Chapter 41: 16

All-Works Maid – Volume 2 Chapter 16: Luciana’s Magic and the Gazes of Suspicion

A few days later, the paint was finally cleaned off, and Luciana and the rest of Class A were able to return to their original classroom.

Fortunately, no further incidents had occurred since then, but the perpetrator remained still at large. It seemed the investigation was quickly approaching a dead end.

Today, Lect had sent Melody off to the library to complete a task.

“Good afternoon, I would like to request permission to enter the library.”

“Of course. Please present your permit.”

Melody presented the permit Lect had given to her, though it was more of an authorization letter from Lect allowing Melody to use the library. This was because only Academy staff and students were allowed to use the library; for outsiders like Melody, they needed to show proof of authorization or permission in order to enter.

After entering the library, Melody quickly located and collected the various books and materials Lect had requested; while she had felt lost among the shelves when she first came to the library, it took little effort for a genius like Melody to learn and memorize the library’s layout and sorting methods. Right now, she was probably more familiar with the library than even the librarians themselves.

If someone were to ask her where to find a specific book, she would direct them to its exact location with a smile, but it would remain to be seen if this skill would actually be useful.

“This should be everything Sir Lect asked for, so… let’s take a little bit of time for this, ufufu…”

Having finished with her task, Melody began walking with excitement to another part of the library; make no mistake, she was not slacking off. This was still part of Lect’s instructions.

Lect had specifically told her she only needed to return at a certain time after finishing her work, so any time until then was free for her to spend. It was because of such instructions that Melody had quickly finished her tasked and was now using her time to browse the library.

Of course, this was simply favoritism on Lect’s part; seeing as his one-sided crush was excited to use the library, it seemed like allowing her to freely use the library would be a good way to earn favorability with her.

But of course Lect was simply convincing himself that he was happy enough if Melody was happy. There was definitely nothing going on, no ulterior motives… Well, maybe just a bit…

“Oh, this one may be good for my lady.”

Melody pulled out a book and checked its contents; it was a basic primer on learning to use magic. The material was easy to understand, even for children, and it may be useful for Luciana, a beginner in magic.

Luciana had only learned to sense her own magic last month, but since then, she was still unable to use it; it seemed she was unable to understand how to use her magic power to cast a spell.

And Melody, genius that she was, could do little to help Luciana; Melody was, after all, controlling her own overwhelming magic power purely through instinct.

After a short perusal, Melody returned the book to its shelf; while she could borrow books, it was currently only a privilege she held with Lect’s authority. Even as she enjoyed herself at the library, Melody did well to keep separate her personal and her business matters.

Finally, when the appointed time came, Melody returned to Lect with the items he requested of her.

Later that night, Melody once again oversaw Luciana’s magic training.

“Mmmh… Illuminate with care, LamplightLuce!”

But even as Luciana held up an index finger, there was no light; her chant had failed once more.

Luciana tiredly hung her head as she slumped forward.

“My lady, please do not give up! You must believe in yourself! And I believe in you, too!”

“Y-yeah! Let’s try this again, one more time!”

Upon hearing Melody’s encouragement, Luciana psyched herself up once again. She focused solely on feeling the flow of magic power in her body, willing it to concentrate at her fingertip, and imagined a soft light glowing from that finger…

“Illuminate with care, LamplightLuce!”

…Without seeing any results.

“Aahh! I failed again! Why can’t I do it?!”

Luciana cried out with exasperation and jumped into her bed.

“I can feel it gathering at my fingertip, so why isn’t it working?!”

“I am not sure myself, my lady, but if you can feel the magic gathering at your fingertip, then you are still improving and making progress.”

Melody was guiding Luciana along based on what she had learned from the book at the library, but though Luciana was making steady progress in feeling, she was still unable to invoke any magic, and her spellcasting continued to fail.

“I’ve done this much, but I still can’t use the most basic of spells… Maybe I just can’t use magic at all.”

Luciana mumbled her displeasure into a pillow, as though trying to muffle her resignation. Even Melody was unsure why Luciana was still failing to activate a spell; she could feel the magic power that Luciana had gathered on a fingertip, ready to release.

“How about we take a break for now, my lady? Please enjoy some tea… Oh dear, it seems we have run out. My apologies, my lady, it will only take a short moment before I finish brewing a new pot.”

Luciana rolled over and watched as Melody left the bedroom with the tea set.

(So why can’t I do it? Melody says I have enough magic power to use the Lamplight spell or to conjure water, but still nothing’s happening…)

Still sprawled in bed, Luciana absentmindedly pointed her fingers out from the bed. If only she could use magic, then she could be just like Melody…

“…Generate pure water, Water CreationFarediacqua.”

But the moment she finished the casual chant, a strange sensation, one Luciana had never felt before, came over her.

And then the magic power at her fingertips… manifested.

Splash.

Melody turned around, quickly reacting to the unexpected sound of water; there was a darkened spot on the carpet beside the bed, a wet spot, and Luciana was still on the bed, staring dumbfoundedly at her outstretched hand.

“M-my lady, just now…”

“G, generate pure water, Water CreationFarediacqua.”

