How to Survive at the Academy Chapter 202

Giving Meaning (5)

?When I stopped by the cabin to clean Lortel’s villa, Belle looked more surprised than expected.

It has already been more than five days since Ed Rosteeler was away to attend the prayer meeting at Cledric Abbey.

Five days in the wild is the time when weeds grow, food rots, and drinking water dries up. It is a story that not everyone can adapt to a wild life where you have to spend each day preciously.

That’s why I wondered if Jenika would suffer a little while Ed, who usually took the lead in camp work, was away.

However, the camp, which was surprisingly neat and well-maintained, was tidy in a different direction than when Wenger Ed took the lead in managing it.

As befits Jenika, who has a more delicate personality than Ed, tools, food materials, and firewood were neatly arranged here and there.

And Jenika, who was reading a book in front of the campfire, when Bell came and made a surprised expression, said ahem, put both arms on her waist and made a majestic expression.

“I was surprised that it was cleaner than I thought. You’ve become very good at camp maintenance.”

“It’s been a few months since I started living in camp, but I can’t do this much!”

After that, he shows a high-spirited figure with ahem ahem, but honestly, I can’t help but feel that he’s unique rather than cool.

It is said that in three years of Seodanggae, the wind is recited. As Ye Nika continued her camp life next to her Ed, she had accumulated enough tips to handle her basic management without difficulty.

The spirits would have done most of the hard work, but they couldn’t entrust it with delicate or skillful tasks.

“Ed said he’s coming back today. I need to show him that he’s been fine!”

“I see. But… that…”

Originally, according to Ed’s schedule, he was scheduled to finish the prayer meeting at Cleric Monastery today and return home in the middle of the night.

The reason Yenica worked hard to make the camp even more tidy was because she wanted to see Ed’s surprised look when he returned.

“There was an urgent matter within the monastery, so your return to school has been delayed.

“…Huh? That, something urgent?”

“You seem to be caught up in a complicated matter.

“I-I see… Ed… I’m worried. You don’t seem to have much energy lately.”

“Is that so? I didn’t get that feeling.”

“Since the last time I was swayed by a strange drug, I feel like I’ve been thinking a lot.”

Jenika covered the large book of spirits that was on her lap and placed it on the stump next to her. Suddenly, the magic book began to float, and the spirits escorting the area around Yenika appeared and began to organize the magic book.

“I wonder if it was too difficult…?”

“Rather than that… I did say something that made me think too much. Now that I think about it, I guess I was a no-brainer.”

“A useless word…?”

“I just… I had something I wanted to say to Master Ed, so I just shared some of my past history.”

There was curiosity in Jenika’s eyes.

I was curious to hear that Ed was confused when he heard it, and I couldn’t help listening to it because it was mixed with the past story of Jean Belle Maia, the maid of Ophelis Hall.

“What were you talking about…?”

“It’s not a very pleasant story. And… there are parts that I haven’t told you in detail. There are also contents that are mixed with Ed’s personal history… so I don’t want to share it carelessly…”

Anyway, the mouth is the equation.

In the Ophelis Hall, where everything was consistent with a businesslike attitude, there was never a case of making a mistake like this, but when it came to camp, there were many cases where the strength in the shoulders was loosened and the words were slipped.

However, what can I do? It’s already late.

Yenika was already in a state of curiosity aroused to the tip of her head.

Even if left as it is, Jenika, who is making a cheeky noise and sticking out her mouth, won’t do any harm other than clenching her fist like a cotton bat. Herbivores are herbivores only when they are angry.

Still, it didn’t feel very comfortable to leave it alone like that, so Bell sighed deeply and sat across from Jenika.

“Brother Ed once tried to take his own life because he was pessimistic about life.”

As Bell stood up and tried to explain the situation, Jenika’s face turned bright like a child’s.

But as soon as I heard the first sentence, I immediately froze. He is a person who has always shown only a strong side, so he never even thought that he would ever make such an attempt.

However, if you think about the past, Ed is a human born from a background that is not strange even if he is pessimistic about his life at any time.

“I-I didn’t know…”

“Aren’t you living hard right now? It’s a good thing.

“I see… Then what is Bell’s past?”

Bell pondered for a moment on how far she would go about talking, but soon showed a relieved face as if it was okay.

