Chapter 042. Stone of Truth (4)

"Are you an idiot? No matter how much of a spirit you are, there's such a thing as common sense…"

"Arwen, what are you doing?"

"Oh, Cecilia."

Arwen stood up at the sight of Cecilia bursting into the kitchen.

Cecilia was leaning in with sparkling eyes, as if she were straining to see something invisible.

"Were you talking to the spirits again? Where are they this time?"

"…"

Arwen looked around.

Spirits. Perhaps because it was an elf spirit mage that had appeared on the continent after a long time, there were always many spirits in the house where Arwen lived. Not just a lot, but really, very many.

As evidence, there were small, cute animals scattered all over the kitchen. Of course, the one that Arwen had conversed with the most was the squirrel named 'Wind,' who had declared itself a low-level wind spirit.

[ The contractor is really an idiot. The intuition of a spirit is never ordinary. ]

At the squirrel's teasing, Arwen frowned.

This little one seemed to have some kind of supernatural ability, as it had been chattering about feeling an ominous energy from Veris, who had left the mansion to meet Gunther.

So, even for Arwen, who believed in Veris's strength and character, it was unavoidable that a part of her heart felt uneasy.

[ If another woman sticks to him, our contractor's heart will become even more uncomfortable, you know? ]

"Haah."

With a deep sigh at Wind's playful voice, Arwen felt Cecilia's questioning gaze on her, and eventually, she confessed the truth.

"Veris seems to be… in for some ominous trouble."

"Really? What do you mean…?"

"Probably something to do with women."

"No way!"

Cecilia, having grasped the situation to some extent from Arwen's explanation, exclaimed loudly.

But the sad truth was that even though Cecilia reacted that way, no clear solution came to mind.

The elusive Veris and the swordsmanship genius Gunther. That bizarre combination certainly had a talent for attracting attention, but it was not the academy city known as the Academy. The southern district was larger than a city governed by a count-level lord.

In simple terms, it meant that finding Veris, who had stepped out into the streets, would not be easy.

[ Should I help? ]

At Wind's voice, which was rolling around on Arwen's slender shoulder with its fluffy white tail curled up like a cotton ball, Arwen turned her head sharply.

"How do you mean?"

[ How do I mean? Are you underestimating the power we have contracted with? ]

"…No way."

[ We'll help. Our contractor is just too frustrating! That Saintess is also a rival, after all. ]

"Why? Do you want to talk? What would you say? To that squirrel, I mean?"

Unlike Veris, Cecilia couldn't hear the spirits' voices. She was looking at Arwen with curious eyes.

It was a feeling that made her sigh involuntarily. Although they were both involved with the same man, she was ultimately the only friend Arwen had within the academy. So, the thought of borrowing the spirit's power to find Veris alone was quite uncomfortable.

"Let's go out. We need clothes that can cover our faces."

"…? Okay."

Though puzzled, Cecilia nodded vigorously.

What a foolishly kind Saintess she was.

* * *

"Brother."

"What is it?"

"Are you aware that someone from the Magic Tower has entered the academy?" "I know."

"…How did you know? Was it the dean again?"

"Well, something like that. But why did they want to meet? You wouldn't be bored on a holiday, would you?"

His voice was flat. Gunther looked at Veris with a slightly surprised expression.

"Haha! I'm so moved."

What a caring heart he had. Truly, he was a man who couldn't help but be captivated by women.

But the main point was different. Gunther, who had secretly hoped this moment would come quickly, decided that it would be more beneficial to honestly reveal the truth since the situation had unfolded.

"That person from the Magic Tower is my sister."

"Your sister…?"

Gunther's face twisted at the mention of his sister. It seemed that most ordinary siblings had such feelings.

Anyway, Gunther's explanation was something Veris hadn't anticipated. He knew that Beatrice had postponed her entrance to the academy to train at the Magic Tower, but to think that she was the one who had come to the academy to retrieve an artifact.

From Veris's perspective, it wasn't awkward. It was just that after such a long time, meeting again would be a bit awkward.

"Is that why you wanted to meet me?"

"…To be honest, yes. Regardless of how I feel about it, she is my sister, and you are someone I genuinely respect."

Veris nodded.

In the past, when he lived on Earth, there were often heartwarming tales of loyal dogs. For some reason, Gunther was giving off that kind of vibe right now.

"Anyway, it's not really your business, is it?"

The one who had taken the academy's artifacts was the dean, and Veris was the one keeping them. It was Beatrice's job to find them, so it didn't seem like Gunther needed to step in.

"That's true. But my sister… no, the people of the Magic Tower sometimes act in ways that defy common sense."

"Common sense."

"Yes. Do you remember the man from the Holy Kingdom who barged into the academy and harassed you?"

He was a memorable figure. Wasn't he the one who was some kind of heretic inquisitor?

