Chapter 129 Blank Time
Andrei and Takumi have been living in the central town of the Royal Magic Academy for a few days.
Despite being a magical world, it always reminded Jiang You of a university town: everywhere was filled with energetic students who could sleep in late but not wake up early, their thirst for knowledge and exploration overflowing; everywhere was filled with an atmosphere of pure happiness, devoid of any pretense; the greatest hurdles in life were merely failing exams and having their papers sent back for revision by their instructors...
Jiang You took a deep breath of the night air. The rich magical elements and the relaxed and cheerful soul fire aroma of college students made her feel refreshed. She took Andre's strong arm and chattered about the arrangements for tomorrow. Andre listened calmly, responded from time to time, and gave his own thoughts and opinions.
The more they spent time together, the more they felt in tune with each other: most of the time, they had similar views on things and people, and neither could bear to see the former heroes living in poverty. They both liked to live a frugal and simple life, and although they were stingy, they were also willing to spend their money wisely.
This feeling of rapport is incredibly comfortable, and they never have to struggle to convince one another. When one person expresses their thoughts, the other quickly understands and responds, offering their own perspectives, perhaps agreeing, improving, or even offering a well-reasoned rejection. Everything is discussed and agreed upon, and plans quickly take shape through this effective communication.
"Come to think of it, we haven't been able to find out more about Mi You," Jiang You said with some regret. "In such a large academy, although many people know her and have met her, few truly understand her. I feel like she's so lonely."
"I only know she likes painting and is an artist," Andre said. "She's not cut out for magic, but she's stuck with the path her mother has set for her. It's normal that she doesn't get along with her classmates. I get the feeling she's easily influenced by her family's opinions."
"When her mother was still alive, she would have followed her mother's wishes and become Mebucha's apprentice, learning magic, which she neither liked nor was good at... After her mother passed away, although she decided to say goodbye to Mebucha, she still enrolled in the magic academy under his persuasion. She perfunctorily studied for a year before being expelled for failing. Five months ago, she returned to Eston West City... Hmm?"
Andrei suddenly stopped and thought for a moment, then said, "The timeline doesn't seem right."
Takumi Yuu also realized this: "Mi Funa died three years ago. Assuming Mi Yuu resigned as an apprentice to the great magician Mebucha not long afterward and enrolled in the magic academy for another year... then there was still a gap of one or two years between her final return to Eston West City..."
Even if the various processes are delayed, there will not be a gap of one or two years.
The two exchanged glances and said in unison, "Perhaps Mi You didn't return directly to Eston West City after leaving the Magic Academy. She became a traveling painter!"
"Something must have happened to her in the past year or two. Perhaps she ran out of money, or perhaps she ran into someone behind the scenes. She was forced to return to her mother's old workshop and resume her old ways, making potions and studying magic she wasn't good at..." Andre muttered. "No wonder her behavior seems so strange."
After Mi Funa's death, Mi You gave up magic in search of freedom, yet five months ago, she spontaneously returned to her mother's workshop and revisited the magic and potions she hated most. This in itself was a strange thing. Andre hadn't known her love was painting, and had assumed she was forced to drop out of school and return home to study on her own. But now, revisiting it, he discovered this contradiction.
"Tomorrow morning, I need to check Mi You's exact enrollment and withdrawal dates." Andre looked at Jiang You. "The Magic Academy's Academic Affairs Office should still have files on past students. I'm afraid there are more clues hidden in them that we've overlooked."
That's how investigations work. Statements from multiple parties might seem consistent at first, but when you piece them together, you often find the pieces don't quite add up. Sometimes, investigators' perspectives can be misleading. Previously, Jericho had only learned that Mi You had been expelled from the magic academy and returned to Eston West five months prior, so they subconsciously assumed the two events happened in tandem.
"Only by determining the exact time can we accurately identify students who knew her and get more clues." Andrei had an idea, "Perhaps we can find out where Mi You went after leaving the academy.
Mi You suppressed her feelings for a long time before finally letting go and pursuing her dreams. Her time at the Magic Academy was her farewell to Professor Mebucha. She didn't outright reject his kindness, but silently accepted his arrangements. She entered the academy but studied passively, exploiting the academy's policy to get herself expelled... She demonstrated to Professor Mebucha that she had no intention of staying at the Magic Academy.
"During this period of passive resistance, she might have been muttering about what she wanted to do and where she wanted to go in the future. She might have even told her classmates about her ideas."
"I'll ask Eslan and Lani tomorrow!" Jiang You continued, "They know Mi You! Even if they haven't heard these things from Mi You, I can ask who else is familiar with Mi You!"
"That's right!"
The stalled case had a new breakthrough. The two returned to the hotel excitedly, went to bed quickly, and got up early the next morning impatiently.
After a quick breakfast at the inn, Andre said goodbye to Jiang You and hurried to the Academic Affairs Office of the Magic Academy. Jiang You, as planned, returned to the snack shop and happened to meet a carriage transporting pork.
Dimitri and his wife were already diligently receiving the shipments. Today, several chicken farms had delivered fifty chickens—the maximum they could currently allocate—while Dresden's housekeeper had also delivered fresh vegetables, flour, sugar, and tea.
Andre had obtained the tea through Winston's methods. The tea itself wasn't some expensive, premium product, but it was cheap and plentiful. After being roasted with rose petals, it was imbued with a rich floral fragrance, making it perfect for brewing milk tea. These rose petals had come from the Rose Villa they'd been in.
Winston, who was not very eager to inherit the villa, was not particularly fond of the roses that covered the hills. However, the current Duke, who had been subsidizing the Shadow Army's military expenses at his own expense for a long time, was obviously very interested in exchanging these roses for money. Andre just asked him about it and got his response immediately.
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