“Actually, I haven’t told Ed everything. In a way, I left out the most important part. Even the same story can have completely different meanings depending on how you tell it.”

“…okay?”

“…would you like to hear it?”

*There was silence among the nuns.

The wooden coffin advancing towards the central corridor is filled with garlands to pray for the deceased. 109 years old. The old man, who had been bluffing that he would live at least another 100 years, ended his life without any warning.

The death of a great elder who devoted 80 years to the Church of Telos. It was even the death of the abbot in charge of Cledric Monastery.

Although the prayer meeting at Cledric’s Abbey was an important annual event with distinguished guests, it could not precede the death of Abbot Austin. She has always been respected by church members and has always kept her faith sublimely.

She could have risen to the ranks of adults and acted as a high-ranking priest in the holy city, but she dared to raise the nuns who had their own circumstances at the forefront of the monastery as if they were her own daughters.

He has never worn a high-ranking monk’s robe with lots of fancy decorations. When working in the field, it gets dirty quickly, so there was no law to wear high-quality clothes.

The sleeves were completely wrinkled because they were always rolled up. The only furniture in the room was a desk, chair, bed, bookshelf, and wardrobe, all of which were shabby.

His personal possessions consisted of only a few spare habit, a Bible, and a brass bowl for prayer. He was too frugal for a human who had lived for over a century.

Like that, the coffin containing the saint’s remains was slowly taken out of the corridor.

Both the nuns dragging the coffin and the nuns watching the scene were all in tears.

*

“There are clear signs of a murder.”

It was the report of Auxiliary Bishop Melinir.

Nun Melinir, the nun in charge of the practice, with neat and well-groomed hair, spoke short and boldly from the podium.

After lunch, St. Clarice summoned distinguished guests, high-ranking nuns, and outside visitors to the chapel in the center of the monastery.

Upon entering the grand chapel, I saw that all sorts of tables, holy relics, and prayer supplies were prepared for the VIP prayer meeting.

Originally, a grand prayer meeting was scheduled to be held, but all schedules were canceled.

“This… is a top secret that must never be spread among the nuns.”

podium of the chapel. Originally, outsiders came and sat where high-ranking clergymen should be seated to preside over prayer meetings.

The sudden death of the abbot spread a chaotic atmosphere, but the exact cause of death or circumstances were not announced.

In the first place, the responsibility to lead, investigate, and announce such things fell to the parish priest who managed the coastal area, including this monastery.

However, the vicar for this monastic district was also the abbot of Austin. It is not possible for the person involved to brief directly about the death of the person concerned… It was unavoidable that there was some confusion in the monastery’s management system.

In the end, it was decided who had the rightful power to deal with this chaotic situation and organize the situation.

On top of the podium, three representative figures came up and sat down.

Melinir, an assistant bishop who managed the nuns under the abbot of Austin and a practitioner of the monastery.

The second princess, Persica, who has the authority to directly deal with the situation by taking over the imperial power.

And, Saint Clarice, who has the authority equivalent to the right to make final decisions on all matters of the Church of Telos.

Reports of deaths inside the monastery have already reached the Margrave of Jahul.

In the near future, the imperial family will also dispatch additional investigators. Until then, control over the situation inside the monastery was… it’s safe to say that those three were split between them.

It was a matter of calming down the insiders so that they would not panic, and then handing over authority to them when the imperial investigators arrived.

However, Saint Clarice dared to gather only the outsiders into the chapel. Because she heard Melinir’s report and decided that she should.

“I checked the scars left on the remains of Abbot Austin. The dagger stab wound remained. “

He is 109 years old. Speaking of death in a room, the first possibility that comes to mind is a natural death.

However, Auxiliary Bishop Melinir completely denied that possibility.

“The abbot was always perfectly taking care of himself and taking care of his health. He always did physical labor, and I didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary when I checked my physical condition every day.”

Auxiliary Bishop Melinir held his teeth tight and continued, despite knowing the repercussions his next words would have.

“The nuns residing in this monastery are all lambs beholden to Abbot Austin. To put it bluntly, they have no reason or motive to harm the Abbot.”

I hold my breath for a while and list only the objective facts.