A sphere of water appeared at Luciana’s fingertips. It hovered in the air for a moment before it fell, splashing into the carpet.

Melody stood frozen in astonishment. Luciana continued to stare at her fingertips when she began to tremble.

“I… I… I finally… I finally did it!!”

Luciana sprang to her feet, standing triumphantly atop her bed.

“Water CreationFarediacqua!”

Splash!

“Water CreationFarediacqua!”

Splash!!

“Water CreationFarediacqua!”

Splash ♪

“Faredia… ughh…”

“My lady?!”

After conjuring more spheres of water, Luciana suddenly fell over into her bed, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Melody immediately came out of her daze and rushed over to help the fallen noble girl.

“Are you hurt, my lady?!”

“Ugh, I think I’m… fine. I might have… used too much of my magic power…”

“A-are you sure you are all right? You sound extremely tired now.”

“Yeah… I suddenly feel… really sleepy now…”

Luciana’s words began to slur together; she seemed to have used all of her magic power from the excitement of her first activation, causing her sudden exhaustion. Fortunately, none of the water she created affected the bed, so all Melody had to do was carefully change Luciana into her sleeping clothes before laying her in bed.

“Ehehe, did you see me, Melody? I’m finally… able to use magic.”

“Yes, of course I saw it, my lady. Perhaps it was because my lady is better suited for water-attribute spells. It may have been a mistake on my part to only have you practice using Lamplight. I am truly sorry, my lady.”

“That isn’t your fault at all, Melody. Besides, hehehe, I can finally use magic… I can’t wait to tell Luna tomorrow, and then we can start practicing magic together… And then next semester… we can… Applications of Magic… togeth–…”

And just like that, Luciana was fast asleep without finishing her sentence. Melody quietly watched over her, a smile on her lips.

“My lady… I am truly happy for you…”

The very next day, Luciana excitedly told Luna about the events of the previous night, surprising her friend with a demonstration of magic before accepting an invitation to practice magic together.

Luna was already able to sense her own magic power, and the two agreed to practice together at lunchtime and after classes.

“I’ll remember everything you taught me, Melody! And one day, I’ll succeed in using the Lamplight spell!”

“Do your best my lady!”

So despite the occasional hurdle, Luciana was enjoying a fulfilling student life, and, as the maid beside her, Melody shared in both the struggles and the triumphs.

Now if only she could find out what it is she had to do to become the greatest maid in the world…

Melody had such thoughts in mind, knowing not how fragile and transient this moment of peace was…

And not long after, the next part of the Witch of Envy Incident, the Desk Defacement phase, would begin…

On a certain morning, Luciana caught sight of Luna on her way to morning class.

“Good morning, Luna!”

“Oh, good morning, Luciana.”

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The girls smiled as they greeted one another.

“Since we’re together, how about we walk to class together?”

“Yes, of course. You know, it seems like we’re always together, especially since we sit next to each other…”

“It’s fine, isn’t it? I mean, I’m having a lot of fun!”

“Fufufu, that’s true. I’m also enjoying it.”

The two walked side-by-side down the hallway, happily chatting away. There was a gentle atmosphere about the girls, and yet…

“So when should we practice magic today, Luna? We don’t have a schedule yet, but I think starting in the afternoon would be good.”

“That’s true, our afternoon electives are still just trials, so we could take a break to practice magic on our own.. oh? What’s this?”

“I wonder what’s going on? There’s a lot of noise coming from over there…”

…their peace was not meant to last; the two arrived at the first-year hallway to find a crowd gathered in front of their classroom. Among the crowd, Luciana recognized a familiar figure: Perriand, her face a pale, ghostly white.

“Good morning Perriand. Did something happen?”

“Oh, Lady Luciana… It’s, just…”

Perriand looked back into the classroom; following her gaze, the girls peeked through the crowd only to find a shocking sight.

It was like a storm hit parts of the classroom: some chairs had fallen over, and a number of desks were upturned and damaged, their contents strewn about on the floor. There were quite a few desks that were unaffected, but those only served to highlight the destruction. But among the mess, Luciana recognized one of those desks…

“…Lukeev!”

Behind Luciana’s seat stood Lukeev Gehrman, who stared down at his own ransacked desk, a frown on his face. His usual expression returned when he heard Luciana call out, and he looked over to see the girls coming over.

“Oh, good morning Lady Luciana, Lady Luna.”

“Good morning, Lukeev… This is horrible. Maybe we can fix this. Luna, can you help me?”

“Ah, uh, yes, of course.”

“No, wait, please keep it as it is for now. Do not move anything.”

Luciana was about to help Lukeev fix his desk when a sudden voice stopped her; turning around, she found Annemarie standing and watching, a serious expression on h er face. It seemed Luciana had been too concerned with helping Lukeev that she had not noticed Annemarie’s arrival.

“Lady Annemarie… But..!”

“I understand how you feel. Even so, we must preserve everything as it is so as not to affect the inspection. The Academy is already making the arrangements but, my apologies to Sir Gehrman, I must ask for you all to wait a little longer.”

Having taken charge of the classroom as a member of the Student Council, Annemarie explained that Crown Prince Christopher was already on his way to meet with and report this incident to Academy staff and faculty.

