The True Nature of the Spinsters Class
The true identity of the Spinsters Class was none other than the powder keg of the continent.
The moment my worst fears became reality, my eyes suddenly landed on the iron fan. Miyazaki Hazuki had been sleeping soundly the entire time without uttering a single word.
"So the reason you pitted me and her against each other was some kind of test to see if the guy the principal brought in truly has the strength to protect the world?"
A nod.
"You noticed, huh? Your class is what we call the spark of war. If any student belonging to your class gets assassinated, our academy's prestige will take a massive hit, and at the same time, the tension between nations will skyrocket. That's why I wanted to gauge your abilities before something like that could happen."
The rapier trembled.
"I was almost disappointed when you suddenly turned into a roasted skewer, but with that level of skill, I can understand why Sekhmet entrusted you with the class."
The compliment was appreciated. Thanks to it, I now had a rough idea of Vice Principal Fea's true feelings.
The world appeared more peaceful than ever, but that was nothing more than surface level. This conversation had made it crystal clear that malice still lurked beneath the very foundation we stood upon.
"Heavy burden on those shoulders?"
She sounded like she was worried about me, but her real intention was the opposite. It carried the nuance of if it's that scary, just get lost already.
I deliberately ignored that atmosphere and instead stepped forward with confidence.
"To lighten the load on my shoulders, I have quite a few questions."
At this attitude, the corners of Vice Principal Fea's mouth lifted.
"Fine. What are you curious about?"
"First... why did the principal create something like the Spinsters Class? From the start, gathering the daughters of every nation in one place is exactly what created this dangerous situation. They're all troublemakers who cause chaos even when they're standing still. Wouldn't it have been better to simply refuse them and leave them abandoned at their respective family homes?"
"I'm not scolding you. Don't misunderstand."
While I was soothing Elena, Vice Principal Fea answered.
"Sekhmet is a special long-lived species who possesses the Blessing of Prophecy. In the very distant past, she was even worshipped as a god."
A god... Even now she was treated almost like one, so it wasn't surprising.
"It's a blessing you sometimes hear about in rumors. Its power varies greatly depending on the user... What type is the principal?"
"That one can directly experience fragmented glimpses of the future through dreams. She used that to prevent the Great War and even established this academy."
Hearing that she could see the future sounded dangerous at first glance. Even among humans, there were occasionally those born with similar blessings, but sadly, most of them only saw things unrelated to their own fate. But Lady Sekhmet was different. Even though it was within dreams, her tone suggested she truly knew how to wield that power properly.
"If I were to venture a guess, that one must have seen the Bad Ending of a future where the academy did not accept the distinguished guests from each nation."
"What kind of future was it?"
"Use your head. Imagine we hadn't accepted the Bel Amour girl or the troublemakers from other countries. Do you really think assassination attempts wouldn't have occurred?"
I immediately shook my head.
"If their goal is to start a war, as you say, then assassinations would still happen."
But that created a strange point.
"Then there would be no need to specifically target only our girls. There are countless people in important positions throughout the world. Using the Bel Amour royal family as an example, wouldn't it be far more effective to target King Raphael himself to ignite the flames of war?"
A loud hmph! snort rang out.
Vice Principal Fea asked in a tone that practically called me an idiot, "Are you stupid?"
"I told you that one has Prophecy. This is just my inference, but she probably already knows which individuals would create the biggest variables in the future if successfully assassinated. That's why she's gathered weirdos like you in the academy and kept you all in one place."
"So Elena and Selena dying would have a greater impact on the future than King Raphael dying?"
"I don't know the exact reason. Maybe those sisters are talents who will accomplish something monumental far in the future. Or perhaps they're problem children who would cause such a massive uproar that it would spark a war if left alone."
"I think the latter is far more likely."
"It's the truth. Just imagine if you two had never met me. Who knows who else's limbs you would've chopped off?"
Elena seemed dejected by the plausible reasoning, but she still acknowledged what needed acknowledging and muttered quietly.
"I thought it was impressive how they managed to gather all these women into one class, but I never imagined there was this kind of backstory."
In other words, Principal Sekhmet had accepted everyone and then called in me, Ludo von Eisenwald, to take overall command. When she scouted me, she kept talking about the fate of the continent and all that. With this, I really was in the protagonist position, wasn't I? It made me happy, but at the same time, it was terrifying.
"Who knows. Maybe she planned to tell you later, or she wanted Ludo to realize it naturally. Or perhaps she even knew I would explain it like this. No matter what reason you give, it's not strange. Thinking about the process rather than the result when dealing with that one is meaningless."
"Sekhmet, Chiyou, and I have been together our whole lives. Well, to be precise it was four of us... Anyway, I roughly understand what Sekhmet is thinking."
Despite her complaints, she seemed close to Principal Sekhmet after all, as she gave advice that would actually be helpful in real life. I took it seriously, organized my thoughts, and then spoke.
"Vice Principal."
"What."
"So, what is your purpose in all this?"
This was my final question.
"You said you hate both humans and the academy. I don't know what happened in your past, but judging by your attitude, you seem closer to the faction that supports war. So why are you helping me by even giving advice that the principal should have given?"
She bit her lip and, for the first time, fell silent for a moment.
"You're right. I don't care if the academy disappears or the continent is destroyed."
"Then why are you doing this?"
"That's..."
Her appearance was so cute that I lost my train of thought for a second.
"It's because of my comrades. Those idiots refuse to give up on this academy's hope, so I have no choice but to help them."
Moreover, her answer was unexpectedly heartfelt. Though her tone suggested deep thought, it ultimately meant she couldn't abandon her affection for them.
"So you're a tsundere..."
"Absolutely not. Shut your mouths, you brats."
The sharp image I'd felt when I first saw her had vanished, and now she seemed slightly adorable.
