"···You took quite a while, teacher."

"I'm sorry. Did you wait long? I was a bit late because I had to calm Orca down."

"No, it's fine. I’ve prepared some snacks. Would you like some?"

"Sure, that sounds great."

Orca and I naturally joined Anastasia as if nothing had happened.

It seemed like Orca wanted to talk more, still struggling to process the sudden conversation we had earlier... but we couldn’t delay too much, or Anastasia might start to suspect something.

Besides, there was another reason as well.

Orca might not realize it, but the kids from the orphanage seem to like her quite a bit.

It’s not just one or two children, and if that many kids swarm her at once, it’s bound to be overwhelming.

"Kya-ha! Your hair is so interesting, sister!"

"You little...! S-stop it! Stop!"

"Wow, what was that just now?! Something cool popped out from your back! Show us! Show us!"

"Ugh...! Aah! D-don’t pull it! It hurts! T-teacher! Help me!"

I bit into the cookie Anastasia handed me.

The crunchy texture, combined with the chocolate embedded throughout, spread sweetness throughout my mouth.

Just as my mouth started to feel a bit dry, I took a sip of the rich milk.

...Hmm, delicious.

Maybe it's because it’s food from the Holy See, but even though it's just a chocolate chip cookie, it’s one of the most luxurious things I've ever eaten.

The Academy does have some fancy dishes, but it always feels a bit wasteful to spend my own money on them.

So, I usually just stick to what I’m used to eating.

"...Teacher."

"Yes?"

As I was enjoying the perfect combination of cookies and milk, Anastasia spoke to me.

"Orca is asking for help... Is it really okay not to help her? What if she gets angry...?"

"Oh, it’s fine."

So that’s what she was worried about.

It seemed she was concerned that Orca might explode in anger.

"It’s... fine?"

"Orca is weak when it comes to kids."

"Weak...?"

"Yes. What do you think would happen if other people treated Orca like that?"

We both looked over at Orca.

At some point, she had been conquered by the children, lying on the ground rather than on a chair.

Some kids were pulling her hair, while others were poking her cheeks, and one bold child was even bouncing on her stomach.

Anastasia’s face turned pale at the sight, but the situation she was worried about didn’t happen.

"...?"

"Normally, she’d grab them by the collar and yell at them before they even got close."

"I’ve heard about that through rumors, but... why is she not reacting now?"

"I told you, she’s weak against kids."

Orca remembers that she killed her friends because of her actions in the past.

Her friends were just children back then. Because of those memories, she can’t bring herself to harm kids.

Think of it as a kind of trauma.

Once a bad thought takes hold, it’s hard to shake it off.

If we leave her alone, Orca might lose all her energy, like a dried-out squid. That’s why I’m not going to help her.

I’ve learned that the best thing to do in these situations is to not give her time to think.

Luckily, those kids seem to like her, and if they keep her occupied, it might help her feel a bit better.

"What happened to her?"

"It’s a personal matter, so I can’t say."

"But... seeing her react like that..."

Anastasia’s curiosity was piqued.

I sighed. I know she’s not asking with any ill intent, but... this is a very sensitive issue.

It’s not something I can share with others without Orca’s permission.

The problem is, Anastasia has a personality that doesn’t know when to give up, like when she tried everything she could to save her father, who had no hope left.

If I stay silent and she asks Orca directly...?

...I don’t even want to think about it.

"She’s a demon-possessed."

"...Yes? I know that much."

"And she just remembered something from her past. That’s as much as I can tell you."

"Something from her past..."

Anastasia isn’t stupid.

I’ve said enough for her to realize that it’s a very sensitive matter that can’t be shared with others.

Even if she doesn’t know the exact details, she should understand that seeing the children triggered some kind of trauma.

"That... I’ve done something unfortunate, haven’t I?"

"No. Orca chose to come here on her own."

Honestly, I didn’t want to hypnotize Orca.

Her main quest isn’t particularly complex or difficult.

It’s a story about resolving the problems caused by the demon residing in her body and the social issues arising from it.

Because of Orca’s unique situation, she usually resolves these issues alone, without anyone’s help.

