CH 128

[The Principal’s Expectation]

The next morning.

The day of the academy festival had finally arrived.

Despite the special day, however, my daily routine didn’t change.

“Hum! Hum!”

Practicing to control the Holy Sword.

This was the one thing I couldn’t skip.

I was swinging the sword while controlling mana as usual.

In the middle of it, I recalled what had happened last night.

——Last night, when I visited the clock tower in search of the missing Madeline, Principal Abigail asked something of me.

“Help…?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

With the full moon in the background, Principal Abigail laughed fearlessly.

“…Then, before that, can I ask you something?”

“Ask away.”

“What brings you here?”

I came here because of information from the original novel.

However, why would the principal come to this place? I was curious about it.

“It was a coincidence♪.” The principal answered without hesitation.

…but of course, I wouldn’t buy that.

“Coincidence…? There’s no way that’s…”

“Of course, that’s just a joke♪ —In truth, I followed this trace of mana.” The principal said as she gently traced the wall inside the clock tower with her finger.

“Since the summer vacation ended… the number of people moving around the academy has increased.”

“What do you mean exactly?”

“Raul Lorenz’s berserk incident in early spring—you, of course, know about it. You were on the scene.”

“Y-yes…”

Did she mean to say Madeline’s disappearance and Raul’s as well as Eureka’s berserk incidents were connected?

“The mastermind behind the incident involving Raul… also had a hand in Madeline’s disappearance. Is that what you mean?”

“Exactly. I’ve been investigating since then, but… they still haven’t shown their tail.”

Even the principal couldn’t figure out who it was… I supposed the mastermind truly was considerably skilled.

They were pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Why?

What was their goal?

Nothing was clear.

――Were they maybe the final boss of 【The Rise of the Weakest Holy Swordsman】…?

“…………”

“My, my, that’s one serious face right there.”

Principal Abigail seemed to have realized me racking my brains.

…No, in the first place, was it the only thing she had ‘realized’?

Now that I thought about it, it was strange that she didn’t seem really surprised seeing me here. It was like she knew from the start that I would be here—

“Is there something on my face?” The principal tilted her head.

——However, that wasn’t enough reason to be hostile toward her.

Sure, she might be suspicious.

But I never sensed any malice from her.

Even her being here right now was because she was searching for the mastermind behind Madeline and Raul’s incidents—at least I believed so.

“Can we get back to the original topic already?”

“Oh, y-yes. You were asking me for help, right?”

“Yeah. ——That said, it’s not a good idea to talk for a long time so late at night. And you will be busy from the morning tomorrow.”

Oh, right.

In the morning, I had to burn Tayte’s dress contest into my brain with my own eyes. I couldn’t let myself be attacked by drowsiness in the middle of it.

“I’d like to continue our talk before Tayte Ehrenberg’s dress competition starts. That suits you better too, I presume?”

“…Yes.”

“Then, after breakfast, come to the principal’s office, okay♪?”

“All right…”

――That was the exchange between me and the principal last night.

I wondered… what would await me?

Even though there was a festival, I couldn’t seem to find a moment to relax.