“Even when he passed away, it was during a prayer meeting full of outsiders. The fact that a person who had been correcting himself when he had been with nuns for several years was found dead during the period when outsiders were visiting… the circumstances are so exquisite… .”

After that, Melinir paused for a moment trying to choose his words carefully. But the conclusion of the story has already been conveyed well enough.

At the chapel’s prayer table, distinguished guests and young ladies from all over were sitting together.

The daughters of counts and viscounts are the basics, the heirs of the Tolles Company, the only daughter of the Imperial Chancellor, and even the disciples of a famous magic tool craftsman.

They are the people who have taken refuge in the Church of Telos and traveled a long way to show its sincerity.

To such people, Melinir says.

“Perhaps, I think many of you are… circumstantial suspects. This is a necessary suspicion.”

– Bang!

At those words, the young lady of the Viscount Lokest jumped out of her seat and stood up. At the same time, all the daughters of other noble families stood up.

“Now what?! I’ve come a long way to pay respect to the Church of Telos, but you’re asking me to treat you like a murder suspect now?!”

“Are you kidding me?! Where is the guarantee that even a member of the monastery won’t hold a grudge against the abbot?!”

“I’m going to put a letter in my parents’ house! I can’t come to a place like this and be treated like a murderer!”

“Calm down. We are in the presence of the saint and the princess.”

At those words, all the noble ladies held their breath. I was young and immature, so I forgot about it for a while.

Behind Melinir, two girls sitting on either side of Sosogot. 2Princess Persica and Saint Clarice.

If the authority of the two were combined, even if all the nobles gathered here combined the authority of the young lady, they would not be able to compare it.

That’s why the young ladies had no choice but to hold their breath.

There was silence for a moment, and before long, Saint Clarice raised her voice from the podium.

“It’s difficult to identify a suspect based solely on motives. Because Abbot Austin was a man who was kind to everyone and merciful to everyone. Not only that, but he was also a person who quietly prayed and lived within the monastery.”

Clarisse’s story struck a blind spot.

“How can you hold a grudge against someone like this? At least you won’t have any personal, private feelings of resentment. Since he’s such a person, it’ll be hard to find a motive for killing him…”

The possibility of compulsive murder based on emotion is zero. If so, is it a political or ideological reason?

There is only one person who will benefit from the death of Abbot Austin.

An abbot who fully supports Princess Penia. If such a person disappears from the world, her rival, Princess Persica, will be able to benefit from her competition for imperial authority.

Some nobles looked at Princess Persica on the podium, swallowing dry saliva, as if they had reached that point.

Princess Persica, who was sitting in a lofty posture… gently closed her eyes before opening them.

“There are ladies who look at me with disrespectful thoughts. Are they the daughters of the Viscount of Lokest, the Count of Flossin, or the Baron of Calcus? I remember them.”

Princess Persica threatened like that, as if she read her thoughts with just her eyes.

All the young ladies from the aristocratic family, who were suspicious at just that statement, shook their heads in amazement. There was a murmur of denial, but Princess Persica stood up as if it was okay.

A girl who knows how to control a crowd. As if proving that fact, he speaks in a high voice that comes from his stomach.

“There’s no need to hide the fact that I’m working hard for the imperial power. But murdering the Abbot Austin… did I look like someone who would commit such a stupid move?”

Silence reigned in the left center.

“To reduce one of the powerful people who support my sister Fenia, to put a hand on the life of an elder of the Church of Telos. If I looked so stupid that I couldn’t even judge the profit or loss, then in a way, it was my fault. He seemed like such a shallow monarch. . I get to reflect on myself!”

The act of killing Abbot Austin, blinded by the imperial authority, was no different from turning the entire Church of Telos into an enemy.

At least, if he was going to do something like that, he wouldn’t have been aiming for a time when he had no choice but to be openly suspect.

“What is the meaning of the power gained by putting people’s lives on the scales in the first place?

In the meantime, don’t forget to appeal for moral justification. Princess Persica was a rational human being.

“And I’m not the only one who weighs the gains and losses in the imperial rivalry. The distinguished guests who have gathered here… I don’t say anything, but I’m sure there’s one imperial runner who holds them in their hearts? It depends on who takes the position of the next emperor. There must be many people who are intertwined with the rise and fall of the family and the structure of political strife. It is difficult to think that only I am bound by the structure of the imperial power.”

