Chapter 87
Chapter 87
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: The Culprit
"Cecilia Sauron. I think she's the demon."
"The lady from the Southern Archduke's family?"
"Yes. There are too many suspicious things about her for it to be just one or two."
Ariana explained to me in detail why she suspected Cecilia was a demon, complete with her evidence.
"First off, she was the one who spotted the 'witch' before anyone else did—something even the Vice Principal we met didn't know about."
Evidence 1: Even the incredibly skilled Vice Principal of the academy couldn't detect it, but a mere student did.
And that was supposedly by 'accident' while keeping watch.
"Then, after she found the witch, the Vice Principal said the atmosphere in the academy changed. She might have deliberately flushed out the witch who was hiding, aiming for exactly that."
Evidence 2: After she uncovered Cappie, the academy's atmosphere rapidly soured.
That would be music to a demon's ears.
"And finally, she's suspiciously sensitive to 'blood.'"
"Sensitive to blood?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. Injuries happen often during practical classes, but she always urgently turns her head away whenever she sees someone else's blood. If she'd never seen blood before, that might make sense, but as the daughter of the Southern Archduke, there's no way that's true."
Evidence 3: Suspiciously sensitive to blood.
In this other world, where death is far more commonplace than in the modern era, reacting so sharply to spilled blood is definitely odd.
Especially for the daughter of that 'Southern Archduke.'
That was the end of the evidence she'd gathered.
It was only three points, but they were more than enough to justify suspecting her as a demon.
But Ariana wouldn't carelessly pin the blame on someone based on this alone.
"It's just this much for now, so we shouldn't jump to conclusions yet. Let's keep observing the situation and find some definitive proof first."
"Got it."
"By the way, has Is found anything?"
"...Unfortunately, nothing solid. There's a student named Leo who's unusually violent, which is a bit suspicious, but that's something even a non-demon could do."
"I see... That's okay! I know Is is working hard too!"
Ariana flashed a bright smile and offered words of comfort to my apologetic expression.
'Sorry...'
I knew the culprit's identity, but if I dropped even a hint here, things would spiral into an uncontrollable mess.
So, in place of the protagonist Ruin, I'd reveal the answer at the right time.
'If we catch the culprit too early, Dreania won't get her chance to grow mentally.'
Unlike Ariana's event in the North, which was meant to traumatize her, the event Dreania faced would lead to mental growth once endured.
Of course, it'd mean Dreania suffering a bit... but this was truly necessary. No helping it.
"May the Goddess be with you, Saintess."
"And may the Goddess be with you too, Is."
We exchanged prayers, bestowed small blessings upon each other, and left the space the Vice Principal had prepared.
"Ahh! You've come out!"
The Vice Principal approached obsequiously, rubbing his palms together.
Ariana stared at him intently with sparkling eyes and said,
"We haven't perfectly identified the demon yet, but we've already got some candidates!"
"Ooh...!"
"If things go well, we might find them soon! A demon brazenly hiding in the academy, of all places—a center of learning!"
"Phew... That's a relief. It seems like you've made more progress than expected."
Ariana burned with determination, while the Vice Principal sighed in relief as he watched her. His double chin jiggled slightly with the exhale.
"Once you've confirmed the culprit, could you come let me know privately? Unfortunately, even the academy's faculty can't be fully trusted right now..."
"Got it."
"Understood."
We nodded to the Vice Principal's request, then resumed our conversation as exchange students from the academy.
"Hey, it's good that you've made some friends in that class too."
"Haha, what can I say? It's all thanks to you two being so kind that I can enjoy academy life without feeling lonely."
As Ariana and I chatted amiably while walking down the corridor, I could feel the stares of nearby students turning our way.
Even amid that, she continued without a flicker of expression.
"But... both your friends are girls?"
"Ah, it just happened that way."
Excluding the delinquent types from our classroom, there weren't many guys left.
If I tried befriending those kinds of students, it might create another huge variable.
"The academy has such a fierce atmosphere overall that finding kind people like those two wasn't easy at all."
"I see...?"
"Yes, Lady Dreania and Miss Cappie are both truly kind. Lady Dreania acts like she isn't, but she takes good care of me and Miss Cappie. And Miss Cappie is so sweet herself that she even worries about causing me trouble."
They were both so commendable, really.
As I smiled unconsciously at the thought, Ariana looked at me with a peculiar expression.
"Miss Lianna...?"
"Yes? Oh."
"...Did I say something wrong, by any chance?"
"No, not at all. I just... think it's nice seeing you get along so well with girls too."
"I see...?"
Ariana's smile looked the same as always... but for some reason, it felt like she was angry.
"...Come to think of it! Miss Lianna, you seem to have made a lot of friends. That's really impressive!"
I hurriedly changed the subject.
"...It's all thanks to my classmates. I don't know why they bother with someone like me, but I'm always grateful."
"Damn, if Miss Lianna is thanking us, what's the point of living anymore?!"
"Don't die, you lunatic! If you're gonna die, do it far away from Miss Lianna!"
"Oops!"
...What did I just hear?
At any rate, it was clear Ariana's followers were scattered all over the academy.
'She's amazing, as expected.'
Gathering evidence while earning this much love.
A true heroine.
'Dreania's turn soon.'
After 'that incident,' Dreania would become just as popular as Ariana now, which made me smile naturally.
As for Cappie... she was originally meant to be a sacrificial lamb and vanish, but I'd prevent that, so in the end, she'd enjoy a happy academy life by Dreania's side.
'Gotta work hard.'
I already knew the culprit, so my tasks were to collect the evidence from the original story, secure a hidden item to mitigate Cappie's 'misfortune,' and... since Ruin probably wouldn't show up at the academy, prepare to take down the boss too.
I'd mostly prepared for the boss over the past few days.
I'd gathered about half the evidence on the culprit too.
So now, it was time to fetch that hidden item to blunt Cappie's misfortune.
"Let's go."
Might as well head out tonight.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The sun had set, and the sky had grown dark.
A shadowy figure stepped into the now-silent academy garden as students returned to their dorms.
He glanced around briefly before pulling something from his bosom and whispering into it.
"How's the plan going?"
What emerged from his bosom was a crystal orb emitting a dull glow.
A figure appeared within the orb.
It was a human clad in a black robe—
One of his Black Mage minions.
-Everything is proceeding according to the plan of the Great Chewer. However... a variable has arisen—in a good way. "A variable?"
-Yes. "Explain."
-The other Black Mages have offered to support me. I don't know what's happened, but it seems the situation has turned against them. "Hah, fools who serve anyone but the great Chewer, of course. As expected, you who believed in Him are the one worthy of reward."
-Does that mean... "Yes. Accept their support. And once this plan succeeds, you will stand at the pinnacle of the Black Mages."
The demon's true nature was the agent of the devil known as the 'Chewer.'
He whispered sinisterly toward the crystal orb.
"Prepare the plan perfectly. The Chewer has great expectations for you and me alike."
-...Understood. "Good. And don't worry too much about my side—I'm handling it just fine."
-I see... As expected, handling the Saintess isn't easy, but you're impressive. "Hah, what do you take me, the Chewer's agent, for? Don't worry—just make sure you handle your end well."
-Understood. With that, the light of the crystal orb faded.
"Heh, things are flowing smoothly."
The black silhouette then leisurely turned on his heel.
"...!"
And all of it was witnessed by a witch who had been using stealth magic.