Chapter 24
“NOW THEN, where is she?”
After saying goodbye to Emilia, Mira had gone hunting.
Having said hello to the guards, with whom she was already well acquainted, Mira made her way into the castle and was searching for a certain someone while keeping an eye out for Lily or Tabitha. The person Mira was looking for was one who might know a lot about the goings on of the School of Sorcery…
…The sorcerer and Wise Man, Luminaria.
As she passed by, Mira asked the secretary where Luminaria was. As fate would have it, they immediately told Mira exactly where to find her. Luminaria was in the middle of training the mage battalion.
“Oh ho… She’s really going at it.”
Peeking into the training facility, she saw Luminaria rigorously instructing the battalion of mages. She was on the verge of being impressed at how serious Luminaria was…until she began teaching a female mage.
She got closer than necessary and began touching the mage with her hands to guide her step-by-step on what to do. And yet, the mage didn’t seem to mind. If anything, it seemed like the spells she was casting got more accurate every time Luminaria did this.
Stunned to see the teaching method she was employing, Mira waited for the training session to end.
Nearly an hour passed…
Mira grabbed ahold of Luminaria, who was asking one of the female mages out to dinner, and headed into an empty conference room.
“So what is it that’s so important that you had to interrupt my dinner plans?”
Despite having complained that she’d interrupted her, the chief expression on Luminaria’s face was one of curiosity. Perhaps this was due to her getting so few visits from Mira.
Mira asked her simply, “It has to do with the academy. I heard that before, the School of Sorcery wasn’t the biggest fan of the School of Evocation. But how are things now?”
She wanted to find out if there was still enough enmity to vandalize Danblf’s portrait as a way to get even.
However, Luminaria merely answered, “…You got me.”
“Seriously…?”
Considering the incident with Caerus, she ought to have a good idea about the situation. And yet, that was the answer she gave.
Mira stared daggers at Luminaria.
“I mean, I said I’d check in once a month. Don’t worry. Everything’s already cooled down. …Probably,” Luminaria carelessly threw out. Then she counterattacked with, “Why’re you asking me about this?”
Letting out a heavy sigh at Luminaria’s attitude, Mira explained about the incident with the graffiti.
“…Graffiti?! Really?! Sounds like they’re having a good time over there!”
The Nine Wise Men were national heroes, and to the students of Alcait Academy, they were figures to be respected and admired. Not since the founding of the academy had a single person done anything to disrespect any of the portraits of the Nine Wise Men.
And yet, Luminaria seemed to find it utterly hilarious that the first time it’d ever happened, the culprit had deliberately targeted Danblf.
“Stop laughing!”
While it may have been funny for Luminaria, to Mira, it was tantamount to a declaration of war.
“Well, yeah. Anyhow, that’s pretty fun. I mean, such a thing is a grievous affront to the Nine Wise Men. In which case, how about I join your investigation? I do think I’m starting to get an idea as to the situation at the academy, after all,” Luminaria said, looking thoroughly enthused while brushing aside Mira’s angry stare. Then, as if she’d had a fantastic idea, she continued, “But if you go investigating with guns blazing, the culprit will be extra cautious.”
She looked as if she were planning something nefarious. And giving no word about what it was she was planning, she said, “All right, then see you tomorrow morning at seven,” before leaving with a spirited smile on her face.
Just how was someone as famous as Luminaria planning to help their investigation?
She wasn’t sure what she was planning, but at this point, there’d be no stopping her from tagging along. And so, having a bad feeling about the whole thing, Mira decided to spend the night in the castle.
The next morning at seven thirty…
“Why me…?”
Meeting up with Luminaria just like she’d promised and faced with her current circumstances, all Mira could do was put her hands together and pray.
“Heeey, you really pull that off!”
That high praise had come from none other than Luminaria. And yet, it hadn’t…
At the moment, Luminaria had blue hair and was dressed in an Alcait Academy school uniform. She was wearing glasses, giving her an intellectual air.
Mira, meanwhile, had dyed her hair black and was also properly dressed in a school uniform.
This was the plan that Luminaria had come up with.
Were the Wise Men Luminaria and Mira to investigate, then they would’ve undoubtedly put a lot of unnecessary pressure on the other students. Word might quickly spread, and the culprit was liable to lay extra low.
