You wake up on the first Sunday of the next month, the Verdant Moon. When You look around, Seraphine appears immediately.
Seraphine: I have a bad feeling about today… I can't really put a finger on it.
You nod your agreement. Something is going on, but You are not sure what it is. Despite this, You get to your feet and walk to see Aisa. Seraphine follows You silently, looking around to see if she can determine what is bothering her so much.
When You arrive in Aisa's room, You see Aisa and Roy standing together with a frown.
Aisa: Professor, I'm afraid I come with bad news.
Seraphine: Gods above… Please don't tell me anybody died.
Roy: One of our students has gone missing…
Seraphine: What?!
Aisa: I'm afraid that Florence of the Black Eagle House has disappeared… It has been a few days since we've seen her, and there aren't any traces of her around the monastery.
Seraphine: Well, that explains why we were feeling weird… But who could have taken her? Who would want to take her?
Roy: We've searched the monastery top to bottom but have ultimately come up short. I'm sorry to say this, but we aren't sure what happened.
Aisa: Originally, we were going to have your class investigate the full truth behind a Leicester lord's involvement with Lord Bazler, but… That is going to have to be put on hold until we find out where Florence has gone to.
Roy: Even so, we will try to go on with life as normally as possible. You will still pick a house and teach those students in the coming weeks. This whole month, you will be searching for Florence on the side.
Aisa: I'm truly sorry you had to find out this way, Professor.
Seraphine: How could they just lose a student? If she was running away, wouldn't you expect her to show more signs of upset? No… I don't think she ran away. If you want my opinion, somebody took her. She always seemed happy here. Why would she run off if she was happy?
You can't help but agree with her. You are sure Florence was kidnapped. You propose this to Aisa and Roy.
Roy: We believe she was kidnapped as well… Of course, we don't truly have any evidence on the matter right now, but it seems odd that she'd just go missing all of a sudden.
Aisa: I've been trying to find Herwig to tell him that something is amiss, but I have been unable to contact him. I fear something has happened to him as well.
Seraphine: Teacher and student? How strange… Is there anything that could further connect the two?
You ask if Herwig and Florence are connected beyond merely being teacher and student.
Aisa: Herwig was the one who recruited Florence to the Academy to begin with. It's rare for commoners to get into the Black Eagles, but he insisted that she was something special. I can't say what his reasoning was.
Roy: He claimed she was interesting in some way he couldn't really explain to us until he was sure. He refused to share even his suspicions.
Seraphine: If Florence was the target of these mysterious kidnappers, maybe they took the professor because of their connection.
Aisa: We ask that you investigate both of their rooms to see if there are any signs of what happened.
Roy: Please report back to us after you've found something, assuming you do notice anything at the scene.
Aisa: For now though, you must select which house you wish to follow. Go on. Make your choice.
You decide to follow the Blue Lions after putting in some thought.
Roy: You will be going with the Blue Lions?
You confirm your choice.
Aisa: I am glad to hear that you are so sure of yourself… Now, go and visit the students of this house. I'm sure they'll need your guidance in these trying times.
You start your walk to the Blue Lions homeroom.
Seraphine: If you ask me, we should check for signs of a struggle in their rooms after seeing the students. If there's nothing… Then I don't know what we'll do.
You enter the homeroom to see the Blue Lions standing together.
Magnolia: Greetings, Professor… We appreciate your joining us.
Falon: Judging by that grim look on your face, you've already heard about Florence.
You ask how it came out that Florence was missing.
Karim: After the last mission ended, a lot of people needed some time to think, so everyone just kind of left her alone.
Cassia: A lot of information came to light in Bazler territory, and we assumed that she merely needed some time alone…
Aestlyn: That applies to Professor Wessin too.
Magnolia: I know I needed some time to think myself.
Kyle: We didn't start to get suspicious until yesterday.
Illona: Yuliya, one of the knights, could tell you more if you wanted to hear more.
Nora: Chris of the Black Eagles was with Yuliya last night. They were walking around the monastery and heard rattling from Professor Wessin's room. There was somebody talking inside, but it sure as hell wasn't him.
Aestlyn: They forced the door open and saw a mage with black robes. Said mage disappeared a few seconds later using magic.
Kyle: The mage left a parchment on the floor with the Crest of Lamine written on it. I'm sure you remember that from the start of the year.
Cassia: We don't know what to do with this information, I'm afraid.
Falon: Chris and Yuliya woke up the rest of the Black Eagles, but they didn't hear anything from her room. Since only the Eagles were woken up, we didn't hear about it until this morning, but we got the details quickly. Information like this spreads like wildfire.
