Chapter 5: The Devil on the Move

“―So, for the time being, I suggest that you simply strive to practice diligently. However, being distressed is another key process of transcending obstacles, so I don’t advise you to cease having such thoughts either. Whenever you get stumped again and feel at a loss for what to do, come to me again. Let’s figure out what to do together.”

“…I understand. At that time, I would be grateful for your help. Teacher Kanaki.”

The female student smiled before exiting the consultation room, breaking her earlier demeanor of impassivity.

Although she wore a smile at the end, that was literally an artificial one. She’ll probably return, I reasoned in my mind, attempting to retain her face and the details of the consultation in my memory.

“―Please come in.”

“Excuse me. Thanks for your time, Teacher Kanaki.”

With a knock on the door, Xeth, the assistant nurse-teacher, entered the student counseling room.

“What’s up, Xeth? Are you done with your work already?”

“Yes. I have just finished everything that you asked me to do, Teacher Kanaki. If there is nothing further, I would like to return home.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Thanks a lot. What about you?”

“I still have one more consultation with a student. After I finish with that student, I will leave.”

“Eh, you still have another student coming in! Today alone, there are already three students.”

“It’s already been a week since the new semester kicked off, you know. Many of them, especially the upperclassmen, hope to experience a drastic transition this year or move on to the next phase of their life.”

“Sigh… The fact that you are widely well-liked by the students is also something to take into account.”

Xeth nodded understandingly. This year, Xeth was twenty-two years old, and his face still retained the innocence of a young boy, befitting his age.

“Then, I’ll take your word for it and leave first, but would you mind if I ask you one thing?”

“Hmm, what is it?”

“―The bed in the rear of the room, the curtains are always closed, but what is in that place?”

“Oh, you mean that one.”

A smile spread across my face.

“I have been authorized by the dean to use that part of the room for the concoction of medicines. But other than myself, only certain people are permitted in there since the act of combining medicines necessitates the handling of hazardous substances for safety reasons. So, I’m sorry, but could you please refrain from going in there, Xeth?”

“Oh, so that’s what it’s all about. But it is rare for an educational institution to mix medicines in the infirmary. I understand. Are the students aware of that?”

“They don’t know about it. But I suppose there is no need to worry about them entering there by mistake because of the special barrier that is set up there.”

“I see. Anyway, I understand. Well then, see you later.”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

Having confirmed that Xeth had left the infirmary, I headed for the bed in the back of the infirmary.

The girl lying on the bed was still thrashing about with nails all over her body.

It seemed that the effect of the drug was wearing off. From a small desk drawer beside the bed, I pulled out a syringe containing a green liquid.

“Seriously… I hope you don’t get too wild during the daytime. Even though the room is soundproofed to a minimum, there is a limit to that. Even Xeth is in the infirmary this year. Well, in the past, I experimented with the kind of predilection that would make people cry and scream to their heart’s content―”

The girl who was still disruptive was subjected to “Sleep” magic that induced her to drift off into oblivion, and the drug was administered to her in time. This would ensure that she would not be able to exert her magical power again for some time that will follow.

The door to the infirmary was then abruptly and vigorously flung open. It seemed that the last visitor of the day had arrived.

When I peeked out from the curtain, a girl with peach-colored hair, Arti, greeted me with a smile.

“Hey, Teacher Kanaki!”

“Hi, Arti. You’re in high spirits today too.”

After the door was opened, I immediately invited Arti into the student counseling room.

Arti took a seat in the chair she was accustomed to sitting in, while I settled in the chair across from her.

“So, what do you need advice about today? Did you receive a failing grade on the test we talked about before?”

“Seriously, do you truly think that the only problem in my hand is my studies? I am not here for that today, but on the contrary, I am here to listen to your worries.”

“? What do you mean?”

Sometimes when talking to Arti, I really couldn’t grasp what she was saying.

Arti would say things like this as if she were instructing something to a student who was not doing well.

“It’s already been a week since the day of the enrollment period. You must be having a difficult time balancing the daily visits from the students to the counselor’s office, the duties of being an unaccustomed homeroom teacher, and working at the infirmary, besides the presence of the Princess in your class, right? That’s why I will be giving you a special consultation today! Being consulted occasionally isn’t all that horrible, is it?”

