Chapter 41: Fake Stigmata (4)

“Of course, Elissa is quite ambiguous. Unlike the other children who show clear signs of becoming stronger, Elissa hasn’t changed.”

Elin-sensei’s ruby-red eyes scanned the pile of documents. With a troubled expression, she pulled out Elissa’s file from the stack and handed it to me, continuing to speak.

“It’s just, there’s something a little suspicious. That’s why I called you separately. Since you happen to be assigned to her group.”

“Are you asking me to keep an eye on Elissa?”

“…Yes. I’m really sorry to ask you to spy on your friend, but if Elissa has a fake Stigmata, we have to prevent her from going berserk somehow. I’ll do my best to protect Elissa from punishment.”

Guilt was evident on Elin-sensei’s face as she said this.

Because the adults couldn’t solve the problem, they were asking a seventeen-year-old girl to spy on her friend.

“I understand.”

So, I deliberately answered as if it was nothing. This was the right decision by the teacher.

Even Marcus of the swordsmanship department’s D class almost completely burned down a block of the autonomous district.

If a girl from the magic department’s B class, suffering from mana excess, went berserk, the scale of the damage would be far more terrible.

And I am the one who can most effectively prevent that rampage. A student who possesses the strongest Stigmata in one-on-one combat, has abundant real-world experience, and can naturally stick to Elissa.

“…”

“…Thank you so much for accepting this difficult request. Even if Elissa is indeed a fake Stigmata holder, I will do my best to minimize the punishment.”

“Yes. I don’t want to see my friend go down the wrong path either.”

If I build trust like this, wouldn’t she trust my words more when the next terror occurs?

Instead of going crazy alone trying to find the fake Stigmata holder, I might be able to prevent the terror much more easily.

And, I didn’t want Elin-sensei to feel indebted or guilty because of this. Elin-sensei did her best in her position.

So I quickly added a word.

“Instead, I have one condition.”

“A condition?”

“This time, I’ll grant your request, so next time, please grant me one request. I won’t ask for anything unreasonable.”

“Pfft.”

A faint smile appeared on Elin-sensei’s complicated expression. The teacher, noticing the intention of my proposal, gently stroked my hair and replied.

“Alright. If you ever need my help, call me. I’ll help you as much as I can.”

“Hehe, thank you.”

I smiled.

Because it seemed like I would need help soon.

Even to avoid ruining the original story, I need to find out what connection Elissa has with the ‘seed’.

The problem is that I have neither the information nor the connections to find out the location of that ‘seed’.

I could go to Elvenheim during the vacation and ask her for help, but… that has its limits. Elves are a closed-off race that rarely comes out of their territory.

Therefore, to find out the location of the seed, I need the help of the underworld information organization run by the academy.

And to connect with that organization, I need Elin-sensei, one of the academy’s teachers.

“So, is that all you wanted to say?”

“Yes. The other students and my colleagues will determine whether they are fake Stigmata holders and their disposition, so you can go now. You must be tired in many ways today, so I won’t keep you any longer.”

“Thank you. Ah, right. I have one question, may I ask?”

“Yes.”

Elin-sensei still doesn’t know how scary the fake Stigmata is.

She probably never imagined that a teleportation magic circle would be engraved inside the fake Stigmata.

You shouldn’t expect common sense from the members of the Dark Cult, who abandoned all the power and wealth that comes with being a high-ranking mage and chose a life of being chased by the Empire.

So, I casually dropped another piece of information.

“What is the Dark Cult trying to do with those ‘fake Stigmata’?”

“Hmm, probably to cause chaos within the academy? When a fake Stigmata goes berserk, even a regular student can instantly gain tremendous power.”

“…I don’t know much about Stigmata, but I know that artificially creating a Stigmata is incredibly difficult.”

“Right?”

“Would they go through such trouble to create a Stigmata, just to cause chaos? The vicious Dark Cult?”

“…No, you’re right. Tomorrow, I’ll examine the body and tell you the results.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

The teacher probably won’t be able to find Marcus’s body. Even if she does, the fake Stigmata will already be gone.

It’s not because Marcus burned to death. The fake Stigmata is surprisingly durable, and like a regular Stigmata, it doesn’t disappear with simple physical damage.

