Chapter 114
Chapter 114
Episode 114
Eleanor grew through her journey during this past break.
Yes, she had gained the driving force to endure when isolated.
Setting aside the fact that I was the one who created that driving force for her, Eleanor's growth was on a level that transcended my expectations.
She broke through my [Contemplation].
She broke through Arietta's [Domain].
Even if the output was somewhat low, she had pierced through the gap between the two of us, whose powers of perception were so special that no one else could hope to match them. She's a preposterous one.
If my power is based in the eyes, Arietta's power is the opposite.
In truth, it would be harder to find a gap. Even for Discreet, breaking through this would be difficult.
And yet, Eleanor did it.
If so, how?
The answer is simple.
"Of all the ways to grow, to grow like that..."
Eleanor had used the power of severance, one of the abilities of the [Key of Understanding].
She, who was abnormally obsessed with the gazes of others, used that power, which temporarily erased her own existence.
She used it for this kind of stalking.
...There's truly no way to describe it other than terrifying in many ways.
"Keuk...! How cowardly! It's too much, pushing with numbers!"
"No, what is the one who suddenly invaded and swung a greatsword talking about?"
If Arietta's rampage was a passive lashing out, Eleanor's rampage had already reached the level of terrorism.
"Master, it's not too late. Here, take my hand. Let's go crush the Disciplinary Committee right now."
"Are you some kind of terrorist?"
Eleanor, tied up in ropes, extended her hand with an insidious expression.
Why are you spouting lines that a villain would say? You're supposed to be the protagonist.
"Noah-. You must not brandish a weapon inside the Disciplinary Committee building."
"Then is it okay to be all lovey-dovey inside the Disciplinary Committee building?"
"Ah... Th-that is a small misunderstanding... We are not yet in that kind of relationship, and it was only..."
"You're not in that kind of relationship, yet you were about to kiss?"
"N-Not a kiss, on the cheek..."
"Is something on the cheek not a kiss? How strange. Could it be that I have been mistaken?"
"Agh..."
Extremes clashing.
Eleanor's clingy malevolence was mercilessly beating down the pure Arietta.
If the two of them were to fight fair and square, Arietta would win, but Eleanor's cruel tongue transcended that.
Will these two ever get along? Their personalities are just too different.
"Do you understand? Saintess. Let's be mindful of the time and place."
"Yes...?"
"In the first place, you two aren't in that kind of relationship, are you? You can't be, can you?"
"...E-Even so, I firmly believe that we will be!"
"Ha...! Are you boasting?"
"It's the truth, you know?"
The atmosphere began to turn hostile.
Arietta does not lie. No, she cannot.
Because of that, her heartfelt words sometimes touched a nerve.
Like right now.
"Both of you, please stop. This will only leave you with wounds."
"This whole mess happened because of you in the first place, Master! Don't you think you're being too frivolous yourself?"
Eleanor turned her head away as if sulking, and Arietta hung her head, finding it hard to defend even herself.
To add to that, Olivia Blue, who had been watching this situation from the sidelines, had her eyes fixed on the empty air far away.
Not a single person is meeting my gaze.
Who am I even talking to right now?
Yeah, whatever, I'm the trash.
"Hoo..."
Although the atmosphere had become somewhat hostile, it wasn't to the point of being unmanageable.
No, rather, because of this atmosphere, I would be able to state my business.
A stagnant mood like this is better than mentioning the Student Council President's name in a situation like the one just before.
Eleanor's comment about me being frivolous particularly bothered me, but what can you do?
That's the kind of person I am.
"Arietta, I have something I'd like to ask about the Student Council, would that be alright?"
"The Student Council, you ask? Hmm... I don't know much, but I'll do my best to answer within what I know."
"Master, I also happen to know quite a bit about the Student Council President, you know? How about relying on me instead?"
Eleanor, still tied up in ropes, began to speak to me again like a villain hoping to negotiate.
No, more importantly, how does this girl have an acquaintance with the Student Council President too?
Unlike the Disciplinary Committee, the Student Council doesn't particularly engage in external activities.
Their roles are divided as such.
If the Disciplinary Committee catches and punishes students who violate school rules through patrols and surveillance, the Student Council handles the aftermath.