But what does that have to do with not wanting to hypnotize her?

Most of the quests that arise are caused by Orca herself.

Like I said before, Orca pushes away anyone who tries to get close to her.

I wanted to give her more experience before dealing with these issues.

But now the prologue is already ruined.

There’s no choice but to deal with things as they come.

"Haha! You’re so fun, sister! Let’s play more!"

"Just don’t kill her, okay?"

"Okay!"

"S-save... me..."

The day was passing peacefully, though not quite as expected.

I knew these peaceful days couldn’t last. This world is destined to fall apart.

But for now, I wanted to enjoy this peace.

"···This is strange."

The second princess, Stella, fiddled with a bishop piece, her expression displeased.

"You couldn’t find out who’s behind this?"

"That’s what they said. Why, is it strange?"

"Of course, it’s strange."

Everything about this situation was odd.

The targets of those scarecrows were clearly the princess and the observer.

It was an act of terrorism driven by dissatisfaction with the current society.

That much was understandable. Recently, the Church had been acting suddenly and aggressively, and many people were already disgruntled with the royal family.

There might be some fool who thought the Academy was worth targeting.

But the events that followed the attack were full of things that made no sense.

"It’s terrorism. A clear act of terrorism expressing dissatisfaction with society."

"You don’t have to say it three times. I saw them targeting you and the observer."

"Then why! Why hasn’t anyone made a statement?!"

"Well, even if you ask me..."

This incident couldn’t have been orchestrated by that teacher alone, who’s already dead.

He was a swordsmanship instructor. He wasn’t completely ignorant of magic, but he wasn’t particularly skilled in it either.

And yet, he supposedly altered the scarecrows’ algorithm and weapons, which were a mix of magic and science, without anyone noticing?

He altered devices that were developed with the combined efforts of Academy staff?

That’s impossible. If he were capable of such a thing, he wouldn’t need to resort to terrorism.

The current royal family, which craves power more than ever, would never let go of someone with such abilities.

Even if it meant sacrificing a few members of the imperial family, they would want to keep him.

There’s definitely an accomplice. This is organized crime.

"I just don’t understand their intentions. This incident clearly involves a criminal organization, yet..."

Terrorism is an extreme act of expressing one’s views.

Political and social opinions are inevitably intertwined with it...

But it’s been too quiet. It’s as if someone has artificially silenced the noise.

There should be some kind of disturbance, but the eerie silence sends chills down my spine.

"What did the headmaster say?"

"That old hag? She’s the same as always. Told me to just focus on my studies like a proper student."

"Well, she’s right."

"What do you mean, she’s right, Charlotte? I was involved in a terrorist incident. I have to know what’s going on."

"But you haven’t found anything, right? Then just stop worrying and rest. As you know, the Academy is full of capable people. Even if it’s not you, someone will find out."

"···."

She wasn’t entirely wrong.

Even from the princess’s perspective, the staff here are quite skilled.

You have to give that old hag credit for her eye for talent.

...But that’s exactly why it made Stella more anxious.

"And that’s the problem. Despite all this time passing, the Academy’s staff are struggling to find any leads."

"...!"

"You’ve noticed, haven’t you?"

If people who are renowned in their fields still haven’t found anything after all this time, the possibilities narrow down considerably. If you reduce it to extremes, there are two possibilities.

First, the culprits are more skilled than the teachers.

Second, the teachers have already found a lead but can’t reveal it for some reason.

"Both possibilities seem unlikely. If it’s the first case, the culprits would have to be more talented than them. How many people like that are there? Most of them are already in key positions in the country. Attempting a coup sounds absurd."

"...But the second possibility doesn’t make sense either. Didn’t the headmaster say she checked last time? That there were no other traitors?"

"Yes."

But there’s a saying.

Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.

Stella looked at the letter in her hand with a complex expression.

It said, "Sorry we can’t assist with the investigation due to a lack of manpower within the royal family."

The contents of the letter were normal.

But how could they not help with such a major incident?

Sure, the current royal family is embroiled in a power struggle and is reluctant to offer assistance...

But something smelled fishy.