One Day, My Dad Disappeared - Chapter 11

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 11
During his three years at the Academy, Aedan had always been second.
Cynthia Violeta—the Academy’s unshakeable first, impossible to overtake no matter how hard he worked, lacking nothing in her environment.
That woman was truly relentless.
To gauge just how relentless: during her time at the Academy, there wasn’t a single day she didn’t visit the Library.
And if you asked how Aedan knew this, well, he went to the Library every day himself—except during breaks, of course.

“Pfft, doesn’t she reek of the sewers?”
“There’s something like fish stench coming off her.”
“Both wrong. That’s just the smell that comes from a parentless beggar.”

Occasionally, a few uncouth nobles would torment Cynthia.
The reason was simple.
She was an orphan, a commoner.
Yet she had the audacity to score better than them at the Academy.
It was petty and pathetic reasoning, all told.
When words alone failed to get a reaction from her, the abuse escalated—locking her in the washroom, throwing her Swordsmanship practice clothes in the trash, tearing up her notebooks. A male student from her class—what was his name again—mentioned once that it was “a bit much,” only to be hit with “that’s just girls joking around” and “you into this girl or something?”
There was also his mother’s advice to avoid creating scandal with female students at the Academy, and besides, Cynthia hadn’t asked for help. There seemed no point in inserting himself into something she hadn’t requested.
It was more efficient to study during that time anyway.
Until then, Cynthia had been nothing more to Aedan than an obstacle in his path—rank one competitor.

It happened during exam season. Over her pristine silver hair, spoiled milk cascaded down.

“I’ll give you money, so why don’t you just get lost from the Academy? This place is for people with standards!”

How could she do that?
A frame so delicate it seemed it might blow away with a breath—and yet there was something almost tempered about her, something far too mature for her years.
That was when Cynthia became, in Aedan’s mind, a rival he genuinely acknowledged.
Yes, Cynthia Violeta was just that formidable a woman.

Aedan watched Cynthia, her face buried in the Diary.
A single sentence—that her father had gone beyond the Gate—had kept her like this for a while now.
It was unexpected.
Did family mean this much to commoners?
Though he lived under the same roof as his family, strictly speaking they occupied separate buildings. He thought of his father—too busy to see him more than once a month—and his mother, whom he deliberately avoided because she kept shoving photographs of engagement candidates at him every time they met. These were emotions Aedan absolutely could not comprehend.
‘But still.’
If someone would cry with a face like that when he disappeared, it might actually be rather pleasant.
Of course, there was no one in his family who would.
‘Hmm, if I marry someday, would my wife cry like that for me?’
The thought amused him even as he formed it. Looking at his own parents, the moment one of them died, the other would undoubtedly install a lover they’d been hiding away—so why would his wife be any different?
“Sigh, this isn’t the time for that.”
Aware that her face was a mess, Cynthia lifted her head and wiped her cheeks and nose repeatedly.
“My apologies. My emotions got the better of me.”
“No, I understand.”
Though in truth, he understood nothing at all.
Aedan returned his attention to what she had written. If Ashford had composed this entry specifically to leave a message for Cynthia, then that man must have been planning to cross the Gate for at least several months.
“But this much is certain now. Father entered beyond the Gate of his own accord—so it wasn’t Aclo’s doing.”
“Right. Though how the Gate opened in the first place is still a mystery.”
Even now, her judgment remained precise.
Truly, she lived up to being the rival he acknowledged.
“Can a person even go beyond the Gate?”
How could that be? The Gate wasn’t something you could simply will into opening.
Could the missing Core have been part of some larger plan to open the Gate?
‘No, that doesn’t fit. Neodymium didn’t seal the Gate in the first place—the Gate appears unpredictably, anywhere, anytime. And if someone had opened it, Monsters would have poured out from inside. But there are no reports of anything like that anywhere.’

But if Ashford had truly crossed through the Gate, it wasn’t impossible that he’d used a Core. Further investigation was necessary.
Humanity still didn’t know exactly what Gates or Cores were.
“From what I recall, there are records of things emerging from Gates, but no records of anyone entering one.”
“Perhaps no one ever thought to enter in the first place. It’s dangerous from every angle.”
Cynthia Violeta answered with a clarity that belied any trace of tears. She was right, certainly.
Gates had always spewed forth monsters—countless varieties, in staggering numbers.
Humans had always struggled merely to contend with them; they’d never dared consider venturing into the Gates themselves, the creatures’ own domain.
“True enough. That’s why they poured their efforts into developing Neodymium to close Gates, rather than invade them.”
“But why would Father go to such a place……?”
The steeliness in her eyes wavered once more. It struck him as strange—how this girl, so formidable in appearance, could become as fragile as a flower before the wind at the mere mention of Ashford.
“Ashford was a great hero, wasn’t he? He wouldn’t have crossed the Gate without thought. He would have made thorough preparations.”
That was why the words had escaped unbidden.
If he truly had entered beyond the Gate…….
He knew the likelihood of survival was slim.
Cynthia probably harbored the same thought. That must have been why she’d wept—because thorough analysis was her greatest strength.
“You’re right. Father isn’t the sort to act without reason.”
Watching her wipe away tears with a resolute expression returned, he felt reassured.
‘Reassured? Why would I be?’
Something felt odd. He rubbed his palm across his chest.
“What if Father didn’t take the Core to open the Gate, but for some other reason?”
“But there’s no Core left. And the weakening of Neodymium doesn’t guarantee the Gate will open—Gates don’t remain open continuously; they appear sporadically.”
“Ah, that’s true. Hmm…….”
Her expression grew contemplative. He could almost hear the gears turning in her mind.
“The Core might be a crucial clue, so we should investigate it. Since Cores come from beyond the Gate, when I read the reports Ashford brought from the research facility, I noticed the Core’s composition included carbon, aluminum oxide, chromium, and…….”
Watching Cynthia voice the same reasoning he’d been following, methodically unspooling each thought, he began to understand why reassurance came so easily.
It was like being assigned to an Academy group project and discovering your group contained that legendary straight-A student.
True, Aedan had been that ‘A+ group member’—the one they called “the Aedan carriage ride”—but students paired with him must have felt this same relief.
That’s what had happened with Cynthia. Being with her meant this bizarre incident would somehow be solved properly. Of that he felt certain.
Aedan lowered his hand from his chest.
“Oh? Master, looks like we’ve arrived.”
At Cynthia Violeta’s words, Aedan turned his head. The carriage, which had been rattling along, was now slowing gradually. Through the window, dense foliage and Neodymium came into view.
“I hope there’s some clue. Ideally something about Father, but even about the missing Core would help.”
Observing her violet eyes, now steeled with purpose once more, Aedan nodded as well.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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