And so, by dressing up as students, they’d be able to investigate without attracting any undue attention. Or at least that was what Luminaria had suggested…
“Ya know, I always wanted to try dressing like this and roaming the halls of the academy. But it kinda…feels a bit shameful or something. You get what I mean, right? But like, having someone with me, I kinda feel like that’s fine. Ya know?” Luminaria said excitedly, as if her whole plan had just been a front. She’d just explicitly admitted that she was using the whole incident as a pretext to go around in a school uniform. She was clearly very much in high spirits, given the circumstances.
“I agreed to wear this because you said it’d make it easier to talk to students if we looked like them…” Mira shot her an angry glare, but Luminaria simply shrugged it off.
“There’s that… But hey, you ought to be getting used to that body by now. In which case, you should know how deliciously devious this feels,” Luminaria said, suggesting that she wasn’t the only one having fun.
Mira turned to check herself out once more in the mirror. “Hrmm…”
Looking at herself in the schoolgirl uniform, Mira found that, just as Luminaria had suggested, she did feel an indescribable sensation. Having that feeling shoot down her back, Mira’s whole body shuddered. She was wearing a girls’ school uniform. It was a difficult feeling to describe and likely something she would never do alone.
But Luminaria was right next to her and in the exact same position.
She didn’t only feel weirdly at ease but also felt only half of the shame that she would’ve felt had she been by herself. And she felt exhilarated in a way that was difficult to put into words.
“All right, let’s get going.”
“Hrmm…”
Having steeled her resolve, Mira joined Luminaria in heading off toward the academy dressed as she was.
It was about the time that everyone was getting to school. The expressions the students wore ran the gamut, from full of energy to half-asleep.
Mira and Luminaria walked among these very students as they passed through the school gate and headed into the main building. Once there, they headed off toward the School of Evocation so that they could first tell Emilia about their plans for the day.
“Hrmm… Is she not here yet?”
Peeking inside the classroom, Mira observed that Emilia’s seat was empty. Perhaps she had yet to arrive at school.
Right as Mira was thinking this, Luminaria, also peeking inside the classroom, said, “Jeez, they really are all totally different ages.”
New students and returning students in the School of Evocation were all grouped together, and so both children and teenagers all sat in the same classroom.
“We’ve only just gotten started! Just you wait!”
It looked like the kind of school you’d see out in the countryside, but soon enough, it’d be as packed full as the others. Or so Mira fantasized as she saw a familiar face approach her from the other side of the hall.
“Wow, perfect timing. Wait here for a second,” Mira said, running over.
The person in question was Hinata.
Mira guessed that, being the teacher of the School of Evocation, she would likely know about Emilia.
“Ms. Hinata, I have a quick question for you. Do you have a second?” Mira called out casually, having completely forgotten that she was in disguise.
“Ah, ummm…”
It seemed like some student who she’d never seen before had called out to her as one would a buddy. One of the stricter professors at the academy might’ve admonished Mira for speaking that way toward a teacher.
However, Hinata was too busy racking her brain as to who this student was. Had she somehow forgotten about her? That would be impossible. Considering how warmly she’d greeted her, they must be well-acquainted. But she couldn’t figure out who the girl was.
Thinking it was unacceptable for a teacher to forget their students, Hinata glanced at Mira several times while trying to think who she was.
“Heeey, Ms. Hinataaa!” Mira said to Hinata, who stood before her stony-faced and motionless, while waving her left hand.
As soon as she did, Hinata’s eyes opened wide, and a look of recognition flashed across her face.
“Mira! But…why?!”
Thanks to the User’s Bangle of her left arm, Hinata saw through Mira’s disguise. And the moment she did, she demanded an explanation. The expression on her face shifted between curiosity and disgust.
“Well…”
Now able to speak to Hinata properly, Mira explained their investigation into the graffiti incident and how it was going.
“I’ll do whatever I can to help!” Hinata announced after having finished listening to Mira’s explanation.
The school administrative committee had instructed the staff not to make a big deal out of it as they figured out some way of wiping the graffiti off. But being a summoner herself, Hinata couldn’t quite get on board with this.
And so, Hinata was eager to sign on and promised she wouldn’t say a word about Mira, who not only wasn’t a teacher but also held the esteemed position of being Danblf’s pupil.