“Yeah, I’m glad for your consideration, but…”

Or rather, it was a small kindness and a huge favor…

While it may be true that I have been having a rough time recently, I doubted that sharing it with Arti would smooth things over. It would hurt my conscience, though, if I flatly declined. After all, I was basically a virtuous teacher.

“I want to be of help to you in any way I can because you’ve always been so supportive to me. They say simply expressing your concerns will ease your mind, and I won’t pressure you to do it!”

“Yeah… Well, at your word, then, I’ll ask you to listen to me for a bit.”

In the end, I opted to have her listen to me briefly.

The smile on Arti’s face resembled a clear, sunny day.

“Mm-hmm! That’s the way to go! So, what’s been bothering you lately?”

“Well, for the most part, the things you mentioned earlier are bugging me but… I suppose the most prominent trouble is Ortesia after all.”

My own mind wondered if I was allowed to speak like this in front of my students.

“Oh, I knew it was related to her. She’s the center of attention among the second-year students. Even on the first day of the combat exercise, she was able to go toe-to-toe with Rain Aldar, a senior.”

“Yeah, I heard about that, too.”

I was carrying Strait to the infirmary; so I was unable to witness the match itself; I could only learn the outcome later. In the end, Rain was declared the victor. The sensational match had significantly impacted the consciousness of those who were there to witness it, and Rivalz was beaming with delight.

“A duel between a second-class magician or above would be the ultimate level match in the student knight tournament. If anything, I think Rain did very well to outperform Ortesia, who is a semi-first-class magician.”

After all, he seemed to be the most alarming student.

I listened to Arti’s remarks while recalling “Kaguya’s” presence, who had recently been patrolling the dreary city.

“So, Teacher Kanaki, what exactly is troubling you about Ms. Ortesia? I’ve heard before that the students in your class are losing trust in you.”

“It’s been escalating lately, too… Every day, students approach me seeking consultation, yet not a single one of them has ever been a member of my class… What’s more upsetting is that her class’s teacher has been complaining about it.”

“Complaint… about what?”

“Her aversion to aristocrats is second nature to her. It seems that she is ruining all the classes of the aristocratic teachers.”

“What do you mean… by ‘ruining’?”

Arti made an expression that indicated she didn’t understand it. Indeed, it may be difficult to visualize what that meant.

“In short, when it comes to aristocratic teachers, she never pays attention to their teachings. She appears to be studying alone as she sits on a chair.”

“That means she does her homework on her very own,” Arti responded, seemingly catching on.

“Well, if only one student is doing homework, it’s nothing to make a fuss about. She is already the focus of the class, no, she is even becoming an object of idolization. If she were to directly boycott a class, it would be no surprise that everyone around her would follow suit. Furthermore, I heard that because of her after-class teaching, other students said, ‘Lady Karen’s way of teaching is much clearer,’ or ‘Teacher’s class is not even worth listening to’. Well, personally, I think the teacher has a fault as well.”

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Not that I intended to defend Ortesia, but indeed, the aristocracy was corrupt nowadays. Even the aristocratic teachers in this school, most of them were recruited through their connections, did not conduct any research on teaching methods or have any inclination to enhance the standard of their classes, which probably contributed to their inability to garner popularity among the students.

In truth, I have heard that even the aristocratic teachers—those who had the students’ trust—have not been boycotted by Ortesia.

“Hmm. Then, Teacher Kanaki, you must be feeling a little awkward in the staff room right now.”

“You say things so clearly that is tough to be mentioned out loud. Well, that is true though. Even if I have business in the staff room these days, I ask Xeth to go there for me.”

Before me with a bitter smile on my face, Arti suddenly folded her arms and began to groan.

She seemed to be sincerely pondering a solution to this problem.

“Yeah… After all, wouldn’t asking Ms. Ortesia to stop the boycott be the swiftest solution? You aren’t an aristocrat, and she doesn’t really dislike you, right?”

“No, no, no, did you forget how I was berated by her at the entrance ceremony? She is likewise icy about teachers of inferior ability.”

As a matter of fact, not once has she spoken to me since then.

“Then… it’s impossible!”

“Aren’t you giving up too soon? Well, I wasn’t expecting anything, so I guess it’s okay.”

“What’s with that tone of voice～! I’ve been desperately contemplating it myself!”

“I have to admit, I’ve never seen a sixteen-year-old really puff out her cheeks in anger before.”