Of course… he had come looking for Veris, felt the gap in power painfully, and then returned, diligently training as a tool.

"I see those people from the Magic Tower as no different. Whether they are fanatics walking the path of faith or mages seeking the truth, it's just a matter of a piece of paper."

"…What do you mean?"

"Perhaps, from my sister's perspective, she might step on a tail while investigating the whereabouts of the artifact. Then… it's likely that not only you but others might face troublesome situations."

"I can't just stand by and watch that."

"…I know a bit about your personality. So I'm saying this out of a desire for leniency."

Veris nodded.

Anyway, it felt like there had been an unusually high number of people making strange requests of him lately.

Of course, he could understand the dean since there were practical transactions involved, and he could overlook Gunther, who was so devoted and loyal to Veris.

But if someone else, unlike those two, were to harass the people around Veris… it would surely make him feel quite unpleasant.

"I need to do well."

"…That's right."

Gunther, having grasped the meaning behind Veris's low voice to some extent, nodded with a serious expression.

Gunther was also one of those who genuinely wished for the marriage between his sister Beatrice and Veris. So he could only hope that Beatrice, who had come to the academy for this ridiculous matter, wouldn't cause any trouble.

* * *

"Is this the place?"

"Yes. According to Wind's explanation, it is."

"…"

Beatrice had been a child who listened well to her parents when she was young. But they say that a person's personality changes as they grow older, right?

This was exactly that kind of situation.

Beatrice lightly ignored Gunther's request to stay at the lodging for just one day and set out to tour the southern district.

Thanks to that, she was able to witness such a rare sight, so she thought it was definitely not a loss.

"Hello. Hehe."

Two girls, their faces covered with scarves and sunglasses as if they were doing something secretive. The funny thing was that when their eyes behind the sunglasses met Beatrice's, they bowed their heads.

What a tearfully polite person they were.

"…Nice to meet you."

Even though Beatrice's personality had changed due to the influence of the Circle formed by the mages, she hadn't lost her sense of decency. She was simply pursuing rational thinking, and her humanity still remained, so she bowed her head and greeted the girls.

"I haven't seen you before. You look like you're around our age, but you don't seem to be an academy student."

"I'm not an academy student. I just… came for work."

"Hmm! Work? Can I guess? Did you come from the kingdom?"

The girl in sunglasses had a strangely friendly demeanor. Beatrice noticed the other girl, who had most of her face covered with a scarf, shooting her a disapproving look.

"No. It's a bit awkward to talk about."

"Is that so?"

The girl said that with a bright smile. Thanks to the large sunglasses, half of her face was hidden, but Beatrice felt like she had seen that smile somewhere before.

Beatrice tilted her head. She was sure she remembered it, but she couldn't quite recall. It might have been a fleeting connection from the past.

"Are you two… students of the academy?"

Beatrice felt curious about the two girls. In fact, it was the first time she had seen them, and they were wearing disguises that were not really disguises, but strangely, she found it enjoyable to talk to them.

Well, to be fair, it had been a long time since she had talked to girls her own age. Most of the people in the tower where she lived were middle-aged men and women.

Perhaps that was why she was captivated by this academy and these two students. To put it another way, she envied their ability to enjoy youth, which was so different from her own.

"Yes! I'm Cecilia, and this is Arwen."

'Ah.'

Beatrice let out a silent gasp.

Cecilia and Arwen. They were undoubtedly the protagonists of the painting she had seen at the painter's stall in the commercial district not long ago.

That meant… they were friends of that person.

Thinking that, Beatrice couldn't help but feel a strange sense of discomfort. If she had to express it, it was a feeling similar to jealousy. But that didn't mean these two looked bad. Rather, if she had to say, they were closer to people she wanted to befriend.

Unlike her, who was immersed in the strange goal of becoming an archmage and living in the tower, she envied those who were enjoying their youth.

"I'm… Beatrice."

These two were also acquaintances of her younger brother. Beatrice recalled the image of her brother swinging his sword around in the corner of the painting.

Thanks to that, Beatrice didn't feel the need to mention her family name.

"Nice to meet you! Lady Beatrice."

"Cecilia is truly an easygoing person."

"Pfft! You said it doesn't look dangerous anyway. Then there was no need to come out like this."

Cecilia, who had a strangely sharp tongue, left Arwen at a loss for words.

Anyway, she was quite the talkative Saintess, which didn't quite fit the image.

"Then… could you do me a favor?"

The two girls, who had been playfully bickering, turned their heads sharply. After a brief moment, Beatrice opened her mouth under their strangely intense gazes.

"I… I want to go to a café. But alone… it feels a bit awkward."

At Beatrice's voice, the eyes of the two girls sparkled.

A café, is there any academy girl who dislikes that?

[TL: If you can't wait on updates and want to read more, please support me to read the whole novel here: https://buymeacoffee.com/mythictranslations.]