Even if the body is burned to charcoal by fire mana. Even if it’s split in half by my sword, the fake Stigmata will remain in the body forever. Unless there is external intervention, such as concealing evidence.

And the Dark Cult, which has evaded the surveillance of the Empire and the Holy Church for centuries, was not a sloppy organization that would leave the fake Stigmata at the scene.

Probably, the fake Stigmata will not be found in the body. Neither will the transfer magic circle hidden beneath it.

The reason I brought this up anyway was simple.

I wanted the teacher to remember my words when the fake Stigmata was found in Marcus’s body.

After speaking, I opened the office door.

“Then, I’ll be going now.”

“Yes. Have a good night.”

As it turned out, I didn’t have a good night.

Midterms are approaching. The academy midterm exam event, which will mark the end of the peaceful academy campus life, will begin soon.

That fact was too overwhelming. The first story starts in a week, and the original work I knew was long shattered.

I was nervous. I was worried that Elissa might be a fake Stigmata holder. I was worried about whether I could really stop the Dark Cult’s conspiracy and save Regina from the endless regressions.

Every time I tried to sleep, those thoughts kept popping up, so I couldn’t sleep properly today.

“Ugh…”

Even if I’m a gold-ranked adventurer, a swordsman at level 49, similar to the Imperial First Knights, and a Stigmata holder. My body is ultimately that of a fragile seventeen-year-old girl.

After a life-or-death duel with a berserk Stigmata holder yesterday, it’s natural to be tired if you don’t get enough sleep.

So my steps lacked energy as I walked with Elissa to the training grounds. Elissa gently shook me, who was half-dozing while walking.

“Sian, are you very sleepy…?”

“Yeah. I didn’t get much sleep. Because of yesterday’s incident.”

“Ah.”

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.

Perhaps because she thought she couldn’t help much yesterday. Or maybe because she thinks I dumped the killing on her. Guilt appeared on Elissa’s face.

“…I’m sorry I couldn’t help.”

“No. Elissa, you don’t have to. I, I’m not as fragile as you think. It’s not like I’ve never…killed anyone before.”

“Still…”

“Rather, I was grateful to you, Elissa. Thanks to you not asking unnecessary questions and calling the teacher, and thanks to you putting out the fire well, I was able to quickly resolve the situation.”

I said that and looked at Elissa. There was still a faint guilt and apology on Elissa’s face.

So, I gently stroked Elissa’s hair. Elissa’s body flinches at the sudden closeness.

“Ugh, Sian…?”

“So you don’t need to feel guilty. You don’t need to apologize. Rather, it would have been dangerous if you had stayed there.”

Information about the fake Stigmata should not be leaked outside yet.

Fortunately, that Marcus guy didn’t mention the fake Stigmata in front of Elissa, and even the fake Stigmata burning on Marcus’s neck, Elissa probably didn’t see it properly.

So rather, thanks to Elissa going outside, the situation didn’t get complicated.

“Thank you.”

“Hey, what are friends for?”

I answered like that and approached Elissa as if to cling to her.

Perhaps it’s due to the mana emission phenomenon unique to mana excess. The area around Elissa was pleasantly cool. A refreshing, watery scent tickled my nose.

If the nature of fire mana is anger and destruction, the nature of water mana is healing and gentleness. The area around the girl who always emits water element was filled with pleasant mana.

“Ugh, Sian?”

“Mmm…this feels nice.”

Elissa, who had been looking at me as if she were a little embarrassed, quietly looked at my relaxed expression and wrapped her right arm around my shoulder as if giving up.

Come to think of it, before Elissa and I left the scene of the incident, Elissa said something.

You’re welcome …Since I couldn’t help catch, I should at least help with this. Was it?

At that time, when I was preoccupied with the seed and the fake Stigmata, I didn’t properly listen to Elissa’s words. Still, if I concentrate a little, I think I can remember.

It might be something trivial, but the moment I remembered that there was something I had forgotten, it was no longer trivial. It’s just uncomfortable that I forgot something.

“Hmm…sooo…”

Yes. It was probably about Marcus.

Since Marcus was probably a fake Stigmata holder, what I forgot was…

“…Sian?”

“Ack.”

My thoughts stopped there.

Because I heard a familiar girl’s voice from behind. A cold voice like the northern snowfield, a stiff voice without emotion.