Illona: They got the door open soon after arriving outside her room.
Nora: Let's just say that door is going to need a new lock…
Aestlyn: Her room was in the same state as Professor Wessin's. There was nobody inside, but the Crest of Lamine was on a paper that sat on the floor.
Seraphine: All this talk about the Crest of Lamine all of a sudden… Nobody here at the monastery has it. What the hell could make it so important?
Magnolia: Do you know what our mission is for the month? Professor Schweighen hasn't gotten the chance to come by and talk to us about it… He's too busy looking around for Professor Wessin.
You say that You will be searching for Florence and Herwig in the coming month.
Nora: Time for us to get to it then.
Cassia: We should tell each other as soon as possible if anything is found. We can't afford to let any details slip through the cracks.
Karim: I'm going to start looking.
Kyle: Same here. Good luck.
Aestlyn: Here's to hoping that they're okay…
The students all leave the classroom.
Seraphine: We should get to searching as well. We can't let this go on for much longer. It only puts them at further risk, and they're probably suffering enough as it is… Come on. Let's do it.
You leave the classroom to begin looking around the monastery. Once You enter the Officers Academy courtyard, You are met by Magnolia and Falon.
Magnolia: Florence really did go missing… And same with Professor Wessin… I can't help but wonder what could have happened.
Falon: Me too… I mean, there must be a reason they were taken, but I don't think I'll ever understand it.
Magnolia: Ah, Professor! You're looking around for Florence and Professor Wessin, right?
You nod.
Magnolia: I should hope so, given that it's our mission for the month.
Falon: Good luck… Not even the church officials could find anything. I don't know about you, but that gives me a bad feeling…
Also standing in the courtyard is Wolfgang, who is stroking Olive fondly.
Wolfgang: I've had Olive searching the school to see if anybody suspicious is around… She lost her mind last night, you know. She seemed to sense that something was wrong. If you ask me, that must have been the same time that Yuliya and Chris saw somebody messing around in Professor Wessin's room… I don't like this at all.
You leave the courtyard to enter the Golden Deer homeroom. Lev stands inside.
Lev: What if something bad happened to them? I mean, it's bad enough that they've already gone missing, but what if they're dead? What if somebody killed them? Oh, gods above… I don't pray particularly often, but I think I might pay the cathedral a visit to ask the goddess for their safety…
You leave the Officers Academy behind to enter the training hall. Inside, there are two people, who You recognize as Cedric and Wynne. You approach Cedric first.
Cedric: I've looked all over the monastery for Florence and Professor Wessin, but I've come up short each time. I've had enough of just walking around mindlessly. I'm going to make sure I get strong enough to rescue them when we finally determine where they are… I refuse to think that we'll be too late. It simply can't be the case.
You walk up to Wynne next.
Wynne: Hm… I feel really weird about all of this. I mean, I've been hearing bumps in the night for a while, but I didn't ever expect it to go this far.
You ask what he means.
Wynne: Just sounds… Mostly rustling at night. I thought it was the wind or something, but it was loud and coming from the garden each time. Why would it be so loud there? I mean, there might be more plants there, but there are plants everywhere… Oh, well. You can decide how to use that information.
You walk away from the training hall to head in the direction of the nearby dorms. You see Hegias standing outside the dorms.
Hegias: I can't help but wonder how the Crest of Lamine ties into all of this… Nobody at the monastery has the Crest of Lamine, so why would it be so involved? We have every other Crest here this year. Why focus on that one in particular? It seems odd… I wish I knew what made it so special all of a sudden.
Further down the row, You run into Zelhira, who is standing outside Florence's room.
Zelhira: There you are, Professor. Come in. Look for yourself.
You look around the room and notice that it is a mess. Clothing is strewn everywhere, and the books have been thrown on the ground haphazardly. In the center of the ground is the symbol for the Crest of Lamine on a piece of parchment.
Zelhira: It doesn't really look like a struggle… It seems more like somebody came in here looking for something and didn't find it. As for what it could be, I'm afraid I don't know. I'm going to stay here and make sure the scene isn't disturbed. Come back whenever you'd like.
Seraphine: How strange… Who would want to snoop in Florence's room? Why would they leave that paper on the floor like that? I don't get it.
You head up to the second floor of dorms. You see one person at the end of the row, and You realize it is Chris upon getting closer.
Chris: Everything that's happened so far this year makes me feel sick… First, there was that Crest scholar incident. After that, we discovered an army planning to overthrow Faerghus. Then, we had to deal with Lord Bazler and my father. Now, we've got two people missing… I don't know what to do. I hate it though… You already know everything that happened when I realized Florence was gone, so I won't bore you with the details… Just… Help us find her, okay? I'm scared out of my mind.
