episode_0054

And I repeated far more failures than when I picked the lock of the sewer entrance from the sewer.

It’s a natural story. The lock in the sewer was so expensive that not just anyone could open it casually, but in the end, it was a lock that had to be exposed outside. It would be better to choose a lock that is a bit simpler but sturdy enough to withstand exposure to the elements for a long time. The person who originally installed the lock probably didn’t even think that anyone would come looking there. However, it couldn’t be easily accessed by just anyone, so they would have chosen a lock that was sturdy yet affordable.

But Mia Crowfield is the daughter of a Marquis. No, the security of the dormitory itself was excellent. The security guards thoroughly checked and recorded everyone who entered, and if someone unauthorized tried to enter, they would be stopped at the entrance of the dormitory.

Although the rooms used by the noble class and the common class were essentially the same in terms of facilities, it doesn’t mean that the quality of the facilities was lacking. This academy is the ‘best,’ after all.

Fortunately, there were no mentions of the keyholes being filled with Marmeros or enchanted with magic. In any case, it means that the door wasn’t so secure that it couldn’t be picked.

… I may have tried to pick it almost thirty times.

Still, if I hadn’t practiced opening various doors with a lockpick in the past, I might not have been able to open the door even after trying a hundred times, so I believe my efforts were not in vain.

I can’t say for sure if there would be any difference if I could turn back time thirty times or a hundred times, but…

Well, anyway.

Pushing away the sense of emptiness deep in my chest, I opened the door to Mia Crowfield’s room and entered.

I did have a fleeting thought of what I would do if the room’s owner was sleeping inside, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case.

“…”

The room was clean. Well, it was the same in the original work. Most of the rooms of the noble class students were clean. They had been taught that way since they were young, so that they wouldn’t be embarrassed no matter who visited. Even if the visitor was a maid or a servant.

Of course, there were a few exceptions, but let’s overlook that for now.

Anyway, I think it’s commendable to live in the academy without personal maids or servants and still keep the room so clean.

The structure of the room was the same as the one I used.

The furniture such as the bed, desk, wardrobe, etc., were originally provided by the academy, so there was no reason to complain about the design. There were no nobles complaining that “this furniture is of poor quality.” They were prepared as top-notch products from the beginning.

But the books on the desk, the bed covers, and… all the items that one could bring and use were filled with their own tastes.

It was a bit unfamiliar, but also somewhat familiar. Because I had seen this appearance several times while playing games. The atmosphere was quite different from reality with its mediocre graphics, but it was enough to stimulate the image in my memory.

Most of the books on the desk were related to magic. There were no books on swordsmanship or marksmanship at all.

There was a training staff hanging on the wall.

In fact, there were hardly any decorations, so there wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy about the overall atmosphere of the room—

Click.

“Huh?”

I turned my head at the sudden sound coming from the direction of the door.

At first, I thought someone had entered behind me. I thought it might be Mia Crowfield herself, or someone else who saw me sneak in through the door, but when I looked back, there was no one there.

Of course, it wasn’t a ghost or any supernatural being making the sound.

…No, considering that magic is also a supernatural phenomenon. Since the world of Steampunk is a different world from actual history, it’s not that important to nitpick about such things.

Besides, there were places where ghosts actually existed.

“….”

I silently moved towards the source of the sound and examined the peculiar device near the door.

The device, with a faint red glow, was probably supplying energy to the strange heat-based device that was likely to emit Marmaelos. I thought there might be some more magical devices there.

The device, resembling the old lock of the entrance door of the apartment I used to live in, was firmly holding the door shut with a solid bolt, making it impossible to open.

It seemed like a device designed to automatically lock if someone entered without permission.

“….”

I don’t remember seeing such a device in the original work.

*

After several attempts to figure out how to open it, I gave up.

The device was something that didn’t even have a keyhole. Unless someone who knew how to open it did so, it would never open.

Perhaps Mia Crowfield had to infuse magic into it for it to open.

“Hmm.”

But I wasn’t in a hurry. Even if I got caught by Mia Crowfield, well, it’s just a matter of having a brief conversation, gathering information, and then turning back time.

“….”

In that case, since I’m already here, should I take a closer look at the room?

I knew that Mia Crowfield hid important items under the floorboards of the bed. I knew what was in there in the original work, but this room had a device that I had never seen before. There might be something different inside.

I lifted the sheet lying next to the bed and crawled underneath to a height where one person could enter.

There wasn’t an alarming amount of dust accumulated. If someone went in and out, the dust would inevitably disappear in that area, so it seemed like they cleaned it to leave no traces. Anyone who saw it would probably suspect OCD, but for Mia Crowfield, that would have been enough.

There were no special traces under the bed, but when I inserted a coin between the floorboards, one of the wooden planks lifted up.

