CH 158

[News from the Principal]

Passing by students busy cleaning up after the academy festival, I headed for the principal’s office.

When I reached my destination, I knocked and waited for permission before entering the room.

“Welcome. Sorry for summoning you without prior notice.”

“No need to worry, I’m curious about what news you may have for me.”

“Oh, is that so? Well, take a seat.”

“Excuse me.”

As prompted, I sat down on the sofa.

The principal sat facing me.

“I have two pieces of news for you.”

“Two…”

Huh?

Did she have something other than the case of the Lekrusts and the Halmans to inform me?

“First, I’m planning to recruit new members for the Knights of the Academy.”

“New members?”

It was certainly out of my expectation.

The current members of the Knights of the Academy were me, Tayte, Jarvis, Raul, and Eureka—basically the initial hero party in the original storyline.

Considering that, I had thought that we wouldn’t get any addition to our members until we graduated. This must also be a new route resulting from my destroying the flow of the original storyline.

“I’m in the process of screening the candidates. Though I should be able to finish soon.”

“Okay, but this is kind of abrupt. Is there any special reason?”

“…Well, the situation calls for it.”

“Huh?”

The principal said those ominous words with a meaningful smile. I couldn’t help but get a bad feeling.

She didn’t seem to be joking.

“Could it be that… your investigation on the Lekrusts and the Halmans isn’t going well?”

“Rather than that… we are having trouble dealing with them—is a better way to put it, I think,” the principal said with a deep sigh. “The curse mark that was plaguing Raul Lorenz—it turned out to be a trial product that had been researched for many years by the curse sorcerer hired by the Lekrusts and the Halmans.”

“Trial product?”

“Yeah, it appears that they were planning to use it to strengthen their soldiers… but it has quite a few flaws, one of which is it makes the bearer lose their reason.”

Hearing the principal’s words, I recalled how Raul had gone berserk during our mock battle.

He had lost his reason, his Demon Sword’s power had gone out of control, and he was on the verge of becoming a catastrophe, but… if it had been brought about by the ‘trial product’, that meant…

“Was Raul… one of their experimental subjects?”

“He himself doesn’t seem to remember… well, once we apprehend the curse sorcerer, we should get a better grasp of the whole picture.”

“Do you know where they are?”

“Yeah. The knights have just left for the research facility where they supposedly are just now.”

“…I hope they succeed.”

“Hopefully… or maybe the heads of the two houses who are detained will open their mouths first.

“Fufufu,” the principal laughed suspiciously.

Don’t tell me they were being tortured…

I was a little scared, so I didn’t pry further.

“Well, in any case, if two houses are proved to have used the people of the slums as experimental subjects for the curse mark—they will be stripped of their peerage.”

“! T-then what will happen to Jarvis…?”

“Her status will be reduced to a commoner. He—I mean, she is guiltless. She will not be arrested, so you can rest assured.”

“T-that’s good”

Hearing that made me feel a little relieved.

After all, she was sent to prison in the original storyline.

Anyway, with this, it was safe to say that this series of turmoil was completely settled—or so I thought but…

“Secondary damage caused by this trouble… it may decide the fate of this country.”

…the principal continued with some ominous words.