“Karina? Were you waiting for me?”
I met the anxious eyes of Karina, who was staring at me in front of my door. Feeling a strangely different vibe from usual, I gulped.
Was I that much of a concern?
“Um… Johann, can you tell me what you talked about?”
“Oh, Elisa said she felt some suspicious magic from Bella.”
“That’s it?”
“Yeah.”
Why is this happening? I don’t recall this ever happening in the original story. Wait, I shouldn’t just be focusing on the original. It doesn’t matter, considering the outsiders have appeared as enemy forces.
Karina in front of me is a real person.
Not an NPC created by code.
“…You’re not lying, are you?”
“Do I look like someone who would lie to you?”
When I spoke a little more forcefully, Karina looked at me with a more relaxed expression. What was that strange, tense atmosphere just a moment ago?
“I’m sorry. I was a bit anxious…”
“Anxious?”
“…You’re too insensitive, Johann.”
…I never thought I’d hear something like that. Am I not sensitive enough?
“I’m not insensitive.”
“You are. You don’t even realize how I feel…”
Karina puffed up her cheeks cutely, her fingers fidgeting.
While it was adorable, it was also quite confusing.
I didn’t know how to respond.
I’d rather fight Hydra… For a moment, silence settled between us. I scratched my head, unable to say anything, and Karina looked up at me, her eyes moving.
How should I navigate this situation?
I gripped Karina’s shoulders and spoke, just like I did when facing Hydra for the first time.
“I understand your thoughts, but… it seems inappropriate to talk about this right now.”
“Eh?”
I silently pointed my finger behind Karina. A familiar silhouette was approaching from behind her.
“Johann~ Karina~ What were you talking about with Elisa?”
I caught Millia as she lunged at me. Karina sighed, pulling Millia into her embrace.
“Millia. You shouldn’t jump on people like that.”
“But Johann catches me well! You should try it too, Karina!”
“…I’m fine.”
Phew. What is going on?
“Karina. Millia. Can I go in? I’m tired.”
“Good night!”
“…Good night.”
I opened the door and went inside, ending with Karina’s perplexed expression.
————————
“Headmaster Merlin, I think we need to investigate Bella Asher.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Merlin, surprised by my sudden visit to his office, asked. I wondered how to explain this but ended up being honest, leaving out that Elisa had sensed magic.
“Hm. Bella, huh…”
“There’s no evidence yet, so investigation might be tricky, but we might need some surveillance.”
For now, there’s no evidence, so we can’t do a restraining investigation. Plus, Bella is from a prestigious family, so trying to restrain her could cause things to get even messier.
There’s also a chance that Bella could use that as an excuse to rampage.
But considering that so far nothing has happened, it means that there hasn’t been an incident yet. I planned to take my time and approach Bella’s vicinity.
If Rue feels that strange magic again, I might catch a clue about its source.
“…Understood. But I trust you know that it’s hard to monitor actively. Unless clear evidence shows up, we can only keep an eye from a distance…”
“At least if you can watch quietly with minimal manpower, that would be enough.”
“Fine. I’ll have a staff meeting, so let’s continue this discussion later.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
I left the headmaster’s office and headed straight to the library. Naturally, it was to use the secret archive. As long as I knew how to get in, I could enter by myself.
[Ugh… Going into the secret archive again?]
“Yeah.”
[It’s so boring there…]
Ignoring Rue’s grumbling, I confidently made my way to the library.
The students glanced at me curiously as I moved alone, but whenever our eyes met, they quickly looked away, allowing me to arrive at the library without any interruptions.
“Welcome. Are you here to read again today?”
“Yes. There seem to be fewer people today…”
“It’s usually quiet unless it’s exam season.”
As I stepped into the library, the librarian, who had become familiar to me over the past few days, greeted me with a warm smile. I chatted briefly and quietly made my way deeper into the library.
I had to find some crucial materials as quickly as possible in the secret archive.
A book containing information about the outsiders.
While finding the owner of the strange magic somewhere in the academy was urgent, this matter was just as pressing.
I didn’t know much about Cthulhu.
I hadn’t read the original story, and the only things I knew were from games I played or parodies I stumbled upon, meaning I had almost no information.
I only knew they referred to the outsiders as Cthulhu.
In this world filled with angels and demons, there wasn’t readily a way to inquire about outsiders. I could probably get some decent information by asking demons, but the issue is whether I could actually ask a demon.
You inevitably have to pay a price when dealing with a demon, and I didn’t have anything to offer this time.
Besides, the likelihood of censorship surrounding the Quartz family was also pretty high.
I had doubts about whether the censoring party was the outsiders or someone else, but whoever it was, they clearly intended to prevent me from obtaining substantial information. For now, I had to be cautious.
[Contractor, no one is watching…]
As I lingered near the entrance to the secret archive, I quietly opened the door and stepped inside. The familiar scenery of the secret archive welcomed me.
Of course, there were no guards. If the first headmaster’s familiar had restored it, it must’ve been quite the hassle, but it seemed he had no intention of restoring it any further. Thanks to that, I could easily and swiftly dive deep into the secret archive.
“Rue, where did we get to last time?”
[I think we looked at up to the seventh shelf on the left?]
I stood in front of the eighth shelf according to Rue’s words. The dizzying array of titles made my eyes hurt just by looking at them, but I couldn’t just stop searching.
[How to Seduce a Witch? What kind of title is this?]
“All about middle-aged romance… is this entire shelf just romance-related?”
As I scanned through, the confusing titles seemed to slap my retina as they passed by.
What’s a hot night with a harpy? What are those ecstasy-filled days with a drake supposed to be?
Why did the first headmaster stick such books in the shelves? Did Andras possibly have such tastes?
If I tell Merlin about Andras having those tastes, what kind of reaction would he have…?
Thinking that, I shifted my gaze to the adjacent shelf. It seemed unlikely I could find any useful information in this shelf. Flipping through the shelves one by one in search of information, Rue nudged my leg, signaling that it was time.
[Isn’t it about time we should head out?]
“Already?”
I quickly checked my wristwatch. It was a watch made to tell the time magically.
Let’s see…
Dinner time was nearing.
“I really have no idea when I’ll find the information at this rate.”
[Ugh, if only my memories could come back, I wouldn’t have to search so annoyingly…]
“Do you really remember nothing at all?”
Perhaps Rue might also be affected by the censorship.
…Wait?
If I assume Rue is affected by censorship, then the censoring party might not be the outsiders? Because when you look at games or novels featuring Cthulhu, there’s often mental pollution and self-censorship.
However, it doesn’t seem like the outsiders would need to bother with censorship.
If the outsiders are invaders, they can just unleash everything and cause mental pollution.
It seems more probable that the censoring party is a god of this world… Does that mean Kalon could also be a suspect for being the main censor?
This is all just baseless speculation, and I can’t be sure until I find plausible evidence. It’s frustrating that nothing is becoming clear.
It’s only been a little over two weeks since the second-year first semester started, so it’s not surprising…
“Rue, I’m heading back now.”
[Huh? Let’s hurry up, it’s too suffocating here—wait a minute.]
Rue’s voice was tinged with caution. I halted and listened. I could faintly hear something. It sounded like someone was walking around.
The sound of footsteps at the only entrance on the third floor revealed its identity. I relaxed as I confirmed what it was.
And no wonder,
“It’s been a while, meow.”
The source of the footsteps was Andras’s familiar, Kiki.
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