novelraw Chapter 51 : Chapter 51
Chapter 51 : Chapter 51
Chapter 51: Student Interview (1)
There was light.
It was an absurdly small light.
In front of the prayer room, a halo of light brushed against the humble altar.
It was the result of Monika's prayer. She hadn't wished for anything grand. Please let me have no trouble eating and living. She had only wished for that. Was that why? The Pantheon's reply was also shabby.
Monika's eyes were closed.
A blurry shape visible beyond her tightly shut gaze.
It looked like a wave of light, and also like the outline of some palace.
Is that the realm of the Pantheon? The thought lasted only a moment,
<──It's not you!>
Suddenly, it came to mind.
The image of the black woman she had encountered in the training ground…….
“That's enough.”
Raphael opened his mouth.
Haa, Monika inhaled. As soon as she opened her eyes, a wave of fatigue washed over her. Standing tall and wishing for something. This too was a chore after repeating it dozens of times. Thinking so, she clicked her tongue.
“What on earth are you thinking about as you live? Do you have nothing to wish for from the Main Gods?”
“Wish for?”
At Raphael's question, Monika asked back in a blunt tone.
“That's right, Lohengrin. Didn't I tell you that prayer is the act of conveying one's wishes to the Main Gods?”
“I know that well. I've heard it so many times my ears are about to fall off.”
“I'm asking because I doubt those earholes are even open!”
Raphael extended his hand.
Damn it. To think I have to touch such an insolent thing. Muttering so, he snatched Monika's prosthetic arm. A disability is a severe punishment from the Main Gods, and a prosthetic arm should also be considered a monstrosity.
“Look.”
A halo of light emanated from Raphael's hand.
The flow of light headed toward Monika's prosthetic arm. The surface of the prosthetic arm sparkled for a moment, and a white sphere shot out from her palm.
“This is your divine power.”
Monika stared blankly at the sphere.
A white mass floating in the air. In terms of size, was it about that of a crouching adult man? Monika couldn't tell. Whether the divine power manifested before her eyes was huge, or small.
“It's not small.”
Raphael whispered.
His expression was filled with indignation.
“Although your life is lowly, your divine power is superior to that of your peers. It's natural since you can handle aura. And yet, why does your prayer not reach?”
It is because you have nothing to wish for.
Raphael asserted so.
“If you feel joy, you wish for that joy to be eternal, if you feel sadness, you wish for that sadness to disappear, and it is our instinct to harbor such wishes. And yet, you……”
Do you truly have nothing to wish for from the Main Gods?
To such a question from Raphael, Monika,
“……I don't know for sure.”
She answered, bowing her head.
What should I wish for from a god? No matter how much I think about it, I don't know.
Is it human nature to wish for joy to continue and sadness to vanish? Monika wanted to deny it. Because she knew many sad names that she wanted to keep in her heart even if she could not be happy forever, and thus did not want to forget.
“I've tried wishing for things forcefully.”
Monika said, looking up at Raphael.
She had tried making absurd prayers. To regress to her babyhood with her memories intact, to be possessed by the body of a count's lovely daughter, or to be reincarnated as the youngest child of a decent family. She had offered such prayers, but the result was shabby.
It was a natural progression. Only true emotions could reach the Pantheon. How picky. Monika thought, shrugging her shoulders.
“What a foolish life. How can you live without wishing to the Main Gods?”
“If you want, we can proceed like we did in the first class.”
Monika said, as if tossing it out.
“I am ready. I'll get on my knees and bow my forehead. You said that's effective, right?”
“N-no……. That's……”
Raphael's complexion darkened.
He looked as if he was frightened. He also seemed to be writhing in pain, his ankles stumbling.
Monika tilted her head. Raphael's attitude had softened considerably since the first day. Is it because of Teacher Abel? Did he suddenly rush in and break his ankle or something?
‘Or…….’
Monika's gaze tilted.
In a corner of the prayer room, Fleur was sitting.
‘Is it because of her?’
It had been like that since the first supplementary class. Fleur had been watching Monika's lecture all along. She had arbitrarily rushed into the prayer room and had been holding out.
“Hey, you, Lisian. You can't be too rowdy.”
Lisian was fawning over Fleur.
A result of being brought back to life by the Resuscitation Ceremony. It was a dog with only its skeleton remaining.
“Unni Monika is in class. You have to wait quietly.”
Fleur, who had been whispering to Lisian, raised her head.
She made eye contact with Monika and waved her hand. With a bright smile.
