The Last Place Hero's Return-Chapter 149: A String of Cadet Disappearances (3)

As I was about to start investigating the cadet disappearances in earnest, I recalled something. Making an excuse about having something to take care of, I left Senior Sophia and Berald behind. My destination was a remote corner of the Hero Academy campus, specifically a dilapidated old research building that looked as though it would collapse if nudged the wrong way.

I stopped in front of Professor Bastion’s laboratory and clicked my tongue softly. I should have come here sooner.

Ever since things had gone sour between me and Senior Sophia, I had been meaning to visit him. But with everything that had been happening, I kept putting it off. I hadn’t even properly spoken with Professor Bastion in months. The most we had exchanged were brief greetings over the Hero Watch. It had been far too long since I came to his research lab in person.

I knocked lightly on the door. “Professor Bastion, are you in there?”

A loud crash ensued, followed by the professor’s pained scream. “Argh!”

It seemed the sudden knock had startled him. He had probably banged into something while standing up.

Alarmed, I quickly pushed the door open. “Professor, are you alright?”

There stood Professor Bastion, fumbling to organize the mountain of research papers cluttering his desk, while rubbing the crown of his head; clearly, he had struck a bookshelf.

“I-I’m fine, I’m fine!” Wincing, he asked, “What brings you here?”

“It’s been a while. I just wanted to see how you’ve been.”

I avoided mentioning Senior Sophia for now and let my eyes sweep over the chaotic lab. With a sigh, I shook my head. “You’ve let this place fall into disarray again.”

“Ahem! It may look messy, but I assure you it’s all meticulously organized according to my—”

I rolled up my sleeves, ignoring his feeble excuse. “The first thing you need is a proper cleaning.”

He darted forward and grabbed my arm in a panic, like a teenager caught hiding something embarrassing. “N-no, that’s quite alright! I’ll tidy up later myself!”

I raised an eyebrow. “Why the fuss?”

“Haha, it’s... nothing, nothing at all.”

Obviously, he was hiding something, but that was not what I came here for. So I let it slide, pulled up a chair, and sat down. “Professor, may I ask you something?”

“Hm? Go on.”

I decided there was no point beating around the bush. “Do you know a cadet by the name of Sophia Evergreen?”

He froze instantly, his expression hardening at the sound of her name. Then his eyes wavered, trembling as though he couldn’t settle them anywhere.

“H-how do you know that name?” he muttered, his voice unsteady.

I shrugged. “By chance, I happened to get acquainted with her. In our conversation, it seemed like she already knew you. I was curious what your connection was.”

Professor Bastion lowered his head, lips pressed tightly together. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then, biting his lip, he said in a strained voice, “Do you... know what the cadets call me?”

Within the academy, he was infamous for a title that far outstripped the Heir of the Great Sage: The Disciple Slayer, Jayden Bastion. That name had stuck ever since a cadet died two years ago in an accident during one of Professor Bastion’s experiments.

After a moment of silence, I gave a small nod. “Well, yes. I’ve heard.”

I was careful not to say the nickname aloud. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Professor Bastion rubbed his lined face with his hands and exhaled deeply. “The cadet who died back then... was Oscar Caliph. He was Sophia’s older brother.”

The revelation hit me like a thunderclap. Senior Sophia had a brother? In my past life, we had spent ten long years fighting side by side, and not once had she ever mentioned it.

“W-wait. But they don’t even share the same surname,” I said.

“Their parents divorced. Sophia took her mother’s name, but both siblings were born Caliphs.”

Senior Sophia’s old surname was Caliph. It was another fact I had never known. A hollow laugh slipped past my lips. There was so much I never knew.

I had thought that after a decade together, I understood Iris, Yuren, Berald, and Senior Sophia better than anyone. But here I was, faced with truths I had never even imagined. My supposed knowledge was nothing more than the tip of an iceberg.

“So that’s why she resents you,” I muttered.

Professor Bastion lowered his head heavily, confirming it in silence.

“And that cadet, Oscar. How exactly did he get caught up in the accident?” I asked.

