I told Orca a mix of truths and lies.

When she asked sensitive questions like how I made a contract with the demon inside me, I dodged them appropriately.

After all, I couldn’t exactly tell her that I came from a world where you all exist in a game, and that I’m here to help my favorite characters.

I don’t want to be treated like a crazy person. So, I just told her that I learned about it through a demon-possessed individual I met in the past.

...Whether it was fortunate or not, Orca accepted my half-truths.

"Teacher, I'm worried about your future, Orca. You’re way too naive for someone with your appearance..."

"Ah, teacher. What are you doing for dinner today? Are you going to the counseling room again?"

"Yes, I’ll be there."

"You're working hard."

How many days have passed since we visited the Holy See together?

To my surprise, our relationship hasn’t changed at all.

It was because Orca believed all the lies I told her.

"Then, I’ll come by later."

"...Um, Orca."

"Hm?"

"Nothing, never mind."

"What is it? Don’t leave me hanging. Tell me."

"...Why are you still here?"

"What do you mean?"

Orca looked at me with a serious expression.

Oh, maybe my tone was a bit off.

"I mean, you know that you don’t need to sleep in the counseling room anymore, right?"

"...Is that what this is about?"

"It’s been on my mind a little..."

Why is Orca still coming to the counseling room?

I had already told her most of what she needed to know.

The demon isn’t trying to take over your body completely anymore.

You don’t need to sleep in the counseling room anymore. That kind of thing.

The main reason Orca came to the counseling room was for sleep.

It was unfortunate that I couldn’t help her make any friends, but I had already resolved her biggest issue before the prologue even began.

I was planning to let her go, thinking it was fortunate that she had developed some social skills while staying with me.

...But for some reason, Orca was still staying in the counseling room.

"So, what? Are you annoyed with me, teacher?"

"No, that’s not it... I just thought it might be a little uncomfortable for you."

"I find it comfortable here, which is why I’m staying."

"Excuse me?"

"The bed here is much better than the one in the Academy dormitory. I don’t really want to sleep there."

...Oh.

The Academy dormitory is meant for commoner students.

And the counseling room is furnished with the most luxurious furniture available, for both commoners and nobles alike.

Naturally, the Academy wouldn’t spend too much money on beds for commoners.

Not that the students would find them uncomfortable...

But Orca had been staying and sleeping here for quite a while now.

Even though she used to sleep on the ground, she’s been sleeping on the expensive, plush bed in the counseling room recently.

"It’s kind of uncomfortably awkward there. I’d rather sleep on the ground with some newspapers laid out. ...If you tell me to leave, I will."

Is there any teacher who could kick her out after hearing that?

I take back what I said about her being naive. She’s sharper than I thought.

"...I suppose there’s no helping it."

"Yay."

Hearing that half-hearted cheer confirmed it.

Even if I had told her to leave, she would’ve just stayed.

I let out a sigh.

"...Ophelia-sensei, are you there?"

"Oh, Stella. Hello."

While I was talking with Orca, someone unexpected arrived at the counseling room.

...Why is Stella here?

She usually only visits twice a week on a regular schedule.

Today wasn’t one of those days.

"Ophelia-sensei, I need to talk."

"What?"

"I need your skills to calm down a certain troublemaker."

"W-wait a moment. If we’re going to talk, can’t we do it here...?"

"No, we can’t. It’s a sensitive matter. I can’t let anyone else hear."

I looked at Orca with anxious eyes.

Orca looked a bit uncomfortable when I talked with Anastasia last time.

"Go ahead. ...No, I’ll step out instead."

"Are you sure?"

"What’s wrong with a counselor doing counseling? I’ll just grab something to eat. I was getting hungry anyway."

Orca’s reaction was quite different from what I expected.

She seemed to have judged that she would be a hindrance to my conversation with the princess and naturally got up to leave.

"Hey, princess. Don’t bother the teacher too much."

"...Hmph."

"Alright, I’m off. ...Oh, Leo! What are you doing here?!"