I rose to my feet and moved to my desk in the infirmary. Seeing me getting dressed, Arti shouted accusations at me.

“Eh, teacher, are you leaving already! We haven’t talked for three hours yet.”

“Yeah, I wonder how long you were planning to stay here. Unless you have something important to say, I’d like to go home. I have been staying late lately, so I’d like to go home early today.”

“Then let’s go home together!”

“My bad. I have some minor business to attend to today, so I’ll catch up with you another time.”

■■■■■

Having left Arti in the dust, I was walking home when I finally spotted the back of the person I was looking for.

Fina Trinity. She was a student in my class and a follower of Karen Ortesia. These days, I had been devoting a great deal of my time to ascertaining her daily patterns of behavior.

As expected, she seemed to be leaving school alone on this particular day. She was apparently conducting an independent training session. Within her regular school bag and another knapsack she was carrying was probably her sportswear.

Maintaining a reasonable distance from her, I began to follow her. As Karen’s follower, Fina was keenly perceptive to the hostility and bloodlust directed at her from her surroundings. This was one of the things I had figured out from monitoring her movements and gestures during our daily school life.

She eventually turned a corner from the main street and entered a small street, when she bumped into one of the men who were walking past.

“Hey, hey, that hurt. What are you doing, little girl?”

“…”

“Hey, hold on a second!”

Fina was going to move through, ignoring the man’s pompous conduct, when he gripped her by her small shoulder.

“Would you please let go of me?”

“Heh, I’m not afraid of your adorable face. More importantly, because of you, my bones are broken. Give me the compensation.”

“Hahaha! Aren’t your bones too fragile!”

Fina furrowed her brow in palpable irritation as the men who were surrounding her spouted crude cackling. As a member of the royal family, it was evident from her customary manner that she abhorred anybody who lacked even a modicum of culture.

“I’m going to say this one more time. Would you please let go of me?”

“Well, is it fine to speak like that? Forget it, let’s go to a less crowded place first―”

The man’s words were interrupted mid-sentence.

Fina delivered a brilliant uppercut to the man’s jaw.

His eyes flashed white, and he dropped to the ground, startling his fellow group members. Fina wasn’t so gullible as to pass up that opportunity.

It was thrilling to watch her, who was nearly six feet tall, knock down older guys one by one. I did, nevertheless, have some sympathy for the men who were being taken down one after the other.

After all, I was the one who asked them to attack Fina.

Once the last man was beaten, it was my turn to make an entrance. From behind, I shouted, “What are you doing!”

“―!”

“You are… Fina! What exactly happened here!”

She initially appeared astonished by my uncharacteristically aggravated voice, but shortly after, she remarked with a disappointed expression on her face, “It’s no big deal. I was attacked by these guys.”

“But that doesn’t mean you have to go overboard on this one. You’re strong. Even if you hadn’t resorted to this, you could have resolved the situation a little more amicably, couldn’t you?”

“Why do I need to be merciful to the person who attacked me? Besides, if you had rushed in earlier, I wouldn’t have had to go this far.”

“Yeah… it is indeed my fault for rushing in so late. Sorry about that.”

As I lowered my head, I could feel Fina’s consternation overhead.

“…No, that was quite oppressive of me. Please forget it.”

“…Fina, you’re very kind. I appreciate you saying so.”

“No, I was out of line, too…”

In essence, she was a well-meaning person. I was aware that she was conscientious and righteous, and that she would naturally feel guilty if I said something along those lines.

So the following subject was likewise one she would find difficult to reject.

“―Anyway, if the school finds out about this, it will be rather complicated. Hurry up and get out of here. Follow me!”

“I-I don’t think I need to follow you!”

“Look, I know you don’t like me, but this is where you listen to me. Do you want to get suspended from school and get in trouble with Ortesia, too?”

“…! That’s…”

“Since you understand, hurry up and leave!”

“…Yes.”

I grasped Fina’s hand as soon as I noticed that she was reluctantly nodding.

“Wait, what are you…!”

“Let’s go!”

I merely began running, disregarding Fina’s reprimanding voice behind me.

Even so, I really did think that the men who were beaten by Fina were down on their luck.

―After all, those men who were hurt by Fina will be killed by me later to silence their mouths.

At that point, I should dispose of the talisman to ward off other people.

With my plan proceeding as envisioned, a thin smile crept across my face as I ran.

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