episode_0051

After the lecture, my steps were moving towards the professor’s office. I thought it would be more efficient than sharing these concerns among the students, but I couldn’t rule out the possibility that there might be a spy for the Demon King’s army among the professors, so I went to the office of Professor Zern, the person I was closest to, just to ask a few questions. When I knocked on the door, I heard the professor’s voice.

“Please come in.”

Hearing what the professor said, I opened the door and carefully went inside, and the professor was sitting in his seat. I bowed my head in greeting, then carefully sat down in the seat in front of the professor and opened my mouth.

“I came here because I have a question. If you have trouble, I will come back later.”

“There is no urgent matter, so I will answer your questions. However, if it is an area I know, I can answer, but I cannot answer other areas.”

“Yes, Professor.”

I clasped my hands and touched them carefully. If you ask, “What should I ask?” there is only one correct answer.

“Has the Academy’s mole been caught yet?”

“The professors and the Knights of Araelia are moving around, but it seems that it is taking time to catch the wave of the curse, and it has not been caught yet. Still, I think it won’t be long before I get caught.”

I nodded my head in response. He hadn’t been caught yet, and people probably already knew that he had caught Ignolia’s spy, so he didn’t have any intention of touching on that part. And I cautiously opened my mouth.

“Professor, what characteristics do you think a spy has?”

“Seeing that Astan student asks me that, it seems like he is very curious about that spy?”

“I was wandering around Ignolia and was recently attacked, so I felt like I needed to know my enemy.”

“Having more information is a good thing. Naturally, the more information you have, the more ways to deal with it. well… … That’s the characteristic of a spy. Considering that he hasn’t taken any action until now and only recently started taking action, the most likely possibility is that he is a first year student, but that isn’t a sure thing, as he may have started working because of a specific incident.”

Since nothing had changed from what I was already thinking, I looked at the professor and spoke.

“I recently encountered a spy operating in Ignolia.”

“This is my first time hearing about it. I heard that student Erica caught a spy in Ignolia, but now they are digging up information from him.”

I don’t know if Erica intentionally hid it, or if she passed it over because it wasn’t important, but the point of contact with me wasn’t something the professor knew about.

“The spy once said that he didn’t know that there was a spy in the academy. If so, isn’t there a connection between the two?”

“But the spy entered the academy. It’s impossible unless someone helps.”

I scratched my head at that answer. This was the starting point. Since nothing had changed, I thanked the professor and carefully got up and left the office.

Even if I came out of the office and gathered my thoughts for a moment, nothing changed, so a sigh escaped my lips. How on earth can I catch him, or is it right to catch him? The professor and the knights are already moving, so what can I do here?

While I was going down the stairs with that thought in mind, I made eye contact with someone. Familiar faces and eyes.

Her name naturally flowed from my lips.

“Lai C.”

And at the sound of my voice, she raised her eyes and looked at me. As she was looking at me from the stairs, she took one look at me and bowed slightly to greet me, and I also bowed my head in greeting.

“It looks like you went to the professor’s office. Do you have any questions?”

“Because I’m a person with more curiosity than I thought. Where are you going, Mr. Lai?”

“I’m also on my way to the office for a moment. I’ve seen a lot of strange things at the Academy recently, so I thought it was strange that I was the only one who knew about it.”

“Did you see something strange?”

Rai’s eyes seemed to light up at my question. Maan, I couldn’t help but have that suspicion. Senior Leonard said that Rai did not have the magical eye, but if Leonard senior obtained the magical eye while he was at the academy, that would have made sense.

I looked at Rai with curiosity, and when he saw me, he slowly opened his mouth.

“Is Astan a good person?”

“Mr. Lai said he is not a bad person.”

“Then let me ask you just one question.”

Rai raised his right hand and pointed behind me.

“What is its existence?”

I quickly turned around at her words, but there was nothing behind me. All there was was a staircase and a candle holder with twinkling lights.

“Is there something behind me?”

“Yes.”

And she cautiously opened her mouth.

“It looks like a monster to me. Unlike the moment I first met Mr. Astan. Do you have a curse?”

“… … I have a tool to block curses, but I don’t remember being cursed.”

“Then it wouldn’t be a curse.”