You head back downstairs and see Nora standing alone in the greenhouse.
Nora: If you ask me, Malice has something to do with this. I'm sure of it. Everything up to this point has involved Malice. Why would this be any different? I don't know what the full truth is, but they have to be tied into this somehow… I just don't know how…
You leave the greenhouse to go to the fishing hole. The fishing hole has one person of note standing near it, and that person is Nesreen.
Nesreen: I haven't found anything related to the disappearances of Herwig or Florence. I've searched the monastery top to bottom multiple times. I've asked surrounding towns if any people have seen anything. Nothing… If you ask me, whoever did this never left the monastery. They're still here. No magic could teleport them that great a distance… Florence and Herwig are here.
You leave the fishing hole and head to the stables, where You see Rodain.
Rodain: Hm… I wish I knew where those two got off to. Lady Aisa finally gave us knights a mission. We're supposed to check the monastery and the surrounding towns on a daily basis. I'm heading out in a few hours to see what's going on… I hope we can find something sooner rather than later.
Also in the stables is Adrian, who You approach next.
Adrian: This disappearance incident is only worrying me further… You know, last year, Professor Wessin was my teacher too. To think that something bad could have happened to him… I hope they turn up soon. I don't know what I'll do if we lose him…
You leave the stables to enter the knights' hall. Cordelia and Kaeta stand together near a training dummy.
Cordelia: Kaeta, have you searched for Florence and Herwig yet today?
Kaeta: Yeah… I checked the garden, but something seemed off to me. Have there always been that many bushes in there?
Cordelia: Why wouldn't there be bushes in the garden…?
Kaeta: I don't know. Something about it just seemed weird. Maybe we should try and investigate it in the future.
Cordelia: Hm… I'll have to keep it in mind.
You head down to the marketplace next. Once there, You run into Tuncay.
Tuncay: You know, I sort of wonder when Flower was taken… I mean, a lot of people were upset enough to hide away in their rooms after that last mission. Even if a house didn't go out for the mission, we had a lot of thinking to do. I mean, Chess didn't get out until last night when we realized Flower was gone… What if she's been gone for longer than we realize? I don't like this one bit.
You head into the entrance hall just north of the marketplace. Inside, there are a few clusters of people. You see Raithius and Novalee standing together.
Raithius: Lord Columbus is tied into everything that's been happening… I don't like that.
Novalee: I don't either… He's never been a kind man, and this… This only makes things worse.
Raithius: His connections to Bazler are concerning. If Canis is truly involved in all this-
Novalee: Ah, hello, Professor… Forgive us. Keep going on about your business.
Seraphine: I guess they're talking about that Leicester lord… I guess they'd both know about him…
Further into the reception hall is Illona.
Illona: The Crest of Lamine… There's one house in Faerghus that has it. It's really stingy with people who have Crests. Anybody with a Crest is trapped in that house forever. Those who don't have Crests are tossed aside like trash… I wonder if that house is truly involved in what happened to Florence and Professor Wessin…
Also inside the entrance hall is Karim, who You approach next.
Karim: I have a bad feeling about whatever happened to Florence… It can't be good, whatever it is. She's never shown signs of having a Crest before, so why would there suddenly be a symbol for the Crest of Lamine in her room? It doesn't make sense… Plus, she's from Adrestia, and Lamine is a Faerghus house. How weird.
The final person in the entrance hall is Piers, and You walk up to him next.
Piers: I've checked all the surrounding towns already today. I'm utterly exhausted. I know everyone has good intentions in trying to find her, but I'm starting to wonder if she really wants to be found… Even if she does, we could be too late. Whatever happened, it's bad, but I'm sure you already knew that.
You walk into the reception hall next, and You run into Polly and Kyle soon after entering the room.
Kyle: Polly, I know that a lot has happened as of late… Perhaps we should try and unwind… We could try to take our minds off this.
Polly: I can't just forget about this. It's not an option for me at the moment. I need to find them.
Kyle: But you won't be able to help anyone if you're exhausted… Come on. Let's go and try to calm down for a moment…
Polly: No… I need to make sure that they're okay first… That's my first priority.
Kyle: Polly…
Sensing that they are discussing something serious, You walk away. Next, You run into Miriam, who is standing alone.
Miriam: You know, I checked for Florence's mount. If she had really run away, she would have taken her pegasus with her… And yet, the pegasus is still here. If that's not proof of suspicious actions, then I don't know what is. I'm going to take care of the pegasus until Florence returns, but… I can tell she misses her rider already.
The final person in the reception hall is Sofia, and You walk up to her.