There wasn’t enough space to put in a large item, but there was enough space to store Marmaelos by type.

“….”

Yes, Marmaelos were stored by attribute.

There weren’t items like the ones I took out of the sewer box, but… when needed, combined with a magic wand, they were enough to kill one person.

It felt eerie when I thought about it.

In the original work, Mia Crowfield was interested in magic and brought them in secretly for research, but… in this world, Mia Crowfield entered an academy like her father’s enemy from the beginning. It wouldn’t be strange if she had gathered them for revenge if the opportunity arose.

And the real problem wasn’t those Marmaelos.

Next to the Marmaelos lined up, there was a small pistol.

It was a small pistol that seemed unsuitable for actual combat, like my revolver. It was a single-action pistol with two barrels running vertically, allowing for one relatively large bullet to be loaded in each. Strictly speaking, it was closer to a self-defense weapon.

But even as a self-defense weapon, if you aimed the loaded bullets correctly, it was enough to kill a person.

“….”

I took out the gun and held it in my hand. It felt quite solid for its small size. Well, it was nothing more than a piece of metal of this size.

When I bent the barrels downwards, I could see the two pre-loaded bullets inside.

There is no room for leisure.

Was it a judgment that he could definitely kill Nana with two shots, or was it a judgment that even if there was room for a bullet, there was no time to reload?

Or was it a plan to use one shot and use the other shot elsewhere?

Click.

As I reset the gun barrel, a small sound came from the gun.

It was a weapon that didn’t fit the original Mia Crowfield.

Well, that’s just my bias. In the original, characters couldn’t equip weapons other than their main weapons, but this is not a game, it’s reality.

Sleeves, pockets… If I could hide it, hiding a small gun wouldn’t be difficult. Besides, it’s not an era where there are metal detectors.

I got up from the bed with the gun in my hand.

I brushed off the dust on my clothes and sat on the bed as it was.

And with the gun in my hand, I quietly waited for Mia Crowfield to return.

*

It’s scary to go in.

Mia thought that in front of her room.

Last weekend, Mia Crowfield had followed Sylvia Pangriffon and wondered how an assassin could be so careless.

But upon further thought, it was a bit strange.

It was hard to understand why Sylvia Pangriffon, who showed such a cold face in front of others, would behave like a teenage girl in an empty place.

After all, there was nothing to gain.

Acting as a cold and ruthless assassin would only raise unnecessary suspicion among the people around. If she really wanted to kill someone and claim her innocence, she wouldn’t have behaved like an ‘assassin’ in the first place.

Rather, she would have acted friendly and kind to build trust.

And when she felt that her true self might be revealed, she would smoothly escape using other people’s eyes and words.

That’s why it didn’t make sense.

Perhaps Sylvia Pangriffon knew that Mia was following her. So maybe she acted to confuse Mia by acting at that moment?

It seemed more fitting that way.

So Mia had not been able to meet Sylvia Pangriffon all week. By behaving like that until the weekend, Sylvia Pangriffon might not have noticed.

That’s why she took action from this morning.

The area near the academy was a residential area. And the buildings that had been crowded since the Industrial Revolution were all narrow. When going up the stairs, if two people met face to face, one had to take a few more steps up to pass each other.

Sylvia Pangriffon went up to the rooftop of such a building. A very narrow place where Mia couldn’t follow without being noticed.

The rooftop was not that wide either.

Even if Mia had followed after a while, she couldn’t avoid meeting Sylvia Pangriffon alone there.

And Sylvia Pangriffon waited there until sunset.

Like a spider waiting for its prey to get caught in its web.

Mia couldn’t bring herself to go up there.

After waiting for a long time, Sylvia Pangriffon came down from the building again with an indifferent expression.

And as if there was no one following her, she walked confidently towards the dormitory as usual.

… And with an indifferent expression, she entered Mia’s room without a care.

The door was set to automatically lock if someone entered without permission.

But if she opened the door and went in, this time Mia would truly be trapped with Sylvia Pangriffon.

No matter what, it was a student dormitory.

Would Sylvia Pen Gryphon really try to kill Mia inside?

No, if it was Sylvia Pen Gryphon, it wasn’t strange for her to know how to persuade without resorting to killing.

“….”

Mia hesitated for a while in front of the door to her room, but eventually gathered her courage.

Alright.

If Sylvia Pen Gryphon wants to confront Mia one-on-one, let’s do it.

Even if she dies, she will fight honorably in the name of Crowfield.

Taking a few deep breaths, Mia took out Marmeros from her pocket.

Click.

After unlocking the door and opening it—

—Sylvia Pen Gryphon was sitting on Mia’s bed, fiddling with the gun she had hidden just in case.

Mia almost fainted in that moment.