“In that case…”
Having added Hinata to her list of allies, Mira quickly asked about Emilia. Mira wanted to know about what time the girl usually got to class.
“Huh? Emilia always gets to class before all the other students…”
After answering this, Hinata gingerly peeked into class and continued, “Ah… Her bag is there, so she must already be here.”
It seemed that Emilia had already arrived. And yet, she was nowhere to be found.
Perhaps their investigation had been exposed, and Emilia had been taken captive. Or at least this was a thought that went through Mira’s head.
“She’s got to be somewhere. Maybe I’ll call her here,” Hinata then said, immediately going to call via the school PA system. A few minutes later, they heard an announcement summoning the girl.
Emilia, unharmed, showed up soon thereafter.
“Whoa…! Miss Mira?! You look so cute. And we’re dressed the same, too!” she said, smiling happily in the hallway in front of the classroom and having recognized Mira in spite of her black hair and schoolgirl disguise.
Perhaps in response to her smiling face, Luminaria interjected, “You look pretty cute yourself.”
“Th-thanks…”
Even in disguise, Luminaria was so beautiful that she could attract even other women. But someone Emilia’s age was surely too young.
Despite blushing slightly, Emilia drew herself back as if she’d instinctively perceived something.
“Don’t worry about her. She’s just an acquaintance with the School of Sorcery. Well, she does happen to know a lot about the situation over there, and…after talking to her, she asked to tag along. So now we have no choice but to investigate…together,” Mira explained while attempting to push away Luminaria, who kept making advances on her beloved student.
“The name’s Riana. Nice to meet you.” Due to the differences in their respective physiques, Luminaria dealt with Mira by locking her in an embrace before giving her name.
Meanwhile, Emilia replied, “My name is Emilia. The School of Sorcery, hmm? But I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere…”
It was no surprise… After all, she was one of the very people whose likenesses hung in the banquet hall.
“Well, anyway…!” Mira said, quickly changing the subject and diving into what their plans for the day would be.
Emilia had said she wanted to join in the investigation but, of course, her studies took precedence. While it was an academy for mages, there were also a good many classes teaching core subjects, and they couldn’t have her skipping.
After explaining the plan to Emilia, Mira and Luminaria headed to the School of Sorcery. So Mira and Luminaria set about casually questioning sorcery students in between classes or while students were making their way from one class to another. They gathered detailed information on how things were within the school and the different cliques, any gossip, and how students felt toward other schools of magic.
“Jeez, it sure is easy to get boys to do what you want…”
Having more or less finished questioning students, the two then met in Cleos’s office and began going over the intel they’d gathered. Cleos was currently in the middle of class, so they just walked in and started using it.
It was safe to say that their information-gathering session had gone off without a hitch. Per Luminaria’s suggestion, they’d targeted exclusively male students to question and had managed to gather an absurd amount of information.
Regardless of what they might be on the inside, Mira and Luminaria looked like the quintessential pretty young girl and sexy lady. When stopped by either such woman, most men would easily give up one of two secrets, at least. Mira had even employed some of Luminaria’s very own seduction techniques when questioning. A mere student never had a chance of resisting.
“I think that guy named Dielid is probably our top suspect.”
“All things considered, that’s probably true.”
Having gone over all the information they’d obtained, one name, in particular, stood out when it came to who might’ve vandalized the Danblf portrait. The person they both suspected was none other than one of Caerus’s goons. What’s more, he was on cleaning duty with the other School of Sorcery students, despite them not having been able to interview him the day before.
From what they heard, Dielid seemed to be in pretty tough straits. Back when he was one of Caerus’s goons, he was a big shot in the School of Sorcery. But after the whole incident, the situation had very much changed. Despite still being in the School of Sorcery, it was said he was now the odd man out.
In short, it was plausible that he’d committed the crime because he resented his fall from grace and blamed Mira, who was Danblf’s pupil.
“But jeez, to think how much fallout there was from the Spell Symposium…”
There had been both positive and negative outcomes to what’d happened at the Spell Symposium. Luminaria seemed particularly bothered that there were other unforeseen consequences.
“What’re you talking about? All I did was help them improve the curriculum.”
Meanwhile, despite having tried to sound confident, Mira’s words rang hollow.
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