Quietly, quietly.

I crouched down as I moved around the counseling room.

It had been about three hours since I offered Stella as a sacrifice and made my escape.

By now, everyone must be exhausted.

"Whew..."

Hypnotizing Orca and Aileen to make them enjoy studying was a good idea in itself.

But what I hadn’t anticipated was that, while Orca might just enjoy it, Aileen isn’t the type of person to do something just because she finds it fun.

I had carelessly forgotten that she was the kind of girl who had abandoned sword training, which she used to love as a child.

...So, to get her to study somehow, I increased the sensitivity of the hypnosis and forced her to solve a problem. I never imagined it would turn out like this.

"Who would have thought that increasing the hypnosis's enjoyment level too much would make it addictive..."

Just when I was being tormented by the two who had become endlessly obsessed with studying, Stella fortunately showed up, so I handed them over to her and made my escape.

You think that was too much?

I couldn’t help it. The education system here is vastly different from the one I’m familiar with.

The country is different, the geography is different, and even the laws of physics are different.

What I teach wouldn’t help, it would just be a hindrance.

I could erase the hypnosis, but then they wouldn’t study at all.

Stella’s sacrifice was unavoidable.

If she becomes suspicious about the sudden change in the two, well...

I’ll just have to make sure she doesn’t suspect anything.

"Let’s see, everyone should be asleep by..."

Tap, tap.

I felt a hand tap my shoulder, and when I turned around, there was Stella, looking at me with hollow eyes.

And when I saw her expression, I knew immediately.

I was in big trouble.

Sure enough, Stella grabbed my shoulders and started shaking me vigorously.

"Ophelia-sensei... You sacrificed me and ran away...!"

"Kyaaah!"

"You rascal! How dare you treat a princess like that!"

"Please spare me! Ugh?! I-I’m sorry... I’m really sorry!"

After shaking my head, Stella suddenly began tickling me.

I tried to block her with my hands, but without any combat skills aside from hypnosis, there was no way I could catch Stella’s hands.

I became a tickling toy, rolling around on the floor as Stella’s hands, like slippery snakes, kept tickling me.

Only when I was on the verge of dying from laughing so much did Stella finally stop tickling me.

"Hah, hah... I said I was sorry..."

"Hmph. You used up my time without even giving me a heads-up, and on top of that, you made me worry."

"...Worry?"

"I thought an assassin had attacked you, Ophelia-sensei. I was really surprised."

"Oh, oh..."

When she mentioned "the enemy," I was confused at first, but then I realized she must have thought I had been attacked.

I was deeply moved, realizing that Stella had rushed to help me.

"Thank you, Stella."

"...Hmph. It’s nothing."

"What about the other two?"

"They’re passed out. Good grief, those idiots with nothing in their heads but so much enthusiasm. I’ve summarized all the material that might be on the test, so they can study on their own from that."

"Thank you."

"It’s nothing."

The enthusiasm was inevitable. After all, the hypnosis wasn’t about making them good at studying but about making them enjoy it.

There was a way to force-feed them knowledge, but I didn’t want to use that method.

That wouldn’t be their achievement.

The fruit of one’s efforts is sweet when it’s earned by oneself. Even if they get good grades through hypnosis, it wouldn’t truly be their achievement.

But making them enjoy studying was different. That was a result of their own efforts.

It’s important for students to get good grades, but more than that, I wanted to boost their self-esteem.

I believe in them. I believe they can achieve good grades on their own.

...Well, that’s up to the students now.

What’s important right now is the reason Stella came to see me.

"So, Ophelia-sensei. Putting aside what just happened, there’s something I want to talk about."

"Hmm, I wonder. Are you still puzzled by the fact that no more assassins have come?"

"...How did you know?"

Stella looked surprised that I knew why she had come, even though she hadn’t said anything.

But it was an easy guess for me.

The first assassin sent after Stella was from the imperial family, but after that, members of the Bright Moon Society would attempt attacks.

Since the Bright Moon Society had vanished, I thought the imperial family might have sent another assassin, but seeing that she hadn’t come to me until now, I assumed there hadn’t been any more attacks.

