Book 4 Chapter 15
Episode 89
Suppressing a torrent of yawns, I exited the main gate of Yongnyun Hall and headed towards the dormitory. Inexplicably, Christa Warden was absent from the student council, so I had to finish the chores in her stead, and I felt like I was going to die from exhaustion. Just as I reached the dormitory, a familiar yet vexing shadow appeared over the horizon where summer twilight was slowly descending.
“Hey, why didn’t you come today? Because of you, I had to do all the work you were supposed to do, even—”
Suddenly, something clattered to the ground.
It was modeling clay. But unlike what I had seen individually before, there were more than ten, even at a rough glance.
“Thirteen.”
“?”
“Thirteen. The number of scrolls I fell behind you by in the first round of this final exam.”
I couldn’t see his expression because he had his back to the sun, but I could clearly tell that his voice was quite serious.
“Until I catch up with this, I don’t have time to pay attention to anything else. No inclination either! You shouldn’t worry about such things either; focus on your studies!”
“???”
“Well, you know, I’m not unaware of your feelings, but… we’re students! We’re at an age where we should be focusing on our studies! Where do we have the luxury to waste time?”
Studies? My feelings?
Not knowing what he was talking about, I just tilted my head, then something suddenly flashed through my mind. Now that I think about it, I seemed to have heard his voice earlier while talking with Valencidis…
‘He heard everything I was talking about with Valencidis.’
I remember the topic was that guy being a black magic user and me planning to monitor him, but I don't recall saying the word 'black magic user'.
‘Or, since he's a clever guy, did he just roughly infer the underlying truth of that conversation? That’s impressive.’
And he’s even worrying about me; there’s no more admirable junior. But it would be better to clarify things.
“Don’t worry. I’m doing it because I want to.”
“Wha, what?”
“And it’s not a waste of time. It’s a very important matter to me.”
Christa’s face turned pale as if she had been struck, then the next moment, her entire face flushed crimson.
“Wha, what are you saying with such a straight face! An important matter? How is that an important matter! What could be more important than studies!”
“Is that so? But to me, that’s more important.”
A moment of silence.
“Wha, wha, what…”
“?”
“I’ll pr-pretend I didn’t hear that! Wh-why?! Because students must! Focus only on their studies! Understand? I didn’t hear it! Not last time, not this time!”
Then he suddenly dashed away, leaving Rain no time to even tilt his head in confusion.
“Why is he like that?”
* * *
Perhaps due to the moisture from the gradually advancing monsoon front, the wind sweeping through the forest and clinging to the skin felt strangely clammy.
Silence hung over the forest. What subtly broke the silence that should have been peaceful was a swarm of flies buzzing around the corpses. Flies buzzed frantically and maggots wriggled in various places on the scattered bodies.
“When the forest ranger found them, their limbs had already been severed by wild animals, they said.”
The Administrative Undersecretary of <Golden Rose> reported cautiously.
Doran Slade, head of the Special Operations Department, quietly squatted down and picked up a pocket watch buried in the mud. A symbol issued only to the Special Operations Department, Doran, as the head, always personally hung this watch around the necks of his subordinates.
“It was a mistake in personnel selection.”
I should have sent those two there and been monitoring Rain Ludwig myself. The black magic user who attacked old Rain in the Western Frontier, though strong, was not an opponent for Tyrintid and Lunen… Veins bulged fiercely in every knuckle of Doran’s hand as he clutched the pocket watch tightly.
Madelia Page, the lord of the city who had accompanied them after receiving the Administrative Undersecretary's report, narrowed her eyes.
“To defeat two Special Operations mages by himself, he must have been no ordinary opponent. The Special Operations Department owes a debt for this final exam.”
“Did he really defeat them alone?”
“Hmm?”
Doran, who had stood up putting the ownerless pocket watches into his pocket, looked around. As if a massive typhoon had swept through, the ground was deeply scarred in many places, and the broadleaf forest was indiscriminately toppled or incinerated. Only natural disasters or magic could so severely devastate nature… meaning that powerful magic had clashed here.
