Chapter: 458
The ugly uncle had been hugging the Sloppy Fox for so long that it was giving off a stench like sweat.
Gagging noises
It must be uncomfortable because the Sloppy Fox was gagging in real-time, and I couldn’t muster the courage to hold her.
So, I told Erin to tidy up the Sloppy Fox and stepped back inside the Academy.
Haaah.
I never thought dealing with the Followers of the Void would be this annoying.
If this was just a situation similar to a game story, I wouldn’t have worried too much.
I could just apply the knowledge I have, and that would be it.
However, the current situation is different from the game. The followers twisted by my existence are moving in ways completely different from what I know.
And as time passes, it will only get worse.
Relying on game knowledge is bound to have a negative effect.
Is the real answer really just in my accessories?
Is there no other way to solve this?
As I frowned and rummaged through my knowledge, I spotted Joy coming from a distance.
Why is the girl who usually walks carefully like a noble young lady running?
Did something urgent happen?
“U… Lucy… I’ve been looking for you…”
“Why? Did you do something Sloppy again?”
“…Yes.”
Huh?
Really?!
What did she do this time!?
I was wide-eyed in surprise when Joy took a deep breath and slowly continued.
“I just encountered a Follower of the Evil God.”
Joy’s eyes were serious. It must be a definite fact.
Thinking so, I infused magic power into my ring to block out the surrounding sounds and waited for Joy to speak.
“I just participated in a tea party with the Young Ladies.”
A gathering of noble young ladies.
A few first-years from the Academy allowed to participate.
Among them, a Follower of the Evil God sneaked in.
“There was a strange sense of discomfort around her.”
Joy didn’t miss a tiny hint of discomfort after clashing with the Authority of Evil God recently.
So, with the vocabulary unique to noble young ladies, she figured out the other person was a fake and tried to separate that person to bring them to me or Phoebe. But…
“I never expected her to give up her arm.”
Someone isn’t just being Sloppy; they made a mistake at the last moment.
Should’ve aimed for the head. To suppress someone, the mind needs to be taken out first, after all.
The Allen Knights must have definitely taught her that.
There were many things I wanted to say, but for now, I kept my mouth shut as Joy seemed to have more to say.
“We really need to find Lady Cleve. She must be asking for help.”
The moment I heard Joy wanted to find someone whose stage had been stolen by a fake, the first thought that popped into my head was a negative response.
It’s hard to believe someone trying to wear another person’s mask would leave that person alive.
However, I didn’t voice my negativity.
Joy wouldn’t be unaware of it. Part of her must be certain of that person’s death.
Yet Joy didn’t give up hope.
Then I, her friend, shouldn’t give up hope either.
“So?”
“…Yes?”
“Are you just going to ask for it with your bare mouth? I guess the Duke’s daughter is used to throwing her weight around?”
“Uh. Th-then what should I give?”
“Do I look like a greedy materialistic person to you? Were you looking at me like that, you Sloppy Fool? I’m disappointed.”
“Oh. Ohhh.”
Haa.
“Well, it can’t be helped. Joy being dumb isn’t something that just started today.”
I walked up to the flustered Joy and smiled as I looked up at her.
“Alright. Repeat after me. He…lp…me.”
Joy raised her eyebrows slightly and eventually moved her mouth with a powerless smile and drooping shoulders.
“Please help me, Lady Allen.”
“Oh? Lady Allen?”
“…Lucy.”
Puhuh.
“Got it. It’s my fault for having a Sloppy idiot like you as a friend. Guess I’ll have to endure some hardships.”
I shrugged while rolling my eyes.
To be honest, searching for a missing person isn’t my specialty. What could a noble girl with an intelligence of 58 solve by playing detective?
But I do have a helper who’s much smarter than me!
‘Help me! Grandpa!’
<...Showing off in front of friends while thinking things like this, eh? >
‘What’s wrong with that! No one else knows but Grandpa!’
<Haaah.*>
‘I knew it would come to this anyway!’
[That may be true, but you seem to be getting more brazen as time goes on.]
‘Right?’
[That’s not a compliment.]
Grandpa grumbled, wishing I would think for myself and then ask for help, but that didn’t stop me from asking for it.
