9th Grade Civil Servant In Another World Chapter 31 - Modern Man's Physical Improvement (6)

Emmett Brightner was a figure who had risen to become a celebrity in local social circles thanks to his generous character and overwhelming wealth.

He sponsored local events with the profits from his textile factory operations and regularly threw parties to show off his tremendous wealth.

Despite the ominous rumors that his wife had fallen ill and was in seclusion, his outwardly hearty and straightforward appearance made him well-liked by many.

That same Emmett was now shouting with a vicious expression, seething with rage.

“Where the hell did it leak from! Fire them all!”

He violently hurled the newspaper the butler had brought him. As his shouts echoed through the quiet mansion, all the servants cowered.

Last night, his daughter had disappeared.

No, he couldn’t even tell exactly when she had vanished.

According to the maids, she had left the house around lunchtime saying she had an appointment with her professor.

Around afternoon, the professor called the house in concern about why she hadn’t appeared at their meeting place, throwing the mansion into chaos.

Emmett Brightner, who received word from the butler, rushed home in a panic and had the servants search every inch of the mansion’s surroundings.

Though Erika had grown up to become taciturn, as a child she had been a tomboy who would play in the nearby mountains and streams, often getting hurt or falling asleep on park benches.

So just in case, he had them search the places his daughter used to frequent as a child, but there were no results.

By then, the sun was already setting.

Having come up empty-handed, Emmett Brightner grilled the maids relentlessly.

Since Erika sometimes came home late from meeting friends, he thought she might have forgotten an appointment and gone out to play, so he waited until midnight, but his daughter never returned.

“Uh, master, perhaps we should contact the police…”

“Absolutely not! Keep it so no one knows for now!”

The butler cautiously suggested, but Emmett tore at his mustache and shouted.

He was already the subject of whispered gossip because of his wife’s situation, and if word got out that his daughter had gone missing or run away, he would be finished.

This wasn’t simply a matter of image deterioration.

Supreme Leader Kruger placed tremendous emphasis on morality and “ideal family values.” In that context, he despised those who couldn’t properly manage their households.

In political circles, ministers whose family discord rumors leaked had been demoted multiple times, and businessmen who had been close to them had their companies seized by the Supreme Leader’s orders.

Some even fabricated non-existent family conflicts to denounce political enemies or rivals.

Moreover, given the upper-class culture that had inherited the traditions of the old nobility and was subtly dissolute and hypocritical, if this incident became known, his daughter’s future would be utterly bleak.

They might comfort him to his face, but behind his back they would run their disgusting mouths asking what exactly had happened, what she had suffered.

Then Erika’s marriage prospects would be blocked, and they would have no choice but to lower their standards when looking for a match…

“But…”

“Don’t argue with me anymore! Send all the servants out to search thoroughly once more! Check the university too!”

“Yes, understood.”

Though he kept it tightly hidden from the outside, one thread of anxiety wouldn’t disappear.

Even though he had made excuses to the professor to keep him quiet, anyone who knew the faces of the Brightner mansion servants might notice something had happened.

But wasn’t this too fast!

“Just who the hell is this Daniel Hartmann guy?!”

On the front page of the newspaper that the servant who had gone to search the university brought back in panic was Erika’s face, prominently displayed.

Along with the large letters ‘MISSING!!!’

「University student Erika Brightner, residing in Lüdelheim’s District 8, has gone missing.

She is the daughter of Emmett Brightner, a local notable who operates a textile factory. Those around her unanimously described her as virtuous and intelligent, an ‘ideal Schufaben woman’ in accordance with our Great Supreme Leader’s words.

Such was Miss Brightner, who left home yesterday around 1 PM saying she was going to meet her mentor, then vanished without a trace, saddening many people.

Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to contact the police, Mr. Brightner, or this newspaper.」

While the photo could be obtained since they were scattered everywhere, it was unclear how some mere reporter had learned the specific details.

Surely one of the servants had carelessly run their mouth—that was the only way he could think of it.

“What shall we do?”

As he panted heavily in anger, the thoroughly cowering butler asked.

Emmett sighed and slumped into his armchair. Having aged dramatically overnight, his wrinkles around the eyes and graying hair showed in the morning sunlight.

“…There’s no choice. Call all the servants back for now. I’ll contact the police myself.”

He muttered in a powerless voice.

***

“I’m from the District 13 office. A collection order has been issued, so we’d appreciate your cooperation.”

“Y-yes…”

I showed my identification to the newspaper vendor boy who was trembling in fear and took the newspapers, of which only a few copies remained.

The district office chief’s attempt to stop Daniel’s article had naturally failed. Upon receiving the report, he flew into a rage and ordered all staff to go out and collect the newspapers.

Even I, who had been holed up in the archive room feeling anxious, was dragged out.

“I’m from the District 13 office.”

“They already collected them this morning.”

Georg grinned brightly and shook his newspaper bag. I grinned too.

“I was late.”

“Yeah, but they sold a lot before the collection. People were all looking around wondering what was going on.”

“Well done. If it continues like this, there shouldn’t be any problems. Well then, good work.”

“You too, brother!”

I turned around as if nothing had happened and headed to the next district.

***

As the customer sat in the chair and placed his feet on the footrest, the shoe-shine boy diligently polished his shoes.

Though the boy’s face was dirty and blotchy, the customer’s shoes began to shine cleanly.

