episode_0097

What did the Duke just say?

Let’s first set aside his way of speaking, which is like addressing a superior.

Plan, failure? Dungeon and the scarecrow girl? And.. processing…

Above all, I couldn’t shake the suspicion that the word ‘dungeon’ might be related to the incident that occurred during the exam.

Even if it wasn’t that, the words coming from the Duke’s mouth were unusual, so I silenced my presence and decided to eavesdrop on the conversation.

For me, in the form of Meiru with a Perception Inhibition spell cast on me, it was a very simple and easy task.

“It can’t be helped, didn’t you say a ‘variable’ occurred? The plan and execution prepared in advance had no problems, in my opinion. Furthermore, there is still plenty of time and opportunity.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“Yes, you should be thankful. But remember. Conversely, it means you must be careful not to fail even with the remaining time and opportunity.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Duke Saan, who had headed into the empty room, was having a conversation into a hand mirror he took out from his pocket..

From the looks of it, it seemed to be a type of artifact capable of long-distance communication.

Someone seemed to be reflected on the other side.. but I couldn’t confirm it in detail.

However, I could only tell that they were wearing a robe with an unpleasant pattern that I had seen somewhere before.

That’s right, it was similar to the attire of the black mage organization I saw on the orientation day.

Could it be that the Duke is in contact with black mages?

For whatever reason, it’s an extremely suspicious and strange situation.

…No, it’s still too early for a hasty judgment.

Couldn’t it just be a coincidence that the clothes they are wearing unfortunately happen to be similar to those of the black mage organization?

“More importantly, have you finished identifying that variable? I hear that it is also related to the failure of the plan executed last time.”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s the same as the boy who stopped the incident on the orientation day, and furthermore, killed Arise. ..It’s a new student who enrolled this year, a student named Mark Visus.”

What? The first plan? If it’s the incident on the orientation day.. does that mean the person the Duke is currently contacting is that terror organization…?

No.. why..? The Duke.. why on earth..?

Even though my head was spinning, I focused on listening to the information coming through.

..Because there might be more shocking information beyond this.

“…Ho-ho, so it was true after all. Well, even if it was a coincidence, since he killed that Arise whose skill was certain, it’s perhaps natural in a way.”

“That’s not all. I hear he even obtained an artifact in this dungeon. Its type is an elixir, and it had the effect of raising the potential of the user. This is certain information, as I personally examined his body. Unfortunately, he reportedly consumed the entire bottle without a chance for recovery.”

“..Hmph, the variable that interfered with the second plan following the first plan even consumed the elixir. It’s quite a situation with painful losses.”

“But it’s alright. From the looks of it, all he possesses is power and luck. He’s a child who doesn’t know worldly matters, let alone information about the incident we caused. So, if we can just coax him well…”

“He’ll become a quite useful pawn. I thought so too, even without that. Good, interfering with our plan is a great sin, but since he is valuable for use, don’t kill him yet.”

“Yes, I will obey your command.”

“Then let’s move on to the next issue. What are we going to do about the problem that was solved in this dungeon in conjunction with causing the dungeon to rampage?”

“Ah, Meiru.. are you referring to not being able to handle that girl? Yes.. it is truly extremely troublesome. The magic ritual cast on her ended up being performed before a perfect analysis of the Perception Inhibition magic could be completed. Because of that, we were successfully able to completely erase that girl’s records.. but at the same time, the problem arose that she is also difficult for our allies to perceive. As luck would have it, that foolish Emperor implanted another artifact in her body, making it impossible to deal with her directly easily. Therefore, now that we have obtained a replacement, we planned to lure that girl, who might become a variable in the future, into the dungeon and kill her.. but unfortunately, we failed. However, please do not worry. That girl is in a state of being completely isolated from the outside due to that magic. Even if she gives information to someone else, it will be forgotten, and there is no way she will attract anyone’s attention. So it is effectively the same as depending entirely on me.. Since we have also found a puppet to replace her, her disposal has merely been postponed a little. There will likely be no great difficulty in resolving this problem in the future.”

“…Well, fine. If you are so confident, I will believe you. The organization is already in a chaotic situation due to Kozaki’s big mistake recently. As we are not sparing support for you even amidst such circumstances, ensure you achieve satisfactory results. The communication location is not optimal, so you may end the report here.”

“Thank you..! I will absolutely not disappoint you..!”

Click-

…Oh dear.. this is absurd…

Countless shocking pieces of information flooded into my mind all at once in an instant.

I barely managed to endure my legs giving out and almost kneeling down.

Duke Axel Saan, the person who came to me when I had no family and was the only one who extended a hand.

Because he was there, I could console myself that I wasn’t alone in my life.

But to think that he… not only was in contact with the terror organization that attacked the academy and caused numerous casualties, but also was a member of it.

Furthermore… he was now even planning to kill me without hesitation.

My own resolve to live so far in order to repay the Duke felt only in vain.

I even prayed that I hadn’t come to my senses in the dungeon yet and that all of this was a terrible nightmare.

But the more I did so, the more it was only reinforced that all of this was a cruel reality.