‘She’s a psycho.’
What on earth is her motive?
I told her not to approach me so much.
I can't just beat her up.
“Let's finish here for today.”
Suddenly, Raphael opened his mouth.
The sound of a bell coming from a distant place. Lunchtime was ending.
“Repent, and bow your head. That is the only way to reach the Pantheon.”
“Yes, yes. You've said that thousands of times.”
Monika gave a perfunctory bow.
She turned her back and crossed the prayer room.
Fleur followed behind Monika. Holding Lisian in her arms, she walked cautiously, maintaining a certain distance. Even so, her presence was clear. Amidst the coolly blowing autumn wind, the sound of their two footsteps went up and down the stone walls of the cathedral.
“Oh my, I forgot to read ‘Yesterday Clairvoyance’.”
Fleur said in a loud voice.
She took out yesterday's ‘Yesterday Clairvoyance’ from the inner pocket of her school uniform and displayed the special article. Small sentences were engraved in the air.
Then, ahem, she went. After letting out a deliberate cough,
“What did the girl who lost her right arm come to grasp? Meeting Monika Lohengrin, an innate aura user.”
Fleur began to read the contents of the article.
“Aura, it is the ultimate state that only a Holy Knight can reach. The number of aura users officially recognized by the Papacy is not many. But the readers of ‘Yesterday Clairvoyance’ will know. That there are also those who can handle aura innately, and that one of them is a student at Cia-Harphe Academy.”
Wow, I want to die.
Monika covered her ears. She looked back at Fleur with her face crumpled up.
But Fleur was not looking at Monika. She was just walking forward, reading the article in an excited voice. And so, bump, she went. Fleur, bumping into Monika's body. Fleur, who was momentarily flustered, raised her head, then,
“Your face is red, Monika.”
She pointed at Monika and smiled.
“That's enough, stop reading. Before I tear it up.”
“Okay. Actually, I had already read it a few times in the dormitory.”
By the way, I was surprised, she said.
Fleur whispered, tilting her head to one side.
“So you've been dreaming of becoming a hero, Monika. How naive.”
“……What?”
“To Senior Joshua's question of what you want to become in the future, you answered that you would become a hero and set Epezeria straight. It was written in ‘Yesterday Clairvoyance’.”
“Senior Joshua is a crazy bastard.”
Monika's expression twisted wildly.
A sense of futility and anger were chaotically coexisting.
“Listen well, Monika. Heroes don't actually exist. They're just beings from tales, like Sword Saints.”
“……So what.”
Even if the Hero-nim is like that, the Sword Saint must exist.
Monika thought, scratching her cheek.
“I knew there were lies mixed in Senior Joshua's article. You're a realist, so you wouldn't be interested in things like heroes. Am I right?”
“Of course. Stories about heroes are just fairy tales.”
I'm sorry, Hero-nim.
Monika apologized with all her heart.
“Then what kind of person do you want to become?”
What kind of person do you want to become that you became a student at CIAR?
I'm curious, she said.
Fleur suddenly asked a question.
“Why should I have to tell you that?”
“I knew you'd react that way. You probably don't want to tell me anything. But look. Lisian is curious too.”
Fleur picked up Lisian's front paw.
Strictly speaking, it was a leg bone. Lisian's leg bone swayed in front of Monika's eyes.
“How about it, Monika? They say cuteness is the strongest power, right? Won't you lose to Lisian's cuteness?”
“You think this skeleton dog is cute? Seriously?”
How ridiculous.
Monika thought, scratching the back of her neck.
Lisian's gaze narrowed. It seemed as if it was reproaching Monika. It must be a misunderstanding. What do dogs know? Thinking so, Monika extended her hand. After hesitating for a moment, she stroked Lisian's skull. It was endlessly cold.
“I probably enrolled in CIAR to live well……”
Monika said to Lisian.
“Tell your master that.”
“Thank you for conveying Monika's words, Lisian. What on earth does it mean to live well? Won't you ask for me?”
“It would mean living without being threatened by someone. If you have nothing, you'll die in the blink of an eye. Since you're the young lady of the Saint-Pierre family, you should know well, right? Count the number of lives your family members have taken.”
“Then if you are given a decent amount of wealth and a decent amount of safety, the life you wish for will be achieved.”
“Yes. You wouldn't know how precious that is.”
Monika was not looking at Lisian.
She was staring at Fleur's face. She didn't care about the playful Zen-like exchange. She could tell her to get lost at any time and turn her back. The reason she was exchanging words with Fleur was because of a sense of déja vu.