"I'm helping Sekhmet and Chiyou because they're my comrades. That's all. Especially that idiot Sekhmet—with her Blessing of Prophecy, she has a bad habit of enjoying the process leading to the result rather than solving things immediately. Without me, she'd keep messing around indefinitely."
"I get it now."
From somewhere, I thought I heard Principal Sekhmet's "Wahaha!" laughter. It definitely wasn't my imagination.
"Sekhmet probably plans to observe the situation and solve problems one by one. But I have zero intention of letting that happen. My only goal is to preemptively eliminate the root cause before those outsiders can pull any crap against the academy."
In other words, this person was the one who prevented Principal Sekhmet's bad habits from running wild. Unlike the principal who watched everything slowly, this one moved quickly, which seemed to lead to bad reviews from those around her.
"Making you fight Hazuki wasn't purely to test your skills. It was one of the ways I came up with to solve the problem."
"What problem did she have?"
"You saw it earlier too. That weird old man controlling her."
"Ah, yes. What was that?"
She stated it plainly.
"An evil god."
As expected, the claim that she was cursed by a god wasn't false. When Aisha had mentioned the Merchant God, it hadn't hit me much, but actually fighting it gave me a completely new feeling.
"Who knows. Whether it was the rival Agape Church or some family rumored to be on bad terms with Kagurayama, it wouldn't be strange for any of them to have cursed her. In any case, one thing is certain—if we leave her possessed like this, something big will happen. I didn't like that, so I used you to deal with it."
"He's the homeroom teacher. Accept it graciously."
Her words were unpleasant and her actions were rough, but it was true that one problem had been resolved thanks to her. So instead of getting angry, I took that into consideration and made a serious request.
"Vice Principal Fea. Since you say this was a skills test, I'll let it slide this time. If there's anything I can help with, I'll cooperate as much as possible, so please refrain from doing things like this in the future."
"Tsk."
Even though she acted that way, she wasn't someone you couldn't communicate with. She clicked her tongue, but that was her way of saying "Understood."
I turned my gaze back to Miyazaki Hazuki, who had taken a beating from me. She'd been possessed by an evil god. On top of that, I'd hit her hard with a long weapon, so I was worried in many ways.
"Don't worry too much. She's just sleeping deeply."
"She won't get attacked again the moment I release the weaponization, right?"
"Not immediately. But we haven't completely exorcised the evil god either. If left alone, it'll possess her again eventually. Hazuki herself will know the timing. Ask her when she wakes up."
I gripped the iron fan. It was my first time using a fan-type weapon, but I was surprised by how heavy it was. Folded, it could be used like a club. Stab with the blade, and it became a sword. Spread wide, it could probably serve as a shield too.
"So, you're telling me to exorcise the evil god?"
"Your probation ends tomorrow, doesn't it? Take her to class in that state and gather information. The connection between those who attacked the Nasriya Trading Company and Kagurayama, the identity of the god possessing Hazuki, how to exorcise it, and there must be another reason she was abandoned by her family. Ask her everything. Something might come up."
Something would come up. In other words, she was telling me to find the lingering ghosts of the old era who still desired war, or their agents.
"What about you, Vice Principal?"
"Sekhmet has seen the future. She's entrusted everything to you. If we or I step in at this point, it'll only complicate things."
Thus, she firmly established her role and position as someone who would "help only to the extent that the future doesn't get greatly twisted." Handing Hazuki over to me today was also Vice Principal Fea's own way of helping.
"Calm down. Still, thanks to the vice principal, we learned a lot. Let's try to think positively about everything."
"Who knows. I think the other women were sent to find husbands, but you two were genuinely sent to find spouses, weren't you?"
I tucked the iron fan into my embrace and stood up.
"For now, I understand the situation. I also understand what warning you wanted to give, Vice Principal. Based on today's conversation, I'll be even more cautious, so I hope you'll continue to help us."
"I intend to."
For being summoned all the way to the vice principal's office, it was a rather short conversation. Normally, a few more words would have been exchanged here, but Vice Principal Fea seemed to have said everything she needed to say and had no intention of seeing us off as we left. Instead, she simply adjusted her crow mask and muttered to herself.
"Honestly, what's the point of any of this? No matter how much Sekhmet and the rest of us cry out for peace, there are just too many who desire war. Even if you manage to get through this generation safely, the next one will see blood again. In the end, it's nothing but passing the bomb to the next person."
These were solitary words that gave a glimpse into why she said she hated humans. I had my hand on the doorknob but quietly turned my head.
"It seems even long-lived races have their own hardships?"
"Of course. You short-lived species achieve peace for a single era, live satisfying lives until your bones turn to dust, and die smiling happily. But what about us long-lived ones? After you die satisfied, those of us left behind all mourn the dead and desperately repeat the exact same things over and over."
Spending an entire lifetime working to make the world peaceful...
"It's like a squirrel's wheel of a life. How many generations will Sekhmet and I have to live like this? How many more hundreds of years will it take before we realize that an academy like this isn't true peace, but merely temporary comfort?"
I had no words. As an ordinary human, I was in no position to answer such profound troubles.
"Vice Principal."
"Don't say anything."
"Thanks to your and the principal's efforts, I belong to the generation that grew up without seeing blood. The very people who saved the world—please don't deny that fact."
"Even you who express such gratitude will be gone in the next generation. Even if your son thanks me, I won't feel anything."
"Living long doesn't seem to be all good."
With those words, I opened the door. Just as I was about to take a step out, the vice principal gave one final piece of advice.
"Ludo. Don't carelessly seduce long-lived species. We have far too much affection, so if you seduce us, it'll cause trouble for future generations."
That was truly heartfelt advice. I tucked those words away in a corner of my heart, gave a small bow, and left the room.