Although they don't appear on the surface, they too do a lot of work.
"I would like to know about the Student Council President, Latia..."
"It's another woman."
"Indeed. Master. You have a particular tendency to flirt with women. Is it perhaps your nature?"
"..."
Their words hurt.
Though the direction was different, the way both of their words tore at my insides was the same. If faced with a common enemy, the two might surprisingly get along well.
Still, there's something I must say before we continue the topic.
"It seems it would be best if you two did not interact as much as possible..."
"Does that mean you have a relationship you wish to hide from me?"
"Master? What are you planning to do again while I wasn't looking?"
"...It's because of things like that."
Their synergy is frightening.
As their personalities are different, their attacks come from completely different directions.
"I have no personal feelings involved. I am simply curious about the Student Council President's abilities."
"Ah, was that it? As expected of Oz-nim. That thirst for knowledge is truly respectable."
"That one over there might have them, though?"
Look at this.
One side wears me down by overestimating me with pure words, while the other tries to make the topic sticky with insidious intentions.
"Umm... Latia-, you say. As I recall, I think she was a rather kind person."
"That person is insidious. To a degree that even I couldn't understand, you know?"
This is conflicting information again.
Arietta's words, who fundamentally does not lie, hold more credibility, but it's also hard to ignore the information from Eleanor, who is sensitive to the gazes of others and has strangely good intuition.
"And her ability is..."
"Her archery skills are amazing."
"And I heard she can control trees."
This time, they surprisingly match up well. I can't for the life of me figure out if they're on good terms or bad terms.
Could it be that these two are close? Was I the only one who couldn't read the room?
I really don't know.
"Ah, how about you meet her in person? Since you have documents to submit regarding the recent off-campus volunteer work, Oz, and you are also part of the Disciplinary Committee, it should be fine for you to deliver them directly."
"Uh, I don't really recommend meeting that person privately. If it's you, Master, you might get eaten alive, you know?"
"Hmm..."
Setting aside Arietta's realistic advice, the fact that Eleanor is reacting like this makes it clear that there's something about the Student Council President.
It could just be that Elenoa has gotten on her bad side by causing all sorts of trouble, but there's no harm in being careful.
Ultimately, however, I have no choice but to follow Arietta's words. Whatever it is, meeting her in person will be the most accurate way to find out.
Although that wasn't her intention, shouldering a bit of risk would also be the surest way.
"...What kind of documents are these that I must submit? I will fill them out right now."
In the end, the choice I made was to meet her in person. Running away like this won't improve the situation.
Right now, it would be best to meet the most likely suspect, the Student Council President.
"Oh, dear~"
As Eleanor shook her head as if pitying me for the choice I made, Arietta pushed a few documents in front of me and Eleanor. It seemed that just filling out a simple progress report was sufficient.
"Ah, I'll pass. I'll write it later. So, please meet the Student Council President by yourself, Master."
"What...?"
Here, at this timing?
You're bailing now, after following me to the point of stalking me?
"Meeting that person in this situation would be a little uncomfortable, even for me."
"For someone like you to say it's uncomfortable?"
You, who go around causing all sorts of trouble and drawing everyone's attention?
A person that even Eleanor finds uncomfortable can't possibly be normal.
Then in what way? It's not the same type as the Imperial Princess, is it?
"She probably won't harm you, Master. It's just... she's just that kind of person, but she's not a bad person."
"Umm... The Latia I know is a kind person, though. If you're so worried, shall we go together?"
"...If the Saintess leaves this spot, I will immediately go on a rampage."
I'm quite confused because of their conflicting reactions.
In that case, I need a third party's opinion. The only person here who can give a relatively objective evaluation is Olivia Blue.
"What do you think?"
"I am of the same opinion as the Saintess. Latia-nim is a kind person, so you need not worry, Prince Oz. It is Lady Noah's fuss."
"A fuss, you say..."
I wish that were the case.
"You will surely regret it, Master."
I hope that curse-laden statement is just Noah's ill-wishing.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Unlike the Disciplinary Committee's building, which is on the outskirts, the Student Council's building is in the very center of [Scientia].
Since I was heading there anyway, I gathered some additional information about the Student Council President from people wandering around.
"Hmm... Was it really just Eleanor's fuss?"