Then, soon, more than emptiness and shock, my heart boiled with betrayal and rage.

This is not the time. I must quickly reveal this information…

…

Wait, no.. I must not act too hastily.

Duke Axel Saan, he is the Chancellor of this country and is ostensibly receiving the Emperor’s favor for saving the Princess’s life.

Surely, he would have prepared to some extent for his identity being exposed.

He would have already created allies within the imperial palace and would surely have plenty of false evidence to make himself appear innocent.

Because he is such a person, even if I borrow the mask of the Princess, exposing his atrocities will not be easy.

Even if I use my true form, the form of Meiru.. it would be meaningless.

First of all, there is no chance that the words of a mere female student will be believed, and it would be fortunate if I weren’t treated as a mad person.

Furthermore, even if I spread any information or rumors, everything I say will be forgotten and fizzle out due to the Perception Inhibition magic.

Furthermore, my life is still in his hands.

Although I don’t even know well what artifact the Emperor implanted in this body, at least thanks to that, they cannot kill me immediately.

However, if he were to discover that I harbored even slightly rebellious thoughts, it would not be an exaggeration to say my head would be cut off instantly.

First, I must act by Duke Saan’s side in my usual manner.

By doing so, I will gather information and seize the opportunity to strike back.

I am sad.

I am sad and bitter.

But.. because of that, I must work harder to stand up again.

…Even while thinking that, I absolutely could not shake off this despair that covered my body.

. . .

“Ugh, when that happened during the exam, I really thought I was going to die, you know.”

“Wh..wait Ropel.. you ju..just woke up a little while ago.. you sh..should rest a little more…”

“Haha, it’s okay. I’ve already rested plenty, and my condition is much better thanks to your potion, Ellie.”

“Oh.. really? Hehehe…”

Perhaps liking the compliment, Eligio scratched her head shyly. Seeing that, I thought she was truly cute and unconsciously reached out my hand to stroke her head

Instantly, she bounced up as if surprised.

“Ah, sorry. I did it unconsciously without thinking.. Did it perhaps make you feel bad?”

“Ah.. no.. that’s not it.. Th.. that.. well.. Yo.. you can continue…”

Thus, I continued stroking her head that she offered towards me.

Anyway, after regaining consciousness, the academy was quite noisy with many events.

First, regarding the unusual phenomenon that occurred during the dungeon clearing exam.

During the exam, the dungeon’s rank reportedly rose to C-class, making the monsters stronger and the structure more complex.

Because of this, numerous students were put in danger, and although the number was small, casualties actually occurred.

So for a while, various parts of the academy were bustling with reporters who came to cover the tragic incident and knights dispatched for investigation.

And the person who brought that situation to an end was precisely Mark Visus.

Yes, that name again, which I’ve heard to the point of being sick of it.

I hear that by defeating the boss monster and clearing the dungeon, he enabled students, including myself, to return to the academy.

Well.. I guess I should say thank you?

But then, was the monster I defeated at the end not the boss monster..?

Honestly, it was a monster so strong that I thought I was going to die now, so I did suspect if this guy was the boss…

Well, although I did have Meiru’s help, it was only at the level of being dealt with by me, so perhaps it’s natural.

Then how strong was that boss monster that Mark, that brat, reportedly killed?

Ugh! It’s so scary I don’t even want to imagine it.

“Anyway, Ellie, you said someone else came to my hospital room besides you? You still don’t remember who it was?”

According to Eligio, there was a student who came to nurse me besides her.

I guess, based on my conjecture, it might have been Meiru.

If my memory is correct, Meiru and Eligio had met each other a few times during lunchtime.

So if it was indeed Meiru who came, she would have answered immediately, but for some reason, Eligio couldn’t give a clear answer.

“Uh.. huh.. for some reason I remember.. Uh.. uh..?”

“Wa.. wait.. now I remember..?”

She, whose head I was stroking, became lost in thought with a frustrated expression as if something was about to come to mind but wouldn’t.

“…Ah! Black hair and freckles..! Me.. Meiru..! It wa.. was Meiru who came..!”

“…Oh? Why didn’t I re..remember this..? I h.. had met her a fe.. few times..?”

“Ah-ha! So that was the case.”

Well, besides Meiru and Eligio, there isn’t really anyone else who would visit me.

Although my family’s territory and the academy are quite far apart, my father and younger sister, who heard the news about the academy late, did visit me yesterday.

This is because I don’t have many friends I know within the academy.

That’s why it was difficult to find team members…

I took my hand off Eligio’s head that I was stroking.

Then, she who was thinking deeply about Meiru, grabbed her head again as if confused.

“Huh..? Huh..? No? Wait.. why..?”

“? What’s wrong, Ellie. Is there a problem?”

“Huh..? Ah.. no.. Now that you mention it.. Wh.. what was I th..thinking about..?”

“Haha, what’s that?”

Anyway, putting a major incident behind me, I was able to return to my ordinary academy life.

If there was just one thing I was concerned about, it was that I hadn’t met Meiru again since that incident.

Since there were some things I was concerned about regarding her, I plan to go meet her myself soon.