It had already been two days since the Student Council officially began operating.
The principal had dumped every pending task directly onto us without the slightest hint of mercy, and our sleep had become something to negotiate over rather than a basic human necessity. Naturally. Why give students rest when you can instead hand them paperwork and call it a day.
I had barely returned home late last night after midnight, only to be greeted by my mother’s lecture because I had forgotten to tell her I would be staying at the Student Council building. That, too, had been a pleasant experience in the way a knife to the ribs is a pleasant experience.
Still...
Today, I wanted a peaceful day.
A simple one.
A day where I could go sit near that fountain, read some books from this world, and do absolutely nothing that involved emotional instability or surprise .
As I walked toward the fountain, clinging to that wish like a fool believing in a convenient future, reality naturally decided to insult me.
Just as I reached the area...
There was already another uproar there.
A crowd had gathered, all of them staring upward at something hanging in front of the fountain square.
I stopped.
Then looked up as well.
...
A knight was hanging there.
He was wearing only his clothes, without armor, though a helmet still covered his head. Hanging from his neck was a board with a message written in bold letters.
**"IM USELESS"**
...
People immediately began shouting.
"Another knight like this."
"What are they doing exactly?"
"Why doesn't the killer kill them?"
"Do the knights and the killer have some kind of collaboration?"
"No, that seems unlikely after seeing this."
"But something is definitely going on."
The gathered crowd quickly began forming their own interpretations, each more nervous than the last. A few people pointed, others whispered, and some simply stared in stunned disbelief.
One knight stood nearby, trying to calm everyone down.
"What are the Knights of Order doing?"
"Just how long has it been?"
People kept shouting over him, their frustration rising by the second.
Then another knight arrived and signaled the one speaking to step back.
She climbed onto a wooden crate that had been used like a makeshift stage, standing with a proud and rigid posture. Even before speaking, she looked like someone born to command.
"I am the commander of the Knights of Order."
"We are doing our best to execute justice."
"People of this kingdom, do not worry."
"We will do everything in our power to ensure that justice falls upon evil."
Her voice rang through the square with enough confidence to silence most of the crowd.
And for a moment, it worked.
The people who had gathered there seemed reassured. Most of them accepted her words and decided to wait and see what happened next. A few still looked doubtful, but they didn't seem bold enough to stir up even more chaos.
The crowd slowly scattered.
Some people walked away while muttering to each other about what they had seen, trying to decide whether the knights were truly in control or whether everything was already falling apart in the back streets of the kingdom.
I, who had been watching from a little distance, simply turned away.
Looks like today wasn’t going to be the peaceful fountain-reading day I had imagined.
As I walked, I thought back on that speech and this case.
...
Ah.
I remember hearing those words before.
Some knight had said something similar already.
But if a higher authority says the same thing...
The effect becomes stronger.
That was how people worked.
That was how systems worked.
For now, though, I had no intention of getting mixed up in this mess.
I had already placed a protection spell on my parents, so I didn’t need to worry too much about them unless the killer was stronger than me.
...
Which, of course, was exactly the sort of sentence the universe liked to punish.
I turned toward the academy.
As I walked toward the entrance of the academy, once again...
I saw Ravian Edevane.
He was standing near the roadside, staring at a cat that was eating fish.
...
Well.
Let’s ignore him.
I had already made that decision when Ravian suddenly turned his head toward me as if he could sense my presence from a mile away.
...
Really?
I’m definitely using concealing next time.
"my friend."
Ravian smiled and walked toward me.
He acted as if we had been friends for months, moving close enough to casually drape his arm around my shoulder.
I wondered where he had gone after that match with Reinhardt.
Even though I didn’t trust a random noble calling me his friend out of nowhere...
For some reason, hearing it from him didn’t feel unpleasant.
That was annoying.
It was strange, honestly. I was actually enjoying his company despite how little we had interacted.
He gave off the impression that we had something in common.
Especially something close to my past self.
...
Though that “feels like” feeling had betrayed me enough times already that I had no intention of trusting it.
Still...
No, he is suspicious.
With great effort, I suppressed the strange comfort I was beginning to feel and instead started observing him carefully for any sign of ulterior motive, any pattern that might reveal why he was this close to me.
As I walked with Ravian into the academy grounds, a high-class wagon came to a stop behind me.
A butler sitting beside the coachman climbed down first, then opened the carriage door with a practiced motion.
From the wagon stepped Reinhardt and Valdrik.
"Have a good day, Valdrik-sama and Reinhardt-sama."
The butler bowed respectfully before returning to the seat beside the coachman and preparing to depart.
Reinhardt walked toward me and took my bag from my hands before greeting me.
"Good morning."
His voice was polite.
Too polite.
So polite it was completely unlike the Reinhardt I knew.
But the expression on his face made it obvious.
He was forcing it.
The funniest part was that this was the first time I had ever seen a servant arrive in a high-class wagon while his master commuted on foot.
But there was something else that bothered me even more.
Valdrik was staring at me.