Professor Bastion’s face tightened. He bit his lip again and clenched his fist so hard his knuckles whitened, as though he were barely restraining his anger. “Oscar Caliph... was a terrible cadet.”

I kept quiet.

Professor Bastion unleashed his pent-up emotions, spitting venomous curses as if he were vomiting years of bitterness. “Arrogant, selfish, and reckless. He cared for no one but himself.”

“Did the accident happen because of this Oscar?”

Professor Bastion nodded stiffly, his expression twisted. “Yes! That brat never followed my instructions properly. He went ahead and carried out a dangerous experiment on his own! And then... and then!”

Bang!

He slammed the table with a furious fist. Papers scattered into the air like snowflakes, and on one of them, the phrase “Artificial Soul Stigmata” caught my eye.

“Because of that idiot, I lost everything in an instant! The research I devoted my life to! My honor! My achievements! Gone, all of them!”

Tears slid down the wrinkles of his weathered face. The rage he had suppressed for years erupted like a volcano. “I... I-! There was nothing I could do. Nothing at all.”

Head lowered, shoulders trembling, he sobbed.

Suddenly, a conversation I once had with Professor Kane flashed in my mind. “Do you know what that bastard did at Oscar’s grave? Huh? I heard him with my own ears mocking his dead student, calling him a brainless fool!”

I finally understood what had happened. If Professor Bastion had truly lost everything because of one student’s reckless mistake, then his reaction, however cruel, was something I could at least understand.

I gently placed my hand on the professor’s trembling shoulder. “Please, calm yourself, Professor.”

Professor Bastion exhaled deeply and shook his head. “Haa! Forgive me. I lost my composure.”

With a tired, hollow look in his eyes, he said, “I know you came all this way after a long time, but... Could you leave me be for today?”

I nodded quietly and rose to my feet. “Understood.”

Even if I pressed him further, emotions that had been festering for years weren’t going to unravel in a single conversation. I opened the door of the research lab and stepped outside. Above me stretched a sky covered in heavy, gray clouds.

I clicked my tongue, suppressing the weight in my chest. “Damn!”

For now, there was no way to make Senior Sophia and Professor Bastion reconcile. If their rift had been born from a simple misunderstanding, I could have tried to mediate between them. In this situation, however, carelessly meddling would only pour oil on the fire.

It was better not to force this. For now, finding the culprit behind the cadet disappearance incidents was the priority.

***

The next day, I convened a meeting with Berald and Senior Sophia to discuss how to catch the perpetrator of the disappearance cases.

Senior Sophia asked, “So? Did you come up with a plan to catch them?”

“First, I went over the details of the incidents once again.”

I handed her a neatly organized list of the victims. The paper contained their personal details, the circumstances of their disappearances, and testimonies from witnesses at the time.

Her eyes widened as she scanned the documents. “Where did you even get this?”

“I have a friend who’s, uh, rather talented in this field.”

“His name?”

“Albert Hoover.”

“Hoover? As in the Empire’s largest information guild, that Hoover family?”

“Yes, exactly.”

I had contacted Albert last night, asking if he could help investigate this. By the next morning, he had already compiled and delivered the files.

The Hoover family was skilled. I knew that. But to think Albert would be this reliable was a surprise. Normally, he just looked like an awkward guy, always screaming whenever Professor Kane forced one of his special health juices down his throat. Who would have thought he could be this competent?

Senior Sophia’s eyes glittered with surprise as she looked at me. “Hm. You’ve got wider connections than I expected.”

But that moment of admiration quickly shifted. Her gaze turned cold, sharp as ice. “Of course, you’re also tied to someone no sane person would ever want to be associated with.”

I ignored the barbed remark and turned around. “Anyway, let’s go over the files carefully and figure out a way to catch the culprit.”

“Got it.”

“Heh! Leave it to me!”

Each of us began flipping through the documents, carefully analyzing the information about the missing cadets.

Suddenly, Berald shot to his feet, eyes wide with shock. “W-what in the heavens! B-Brother! Look at this!”

“Did you find something important?”

“Yes! Did you know Amanda, the fourth-year cadet known as the Iron-Walled Nun, is actually married?”

“You idiot!”

What the hell are you even looking at?