To state the conclusion.
Most of the people who answered my question gave a similar response to Arietta's.
Well, in the first place, she's a Student Council President elected by vote.
If she were a strange person like Eleanor said, she wouldn't have been elected in the first place.
Come to think of it, she didn't show any particularly strange aspects in the game either.
In the end, it must have been that our pleasure-criminal Eleanor, who always causes trouble and antagonizes the Disciplinary Committee, felt burdened by the Student Council out of a guilty conscience.
Student Council President Latia is a kind person. This is the conclusion for now.
For now, I'll decide my course of action based on this, but without letting my guard down.
That should be enough.
"Hoo..."
Standing before the door to the Student Council room, I took a deep breath before knocking.
My objective is to confirm the identity of last night's intruder.
I could also guess the reason why Latia was identified as a suspect through my conversation with Arietta.
It was information I couldn't have known from the simple game. Student Council President Latia can control trees.
If so, what is the extent of that?
Does it have to be a naturally growing tree? If so, what is the range? From the roots to all the branches?
Or...
Can she also control dead trees? For example, what about lumber? Couldn't she also control processed wood?
If that's possible, she could arbitrarily alter something like the wall of a small cabin made of lumber.
This must be why Ulla thought of Latia as a suspect.
A locked room.
There were no signs of destruction, and no signs of entry through the door or windows.
If Student Council President Latia's ability to control trees also works on walls made of lumber, she cannot be excluded from the list of suspects.
And one more thing.
She has the student register.
This means she can confirm who has entered and left.
The ones who had instantly caught the fact that I had returned to [Scientia] were two, including [Tenebris].
And what if one of the people who broke in last night was that person?
The suspicion against her as a suspect grew larger and larger.
In the end, it's all just circumstantial evidence. I'm going to confirm it from now on.
"Excuse me. I'm from the Disciplinary Committee, may I come in?"
When I gave a light knock, I began to feel the presence of a person inside.
Moving.
The presence I felt was one person.
Click.
A moment later, the one who opened the door and appeared was a woman with blonde hair, green eyes, and pointed ears—the very image of a classic elf from a subculture.
[SSR Elf of the Milky Way]
Latia Picea
The Student Council President appeared.
"Yes, come in."
Along with the voice I had heard last night.
I watched Latia's form as she brewed tea in a tense state.
"Will black tea be alright?"
"Ah, yes..."
"Good! You're just like your image. I'm glad I wasn't wrong."
Even looking through [Contemplation], there was nothing particularly strange about her demeanor; if anything, she was close to the person the rumors described.
But I know. The voice I heard last night.
Until just a moment ago, it was only a faint memory, but the moment I heard that voice, the memory became vivid.
The culprit is definitely her.
Now, all that's left is why she broke in in the middle of the night.
"Want to try this too? It's a cookie I made myself."
"...Ah, yes, thank you."
Latia was a person who felt very approachable.
Not only is she fundamentally kind, but her attitude is also quite informal.
Is it because she's an elf?
"Umm, but what did you say you came for? Ah, before that, this is our first time meeting in person, isn't it?"
"Yes, now that you mention it, it is. President Latia. The reason I came to see you today is to submit the documents regarding the off-campus volunteer work..."
"Ah! That's right. Oz, you also went out for volunteer work to help Noah, didn't you? How admirable."
What is with this person?
Why is she so easy to talk to? Could it be because she's older?
Come to think of it, the older women around me have all been people with a screw loose somewhere.
From the tyrant Tia, to Professor Aira who lives with an anxiety disorder.
Even Lustitia, who, no matter how nicely I try to see her, is on the same level as Noah.
Wait a minute? Could it be that I've only just now met a normal person?
"No, that's not it..."
I almost fell for it.
The person in front of me isn't exactly normal either. As long as it's been revealed that she was the one who invaded my dorm last night, I must not let my guard down.
"President Latia."
"Your attitude is so stiff. It's okay to be a little more relaxed. How about trying to call me 'eonni'?"
"No, thank you. Besides, shouldn't it be 'noona', not 'eonni'?"
"I think I'd feel better hearing 'eonni'."
"I'll pass."
Well, if nothing else, I think it's certain she's a strange person.