‘They look alike.’
Monika was vaguely certain.
The mysterious black woman she had seen in the training ground a few days ago.
Her image overlapped with Fleur's. They definitely didn't resemble each other in any way, yet for some reason, she had come to the conclusion that they were similar.
“Hey.”
Thus, Monika opened her mouth.
“Have you ever……, seen an evil spirit?”
“No.”
Fleur shook her head.
“I've been able to handle divine power smoothly since I was a child. Evil spirits can't approach me. They avoid me instinctively. Usually, those with weak energy or who are clumsy at controlling divine power would see evil spirits……”
Did something happen, she said.
Although Fleur asked a question,
“……Forget it.”
Monika turned her back with a sigh.
And just as she was about to take a step,
──Rustle.
The sound of a page being turned was heard.
A man was sitting on a bench. With a newspaper spread open.
The surface of the newspaper the man was holding stood out. ‘Daily Watcher’. It was a newspaper published by the largest media company in the Empire.
“What are you doing now……”
Monika opened her mouth toward the man.
If she had just glanced at him, she wouldn't have recognized his identity. He had a newspaper spread open and was wearing a colorful jester's mask. But the blackish-blue eyes visible through the eyeholes were clear. It was, without a doubt, Abel's gaze.
“Teacher Abel? Aren't you going to answer?”
“Who is Teacher Abel?”
Abel raised his head.
“I am a mysterious masked man.”
“Ah, yes……”
I think I'm going crazy, for real.
Monika shook her head back and forth.
She turned away from Abel and headed straight ahead with hurried steps.
“You're clumsy at disguising yourself, Professor.”
Fleur whispered, looking at Monika's back.
Toward Abel, she stuck out her tongue slightly, and,
“Are you tailing her because you're worried about Monika? I can understand your position, Professor. Because the heir of the family that destroyed Sarrifis is loitering around……”
“Wrong.”
Abel stood up from the bench.
He stood facing Fleur with the ‘Daily Watcher’ folded.
A moment of silence. While the sound of stepping on fallen leaves was heard here and there,
“I followed you because I was worried about you.”
Abel lifted the jester's mask.
His indifferent eyes tilted toward Fleur.
“Fleur de Saint-Pierre, I heard the news of your relative's death.”
Did you know, he said.
Abel asked in a quiet tone.
“Of course.”
Fleur nodded her head.
A smile spread across her lips, which were like wild strawberries.
“Because it's news I couldn't possibly not know.”
* * *
The Vice President's office of Cia-Harphe Academy.
As the reddened maple leaves rustled outside the window,
“Have you seen this, Vice President.”
──Flump, he went.
The ‘Daily Watcher’ landed on the desk.
Abel stood beyond it. With the jester's mask taken off.
“A newspaper? I haven't been able to check it recently because I've been busy……”
Konstanze adjusted her glasses.
The porcelain dolls that filled the Vice President's office tilted their heads.
“This is……”
Konstanze's eyes sharpened.
The article on the front page of the newspaper stood out. It was news about a murder case.
Julien de Saint-Pierre.
Found hung in an inn in Deleir.
Chloe de Arcturus.
Found hung in the drawing-room of her residence.
Eloise de Craon.
Her name before marriage was Eloise de Saint-Pierre.
Found hung on the Craon castle gate.
Three people had been murdered in a few days.
It was a strange thing. Serial killings would usually be committed against the vulnerable, yet members of a noble family were being killed one after another. While being escorted by proven bodyguards, or in the middle of a residence protected by various spells……,
“……Are they the only ones who died?”
“That is correct.”
To Konstanze's question, Abel silently affirmed.
Nobles do not act alone. They are always protected by their employees. In fact, the victims were not alone. It was reported that their accompanying employees were found unconscious. It meant that the killer had selectively murdered only the nobles despite having the opportunity to eliminate them.
“The testimonies of the employees are consistent. They said they didn't see anything.”
Abel said, crossing his arms.
“The victims are all members of the Saint-Pierre family. The Arcturus family is a branch, but their roots are connected, and Eloise de Craon is also from the Saint-Pierre family. The culprit is targeting only the members of the Saint-Pierre family.”
A power struggle?
Konstanze thought for a very brief moment.
It was clearly the wrong answer. Because the method of murder was messy. The limbs were dismembered, and they were found hung. It was a grandiose method to be considered an assassination. Above all, the phrase found in common at the scenes……,
I am a flowerpot of severe cold.
Who planted winter in my belly?