[First, we should find out when that Young Lady changed. A lot could shift depending on that time.]
Hearing the advice, I led Joy deeper into the Academy.
That guy would surely have noticed the oddities around himself.
“I remember the Young Lady of the Cleve Marquis family. We share several subjects.”
Chester Newman, from the Newman Family, nodded readily despite my sudden question.
“Was there anything strange about her behavior? Let me think for a moment.”
He took out a notebook from his pocket and quickly rifled through the pages as he continued speaking.
“Until just before the weekend, I hadn’t noticed anything unusual. At least, from my perspective.”
The confident response made Joy’s eyes furrow slightly. She was doubting Chester’s easy words.
“Are you doubting my insight?”
“…No? Not at all.”
“You’re the type to frown at someone asking for help. Got it very well.”
“No, I… But…”
Seeing Joy struggling, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Only then did Joy realize she had been teased, and she puffed air into her cheeks.
Instead of apologizing, I poked her cheek with a smile and continued.
“This kid has a bit of a unique obsession and records all the oddities in those around her.”
“…It has nothing to do with my obsession.”
“Lies. I know you grin every night while looking at what you’ve written down.”
“That’s impossible! Lady Partlan. No, I’d never do such a thing!”
As Joy’s eyes narrowed, Chester, who had been waving his hands, eventually sighed and rubbed his face, continuing.
“Back to the point, the Young Lady showed odd behavior around the start of the weekend. Usually, she skips breakfast on weekend mornings, but she came out to eat then. She ordered just like always, but the way she ate was a bit… sloppy.”
“And she stuttered a bit in conversation with her friends. It’s not like she looked like she hadn’t woken up yet.”
“There were several moments of slight awkwardness whenever she came into my line of sight. If something went wrong, it’s likely that it started the evening or morning before the weekend began.”
As Chester’s words flowed seamlessly, Joy stared blankly at him, before furrowing her brow.
“You. Really.”
“It’s a misunderstanding! I’m just amazed at everything around me since I just got out of bed, so I’m just writing it all down!”
As Chester raised his voice regarding his condition, Joy’s eyes lost some tension. But only for a moment.
“I just want to ask. Does that notebook contain anything about me?”
“…Yes.”
“…What does it say?”
“The most recent entry was from around the time you returned this morning. It noted you walking around with a slack smile not hidden by a fan…”
“What else?”
“That… that’s.”
“Delete everything related to me right now! This is an order from the Ducal Young Lady!”
“Understood!”
Chester nodded hurriedly in front of Joy’s sharp voice.
From the outside, it looked like he was submitting to the Ducal Young Lady’s authority, but I knew that wasn’t the case.
Among the important things written in that notebook, Chester must have already memorized them.
So even if they got deleted, I wouldn’t be too disappointed.
I’ll just have to sneak in later and ask about my friends’ embarrassing histories.
It sounds fun.
While Joy was freaking out seeing her embarrassing history being erased from Chester’s notebook, I was talking with Grandpa.
[It seems likely that the Young Lady of the Marquis is still alive. If she was awkward, she must have kept herself alive to narrow down the possibility.]
‘Then all we have to do is find out where she is.’
[Hmm. Let’s check the Duchess’s room first. If she changed, that’s likely where it started.]
‘I think so too.’
“Wait! Why on earth are you recording the moment I fell as well! This is…”
“Hey idiot. Just because you’re writing that doesn’t mean it’s going to erase what you did, right?”
“Lucy! Hold on! Just burn that notebook and afterward…uhhh!”
Dragging the squirming Joy, I pulled her away from Chester and took her back to the dorm.
“…I will definitely erase everything later.”
“Does that even mean anything? You’ll do something idiotic again, anyway.”
“Ugh…”
Joy frowned while guiding me to the Cleve Marquis Young Lady’s room.
“I popped by here before meeting Lucy. There were no traces of the Young Lady here.”
Just as she said, the Young Lady’s room didn’t show any peculiarities. The room looked as if it would welcome its owner at any moment.
<...Hmm. This is annoying.>
‘No problem. I have a way.’
Confidently answering that, I internally repeated a single word.
I shall open history.
Then, a translucent book unfolded before me.
[Abduction of Lady Cleve]
The book contained records of the incident that had taken place in this room.
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