I couldn’t tell her that outright, so I decided to embellish the story a bit.

"I have my connections. Sometimes I have conversations with the principal."

"...With that old hag?"

"Yes. And, oh my, the principal, who recently visited the imperial family, mentioned that there were some unusual movements there."

"I see... Is that so..."

Of course, this was a lie, but there was no way for her to know.

In reality, the principal does occasionally drop by for a drink after that day, and she sometimes visits the imperial family for work.

Stella had no choice but to believe my words.

"In that case, let’s get to the point. What should we do?"

"Hmm, let’s see..."

Following my advice, Stella was steadily building her own power within the academy.

A small network of relationships and a small faction that would shatter if the imperial family so much as touched it.

Stella seemed to be questioning whether this was really helpful, but it was enough for now.

If left alone, her situation would gradually improve, but she probably wouldn’t believe that.

So, it might be better to give her something to do.

A good idea came to mind.

"Then, how about searching for the traces of the Sword Saint?"

"...What? Wait, what did you just say? I must have misheard you. I’m sure you said..."

"You heard correctly. The traces of the Sword Saint..."

"Shh!"

Stella, startled, quickly covered my mouth and glanced toward the booth inside the counseling room.

...Come to think of it, there was a backstory that Stella had met her when she was young.

Knowing what the Sword Saint meant to her, it was no wonder she reacted so strongly.

"Don’t worry. She knows too. I told her last time."

"Ophelia-sensei, how do you... No, you wouldn’t tell me even if I asked. You’re full of secrets. I won’t press you."

"Haha... So, what will you do?"

"The traces of the Sword Saint, the traces of the Sword Saint..."

There was no way she could refuse.

Given her situation, hanging on the edge of a cliff and needing to try anything, the story of searching for the traces of the Sword Saint, who was said to have once defeated even the principal, was too tempting.

As if confirming that my prediction was correct, she nodded slightly and accepted my suggestion.

"Alright, I’ll accept. Is it okay if I ask Anya to join me?"

"That’s fine. Although I think I already know what her answer will be."

Originally, the adventure to find the Sword Saint’s traces was supposed to start with just the two of them.

And not as allies, but as obstacles, each seeing the other as hindering their goal.

But what about now?

Originally, Aileen and Leo were supposed to compete over the Sword Saint’s traces, but now they were trying to join forces.

Even if it’s for their own goals, Stella and Anastasia will likely help as well.

Orca... She might join if I ask her...

Even without me, if the students ask her, she’ll probably grumble but still do it, right?

...I hope so.

Anyway, in the end, it’s become a collaborative effort with everyone involved.

I sincerely hoped that this would bring them closer, making them friends who could help each other in times of danger.

"By the way, Ophelia-sensei. Shouldn’t we get her opinion on this?"

"It’s fine. She won’t refuse."

"...I suppose."

Stella clicked her tongue as she looked at Aileen, sprawled out on the desk, with a hint of pity.

"She was so lively as a child... How did she end up as such a slacker..."

"..."

"It must be related to her father’s disappearance. That’s what I think."

Stella’s assumption wasn’t wrong.

Aileen’s slothful behavior started after the Sword Saint disappeared.

Her original personality wasn’t like this. She was actually very lively, the complete opposite of how she is now.

"...If you help Stella find her father, you might find out."

"Yes, I suppose so. I also hope she’ll help me survive this ordeal."

Listening to Stella’s confident voice about incurring a debt for her benefit, I wondered.

Did she think that owing Aileen would be helpful because she knows about her past?

Or did she just want to help her because the memories of their childhood came back to her?

I couldn’t tell which was the correct answer.

"We plan to start the search for the Sword Saint’s traces in earnest after the semester ends."

"That would be best. I understand."

"If anything happens, don’t hesitate to come to me."

"I will."

But if nothing had changed and things went according to the game, then the first reason would have been correct.

Just making it so I couldn’t know the right answer was proof that my efforts had paid off.

That’s what I thought.