Chapter 58 – Mauve Dreams (3)

If you want to read the first 25 chapters for free and read up to the final chapter for a cheap price patreon.com/Makima02

Iris probably didn't expect to see us either, and as soon as she saw us, her face showed a surprised expression. Judging from the fact that she was carrying a few books in her arms, it seems like we met her on her way to the library.

Although she was momentarily taken aback, Iris quickly regained her cold expression. And instead of interrogating us like last time, she simply stared at us with cold eyes without saying a word. To be exact, she stared at me for a short while, and then at Ellie for a very long time.

The gaze was so cold that it almost felt like a glare.

After staring at Ellie for such a long time, she turned her body abruptly and walked away from us. Judging from the way her arms were trembling, it seemed like she was very angry, but maybe she still wanted to free Ellie.

Iris was gone, but we were still standing in the hallway.

Suddenly, I felt a pain in my left arm and looked down to see that Ellie was gripping my arm as if she was trying to crush it. She seemed to be muttering something, but all I could hear was a mumbling sound.

Her grip became stronger, and now it was almost to the point where red scratches were forming on my arms.

"…What are you…how dare you look at…Ed with those eyes…"

"Ellie? My arm hurts so much. Can you just let it go now?"

"Huh? Huh?"

"Why are you like this? Is something wrong?"

"…No, I'm sorry. Let's go quickly…"

She urged me on and dragged me away, and we headed in the opposite direction of Iris.

And I ended up having another sleepless night that night.

* * * * *

—KNOCK! KNOCK!

After I wrapped up all my tasks for the day, I strolled back to the mansion to take a rest, but I heard a constant knocking sound from the window.

Outside the window, three paper cranes were taking turns pushing the handle in an attempt to open it.

Originally, I had opened the window because it was hot, but at some point I had closed it because I saw bird feathers in the room, and it seemed like this had caused this small inconvenience.

I decided to unlock the window, and as it creaked open, the paper cranes gracefully glided into the room, settling on the desk in the far corner.

As I approached the desk and infused magic into them, the paper cranes unraveled and transformed into letter envelopes; each envelope had a different sender's name written on it. 

One was for my father, one for Irene of Drakton, and one from Hunt.

The one for Irene said that the dividends from the last investment had arrived and asked me to come and visit to collect them. 

Hunt's envelope contained a brief update on the current state of the grain transport, with a light greeting on the back, seemingly scribed by Paine himself. Evidently, he couldn't deliver it in person and entrusted Hunt with the task.

Judging from the fact that she asked me to come and collect the dividends, it seems like my investment was a success. Did I make a profit in all three places? The other two places are fine, but I really hope that the investment I made in Valentine was a success.

I pushed the read letters aside and finally opened my father's letter. The letter was filled with tiny handwriting, and it was a whopping three pages long, so the pressure was overwhelming.

I gulped and slowly started reading the first part of the letter. 

— To my beloved son Edwin,

Edwin. What were you thinking when you didn't even say a word about such a big deal to this father? If it hadn't been for Estelle, how would I have known about this? I was disappointed and angry, but I thought you must have had your own reasons, so I decided to put those things aside for now. If something like this happens again, be sure to talk to me about it. Also, I've taken care of things outside the academy, so don't worry about anything and just focus on your studies…

As I read the letter, I felt cold sweat running down my back from the beginning.

Judging from the fact that he skipped the greetings and went straight to the point, it seems like my father was also very upset. I had been so busy with all the crazy things that had been happening that I had completely forgotten to contact home.

But what did he mean by "taken care of"? I heard from the principal that Walter was definitely going to die. So does that mean he's talking about the story from the girl's side?

As I felt when I visited the family last time, my father is quite cold-blooded when it comes to these matters. I honestly don't want to know what "taken care of" means.

The rest of the letter was filled with worries and concerns about me, and it took me a long time to finally finish reading it.

And at the end of the letter, there were a few lines about Adele's recent situation.

—PS: Adele misses her brother very much. These days, she even sleeps in your bed with your blanket. I've tried to talk her out of it several times, but she won't listen. I think it would be a good idea for you to write to Adele first. It would also help her with her handwriting, and I believe you will know how to handle this.

Adele…

I felt my heart sink as I thought of Adele rolling around alone in the large bedroom. I wish she had some friends her age. It seems like there weren't any suitable children in the families under our control…

I immediately wrote a long letter to Adele, and the letter I wrote turned out to be very similar to the letter I had just read from my father.

Placing the heartfelt words into an envelope, I stamped it and sealed it tight.

Then, as I infused magic into the envelope, the letter transformed into the shape of a paper crane, vanishing into the shadows beyond the open window.

Come to think of it, is Madehaven okay? Although the South was a relatively peaceful region, that's only because the appearance of upper-grade monsters was rare compared to other regions.

There's no reason why the demon worshipers who have been appearing in all sorts of places would leave the south alone, and…

…even so, there was no news coming in, and my father didn't say anything about it, so I guess it's safe to say that there's no damage for now.

But still, just in case, I think I'll need to think about ways to find out the hidden ones and strengthen our defenses when I return to the territory during the vacation.

And we need weapons to deal with the demons and their worshipers.

The last time I encountered a demon, I felt its necessity keenly.

Only holy power could harm demons, and even then, the best we could do was weaken them and send them packing to Hell through exorcism.

The means I had to confront demons right now were at best limited to holy water, and even that was not always efficient to carry around and didn't work properly against upper-grade demons.

It's been said that the only weapon capable of annihilating the existence of a demon is the power of the Holy Sword, but I possess knowledge that others don't.

If I can find the weapons I've remembered, even if not the Holy Sword, they should be sufficient for practical use. However, the weapons are located far from the academy, so I have no choice but to wait and search for them during the vacation.

"Sigh…" 

Since the incident with the demon, I've been constantly having these thoughts.

In fact, I wonder if the future I knew has already become distorted.

Eugene's actions, which seemed to be following well, suddenly changed at a crucial moment. While not everything has changed, considering the situation so far, something significant seems to have shifted.

Even if Walter's actions were so, the absolution issued in the name of the Saintess gave me a fresh shock.

Why was the Saintess in Westford, and why did she issue such an absolution to me, someone without a record?

The Saintess appears in the original work by transferring to the academy in the second semester, but her previous actions are not specifically described, so I have no way of knowing.

It was not entirely understandable that she came to nearby Westford to prepare for her studies, but even that does not explain why she issued the absolution.

The situation I was worried about when I first returned to the academy has finally come to pass.

Humans here just won't leave me alone.

Even though I didn't do anything special at the academy, this happened, so what about the outside world…

… I've tried my best, but maybe the future has already changed a lot since I was able to attend the academy without any problems.

Fortunately, most of the things that could have happened during the first semester have already happened. If my memory is correct, the major events that are left are the upcoming promotion exam and the end-of-year ball.

After the incident with the demon, in the original work, time passed swiftly until the end of the first semester. Of course, I can't guarantee that it will be completely safe now that this has happened, but…

"Hooo…" 

I anticipated it wouldn't be easy, but it's even harder than I thought.

If the protagonists fail to fulfill his duties properly, it will undoubtedly impact my life somehow.

My worries are only deepening.

—— End of chapter —–

If you want to read the first 25 chapters for free and read up to the final chapter for a cheap price patreon.com/Makima02