“By all appearances, it looks like three people mutually annihilated each other in a magic battle. What we should suspect here is precisely that opening phrase, ‘by all appearances.’”
“……?”
“Isn’t it too strange? It’s as if the scene itself is saying: ‘Don’t doubt it at all, these three people fought and died here.’”
Madelia and the Administrative Undersecretary couldn't understand Doran's words and could only tilt their heads. They were not experts in such fields.
“Your habit of speaking circuitously hasn’t changed, then or now. Doesn't it just mean the circumstances are that clear?”
“To explain it simply, a scene where all circumstantial evidence points 100% to only one situation is rare. It’s awkward, you see. I think the Administrative Undersecretary would know.”
“That… hmm, is that so? I’m not entirely sure myself.”
“Generally, multiple possibilities are raised, and then we choose the more probable inference to find the culprit, but this is strange no matter how you look at it.”
Doran’s eyes, usually closed in a smile, now formed an arc, and the revealed pupils emitted a chilling gaze.
“There was clearly someone else here. Someone who wants us to believe that my subordinates fought one black magic user and mutually annihilated.”
* * *
Gertrude Fenton's daily routine began at 6:00 AM. After finishing her preparations for school, she would head to Christa's dormitory to help the young lady with her morning preparations. At <Delaiten>, it was generally forbidden for influential families to dispatch guards or servants, so even children of powerful families had to manage on their own. However, if someone like Gertrude, a servant-like figure, passed the regular entrance exam and entered, it was a different story. The school didn't particularly prohibit it either…
“If the young lady had acted just a little more selfishly in the top student decider, she would have become the top student, it’s such a shame.”
“……”
“Hehe, I guess women are like reeds in the face of love, aren’t they?”
As usual, I was teasing the young lady using Rain as the topic, but something was off with her condition. From before setting off for school, she was either just gazing out the distant window, or her movements were sluggish, and now, even when gently teased with Rain as bait, she didn't even react. Then, suddenly and out of nowhere, she muttered to herself as if thinking aloud:
“Is it possible to focus on studies while doing things like dating?”
It was a bolt from the blue!
Gertrude's mouth dropped open in shock.
“Wh-what are you saying?”
“No, I was just curious.”
“Surely nothing happened with Young Master Rain, did it?”
As soon as the name was mentioned, Christa’s face flushed hotter than the morning sun.
“Wh-what are you talking about?! Nothing happened, nothing at all~!”
What on earth was this honest reaction…? What a predicament. While I was away, that flirtatious young master must have extended his devilish reach even to the young lady.
“It’s just that in novels, everyone does it! They do well in school and in love, so I just wondered if it was plausible in real life too. Ahahaha.”
As Christa whistled casually and played it off, Gertrude felt like the sky was falling. Gertrude was not particularly in favor of Rain and Christa’s relationship. To be precise, she was against it. The reason she tried to connect them somehow was because the young lady’s reactions were cute and amusing, not because she supported it…
“Young lady, what do you think of Young Master Ludwig?”
I needed to properly probe her thoughts. Since Christa was not honest, asking directly would be perfectly effective.
“What do you mean, ‘what’? N-not much? I don’t think anything of him?”
“It seems like you have *a lot* of thoughts.”
“I told you I don't, you idiot!”
Oh, this cold reaction. As expected, there’s nothing to worry about.
“Indeed. A pure and noble young lady doesn’t suit a young master of questionable character who can’t control himself around women and goes around reaching out to them.”
I sighed in relief and spoke ill of him like that, but Christa’s reaction was peculiar. She busily twirled a strand of her bangs with her finger, and subtly averted her gaze as if embarrassed.
“Well… that’s true, but he’s not as bad a guy as his nickname suggests, is he?”
?
“Well, he must have had his reasons. And he seems to have his own beliefs or something like that…”
Excuse me, young lady…? You’re completely on the verge of falling for him right now, aren’t you…?!
‘Emergency! Emergency! This is a super emergency, Gertrude Fenton!!!’
