"That's surprising. I didn't expect those words from you."

Stella glanced at her with mild surprise, her voice laced with curiosity.

"Weren't you the one who reacted the most violently back then?"

"Ugh… That was…"

"I understand. It was a shocking revelation, after all."

The memories of that day were still vivid, etched into her mind. Orca had shown the most hostility towards Ophelia, the counselor, out of everyone. It had been an ordeal to stop Orca from going on a rampage, vowing to kill her on sight.

"…So, you must have found something about Ophelia, right?"

"W-What? How did you know…?"

"Ha. You may not know what you think of me, but I am a princess. I can pick up on these things, even if you don't say them outright."

Stella felt something odd about the whole situation. Orca wasn’t usually the type to be this unpredictable.

Maybe after unleashing her anger, Orca would have been left adrift, uncertain about what to do next, but going out of her way to search for the counselor? That wasn’t like her at all.

For her to show up here, something must have changed her perspective. And with Ophelia gone, the only thing that could’ve done that was if Orca had found new information about the counselor.

"Spill it. I'll decide after I hear the whole story."

"…Alright. You know I’m a demon-possessed, right?"

Orca’s explanation unfolded, recounting the information she had gathered from the demon inside her and her personal experiences.

"…It doesn’t sound completely far-fetched."

"R-Right?"

"Yes. But it’s almost too convenient, which makes it kind of scary."

A power like hypnosis was real, but Ophelia had supposedly only used it for minor things, like helping Orca sleep?

The story was too idealistic. So much so that it made Stella wonder if Orca was just imagining it out of her desire to see Ophelia again. It was a hopeful story, the kind that made her want to believe it, but that in itself made it suspicious.

"Of course, I’ll help search for her, but don’t get your hopes up too high."

"What? You’re the crown princess, and you can’t even find her?!"

"Listen to me. Yes, I have plenty of resources at my disposal, but that doesn’t mean I can easily track down someone with no information."

"No information…?"

"Exactly."

To be honest, when Stella first reviewed the reports from the knights, she had thought they were dealing with some kind of ghost.

Everyone seemed to know about Ophelia, which meant she must have been a real person. But at the same time, the absence of any substantial records made it even more likely that Ophelia had some kind of hypnosis ability.

"There’s nothing on her."

Ophelia had left the academy without even returning to her office. Stella had assumed that going to the counseling room would yield some clues, as even in seemingly empty places, traces often remained.

"I even analyzed the hair we found in the counselor’s office."

"…And?"

"It led nowhere. There was no record of anyone matching her profile."

Stella had suspected the name Ophelia might be an alias, and she figured Ophelia might have lied about her birthplace. So, she decided to analyze her hair, hoping to find out who she really was.

…But when the results came back inconclusive, it only deepened the mystery surrounding her.

"No record?"

"None. The intelligence department was so shocked, they came to me asking, 'Who is this person?' …I was wondering the same thing."

Even in the outer regions, which were not as well-equipped as the capital, everything was meticulously documented. It was essential for taxation purposes. Every birth was recorded to ensure the collection of taxes.

It was unthinkable for someone not to exist in the records.

"So, yeah, Ophelia is, for all intents and purposes, a non-existent person—at least on paper."

"…"

"Don’t rely too much on the government’s power. It might help a little, but it won’t be a game-changer."

Stella had already mobilized every available resource to search for Ophelia. There wasn’t much more she could do beyond what was already being done.

"…Then how did the counselor even get into the academy?"

"Hmm?"

"She was a teacher, right? How could someone with no records get hired?"

"…Ah?"

Stella’s mind blanked for a moment.

Now that she thought about it, how did Ophelia get into the academy?

All academy staff were top professionals in their fields, and even those who taught non-specialized subjects had sterling reputations.

There was no way someone with no history or credentials could have gotten in through regular channels.

Hypnosis. She must’ve used hypnosis to get into the academy.

But who would she have hypnotized to pull that off?

As the realization hit her, Stella jumped up and grabbed the phone.

"No, it’s me. Come to the academy immediately. It’s about Ophelia. That’s all."

Click.

She hung up before waiting for Anastasia’s response. There was no need for a lengthy explanation; curiosity would bring her.

Leaving Orca standing there, confused, Stella walked to the door and ordered the guards.

"You’re all on leave for two days. Disappear immediately."

"W-What? But, Your Highness…"

"This is a direct order from the crown princess. I won’t need guards for two days. Dismissed."

Bang.

The door slammed shut behind her as Stella turned to Orca.

"Where are Leo and Aileen?"

"Not sure about Leo, but Aileen’s in her room. She’s been resting there. Why?"

"The old hag."

"Hag?"

"The headmistress. Ophelia got into the academy through her."

"!"

"It’s clear now. If Ophelia is a ghost-like entity, the only way she could have entered the academy is through the headmistress’s recommendation."

The headmistress wouldn’t let just anyone in, especially someone with no background.

Which meant Ophelia had hypnotized the headmistress.

"If we question the headmistress, we might get some useful information. So, let’s get moving. Bring those lazy ones along too."

Despite their sluggish tendencies, those two were capable.

Stella was determined to find Ophelia, and she would bring Orca, Leo, and Aileen along for the hunt.

"Boss, are you hungry? Want some snacks? We’ve got cake, too!"

"What? Boss is hungry? Here, have some ice cream!"

"I’m fine, really. You guys enjoy it…"

"Aww."

I forced a smile at the little demons who offered me snacks with innocent eyes.

Ever since I arrived, the kids had been offering me treats constantly.

At first, I accepted with a smile, touched by how much they seemed to still adore me despite the time that had passed.

…But soon enough, I realized it was a trap.

"Really, I’m full."

"But you’re so skinny…"

"I said I’m fine."

Thanks to their relentless snack offerings, I’d been eating sweets non-stop since I arrived.

At this rate, I’m going to end up as chubby as Ophelia.

And if that happens, I’ll have no choice but to exercise to lose the weight.

I absolutely couldn’t let that happen.

There’s no way I’m subjecting myself to the torture of exercise. I’d rather starve than work out.

This place was a den of temptation.

"Boss, you could stand to eat a little more, don’t you think?"

"Hey, Jane, not you too. If I keep this up, I’m going to get fat."

"Come on, you’ve got the kind of figure that makes anyone go weak in the knees, no matter the gender. Honestly, I’m jealous."

"…Ahem. Anyway, where did all these snacks come from?"

I quickly changed the subject, sensing that the conversation was heading into awkward territory.

With others, this kind of diversion wouldn’t work, but Jane, ever eager to please, responded readily.

"We bought them! Hehe, we’re rich now, you know!"

"Be careful not to spend too much, or you’ll run out of money fast."

"Don’t worry about that! We’ve got a steady income now. Enough to buy the kids whatever they want!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! There are plenty of places that pay us protection fees. No need to worry!"

Ah, so they were talking about that request office.

Getting paid protection fees, huh? That’s practically a mafia setup…

I decided to keep that thought to myself and popped another cookie into my mouth.

Mmm. Tasty.