This seemed like a humiliation based on hatred.
Dominique Readmore, who had written the report, also predicted it.
That it was highly likely to be a crime based on a grudge.
“It is said that no evidence was left at the scene.”
Abel leaned on the desk.
“You must know as well, Vice President. The members of the Saint-Pierre family are staying at CIAR. Fleur de Saint-Pierre, and Raphael de Arcturus. I have been watching these two.”
That's why it was questionable.
Because not only Raphael but also Fleur were living as if nothing had happened.
Is it because they consider this also as the arrangement of the Main Gods? The reason why they are calm even while the members of their family are dying…….
“So I would like to suggest. I think that CIAR should escort the two of them.”
“Hmm……”
Konstanze swept her hair back.
After thinking for a while, she raised her index finger and opened her mouth.
“──Is there really a need for that?”
Abel's gaze hardened.
Konstanze continued in a light tone.
“Although a serial killing is happening, isn't it unnecessary for us to be concerned? In the end, it's happening outside of CIAR. You said that Professor Arcturus and Miss Saint-Pierre are living normally. Then wouldn't it be better to leave them as they are?”
Above all, the floating island is safe.
There is no possibility of the two of them being harmed.
Konstanze asserted so.
“So, Professor Argento, don't worry too much.”
Is it because of Iris's command?
Abel thought, frowning.
Konstanze's words were full of loopholes. He could argue against them as much as he wanted. But it would be impossible to change her mind.
The Konstanze in front of Abel was not human. She was a mere doll. She had just been instructed to forget the fact that she was a doll and was mechanically following Iris's words to fulfill her duties as a teacher.
“More importantly, today is the day you interview the students of your class, right? You must be busy in many ways. Why don't you go and prepare?”
“……I will.”
Abel picked up the ‘Daily Watcher’.
He took a step, then suddenly stopped.
“Vice President.”
Abel said with his back to Konstanze.
“Do you enjoy teaching children?”
“Isn't that obvious?”
Konstanze shrugged her shoulders.
“It's so much fun.”
Always, constantly,
Because I have always wished for it to be like this.
Konstanze muttered so.
.
.
.
Clatter, he went.
The wooden chair shook violently.
Abel sat facing the round table in his office. He rummaged through the inner pocket of his formal wear and took out a journal.
He was certain through instinct. That the murder case against the Saint-Pierre family should not be taken lightly. While leaving no evidence, if three nobles were slaughtered in an instant, the possibility of a lone culprit was low.
‘Who could have done such a thing?’
The emperor had ordered the pursuit of the Saint-Pierre family.
Suspicious circumstances had been captured, and the connection with the apostates could not be overlooked.
‘But His Majesty's prediction must be wrong.’
The Saint-Pierre family actually had a tendency for fanaticism.
Even so, it was not the time to stop the pursuit. Fanatics and apostates had a point of contact. For example, the point of desiring the power of a god.
‘The Execution of the False God.’
Abel reviewed the mission given by the Pantheon.
Could it be that a fanatic, not an apostate, was related to the mission? Such a suspicion was making him pay attention to the Saint-Pierre family.
Furthermore, Fleur had said it.
That it was the doing of the Saint-Pierre family that destroyed Monika's hometown, Sarrifis. Then the evil deeds of the Saint-Pierre family are on a different level. During the Mirror War, countless villages had vanished, their names and all.
He must not take his eyes off them.
He had to dig into the inside story.
‘I request of the Pantheon.’
Abel opened the journal.
It was time to ask for an oracle.
‘The perusal of the souls that have reached the Underworld.’
Suddenly, everything turned black.
Billowing smoke enveloped Abel. The scenery of the office distorted as if it were sinking into a mire. Soon, a stench tickled Abel's nose. It was the smell of spices from an embalmed corpse.
[The shadow of the Pantheon serves you.]
The voice of a man was heard suddenly.
The breath contained in the voice reached Abel. It was as cold as the last breath of the dead.
[My pupils, I will observe you.]
A lantern was lit at some point.
The view in front of Abel brightened dimly.
[Therefore, I welcome you.]
The man holding the lantern had his eyes closed.
With his jet-black hair hanging down, he sat facing Abel from the other side of the round table.
[In the name of the God of the Underworld ‘Aries’……]
It was right at that moment.
The completely black surroundings opened their eyes.
Countless pupils were revealed from beyond the darkness.
[──To my domain.]
The colorful gazes staring at Abel.
Without exception, they were the gazes of the God of the Underworld.