“Sir, did you hear that story? Well, apparently Mr. Brightner’s daughter…”

The boy who had been covered in soot and shaking dust from inside chimneys bowed deeply for a glass of milk handed to him by a kind-hearted lady.

“Thank you, ma’am. Since I’ve received such a precious gift, I’ll tell you an interesting story. Last night…”

In the shopping district where people busily came and went, several boys were holding white cloths and diligently wiping shop windows.

“Hey, scrub harder! I said clean it until it’s transparent.”

“Yes sir!”

“Good work today.”

A passing mail carrier greeted the boys.

“Hello, mister.”

“Mister, do you know that rumor? It’s causing quite a stir right now.”

They were all children who lived in the same place as Georg.

Even though they dragged their thin bodies around the streets working hard every day, they only got half the pittance that adult workers received.

Realizing they couldn’t survive alone, the children began to band together, and over time, Georg had become their leader.

There had been countless fights, violence, and bloodshed in adapting to street life and eventually earning that position, but that wasn’t important.

There had been times when police indiscriminately rounded up orphans for “street purification,” but when the cheap labor disappeared entirely and citizens suffered inconvenience, they quietly began to let it slide.

Of course, whenever some event was held or the Supreme Leader came out of his residence, they were still driven from the streets just the same.

Ultimately, the children under Georg’s command who dominated the District 13’s streets were making their own way in life.

Selling newspapers, delivering milk, shining shoes, cleaning chimneys, polishing windows, picking up and disposing of street trash—they were fulfilling their role in society.

They always listened to conversations between customers and passersby and spread rumors.

It wasn’t simply that they were loose-lipped.

They needed stories to tell bored customers, and as day-to-day survivors who never knew when they might be taken away, understanding world affairs was more important to them than anyone else.

So this dawn, the story about the ‘Erika Brightner missing case’ that Georg had casually mentioned became important fodder to fill the day.

Rumors spread incredibly fast.

From newspaper vendor boy to regular customer office worker, from office worker to workplace colleague, from colleague to restaurant owner, from restaurant owner to high school daughter, from high school daughter to friend…

News of Erika’s disappearance spread throughout all of Lüdelheim before lunchtime even ended, becoming completely uncontrollable.

Simultaneously, the District 8 police station issued a statement and began an investigation.

***

40 hours after the disappearance.

Every newspaper featured the Erika missing case prominently.

Most were essentially copies of Daniel Hartmann’s article.

Emmett Brightner wasn’t leisurely enough to deal with reporters.

Still, reporters swarmed and practically surrounded the Brightner mansion, and some dedicated journalists even engaged in paparazzi behavior, following Emmett Brightner around.

However, when Emmett exploded and shouted at them, they all scattered.

There were well-known speculations that he had connections with the government, and there was nothing good about bothering someone whose daughter had disappeared and who had gone mad with worry.

President Brightner met with the police chief, pulled every string to get Ossel’s cooperation, and even mobilized all his factory workers to join the search.

Time continued to pass.

Police came and carefully examined the mansion’s surroundings, but it was already after reporters had trampled around, leaving the area a mess with all kinds of footprints. Moreover, snow had fallen and melted, making it difficult to find traces.

The police even brought police dogs to track Erika’s trail. However, the police dog that had been running enthusiastically stopped around the edge of the District 8.

Too many people passed through that area, mixing up the scents.

Still, there were results.

Erika’s route revealed through the police dog was completely different from her usual activity range.

Moreover, investigation reports came in that she hadn’t used streetcars or carriages.

The investigator examined various circumstances and concluded this wasn’t a simple runaway or accident, but kidnapping.

52 hours after the disappearance.

The newspapers once again simultaneously poured out new breaking news.

This time too, Erika Brightner’s photo was on the front page.

President Emmett Brightner had announced he would give a reward to anyone who found Erika or the criminal who kidnapped her.

The police showed displeasure. The police chief said that if given just a little more time, he would definitely catch the kidnapper, but Emmett’s patience was already rapidly running out.

54 hours after the disappearance.

Something tremendous happened.

The police chief’s face was pale white as he held an official document transmitted by telegram.

“Damn it…”

An order sent directly from the Supreme Leader’s residence.

「His Excellency the Great Supreme Leader has expressed serious concern about the current situation.

Moreover, regarding the recent claim by the Lüdelheim regional newspaper ‘Die Zetrom’ about ‘multiple disappearances of citizens expressing enthusiastic support for the Supreme Leader,’ he warns that ‘if true, severe responsibility must be demanded of police officials in each region.’

Resolve the Erika Brightner kidnapping case as quickly as possible.」

An irreversible situation had occurred.

“Since it’s reached the Supreme Leader’s ears, if we don’t find the real kidnapper, or at least that woman’s corpse, it’s our necks.”

The official document wouldn’t have come only to him. Perhaps in a few hours, first thing in the morning, the case might be transferred to the police headquarters.

He shot up from his seat. There was no time for this.

***

‘Erika, you’re holding up well, right?’

I watched my breath freeze white in the air as I thought.

It was such a cold day.

With her hands and feet bound, unable to eat or drink anything, just trapped in a cold cave—no one knew when Erika’s limits would come.

“Let’s go then, Colin.”

2 AM.

If we hurried and moved now, we could ‘rescue’ Erika within four hours.

I glanced up at the boarding house where all lights were out and began running with Colin.