Found it right away.

As I made my way toward the Principal's Office, I kept narrowing down promising spots with increasing certainty.

Then I realized the spirits were deeper underground. That made me wonder—why were they down there, in the school’s basement?

Still, the presence was faint—barely noticeable even to Mother. That was the odd part. I’d been pondering for ages why exactly it felt… off.

(This aura… probably a Great Spirit-level presence… but why is it so weak?)

That was the core of the unease.

(A Great Spirit should at least greet Kaa-sama properly… So if that’s what’s making me uneasy… and it’s been left unexplained this whole time… then…?)

Either the Great Spirit was immobilized for some reason, or maybe the very essence of spirits—mana—was just swirling in the basement.

Back in the day, the Tembar Kingdom had tried to force open the gate between realms by sacrificing spirits.

There’s also a monster tempest—mana instability—raging near this kingdom.

Both possibilities, I’m guessing.

“……Hmm……”

(There’s something down in this academy’s basement. And scattered all around—spaces. Feels like they’re arranged in a pattern…?)

“…Elen!”

Startled by my father’s call, I look up. He’s giving me a wry smile, asking if I’ve come back?

“Was lost in thought for a while, but… alright now? We’re already at your room.”

“Ah, sorry, Papa.”

He sets me down with a soft thud, and I stand on my own.

Before me: a lavish, enormous door. That must be the Principal’s Office.

Following my father inside, we’re invited to sit on the built-in sofa.

Sitting beside him, Kai and Van—my guards—stand behind the sofa, waiting.

"Allow me to welcome you once more, Lord Lovell. I am Balph, the 62nd headmaster of this academy."

"Your letter was rather persistent, wasn’t it? I’m sure I said no more than a dozen times already—what in the world is this about?"

"What are you saying, Lord Lovell? Enrolling your daughter here is a vital step toward her future."

"I said no because it’s unnecessary. And besides, she’s not even from this country—there’s no reason for her to attend this school at all."

"Then please, consider studying abroad! Lord Lovell, you yourself graduated from this academy, didn’t you? Please, let your daughter—"

"How many times must I say it? Do you even *have* a brain, or does it just stay stuck in the same place?"

The headmaster flinches as my father’s sharp words pierce the air. His cheek twitches slightly, but he doesn’t back down—still, with stubborn determination, he’s doing everything he can to get me enrolled here.

The desperate look on the headmaster’s face had me and my father exchanging increasingly suspicious glances.

Why was he going to such lengths to get me enrolled here?

(If he just wanted ties to the Vanklyft Family, Raffilia would’ve sufficed… So why me? If it’s about Papa, he could’ve used this situation to his advantage. But the conversation’s been strictly about whether I’m in or out of the academy…)

If he wanted a personal connection…

If there was some benefit to the academy in having me enrolled…

(Could it be the King’s doing? Or is it about the medicine…?)

I narrowed my eyebrows—more things to investigate during the trial admission were piling up.

“Papa… We came here to experience the academy. Isn’t it fine to decide later?”

“Elen…”

“Miss! Yes, exactly! You’ll make friends here at the academy!!”

I didn’t answer the headmaster’s words. I just smiled up at my father’s face.

“Papa… I’ve got so many things I want to ask about the curriculum now. I’m curious about whether this academy’s right for me. The central building and the surrounding structures are built differently, too. There’s gotta be some history behind that.”

“W-well, yes! Exactly! You absolutely must take a class and judge for yourself! It’s an honor that you’re interested in the academy’s history! Ask me anything…!”

“Permission granted!! So, classes will revolve around Kai’s schedule. And we’ll get permission to examine the buildings too!!”

“Y-yes!! I-I…?”

The headmaster suddenly tilted his head. He probably had a sinking feeling he’d just let something wildly inappropriate slip through the cracks.

While the headmaster tilted his head, I grinned happily back at him. But then, quietly, my father murmured in my ear.

“Elen, Elen. You’re grinning like a fool.”

“Oops.”

I straightened my face and sat back down on the sofa, pretending nothing was wrong. My father, sitting beside me, let out a quiet snort of laughter.

“…Papa.”

“Fufu. You’re so cute, Elen.”

The principal stared, wide-eyed, at my father gently stroking my head like I was some precious little thing.

His earlier icy demeanor had completely vanished.

“Principal… do you happen to have a floor plan of this academy? I think I might be lost.”

“Y-yes, of course. I’ll get one right away.”

The principal rummaged through the drawer of the built-in desk, muttering to himself.

In the meantime, I scanned the room—something had been bugging me since earlier.

The bookshelf lining the entire wall.

It was… really bothering me. The thickness of the shelf was different—just on the right side, a little off.

The layout of the room didn’t match up with how it looked from the hallway. I figured there must be a small room behind this bookshelf.

Taking advantage of the fact that the headmaster wasn’t looking, I got up from the sofa and crept forward, step by careful step.

Kai watched me, puzzled, but said nothing. I’m impressed—Kai really knows how to read the air.

My father and Van were already startled, as if they’d already guessed what I’d found.

Yeah, mechanisms like this are usually tucked beneath desks or inside bookshelves.

The carpet only covers the area around the sofa. The space under the desk is just wooden planks. So the mechanism must be inside the bookshelf.

In a modern building, you’d hide wiring under the carpet, but there’s no trace of magic here. So this has to be an old-fashioned contraption.

Most bookshelves like this one are hidden where you’d never find them—right in the middle, cleverly disguised. But you can’t always count on the thickness of the books hiding it being precise, too.

(From the odd gap in the shelf, calculating… probably right about here…)

There it was—a single book with a red spine, oddly stiff, like it wasn’t real.

Ordinary book covers used to be cloth or leather, like old-fashioned bindings.

And this one? It was built right into the shelf. I could see the cutout, exactly the same depth as the book’s thickness.

I pulled it without hesitation.

*Clunk!* The shelf slid open with a sudden noise.

“!?!”

The sound was familiar—she froze, her face locking up in shock.

“Wah! Amazing mechanism! No wonder this is the academy! Legendary!”

She slid into the room without a word, all awkward and stiff. Her eyes darted around, pretending not to care—like she’d just stumbled in by accident.

It was a room she’d seen before.

Yes—exactly like the medicine-making chamber from the clinic we’d rebuilt back in my territory.

(Oh. So that’s how it is.)

It all clicked now. Why she’d wanted me here at the academy.

By then, the headmaster was rushing toward me, flustered, trying to usher me out of the room.

“Is your specialty in healing arts?”

“Eh? Eh?”

“I reformed clinics back in my own land. If you’d like, I’d be happy to tell you about it later.”

I said it like we were old friends, already sharing secrets. The headmaster, still flustered, gave me a strained smile.

“Eh, yes! Absolutely!! I heard about your efforts to improve clinics in the Vanclift territory—I was curious myself!!”

She seemed relieved, as if finding this room had turned out for the better after all.

Behind me, as I spoke with the headmaster, Father and Van were sharing a dark, satisfied smile—like hunters who’d just spotted their prey.

Kai looked utterly shocked, his face pale as if he’d seen a ghost.

The headmaster, oblivious to his expression, kept talking, the conversation moving along smoothly, effortlessly.