And he was doing so while walking beside Reinhardt, who was trying his best to behave like a proper servant.
His stare felt very much like the stare of someone evaluating a threat before deciding whether to cut it down now or later.
We entered the academy grounds together.
As expected...
That man remained the enemy of my peace.
We stopped near the entrance.
And just then, Principal Vivienne came walking toward us.
The moment she arrived, Valdrik nodded at her at the same time she nodded at him, as though this meeting had been arranged beforehand.
She instructed me to come with her to the Student Council office.
And thanks to the principal’s order...
We were skipping class again.
Wonderful.
As the principal, Valdrik, Reinhardt, and I started walking away, Ravian called out behind me.
"Let's meet again, my friend."
I glanced back while continuing forward.
He then headed toward class while I went with the others toward the Student Council building.
For some reason, this scene felt strangely familiar.
This was the second time it had happened.
And both times...
The Elthorn family and the Edevanes had been involved.
...
As we reached the Student Council room, Shirohana and her servant Celestria were already there.
I sat down on the president’s chair while Reinhardt pulled it out for me.
Principal Vivienne and Valdrik sat on the sofa.
Shirohana served me green tea with a small smile hidden behind her sensu.
For some reason, seeing her like that made me feel oddly peaceful.
...
No.
Wait a second.
Wasn’t I getting a little too comfortable around these unknown people?
I took a breath and forced myself to suppress the warmth creeping into my chest.
I needed to stay vigilant.
I rested my chin on my crossed fingers, my elbows supported on the desk in front of me, and leaned forward slightly.
"So, what do you need from the Student Council?"
I asked.
Valdrik set down the tea cup Celestria had served him.
"To be direct, my master has ordered this academy to use its talent and assist in the investigation of the serial killings currently taking place."
He said it while looking toward the principal.
"Well, I have been helping as well, but we need more hands."
"The anxiety among the people is increasing day by day."
Principal Vivienne Arkwright spoke with calm composure, though her tone made it clear this was not a minor matter.
I said nothing and simply looked at them.
Valdrik understood the meaning of my silence.
"We will provide a satisfactory reward for your contribution once this case is solved."
"I promise that none of you will feel at a loss for helping us."
...
"Feel."
That word bothered me.
It meant this was not an absolute guarantee.
It was only a promise regarding perception.
And he had made this request directly to the principal and probably even higher authority.
Tch...
Still, that didn't change the fact that the situation itself was dangerous.
"Well..."
"Let's discuss our benefit first."
I said.
Valdrik gave a slight laugh.
"You really don't show much pride, do you?"
Then he pulled out a royal scroll and handed it to Reinhardt so he could deliver it to me.
I don't want pride that makes me unable to accept pride again.
Reinhardt placed the scroll on my desk and stepped back into position.
I opened it and examined the bottom, where the royal seal had been stamped.
...
Trustworthy.
The rewards were listed as follows:
The academy will receive increased funding.
On top of that, the Student Council will receive separate funds from the ones provided to the academy.
Support will be granted to a certain extent directly from the prince.
10 Suncrest.
By the way, one Suncrest equals 5000 gold coins, and 1000 gold coins can already buy a house better than what a normal class student would normally live in.
Direct audience with the prince.
(Only applicable to the Student Council President.)
Hmm.
Not bad.
Though...
It was possible that the prince’s support would be used as a means to influence the nobles connected to the academy.
And this “direct audience with the prince” being limited only to the Student Council President...
That sounded suspicious.
I could assume all of this was a positive development.
But if my suspicions happened to be even partially correct, then this prince was clearly trying to accomplish something.
And he was likely quite competent at it.
Either way...
The danger wasn’t going to disappear just because I looked at the problem from a different angle.
For now...
"Okay then."
"We will help."
I said, placing the scroll carefully aside.
"I see..."
"Then we will count on all of you."
"Tomorrow, the commander of the Knights will provide you with further information and instructions."
"Well then, my business here is done."
"I will take my leave."
Valdrik said this as he set down his tea cup and began walking toward the exit after giving his greetings.
Following him, the principal stood as well.
"I also have work to do, so I will be leaving too."
"Tomorrow, all of you will discuss the details with the commander. I will not be able to attend, as I have other matters to take care of."
She walked out as she spoke.
Shirohana had remained beside me the entire time, her eyes half-lidded and her lower face hidden behind her sensu, a faint smile lingering just behind it. I could see it from the side.
Her thoughts were one of the most dangerous things I needed to worry about.
But for now...
I would trust that she would not become an obstacle.
And that she would not play with the little peace I still had left in a situation like this.
"What do you all think?"
I asked while leaning back.
"We will follow the judgment of the President."
All three of them answered at once.
...
Sigh.
This kind of trust from others only makes me more anxious.
As I continued thinking about the case, we began handling the remaining Student Council work.
After all...
From tomorrow onward, I doubted we would have much time for it.
Also...
I was still wondering how badly our studies were going to suffer because of all this.