Sofia: Florence… I always wanted to get to know her better, though I would be lying if I said I knew how to go about something like that. Now, there's the chance that she'll never come back again, and if she does, she'll never be the same again… I don't like that. Florence, please be okay… For all of our sakes.
You head north further towards the cathedral. On the bridge there, You run into Callisto, who is staring over the edge silently.
Callisto: Florence… If I'm honest, she always made me feel a bit more normal around here. I mean, she's one of the only other commoners at the school, and being in the same house made me even more comfortable. I hope that she's alright… Please be alright…
You fully enter the cathedral. Inside, You encounter Aquillus rather quickly.
Aquillus: I wish I could tell you that I had found something to show where Florence went… I'm afraid I don't know what to do from here. Everybody I've asked says they know nothing, and I can tell they're being honest… If you ask me, whoever did this isn't involved with the monastery.
The next people You encounter in the cathedral are Aestlyn and Cassia, who You approach.
Aestlyn: Everything has been moving so fast… I was under the impression that the Officers Academy was a way to hone one's skills free of risk, but… It seems that was false.
Cassia: Something about this year is strange… There's been many more fights than you'd expect, and they're all so dangerous… I bet Florence got caught up in it as well.
Aestlyn: I would assume the same… I hope nothing else bad happens to the rest of us…
Cassia: I hope we're alright too… After all, what good are we to Florence if we're caught as well?
You approach William next.
William: I've probably told you this before, but… I didn't know I had a Crest until shortly before I came to the Officers Academy. I wonder if the same applies to Florence with the Crest of Lamine… Wouldn't that be something else?
The final person in the cathedral, Adeline, is standing nearby. You walk up to her.
Adeline: Columbus territory isn't far from my home… I heard that Lord Columbus is involved from Raithius and Novalee. Columbus territory isn't somewhere you want to be… That's putting it nicely. After we leave the Academy, if you go off to find work… Stay far away from Columbus lands. It's for your own safety.
You leave the cathedral behind and walk upstairs. Once upstairs, You go to your first destination, which is the library. Inside, You encounter Niko and Derric.
Derric: I've been searching for any other references of Malice, but… I can't find anything.
Niko: Me neither… It seems so odd. If they've truly been active for so long, why is there so little information?
Derric: The information that we do have doesn't say anything about them taking people randomly…
Niko: Whatever this is, I don't like it… Malice is planning something big, and Florence is just part of their scheme…
You leave the library and head for the professor dorms. The only dorm that's open is Herwig's, and You see Yuliya inside it.
Yuliya: I'm sure you've already heard the full story about what happened… I was out on night watch, and that was when I heard sounds coming from the room. When the door was forced open, there were traces of magic in the air, and this paper was left behind… I wish I could tell you anything more, but I'm just as clueless as you are. It's so odd…
You make for the cardinals' room, and inside, You see Reese and Jill talking.
Reese: Ah, Professor… We were just saying how good it is that we have you around right now. Allow us to catch you up.
Jill: While you're with the Blue Lions, Reese will be looking over the Black Eagles for the month.
Reese: Don't worry though. I'll still return for the mission at the end of the month.
Jill: We have it all under control. No need to worry.
You walk to the room where Aisa and Roy are located.
Roy: So, Professor… Have you looked around for any traces of Herwig or Florence?
You nod and tell them what You have learned.
Aisa: So, the paper found in both their rooms only appeared after they went missing… I saw it earlier in the morning. It doesn't look like a page from any book.
Roy: It's acting as a calling card, in other words.
Aisa: I fear that may be the case…
Roy: And the garden… It appears that is a point of interest for us to investigate.
Aisa: I do not know what could be there… But we need to check it out.
You nod your agreement.
Aisa: Thank you for the report, Professor. You may go.
As You leave, Seraphine appears.
Seraphine: I'm wiped… Enough of the drama. Let's hit the hay.
You head to your room and sit on your bed.
Seraphine: Something happened to Florence and Herwig… It's suspected that they were kidnapped… I don't know what to do with that sort of information. I mean, it's not like we can just go out and save them now, right? That's out of the question… Gods above, this is frustrating… We'll just have to keep looking tomorrow. For now, goodnight.
You fall asleep soon after. Even in your dreams, You hope for a clue to come to You, but nothing does, leaving your sleep dull and upsetting as answers escape You for one night more...
Sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out! I should probably explain that, huh?
Well, I finished this story at the end of May, but I didn't post on it due to being busy with other obligations. I'm so sorry for the lengthy break, so to make it up to you all who have been waiting, I'm going to spam everything I have done right now.
-Digital