I must come up with a plan. I need a plan to prevent their relationship from progressing any further, no matter what.
‘That is the duty bestowed upon me, Gertrude, the heir of the Fenton family, who serves the Warden family!!!’
As Gertrude headed to the classroom, she had to furiously rack her brain, clutching her head with both hands.
* * *
The classroom was bustling from the entrance of Yongmyeon Hall, the first-year academic building. With all the first semester’s exams concluded, and the seasonal festival approaching in a month, a lively atmosphere had begun to circulate throughout the school. But Casena Page’s mind was not at ease. Or rather, it was growing increasingly uncomfortable.
“Hey, let’s go to the student council. There’s a morning meeting.”
“Ah, understood…!”
“Understood? Are you practicing for a play or something?”
Lately, they’ve been continuously going around together, supposedly for student council work, and the atmosphere between that detestable woman and Rain felt slightly strange. Honestly, I couldn’t care less who Rain hangs out with, truly I couldn’t…!
Still, as a friend, I should warn him that if he trusts such a detestable villainess, he’ll eventually face big trouble.
‘But there’s no way to separate them, is there?’
Before, she insisted on going with them, but Rain firmly shook his head.
- Only student council members can go to the student council, so why are you trying to go?
No answer possible.
As soon as she got home, she pestered Madelia to let her join the student council, but the answer she received was that it was impossible no matter what.
- The student council boasts a time-honored tradition. Its prestige remains untarnished because only the top and second-ranked students can join.
- …
- Casena, I truly want to grant all your wishes, but if I were to do this on my own authority, it would only cause you trouble.
Ugh…
As I was racking my brain, I looked at Rain’s empty seat, and strangely, Christa’s subordinate girl was also biting her fingernails with the same expression as mine.
“Stop chattering and pay attention to me, you morons, less valuable than dwarf droppings!”
At the seasonal festival, it was a tradition for not only clubs but also each class to set a theme and present it to other students and festival guests. That’s why Professor Owen was standing in front of the podium with a sour expression on his face from morning.
“From now on, I will find two fools to perform a duty that makes them toil like latrine slaves for the class, yet no one appreciates it! Quickly raise your hands!”
Owen roared like that, then with a brawny finger bulging with veins and muscles, he wrote the job title on the blackboard with chalk.
[Event Coordinator]
Event Coordinator? What’s that?
Other students also had the same expression as Casena, so Owen sighed as if regretting and explained.
“Because those student council scoundrels, worse than pig droppings, whine every festival about having too much work, <Delaiten> has a tradition of dispatching two ‘slaves’ from each class during the festival period.”
“???”
“And that, under the name of ‘Event Coordinator,’ is one of <Delaiten>’s long-standing evils passed down to this day.”
Then, when a student muttered, “Wow, that name sounds cool,” Owen’s eyes bulged.
“You fool, it might sound good, but it’s just shackles! You’ll become a slave to those arrogant bastards in the student council!”
“!!!”
“Are you coming to your senses now? Is there no brainless monkey willing to sacrifice for the class, even knowing all this?”
Naturally, there was no one.
Well, does he want us to do it or not…?
Owen grinned slyly, as if pleased with the students' expressions.
“Very well then! I’ll start a game of truth now.”
But then, Casena’s eyes lit up. Working with the student council? So, even if I'm not a student council member, I can interfere with student council activities, right?
“Write down the names of the students you dislike the most and submit them. The two whose names are written the most—”
Just then, someone interrupted Owen, raised a hand decisively, and spoke up. There were two of them, almost simultaneously.
“—Me! I’ll do it!”
“—I will!”
Owen and the other students looked back at the source of the voices, utterly dumbfounded… The two individuals involved looked at each other with even more bewildered expressions.
“Page… young lady?”
“That fox’s… minion?”
Gertrude Fenton and Casena Page.
It was the moment these two people, with the same mission, became the Event Coordinators for the [Cheonggang] class.
Of course, it would be revealed during the student council meeting after school that day that their choice was meaningless….