"Oh, Orca. Hello. I was on my way to the counseling room, but where’s Ophelia-sensei...?"

"Forget that! Let’s go eat! Come on!"

"Ah! W-wait a minute...! Please don’t pull me...! I-I’ll walk on my own! ...What do you want to eat?"

"Let’s have crab. You’re buying, right?"

"What?!"

For a while, Stella and I watched as Orca dragged Leo out of the counseling room.

What on earth...?

"Seeing that, I trust you even more, Ophelia-sensei."

"What?"

"How on earth did you tame that wild beast into a gentle lamb?"

Uh, she doesn’t seem like a gentle lamb at all...

Did she not see Leo being dragged out just now?

"...Right, that’s not the point. To get to the main issue, sensei. I think the culprit behind the terrorist attack is the royal family."

"What?"

Is this crazy woman serious?!

I looked around in shock.

Hopefully, no one heard that...

"Don’t worry, sensei. There’s no one around. And this place has decent soundproofing."

"W-what are you talking about all of a sudden?!"

"...Hmm, was I too hasty?"

Stella scratched her head awkwardly and then brought a chessboard from the counseling room, spreading it out on the desk.

"Alright, let me explain. As everyone knows, the current royal family and the Church have a very strained relationship."

"..."

"There are several reasons for it... But as everyone suspects, it’s a power struggle. Do you remember the incident that happened about ten years ago?"

Is this a counseling session?

This situation felt more like a sudden lecture than counseling, and I couldn’t hide my confusion.

But then I quickly realized that this was just Stella’s way of communicating and managed to calm down.

...In a way, this child has the most terrible communication skills.

While other children may not have trouble with communication itself, they might have issues in other areas. But with Stella, even the communication itself is problematic.

Being born a princess, she’s too used to treating others with condescension.

"If you’re talking about the war, yes, I know about it well. It was the reason for Ian-sensei’s terrorism too."

"Right. About that incident, there’s more to the story."

"A story?"

"The Emperor is gravely ill. He’s barely clinging to life."

Oh, I see.

I wasn’t particularly surprised since I already knew.

"...You’re not surprised?"

Oh no.

I didn’t realize I showed no reaction.

I’ve heard this story so many times that I didn’t even think about it.

"Oh. Ahem. I was just too shocked..."

"...? Well, alright. Anyway, the current royal family is in a very unstable situation."

I watched Stella closely as she started talking to me out of the blue.

Judging by her behavior, it seems Stella’s main quest has begun.

"The conflict with the Church continues unabated, and the Emperor is hovering between life and death without having named an heir."

"This sounds very familiar."

"Yes. History shows that this kind of situation has happened many times."

When the head of an organization is on the brink of death without having named a successor, and there’s a powerful external enemy, that organization usually starts to fracture.

Even the royal family isn’t immune to this. In fact, it’s often worse.

In such chaotic times, it’s uncertain who will seize power.

Many people start to have strange ideas, thinking they might be the ones to take control.

"So, why are you suddenly telling me all this?"

"I need your advice. I trust you can keep a secret?"

"...I think you’re overestimating me."

This is strange.

I don’t recall spending enough time with Stella to build this kind of rapport.

What made her trust me enough to share something like this?

"With the demon-possessed, the observer, Eileen, and that promising knight-in-training. They all seem satisfied. Isn’t that enough?"

There’s no way it could be.

Stella isn’t the type to be swayed by others’ evaluations.

She’s someone who needs to see and judge things for herself before she’s satisfied.

Of course, she’s not completely indifferent to external opinions, but the story she’s sharing with me is a very serious matter by the standards of this era.

It’s not a trivial issue, and there’s no reason for her to share it with me...

At that moment, I happened to glance at Stella’s arm.

Her arm was trembling violently, as if she were terrified of something.

"So, what is it you want to discuss?"

"How can I survive?"

Stella asked me boldly.

But despite her confident posture, her question was anything but bold.