Chapter: 458
Maybe it was because I had been hugging that ugly uncle for so long, but the Clumsy Fox was exuding quite a stench from its fur.
It seemed like the smell was so unpleasant that the Clumsy Fox was literally retching in real-time, and I couldn’t muster the courage to keep holding onto it.
So, I told Erin to clean up the Clumsy Fox and stepped back into the Academy.
Sigh… I never expected dealing with the followers of the Evil God would be this bothersome.
If this had been a scenario right out of a game story, I wouldn’t have been worried at all.
I could just apply the knowledge I already had.
But the current situation is different from a game. The followers of this world, twisted by my existence, are moving in ways I don’t recognize.
And with time, that will only become more pronounced.
So relying on game knowledge might have a rather negative effect.
Is the only real solution my accessory?
Can’t I find another way to solve this?
As I frowned and rifled through my knowledge, I caught sight of Joy approaching from a distance.
Why the heck is she running? The girl who usually can’t walk without acting like a proper noble lady?
Did something urgent happen?
“Lu…cy… I’ve been looking for you…”
“Why? Did you do something stupid again?”
“…Yes.”
Huh?
Really?!
What kind of trouble did she get into!?
With my eyes wide in surprise, Joy took a deep breath and continued slowly.
“I just encountered a follower of the Evil God.”
Her eyes were serious. It must be a solid fact.
Thinking that, I infused some mana into my ring to block out surrounding sounds and waited for Joy to speak up.
“Just now, I participated in a tea party of noble ladies. And there…”
Noble ladies gathering at a tea party.
A select few from the first years allowed to attend.
And among them, a follower of the Evil God who had infiltrated.
“I felt a strange sense of discomfort around her.”
Just not too long ago, Joy had faced the powers of the Evil God and didn’t let a small discomfort escape her notice.
That’s why she recognized the imposter’s true nature through some refined noble vocabulary and intended to separate her and bring her to me or Phoebe.
But…
“…Who would’ve thought she’d sacrifice her arm?”
Just when things were getting real, she made a blunder at the last moment.
She should’ve aimed for the head. The basics of subjugation start with knocking out their consciousness first, you know?
The Knights of Alrn definitely would’ve taught her that.
I had a lot to say, but I kept my mouth shut for now because it seemed Joy had more to express.
“We need to find the real Lady Klebb. She must be seeking help.”
Hearing her express the desire to find someone who had their stage stolen by the fake, the first thing that came to mind was a negative response.
It’s hard to believe that someone wearing a disguise would leave the original person alive.
However, I didn’t verbalize my negativity.
Joy wouldn’t be oblivious to this. She must also be aware in the back of her mind that the real Lady Klebb was likely dead.
And yet, Joy is still holding onto hope.
Then, as her friend, I shouldn’t give up on that hope either.
“So?”
“…Huh?”
“Are you trying to ask for help without any offer? It seems you’re quite used to being pampered as a Partran noble lady?”
“W-Well… what can I give you?”
“Do I look like a materialistic brat who wants something? So that’s how you see me? Disappointing.”
“U-uhhh…”
“Sigh. It can’t be helped. It’s not like you’ve just become dumb today.”
Approaching the confused Joy, I smiled and looked up at her.
“Now, repeat after me: Please… help… me.”
Joy raised her eyebrows but, with a powerless smile, shrugged her shoulders and moved her lips.
“Please help me, Lady Alrn.”
“Oh? Lady Alrn, huh?”
“…Lucy.”
“Pfft. Alright, Clumsy. It’s my mistake for keeping a pathetic fool like you as a friend. I guess you’ll have to suffer a bit.”
I shrugged her off, rolling my eyes.
To be honest, finding someone who’s gone missing isn’t my specialty. What can a noble lady with an intelligence of 58 possibly uncover as a detective, right?
But I have a much smarter assistant than myself!
“Help me! Grandfather!”
[… Acting all cool in front of friends while saying this inside?]
“What does it matter! Nobody else knows except you, Grandfather!”
[Well, that’s true. But you seem to be getting bolder by the minute.]
“Right?”
[Not a compliment.]
My grandfather grumbled about how I should think for myself before asking for help, but that didn’t stop me from asking for support.
[For now, it’s best to find out when that noble lady changed. A lot can change depending on that time.]
