint in her eye.
Fine, Lilith thought, her gaze narrowing into the dark depths of the Layer. I'll wait for the right moment to strike. I am coming for you my stupid husband to be, don't you die just yet.