I looked at her. With brown eyes looking at me, it was natural for curiosity to arise.

“Lai C.”

“Yes, Astan.”

“Mr. Lai, what on earth can you see?”

In response to my question, she just looked at me and opened her mouth.

“I’m probably seeing something you can’t see, but I don’t know what it is.”

“Is that what we are seeing at the Academy recently? Is there something behind me like me?”

“Something like that, but there was a strange film around this academy. At first, I thought it was the academy’s protective shield, but it wasn’t that.”

“Have you ever consulted with senior Leonard?”

“Brother is one of those people who would pass over something like this as nothing.”

“Senior Leonard is not that type of person.”

Rai let out a laugh at my answer.

“It’s funny that someone who has only just met my brother would say something like that.”

Then she moved past me toward the professor’s office, and I went down the stairs and touched the ring my seniors had given me.

I was in a situation where I had to meet a spy.

I couldn’t concentrate well during the afternoon lecture. Perhaps because I had already thought too much, I kept thinking that this academy was dangerous, so I had no choice but to quickly find my seniors.

I listened to the lecture, finished it, and as soon as it was over, I packed my bags and got up, and Ceresria followed behind me.

“There is no problem if you follow me.”

“I’m curious about what you’re thinking. I usually don’t pay attention to lectures, but this is the first time I’ve seen you unable to concentrate on a lecture to this extent. Did something happen?”

“It’s just because I have a lot of questions. Because there’s something I want to know.”

“… … You’re hiding something, now?”

I looked at her without responding to what she said and then opened my mouth.

“Would you like to meet Ignolia’s spy?”

Then she looked at me and smiled.

“I’ll take Sharon with me too.”

With those words, she placed her right hand on her head and closed her eyes, and Celestria spoke to me.

“Where should I go?”

“See you at the school gate.”

“I’ll pass it on to Sharon.”

And I walked towards the school gate with Ceresria. Night was already approaching, so when I arrived at the school gate, looking at the darkening sky, Sharon had already arrived.

“Going to meet a spy?”

I nodded at Sharon’s words, and turned my head to look at the school gate. The way people looked at me at the school gate was so familiar that I smiled at them.

“Erica senior.”

“I don’t think he’s going out to work, but his eyes are different from usual.”

“I want to meet the spy.”

In response to my answer, senior Erica looked at the two behind me and pointed at them with her cane.

“Those two too?”

“Yes.”

“I will give permission to Ceresria, but it is difficult to give permission to Sharon. What would you do if the person your opponent was targeting appeared in front of you? I think he will rush at me even if it means burning his body.”

“But there are very few wizards who can break through the senior’s magic.”

“… … That’s true, but it’s true that I’m worried.”

Then Senior Erika closed her eyes for a moment, thought, and then opened her mouth.

“I guess I should call Isabel.”

Then, the senior pointed his cane at his head and said something, and Isabel appeared in front of him.

“You want to meet a spy?”

“Those three people say they want to see the spy, but I have to guard the school gate. It’s true that even spies wouldn’t be able to do anything if you were there.”

“Hmm… … ”

Senior Isabelle looked around at us, and Sharon cautiously opened her mouth at the sight.

“If you know your enemy, you can win, right?”

“Wouldn’t they be targeting this too? Sharon and Astan aren’t as good at this as I thought, so I’d like to ask the princess of Araelia’s opinion?”

“I think it would be better to stimulate something if nothing changes if we just stay still.”

Celestria and Isabel looked at each other and smiled, and senior Isabel nodded.

“Yes, even if something happens, it won’t be a big deal because I’m here.”

Senior Isabel walked towards Senior Erica, whispered something softly, and pointed her wand at us. As soon as I aimed the wand, I felt the familiar feeling of my body shaking slightly, and when I opened my eyes, I found myself in the cave I had arrived in. I looked at Sharon and Ceresria and opened my mouth.

“Let’s go in.”

When we entered the cave with Sharon and Ceresria, we saw a spy trapped in ice. The spy looked at us and opened his mouth.

“… … Did you come here to tease me?”

“I have a question.”

With those words, I carefully sat down in front of him and opened my mouth.

“Have you put a curse on the academy?”