Where the Shadow Passed
Today's practical lesson was supposed to be about playing instruments and learning to sing, but the bard who was scheduled as our guest teacher had personal issues and couldn't make it. So, the session switched to reading books in the library instead. I didn't mind either way, but...
The other kids had been really looking forward to it. When they heard about the change, everyone looked hugely disappointed. They were already learning basic hymns here anyway, and if anyone wanted serious music training, they could join the choir or something. I couldn't quite understand why they were so bummed out.
"Music's all the same anyway..."
"Teresa, you have no idea."
"Huh?"
As we headed to the library, I glanced back at the disappointed kids and muttered that. A boy walking next to me shot back with obvious frustration.
"Serenia's a super famous bard. Just her visiting Dublin is big enough news for the local papers."
"Hmm..."
From my perspective, the shocking part was that this world even had local newspapers.
"Of course the monastery has tons of her fans too. When we heard she was coming to Dublin, we were scheming ways to meet her—like getting group permission to go out and watch her performance..."
"You can get permission for that?"
"Man, when we heard she might visit the monastery? Everyone lost their minds. And now it's suddenly canceled... No wonder they're all so crushed."
I hadn't imagined it was that big a deal.
"Huh... I see."
The monastery's library was way bigger than I'd expected. I'd figured it'd be stuffed with nothing but church-related books, but that wasn't the case at all. There were ancient histories and geography records, literature and art, natural sciences, practical life guides... And surprisingly, a ton of children's educational books caught my eye.
The spot where the kids settled was the children's section. Most grabbed fairy tales or basic picture books and started reading, but there weren't strict limits, so a few confident readers went to other areas and hauled back thick history tomes or philosophy books.
As for me... I wasn't great at reading, honestly. But since I was already here, I figured I might as well poke around for something useful to my current situation. Skipping the kids' books, I wandered deeper inside.
Mobilizing every word I knew, I hunted down a few tough-looking books on demon cults and curses, then headed back to my seat. Some kids tilted their heads curiously at my picks and asked about them, but when I said they just looked hard, they chuckled like it was unexpected and let it go.
I cracked one open and dove in. That's when I got an objective read on my level.
Bottom line: I wasn't anywhere near ready for this.
To explain... The orphanage I used to live in, the cult, and now this monastery were all in the Kingdom of Briant, on the western edge of the continent. The language spoken around here was Briantish.
So, the tongue I'd been using without even realizing it was Briantish. I'd picked up speaking it naturally, no problem, but writing was different. I'd been studying hard, but letters aren't something you master overnight just because you want to.
Plus, these books were packed with obscure words, and chunks were in what seemed like the continental common tongue—untranslated, so I couldn't make heads or tails of those parts.
In the end, all I could glean was a vague warning: "Somewhere on this continent, demon cults exist. Beware them."
The other books were much the same.
I stood up to put them back. It stung my pride, but clinging to books I couldn't understand was just wasting time.
As I reached to slide them onto the shelf where I'd found them—
"Huh?"
I heard someone rustling behind the bookshelf. And at the same moment, the whole thing started tipping over.
"...!"
Toward me...
—Thud!
I didn't have time to run. The falling shelf pinned me down.
......
......
.....
"Hmm..."
I was quickly moved to the infirmary. Sister Nensi examined me and tilted her head.
"You okay?"
"Yeah."
Seeing her so often, I'd naturally learned her name: Nensi.
"I heard a bookshelf fell on you... But no injuries again, huh? That thing must've been heavy..."
"Yeah... Guess so. I was lucky—slid into a gap instead of getting crushed."
"That's some real luck. You almost had a disaster on your hands."
"Yeah..."
Her gaze felt like it was probing me oddly. I instinctively averted my eyes and scanned the infirmary.
"Where are the other kids?"
"They're all recovering fine and back in their rooms."
"Good."
I kept dodging her stare, but eventually our eyes met again.
She pressed on. "Hmm... So someone pushed the shelf from behind, toward you?"
"Yes."
"Did you see who?"
"No. Just a shadow."
"Just a shadow?"
"It was an adult."
She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them as if understanding. "Got it. You seem pretty shaken—rest here a bit."
"Okay..."
She left for some errand, and I lay on the empty bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, calming my startled heart.
Good thing I didn't get caught, but that was way too close. Acting unhurt while holding back the pain, with all those kids watching... Not easy.
My head still throbbed from the impact, and my twisted arm ached fiercely when the shelf hit.
"Hoo~"
I took a deep breath, steadying myself.
Now it's clear.
They were targeting me.
No more confusion. I could accept it calmly now.
The culprit who pushed the shelf was quickly identified. He claimed he had no idea why he'd done it and remembered nothing. Checks showed he'd been manipulated by someone too.
Marie filled me in after class. She'd heard my story and done some digging on her own.
She got furious, her eyes turning scary like last time... But when I thanked her and patted her head, she snapped back to normal quick.
The prime suspect, of course... Annette.
It lined up with the monastery starting full inspections—she vanished right then. And the kids she'd hung with suddenly acted like they'd never known her. Too suspicious.
"Marie. Can I ask something?"
"Sure."
I gazed down at Marie, snuggled in my arms, and asked.
"If someone corrupted by evil—like a demon cultist—were hiding here, could they still be?"
Marie tilted her head, then answered. "I don't think so."
"Why?"
"We check everyone every morning... And though you can't sense it, Teresa, a powerful barrier went up around the monastery after that incident."
"A barrier?"
"One the abbess set herself. Breaking through and staying hidden wouldn't be easy."
I stroked her head again. "You're smart, Marie."
"Hehe..."
No demon cultists inside the monastery.
"Hmm..."
But the questions lingered.
If they've already fled outside, how are they exerting influence from within?
Mind control alone couldn't do it. Everyone here got daily checks and buffs against mental manipulation. Plus, contact with the outside was limited.
For that to work... Someone inside would have to be helping them willingly, beyond mind control...
I stopped petting Marie and looked down at her again.
"Yeah?"
"Anyone at the monastery who goes outside often?"
"Hmm... The sister handling supplies? Patrol monks and nuns around the grounds... And the pilgrimage guides... Come to think of it, more people go out than you'd expect."
But if we could narrow it to them, investigating one by one wouldn't be too hard.