第６１０堀：ありきたりな結末と…… (Part2)
"Excuse me, Principal. Did something happen? If there’s trouble at the academy, we can head back, you know?"
"Hm? Oh, no, it’s nothing like that. Sorry for worrying you. It’s just..."
"Just?"
"This situation isn't exactly someone else's problem. While our academy focuses more on academics than this place, we still have men and women living together. There are couples among you, too. That’s fine, but..."
I understood. He realized that what happened to us could easily happen to them tomorrow.
"If it came out that we turned a blind eye to students from other nations engaging in illicit intimacy, that would be more than just a little problematic. Our academy effectively relies on the support of surrounding nations to function."
"Ahhh," Amanda and Eoid murmured in realization.
They are precious budding mages of the If Continent. If word got out that they were getting involved with nobles from other countries, it would be a trigger for war. It might not escalate that far now, but the academy’s reputation would certainly plummet.
"I only just realized this now, but was the harassment Eoid was doing to Samantha and Cleena actually pretty bad?"
At Amanda’s sudden question, I, Taiki, Taizo-san—in fact, everyone around us—nodded in agreement.
"Cleena-kun didn't seem to understand that sort of thing at the time, but in Samantha-kun's case, Eoid-kun's head could have been on the chopping block depending on her mood," the Principal noted.
"Whoa!?" Eoid gasped, shocked to hear the reality of it.
Well, yeah. If you go around touching a Duchess's chest or trying to remove her clothes, you'd be arrested for molestation or worse even in Japan.
"Well, I figured Samantha-chan wouldn't do anything that drastic, so I left it alone. But putting that aside, I’ve informed Lara and ordered a thorough inspection of all storage areas and unused rooms."
"Running a school is tough work, isn't it?"
"No, no, Yuki-dono, you’re in the same boat, aren't you?"
"In my case, it’s a new build. And since there aren't any nobles in the area, I can handle things on my own terms. It’s just a matter of parents talking to parents. Besides, I’m basically hands-off with the operations. I’m more of an honorary principal."
"Must be nice. If the academy ever goes under, it looks like I’ll have to apply for a job at your place."
"I’d be happy to have you, but I doubt you’ll go under. The elevation of mages on the If Continent will likely be centered around Popuri, after all."
"...*Sigh*, and here I am getting nagged by the bigwigs of every nation."
"Well, Popuri has the physical strength to back it up, and it’s a neutral academy, right? You have strong ties to the nobles of every country. Besides, if you don't like that, you should develop industries so you can survive without foreign aid. Fortunately, you have a forest inhabited by monsters, so maybe you could sell materials... or is that a no-go?"
"It’s a no-go. We can't produce enough to meet demand. Besides, monster materials will likely be dominated by the Rogari Continent, so we can't compete."
"Hmm. Well, there are other ideas, but that’s for another day."
"It’s not something to discuss right now, anyway. For now, the good news is that we’ve confirmed the academy’s safety."
Indeed, it ended in a trivial result. The remaining three rumors were harmless. It was fortunate we didn't have to waste our energy on them.
"In the end, there were only six mysteries."
"No, that’s just because we narrowed it down to six after gathering information from Mikos. There were probably over fifty rumors in total. Actually, it wasn't even six—there were only four genuine ghost stories. The ones Sauta-san set up."
"When you open the lid, it turns out that supernatural phenomena don't happen all that often."
"Isn't that just how it is, Taizo-dono? If it were otherwise, the world would be overflowing with the dead."
"Agil-dono is right. Well, let’s be glad it ended peacefully. Though I imagine the academy staff had a rough time."
"Hahaha..."
As we talked, we finally spent a quiet night. Until the preparations are ready, I think I’ll just teach some classes here and there while focusing on bridging the gap between Rogari and If.
***
**Side: Solo**
"Phew. It got pretty late."
I mutter that while looking up at the sky.
"The manager sent me off with a smile, so I’ll do my best."
I had come to the part-time job I used to work at to say my farewells. Ever since that incident in the restroom, for some reason, I received a direct order from Princess Carrie appointing me to a position like an assistant diplomat to Senior Kagra.
I was bewildered, wondering why someone like me, but according to Kanna-sensei, Princess Carrie wants to solidify her position through future exchanges with Weed and wants to gather as many allies as possible. Since I had managed to interact with Eoid and Amanda, she decided to bring me into the fold. She said it was safe because there didn't seem to be any other noble shadows behind me.
"...Sorry for being a loner, I guess."
I grumble, but thanks to this, my future is secure. As long as I don't do anything stupid, I can graduate as a top student and get a job as an assistant diplomat for Weed.
Princess Carrie is even covering my tuition for this. In my case, I only managed to break into the top tier of students after reaching the middle grades, so I wasn't eligible for the tuition exemption for high achievers. That thing has a super high hurdle—you have to be in the top 10 since enrollment.
Well, I get a bit of a discount, which helps, but today marks the end of coming to town to work part-time.
"Starting tomorrow, I’m happy!"
Will people still complain about me being a commoner? Well, probably, but I can just rely on Senior Kagra or Senior Mikos, and my days as a loner are finally over.
As I hurry down the darkened road in high spirits... five people emerge from the shadows of the trees and block my path.
"You're Solo Findou, right?"
"Eh?"
"No mistake. If this little girl disappears, no one will care. Our preliminary investigation showed that as a commoner mage, you’re shunned by many. Because of that, you don't have much favor with the nobles, either."
"They’ll just think you ran away. Alright, then there’s only one thing to do."
Saying that, the men—judging by their voices—draw swords from their waists...
"Let’s quickly take your magic power. For the sake of our wisdom."
"For the sake of our wisdom!"
They lunged at me.
"Th-thieves!?"
How unlucky can I get!? Is the world not allowed to let me be happy!?
Fine, let’s do this!!
*Dear great detectives, it seems your predictions were correct. Congratulations.*
*However, that is not the main point.*
*Taking advantage of the chaos, a secret organization begins to move!!*
*What will be Solo's fate!?*
*Worry about her! Someone worry about Solo!!*