Saying so, Persica slowly moved on to the next story.

“I’ve already received all the reports on the movements of the Abbot Abbot Austin. Last night at low tide, I took the count’s ladies into the monastery, finished the basic procedures, entered the room, and never appeared in public again.”

After that, Persica organized the reports she received and made them public.

The final eyewitness testimony came from a nun who was heading to the bathroom late last night. It was a testimony that she was seen walking out of the cloisters of the monastery, leaving behind the words, ‘She goes to catch ghosts’.

In other words, until late last night, Abbot Austin was still alive.

“You’re going to catch a ghost?”

To Clarisse’s question, Princess Persica answered.

“There’s been a rumor among the nuns recently that there’s a ghost roaming around the corridor. Well, it could just be a wild animal making noise, or it could be an aberration like a foolish nun taking a walk at night.”

“That’s what… happened…”

“Anyway, such a troublesome thing should not happen at a time when there are many outsiders like this, so the abbot must have gone to confirm the identity of the ghost.”

Found dead in the next room.

I felt a bit uneasy at this point.

If ‘ghost’ is a hot topic, there is a character that cannot but be mentioned here.

“I also investigated the situation through escort knights in advance in case of suspicion, but for some reason, all outsiders who visited the monastery were accompanied by escorts, or the location of the private room was clear, so it was easy to figure out the movement. … The ‘uninvited guests’ who mingled with this monastery are a completely different story.”

“…gate crasher?”

A booming voice spread through the crowd.

“At the time of Abbot Austin’s death, do you know that there was an uninvited outsider whose exact movement route was not known, and it was unknown whether or not he had even entered the monastery?”

Persica called the name right away, without hesitation.

“Lucy Meyril.”

Some know the name, some don’t.

He was the head of the entire Sylvania Academy’s Magic Department, famous as a rare genius wizard… and recently, a great wizard whose name spread even to the central part of the empire by defeating the evil god Mebula.

“Her existence was confirmed in the circumstances investigation this morning. I heard that she was wandering around the monastery in a wagon unwillingly… Is she here now?”

The buzzing crowd began to look around. It seems that the story that Lucy Meiril, a genius magician of rare times, has come to this monastery is hard to believe.

Could it be that you are mixing with this crowd? There was such a story going around.

– Whiiik.

Small body and sleepy eyes. The academy uniform that didn’t even fit in size, along with the big witch hat.

The girl with the familiar look now stands up from the prayer seat in the corner. She sighed, stretched her body once, and then came down from the prayer seat as if jumping and stood upright.

All eyes in the crowd were focused on it.

Lucy walks out slowly. Stepping on the red carpet that stretches over the podium in the center of the prayer table… I look up at Persica with indifferent eyes.

“Realistically, you are the only outsider who has had the most easy access to Abbot Austin and has been able to completely disappear.”

Princess Persica’s voice spread through the quiet chapel.

Lucy Meiril, who looked up at her, did not change her expression at all.

being accused of murder.

However, the indifferent attitude as if asking what the truth is… The audience even feels a sense of incongruity.

At that time, the one who jumped up and stood up was Saint Clarisse. She was the only human capable of responding with authority to Princess Persica.

“Wait a minute! Lucy Meiril has no reason to harm Abbot Austin!”

“The story about the motive has not been concluded before. Saint, it is more difficult to find a person who has a motive to harm the Abbot of Austin in the first place. We have to do it.”

I felt the same sense of incongruity.

I agree with you that Lucy Meiril has no reason to harm Abbot Austin.

However, even if Lucy attacked the Abbey of Austin because of one hundred steps, what is the reason for remaining in this place?

It is obvious that if you stay still, you will be accused of being a criminal, so why are you sitting in this monastery?

“At least you should cooperate with the investigation. If you set your mind to it, escaping from this monastery wouldn’t be a problem, but you know very well that such an act is just an admission of your crime.”

As for the escorts guarding the podium, they would all fall out if Lucy swung with one arm.

But Lucy doesn’t resist. He quietly put his arms on his back and accepted the restraining ball.

I wondered if I should get up and defend Lucy at this point.