Hearing this advice, I led Joy further into the Academy.
She should’ve definitely noticed something weird among her close associates.
“If it’s the daughter of the Klebb Baron, I remember her well. We share quite a few classes together.”
Newman family member, Leez Chester, nodded readily even at the sudden inquiry.
“Didn’t you notice anything odd about her behavior? Hold on, I’ll think for a bit.”
He pulled out a notepad from his pocket, flipping through the pages quickly as he spoke.
“Before the weekend started, I didn’t detect any abnormalities. At least not from my perspective.”
His resolute words caused Joy’s eyes to slightly narrow. She was evidently suspicious of Chester’s easy response.
“Are you doubting my insight right now?”
“…N-No, not at all.”
“You’re seriously frowning at someone who asked for help, aren’t you? I see how it is.”
“W-Well, but…”
Seeing Joy struggling, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Only then did Joy realize she was being teased and puffed her cheeks out slightly.
Not feeling sorry at all, I poked her cheek and continued smiling.
“This little one has a rather unique habit of recording any oddities around her.”
“…That has nothing to do with her habit.”
“Liar. I just know she’s smirking at what she writes every night.”
“No way! Lady Partran! No, I absolutely do not do that!”
Seeing Joy’s narrowing eyes, Chester, who was waving his hands in defense, eventually sighed and rubbed his face.
“Back to the main point, the odd behavior of the lady started around the beginning of the weekend. Usually, she skips breakfast on Saturdays, but this time she came out for it. Her order was the same as usual, but the way she ate was slightly clumsy.”
“She also struggled a bit while talking with her friends. It didn’t seem like she was drowsy or anything.”
“Additionally, whenever she came into my sight, there were minor clumsiness incidents. If something went wrong, it would likely have occurred during the weekend, maybe the evening or morning beforehand.”
Listening to Chester’s relentless observations, Joy stared blankly at him before suddenly furrowing her brow tightly.
“Seriously, you.”
“It’s a misunderstanding! I’m just fascinated by everything around me since I awoke from the sickbed, so I’m just recording it all!”
As Chester raised his voice regarding his condition, Joy’s tense expression softened a little. But that was fleeting.
“Just to check, does it include anything about me?”
“…Yes.”
“…What kind of things?”
“The most recent thing was around this morning when you returned. A loose smile that couldn’t be covered by your fan…”
“What about anything else?”
“Th-That…”
“Erase everything related to me right now! That’s an order from the noble lady!”
“Understood!”
Chester hurriedly nodded his head in front of Joy’s sharp voice.
The scene looked as if he was bowing to the authority of the noble lady, but I knew the truth was different.
The real important things written in that notebook must already be etched in Chester’s mind.
Even if it’s erased, there wouldn’t be any great loss.
I’ll have to sneak around later and ask about my friends’ embarrassing stories.
That sounds fun.
While I looked on as Joy gasped in horror seeing her own embarrassing history being erased from Chester’s notebook, I had a conversation with my grandfather.
[The possibility that the noble lady is alive is high. If she seemed clumsy, they would have had to keep her around for that very reason.]
“Well then, it’s just about figuring out where she is.”
[Hmm. For now, let’s try heading to the noble lady’s room. If there have been changes, that would likely be the starting point.]
“I think that’s a good idea.”
“No! Why are you recording even when I tripped on my own feet! This is…”
“Clumsy. That doesn’t mean that what you did was erased, you know?”
“Lucy! Wait a minute! Just burn the notebook first!”
Dragging the struggling Joy half the way, I separated her from Chester and brought her back to the dormitory.
“…I’ll make sure to erase everything later.”
“Does that really matter? You’ll just do something clumsy again anyway.”
“Ugh…”
Though Joy was pouting, she guided me to the room of Lady Klebb.
“I stopped by here before meeting Lucy. There’s no sign of the noble lady at all.”
As she said, there was nothing unusual in Lady Klebb’s room. Everything seemed in its rightful place, as if ready to welcome its owner at any moment.
[…Sigh. This is getting annoying.]
‘No, it’s fine. I have a plan.’
Confidently responding, I mentally repeated a single word.
I will open the book of history.
And then before me, a translucent book opened up.
[Klebb Noble Lady Kidnapping]
The book contained records of the events that took place in this room.
You may also like Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy
