After school the next day.
I met up with the usual four people in the dining hall.
Marquia and Tricia sandwiched me between them while Chloe and Beatrice sat across from us.
And while enjoying the sweets I got from Gilbert last night, everyone chatted with one another happily.
“Everyone, did you notice that there is an unfamiliar person in the academy?”
Marquia raised the topic about Citrouille, the new insurance healer.
“You mean Citrouille-sensei, Marquia-san?”
“Yes, Tricia-san. That’s right! Doesn’t he seem like a wonderful person somehow?”
To think that he was able to gain popularity from the eagle-eyed female students this quickly, as expected from an ikemen.
He has a wild charm which the school teachers and staff members don’t have.
But that person might be a member of the Inquisitors belonging to the Military Order of Útför.
“With that dangerous aura of his……he sure gives off a rough vibe.”
Dangerous like he’d lock you up, rough like he’d get very violent with you, that sort of feeling.
If he was an inquisitor behind that refreshing smile, it’d make for a horrifying contrast.
“I understand! The charm of a dangerous adult!”
“And, the wild beauty!”
Marquia and Tricia agreed, although they missed the point due to my ambiguous response.
If only he truly was just a grown man who seems a bit dangerous, how easy my life would be.
“The new insurance healer……he’s watching you from time to time, Erica-san.”
Chloe muttered something worrisome forthrightly.
Eeh, that person was staring at me?
“When was it?”
“When you were passing through the corridor, you didn’t notice?”
“……I didn’t notice at all.”
“Then, how about now?”
Chloe didn’t move her head, but her eyes were directed towards the doorway.
I reflexively turned my head towards that direction.
There was the figure of Citrouille.
When his eyes met mine, Citrouille put his index finger in front of his lips and showed me a refreshing smile.
Eeeeh……what’s with that, how scary!
As expected that person is scary!
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“Kyaa~ perhaps he fell in love with you, Erica-sama? No way, how scandalous! The age difference!”
“In addition, the differences in social status! But, forbidden love is also wonderful!”
Marquia and Tricia began to fantasize excitedly.
That smile just now, I wonder if that was a threat that says he wouldn’t forgive me if I spill his secret.
Beatrice whispered while watching Citrouille leaving the dining hall.
“He used to watch you before, Chloe-chan.”
“Hmm, yes……that’s right.”
Chloe replied with a small voice.
So his surveillance targets are me and Chloe, huh.
No way, does he know Chloe’s true identity?
That seems likely.
“The things that Erica-sama and Chloe-chan have in common……I guess both of you are tall and beautiful……?”
“Hmm, I am tall, but I think my face is ordinary and unremarkable~”
The person in question said so, but because it’s a heroine-like ‘ordinary and unremarkable’, Chloe is amazingly cute.
She is the type of person that would be easy to pick out even in a crowd.
At times, the memory of her fight against the vampire flickers in the back of my mind—well, she’s still a cute girl.
But, in this current situation, I’m worried about myself.
I want to spend time as much as possible without being monitored by Citrouille.
But I can’t avoid it if I’m in the school building.
When the topic about Citrouille settled down, our conversation topics changed in rapid succession.
About Marquia’s small dragons that were transported safely from the viscounty.
About Beatrice’s success rate in looking into the future.
To another explanation about the special heat source from Tricia.
When I talked about the golem’s field investigation plan, Chloe seemed to be very interested.
“The location is in the northern part of the school, right? Like the forest or lake and marshes area. How enviable~~”
Chloe is not interested in the golem and seems to be yearning for the outdoors instead.
I guess the controlled trees in the academy grounds are a little unsatisfactory, huh.
“How about you also come with me, Chloe-san?”
“Eeh, is that okay!?”
“Yes. I will feel relieved if you come, Chloe-san.”
By the way, I have asked Eduard-oniisama to accompany me as a guardian.
My brother and Chloe.
Even with these two people alone, the level of security is already quite high.
I stood up a minute later.
“Well then everyone, I have another matter to attend to right now, so I’ll have to excuse myself.”
With that I left them and went to the next destination: the student council room.
☆
The purpose of going to the student council room is to supply sweets intake to Auguste and Klaus.
They must be tired from working, and since they have the biggest sweet-tooth, they should be pleased.
When I arrived at the student council room, I saw Klaus and Auguste holding their heads.
“What happened, both of you.”
When I called out to them, both of them looked at me with troubled expressions.
“Oh, it’s you, Erica. You came at a good time.”
“……I’m still extremely torn whether we should be discussing this with her……”
Auguste who has an enthusiastic smile, and Klaus whose frustration is as obvious as day.
I wonder if any problem has occurred during the preparation for All Souls’ Day.
Thank you for your hard work.
Mistakes are bound to happen in events where plenty of people and money move.
“Did something happen?”
“It seems that some kind of strange phenomenon has been confirmed at school……!”
Klaus said with a scowl.
“There are already thirteen reports from students who were working until late for the preparation of All Souls’ Day.”
Auguste spread the reports on the desk.
A new strange phenomenon?
No, perhaps this is……somehow I feel like I have an idea what this is.
“May I see the report?”
After asking for permission, I reached out for the documents.
I read out the report nervously.
“On the first night of this week, a student from the South Dorm witnessed it near the stable’s water tank. Groan-like murmurs were heard.”
“That’s the first sighting.”
Hearing Klaus’ remark, I increasingly feel like my premonition is coming true.
“When they looked back, they saw a white sheet that floated gently. And when the witness reached out their hand to check it, the air swirled and they were touched with moist hands, and then they fainted for some time. The witness was found fainted wearing a drenched sheet.”
I have an idea what this is after all.
I mean, isn’t this similar to what the mist golem did?
“On the second evening of this week, a staff witnessed it in the large pond in the Magical Botanical Garden. A hand came out of the pond and they seemed about to be dragged into it.”
“The victim’s feet slipped as they tried to avoid the hand and got soaked.”
And then Auguste added that the witness now has caught a cold.
The pond in the Magical Botanical Garden, huh……
As expected this is suspicious.
Although it is slightly off from the golem’s activation point, the location is close.
More specifically, it occurred within 20-30 meters in diameter from the activation point.
“Same day, same time, in the forest northern of the school. A student who was picking mushrooms witnessed a ghost beckoning from inside a small swamp.”
“Water tank, pond, and swamp……”
At the third strike, my suspicion turned into conviction.
Aah, this is most definitely the mist golem.
“It would be a problem if some strange fear becomes widespread~ But, even if we want to investigate, there are not enough people.”
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