As I said, Lucy Meiril could have killed the abbot and fled if she wanted to. Even if no one else knows, I and Clarisse, who met together at the academy, can know.

Strong Strong Rumors abound, but Lucy Meiril’s mighty power is at a level beyond the realm of imagination.

To be honest, even the long sea road between the monastery and the coastline could be skipped in one fell swoop with high-level space-type magic. Even without the slightest noise or light.

Since it is a method that requires an astronomical amount of mana, it may be difficult for ordinary people to imagine.

A closed monastery that can only be entered at low tide. The VIPs whose eyewitness testimonies and movements were all checked. As it is a place where communal life is premised, it is a difficult environment to plan a murder.

A human being free from all these background factors. An exceptional being who plays on top of the machinery behind the stage.

What is the reason for such a person to stay here and be accused of being a suspect?

…If you actively express that fact, you may be able to avoid this position now. You can’t shed the guise of being a prime suspect, but at least you won’t be arrested and treated as a criminal.

Clarisse, as well as me, seemed to be puzzled by that fact, narrowing their foreheads on the podium, deep in thought. However, the reason we didn’t dare mention that possibility is… it’s clear.

From Lucy’s calm expression, like the calm water of a lake… she had an intuition that there was an intention behind it.

Was there something I didn’t tell me or couldn’t say?

After accepting the restraints with the most calm expression in the world, Lucy was led by the soldier’s hand and walked across the podium.

In the eyes of the young ladies looking at her, there was an astonishing stare of disbelief. It was a great shock to learn that the genius wizard of the era, who had only been rumored, was a prime murder suspect.

Even the person himself doesn’t even spit out words to defend himself. He just keeps a sad face.

I sat among the VIP seats, looking up at the podium and deep in thought.

The genius wizard who represented Sylvania was imprisoned by the imperial guards on suspicion of sneaking into the monastery without permission and murdering Abbot Austin.

The next day, the recruits will be handed over to the investigation team dispatched by the imperial family.

She was a girl who couldn’t be controlled even if she was restrained in the first place, but becoming a criminal was a completely different story.

*- smart.

After the chapel meeting was dissolved, Saint Clarice ordered the distinguished guests to return to their respective rooms.

As the situation is a situation, it was a story to make sure to check the movement line and pay attention to each other’s safety until the investigation team comes in. Anyway, when there were honored guests representing each family, one or two escorts were attached.

I, too, sat quietly in my shabby private room, sorting out the situation in my head.

By the time it was so late at night… there was a sound of someone knocking on the door. At this point, there would be no nuns to visit outsiders… I wondered, and when I opened the door, I saw a familiar face.

“Sorry for the late night, Prince Ed Rosteeler.”

The person standing in the dark hallway was the priest who had just been reporting on the circumstances of Abbot Austin’s death from the podium during the day.

Auxiliary Bishop Melinir. He was the closest aide to the Abbot of Austin during his lifetime, and he was in fact in charge of managing the monastery.

She had a complex expression on her face and looked nervous as if she had knocked on my door with difficulty.

“What are you doing at this hour?”

“I came here because I have something I want to say to Prince Ed.”

Because of the circumstances, there is nothing good about going around late at night.

There was no way that Melinir was unaware of this fact, but it was clear that he wanted to visit without being noticed by others.

“I’ll start with the conclusion. I know that the killer who killed Abbot Austin… wasn’t Lucy Meiril.”

“…”

As I stared at Melinir, she continued speaking with a hesitant look on her face.

“I… I think I know who the real culprit is… I’m sure… I’m one of those inside… But… But… I wonder if it’s okay to publicize this… What effect does the Church of Telos have? I’m not sure if it will drive me crazy…”

Suddenly, when I looked at Melinir’s forearm, I could feel a slight tremor.

“Speak calmly. You can breathe slowly.”

“…Abbot Austin… has a big secret that you can’t tell anyone. It’s a big secret that may be related to the abolition of this Cledric Monastery… Now, among the nuns, the secret is known. There is only one person… me.”

Melinir’s trembling went beyond his forearms and up to his voice.

“Please… before I become… can you please report my story to the saintess…?”

It was an unexpected situation.

I narrowed my brows and listened to Melinir’s story.