The attacker was nowhere to be found.
Seeing how the golem attacked the void tower, Louise suggested they go to the entrance to the vault. There, they found the fire wizard Colbert face down on the floor just inside with the heavy door to the vault open. Blood on the back of his head meant he was attacked from behind. Tabitha began doing what she could for him while Kirche went to find a proper healer, leaving Louise, Saito, and Aselith to search for the intruder.
The entire rest of the day was spent doing that. The instructors of the academy searched all around, finding only a single thing. There was a patch of earth in one of the courtyards that held some magical residue, likely where the intruder escaped. Aselith wasn't able to track the energy, as it went far enough underground to avoid further detection.
By the end of it, they found no one. There wasn't a trace of which way the attacker went. Disappointing, but perhaps not so much. While Aselith wished to test this triangle-class mage in a more direct battle, it might not have been a good fight. If they were specialized in creating a golem and let their other skills dwindle, he might have simply fought another Mott.
Additionally, the intruder wasn't there to attack, but to steal. Another mark against a good fight.
When the archwizard returned to his office, he discovered a note with the thief's boast about stealing from the academy. The thief was also renowned, going by the title Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt. An odd title, but human mages could be like that at times.
What's more, the archwizard's assistant, Longueville, was missing. She had told Colbert that the thief had bypassed the vault's wards and was already inside. When they entered, she shouted a warning to him before he was attacked. Part of her cloak was torn and found inside the vault, unidentified until the others noted her absence.
It seemed this Fouquet had a decent strategy. While everyone was distracted by the golem, he was free to get into the vault with even less security than normal. With all the wards Aselith sensed on the vault's door, the thief probably thought he wouldn't be able to get in without tripping an alarm, or at all. His fears were misplaced.
It was during the following morning during a free period for the students to study at their leisure that the three young mages who encountered the golem were called to the headmaster's office.
First and foremost, Louise and Tabitha were praised for defeating the golem. Familiars were an extension of their summoner, so it was no wonder Aselith and Saito didn't receive similar appreciation. Saito didn't look too happy about that, but Aselith's reassuring hand on his shoulder was enough to lighten his mood.
"Now for the matter at hand." The archwizard said from his desk, many of the academy's instructors standing in the room with them. "We must apprehend Fouquet and rescue Miss Longueville."
The other mages voiced their agreement.
"He has besmirched our academy's reputation. Artifacts were stolen on our watch, and he has taken one of our own. Such a thing cannot be forgiven." He added.
The others' agreement grew in volume and resolution.
Aselith could appreciate the sentiment. The blame for part of this could have been leveled at the princess, as her attendance did reallocate a number of the academy's regular guards. This situation's resolution could even be left to her, yet that wasn't the decision. Despite this old archwizard's lecherous tendencies—from what Aselith gathered from those who worked here—he had a strong sense of honor.
"Who will lead this search?" He asked. "Raise your wand."
The room was remarkably still and silent. Perhaps only the headmaster felt this way.
"Hm?" He looked around at his subordinates. "Is no one here willing?"
Still, no one spoke up. The thief's golem's resistance to a triangle fire spell, as well as Aselith's own flames, certainly put a damper on the faculty's willingness.
"The Staff of Destruction and the Staff of Eternal Fire have been stolen, and my secretary was abducted. No one here wishes to have the glory of apprehending Fouquet?" He asked again.
More fanciful titles. Aselith wondered if they lived up to their names at all. They couldn't be so powerful, otherwise the thief wouldn't have needed to slip away…while leaving a note. Peculiar.
"I will search for Fouquet." Louise raised her wand as she declared that.
"But Miss Valliere, you're a student." Colbert quickly spoke.
"If no one else is willing, then it is my duty to go!" Louise countered.
"I'll go, too!" Kirche raised her own wand.
"Why?" Louise asked, glaring at Kirche from the side.
"It sounds fun! And I can't let a Valliere show me up~." Kirche said. Louise only glared harder at her.
Tabitha also held up her staff, gaining a look from both of them. "Tabitha?" Kirche asked.
"Worried." She said, then glanced behind her. "Track?"
Aselith smirked. "I might be able to do that, if we can find where he exited the ground."
At this point, the trail would be cold, but that would give them a better idea of the area to search more thoroughly.
The archwizard looked around the room once more, still finding no volunteers amongst his staff. "Very well." He said with a nod. "Miss Valliere, Miss Zerbst, and Miss Tabitha. I will entrust reclaiming our treasures, Fouquet's capture, and Miss Longueville's rescue to you."
A quick knock on the door interrupted the three girls' acknowledgement of their task. The guard outside opened the door and spoke quickly. "Headmaster! Miss Longueville has returned!"
"What!?" The archwizard stood from his seat.
Those in the room quickly rushed out to the main courtyard, where Longueville was waiting. Of their little group, only Louise rushed out with them, letting the others walk out there.
When they arrived, the archmage held Longueville in a hug. It would have been heartwarming if not for the fact that the old lecher had his hand resting just on the top of the woman's ass.
"How did you escape?" The archwizard asked, releasing her. A water mage continued to look her over once she was freed. Her left eye was bruised.
"Fouquet let his guard down." She began. "He left the shack he took me to, saying something about finding his contact. I was able to slip out of my bindings and escape, but I couldn't carry what was taken." She emphasized this by holding up her hand, which was dislocated. "He had a small golem keeping watch and I didn't want to risk being caught again. My apologies for failing to—"
"You have nothing to apologize for." The archwizard assured her. "But if you know where our artifacts are hidden, please speak. We have already prepared a group to apprehend Fouquet." He then gestured to the three girls.
"Of course." Longueville nodded. Then she smiled. "In fact, I'll show them exactly where it is. I want to be there when Fouquet is captured."
This woman was something else. Outwardly, she was slightly shaken, yet gave off the desire for justice, or revenge. Aselith could only speculate on what the others thought. He knew otherwise, though the motive was unknown.
After all, the woman stank of the same magic he was going to search for. Perhaps she used it to move through the earth before reaching the academy. If the magic of these mages was better at identifying the source of magical energy, she would not have made this mistake.
The question was: how to proceed from here?
Author's Notes:
Not much to say here.