Chapter 39: Detective games (3)

“Sigh…”

“…”

Inside one of the Academy rooms.

More accurately, only two people were present within the room allocated to Glesia.

“…”

One, obviously, was Glesia, the room’s owner.

And the other…

“…Professor Glesia.”

“Yes, Professor Lian.”

“Did I hear correctly?”

Lian Anderson, the Academy’s second-in-command, swordsmanship professor, and assistant to the headmaster.

Unlike his usual relaxed demeanor, his expression was quite serious.

“It’s as I said.”

“Even so, to let her outside…”

The cause of his concern was Aria’s outing.

Given her current situation, permission should have been denied, but…

“And you, Professor Glesia, granted it.”

“…”

“You do realize this could backfire, right?”

“Yes.”

Thanks to Glesia’s permission, Aria was currently outside the Academy.

Trusting Aria as her student was fine. Lian himself didn’t believe she was the culprit.

However, she was currently a suspect.

If this fact became known before the culprit was caught, even the minimal protection they could offer would become difficult.

Worse, it could be used against them.

“This could implicate you as well, Professor Glesia.”

“I know.”

“Sigh…”

Lian clutched his head, looking troubled, while Glesia observed him.

Silence fell between them once more.

“How far has the investigation progressed?”

“Not much. We’ve confirmed a high-ranking assassin is the culprit, but…”

Given the nature of their profession, assassins excelled at concealing their identities.

Even with the Academy’s renowned experts, information remained scarce.

“Did Aria say she was going to investigate?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know where she went?”

“…No.”

“We can only hope she returns soon.”

If she ran, the Academy would be in a more difficult position.

However, Glesia’s expression lacked any anxiety.

“…You don’t seem worried.”

“She’s my student, and I trust her.”

“Sigh…”

Their conversation ended there.

“Is this all the information you have?”

“Yes. This is everyone among our known professors who matches the criteria you described.”

“Three…”

A number both large and small.

I began reviewing the profiles Fluver handed me, detailing the professors’ personal information.

“Hm?”

“Is something wrong…?”

A particular photo caught my attention.

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

The photo depicted a woman with violet eyes and short hair.

It was the professor I encountered in the forest the previous day.

“If I had more time, I could have been more certain…”

“That won’t be necessary.”

I seemed to have found her.

“Yes?”

“Fluver, do you read novels?”

“What…? I do, but…”

Fluver answered, puzzled by my question.

I smirked.

“Then you must have read mystery novels.”

“I have.”

“There’s a sort of rule in mystery novels.”

Well, it wasn’t really a rule.

More like a superstition, a guideline people created.

“The first person you meet is the culprit.”

“Excuse me?”

“Anyway, this information should be enough.”

He looked confused, but it wasn’t my concern.

I rose from my seat, Fluver following behind.

‘If there’s one thing I haven’t mentioned…’

In mystery novels, the first encounter being the culprit was a trope.

However, the protagonist’s surroundings becoming the center of a storm of incidents was a universal constant.

So, whether I wanted it or not, I had to be involved this time.

At the center of this storm.

The next morning, back at the Academy.

Lucia, Alicia, Leon, Elena, and I gathered at a cafe.

“So, are you going to tell us now?”

“I was planning to, even without your impatience.”

Lucia questioned me expectantly. I’d postponed the explanation until the next day due to the late hour, so she must have been waiting.

“I’ve more or less figured out who the culprit is.”

“What? But how…?”

“The source of my information is a secret, so please don’t ask.”

Alicia’s eyes widened in surprise, but I brushed her off with a vague excuse about the information being sensitive.

I couldn’t reveal it to Glesia or Lian either, as it would put me in a difficult position.

“So, who is it?”

“Please take a look at this photo.”

Leon, seemingly sensing my reluctance, changed the subject.

I handed him the photo.

Violet eyes and short hair.

The professor’s photo.

“This person is…!”

“We met in the forest recently.”

“But why?”

Because of you. You.

…I couldn’t say that to him.

“Based on various circumstances, she was the most likely suspect.”

“So, what are you going to do?”

“It’s simple.”

Once a suspect was identified, the next step was obvious.

“Find evidence.”

“Evidence…”

“Well, we’ll have to visit her residence first.”

The Academy provided personal residences for its professors.

While called residences, they were essentially houses with attached land.

“Do you think there will be evidence there?”

“The information I’ve gathered suggests the culprit is a master of disguise.”

“How did you…?”

“Regardless, while they might be able to sneak in, to move around disguised as someone else, they would have to hide the original somewhere.”

That’s why I’d excluded powerful individuals like Glesia from the suspect list.

It would be difficult for an assassin, weaker than those of the same rank, to take down someone like Glesia.

“Are you suggesting the professor’s residence is where they’re hidden?”

“It’s the most likely location at present.”

“Sigh… So, what do we need to do?”

This was the crucial part.

“Since we don’t know the opponent’s strength for sure, having as much power as possible is advantageous.”

“If someone like Stella from Class A was targeted…”

This was just a superficial reason.

A Master-level individual could handle the situation alone while concealing their identity. The real reason I wanted the Hero and the others was for a smokescreen.

A Class A student being attacked, and a classmate solving the case? That would inevitably draw attention.

However, if the Hero and his party solved the case where a Class A student was attacked, it would create a sense of narrative coherence and become an achievement.

That’s what being the Hero, the protagonist, meant.

This was the perfect smokescreen.

“So, when are we moving?”

When…

Two days had already passed, leaving me with tomorrow afternoon at best.

Therefore…

“Since we’re talking about it, we’ll go now.”

“What?”

“We’re out of time.”

“Did everyone bring their weapons?”