“It is as you say, Lady Annemarie. I thank you for your concern, but there is no need to worry about me.”

Lukeev gave a polite bow with his usual smile, but Luciana noticed his hand was tightly balled into a fist.

(The classroom was vandalized again… Who could have done it? Why would they do it?)

“Oh dear, what is all this?”

From behind the thinking Luciana came another, cold, voice; Olivia Rankdol had entered the classroom.

“Good morning, Lady Olivia.”

“Good morning, Lady Annemarie, but I suppose it is not a very good morning, is it? It seems things are a little worse than usual. What has happened?”

But as Annemarie explained the current situation to Olivia, the duke’s daughter cast a gaze around the classroom; for a brief moment, when their eyes had met, Luciana felt a sudden, undescribable chill.

(Wh-what was that just now..?)

Had it just been her imagination? Olivia seemed unchanged as she continued her conversation with Annemarie.

“I see, I understand. Then I suppose we must once again relocate to another classroom.”

“Yes, I am afraid we must.”

“What a truly disgraceful act. Who in the world would do such a terrible thing? What reason drives them?”

“It is unfortunate, but we simply do not have enough information to determine the perpetrator.”

“…Do you really think so, Lady Annemarie?”

Olivia’s eyes narrowed as she questioned Annemarie’s statement. The marquis’s daughter only frowned.

“What are you implying, Lady Olivia?”

“Previously, the entire class was affected, but this time, only a select number of students were targeted. Do you not think the victims shared a commonality?”

They looked around the classroom, noting the damages and following Olivia’s words. Luciana did not know what the common factor was, but…

“…Oh.”

“Luna? Did you notice something?”

“Um, yes, maybe, but I am not confident about it…”

“Even if you are unsure, speak up. Tell us what it is that you have noticed.”

Luna was hesitant to answer, but with Olivia’s urging, she timidly began explaining.

“I think all the vandalized desks belong to… commoner students, the ones with excellent grades.”

“The commoner students with excellent grades? Now that you mention it…”

In total, there were five victims in this incident, and, as Luna mentioned, all five were commoner students with excellent grades, each ranking within the top thirty in the midterm exam. Lukeev himself scored eighth in the rankings, placing higher than Luna, but…

“But going by what you said, why wasn’t Perriand’s desk vandalized as well?”

Luciana pointed out the inconsistency in Luna’s theory; indeed, the introverted Perriand scored only slightly below Lukeev but was still quite high among the commoner students. And yet, her desk was undisturbed.

“Well, um, I think that’s because…”

Luna looked between Lukeev and the other victimized students; Luciana tilted her head in confusion, but it seemed Lukeev understood her unspoken words.

“I see… The victims this time were not only ‘commoners’ with ‘excellent grades’… Their families are also ‘wealthy’…”

“I-it is true that my family… isn’t very rich…”

Perriand quietly affirmed Lukeev’s words; Luna had been hesitant to point out that detail.

“And with that, we can make an educated guess about the motive: jealousy, most likely.”

Olivia withdrew a fan from her chest, unfurling it to cover her face. She looked over the classroom, and Luciana once again felt another creeping chill when their eyes met.

“Um, I do not think we can say that for sure…”

“And yet you cannot deny that it is a very likely solution, correct?”

Luna recoiled, shocked that Olivia would leverage her remarks to profile potential perpetrators, but though she tried to refute the claim, the duke’s daughter was quick to counter.

“We know now the common points of the victims are ‘commoners’ with ‘excellent grades’ and are ‘from wealthy families’. There is no doubt such students are sure to draw jealousy from among their small-minded peers. Of course, it could just be unjustified resentment, and yet other students with only some shared commonality were left alone. That is to say, perhaps the reason why these students were targeted… was because of their wealth.”

“Eek!”

Olivia had turned her gaze once more; its new direction was what caused Perriand to scream: she was glaring straight at Luciana. The noble girl realized…

(Lady Olivia…. Do you suspect me?)

Luciana was, of course, completely innocent, but it seemed Olivia was deadset on suspecting her.

Meanwhile, Annemarie quietly watched Olivia.

(So is she implying Luciana-chan is the culprit? Luciana-chan wasn’t even the one that did it in the game… I still can’t tell who is the new WItch of Envy. All I can do now is break up this awkward situation and… What’s this?)

As Annemarie moved forward, her foot had stepped on something loose; she lifted her foot and reached down, picking up a handkerchief.

“Huh? That’s… my handkerchief. What is it doing there?”

“This? This handkerchief belongs to you, Miss Luciana?”

“It is. I seemed to have lost it a few days ago, and I have been searching for it since. But why did it suddenly come up here…?”

“…I do believe I recall hearing something similar not too long ago.”

“Huh?”

With Olivia’s words as the trigger, the many gazes in the classroom and from the hallway turned suspecting stares at a single person: Luciana.

(Ack, there it is! Olivia took my part! It was supposed to be the game’s Annemarie that made everyone suspect the heroine!)

And with one sentence, Olivia Rankdol had reminded everyone present of House Luthorburg’s less than flattering nickname.

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