NOVEL NEXT Chapter 72
Has the demon summoning episode already begun?
Unfortunately, it was hard to gauge the start of the episode through the original knowledge.
If things had gone as planned, Karina’s wide-area heal would have ended the school closure within a week, but it’s already gone beyond two weeks.
The incident where the Hell Hound appeared caused the heroine to die and many people to get injured, turning the development completely different from the original. Imagine if a victim like Elena from the original story died during the Hell Hound incident.
Since we can’t kill a victim who’s already dead, the target would have to change.
Just that alone could derail the content of the episode. It means the little information I know would turn into useless scraps of paper. Thinking like this is cruel, but if I moved relying too much on the original knowledge, I would regret it beyond recovery.
…Should I start an investigation first?
I opened my eyes wide and perked up my ears. I don’t know when the first disappearance signaling the start of the incident will happen. The problem is that I’m not exactly that good at hearing.
Is there any way?
“Johann? Why the long face?”
“…I was just thinking about Elisa.”
“What? Did you develop a crush or something?”
At Renny’s playful remark, I shook my head. Crush? Who would fall for someone that calls people monsters?
My expression must have shown my thoughts too clearly because Renny chuckled and said, “Just kidding,” before popping a jam-covered bread into her mouth.
“Got a crush? On who?”
Millia, who was munching on her bread smeared with jam, immediately bit the bait. For some reason, I wiped her mouth with a tissue more suited for modern times despite this being a fantasy setting and replied, “Do you remember the female student we met at the cafeteria the other day?”
“Uh… The one who screamed that I was a monster?”
“Yeah.”
“Why her?”
What’s with that teasing expression? I sighed, noticing Millia’s sharper attitude than usual. Why is everything so troublesome because of her?
“I ran into her on my way to see Karina. She fainted upon seeing me.”
“She even wet herself…”
It’s absurd to think about again. Do I really look that scary? True, I have scars and burn marks on my face, so I can understand if I look scary. But fainting is crossing the line, isn’t it? It’s not like I look like a zombie or anything.
If I had a glass heart, I’d probably be hiding in my room sobbing by now.
“Johann! It’s okay! I like you!”
“Oh, uh… thanks.”
Could you speak a little more nicely instead of flinging chunks of bread towards me? I couldn’t bear to look at her pitiful figure, so I placed my hand on top of Millia’s head and turned her away.
“What’s that for?”
“Don’t talk while you have food in your mouth.”
“If you do that at school, you won’t make any friends.”
“Absolutely not!”
“I told you to shut it.”
Finally, Millia closed her mouth and chewed quietly. Phew, it’s finally quiet.
“Ugh, I’m full. Johann, if you’re done eating, come with me. I have something to tell you as your knight.”
“So be it.”
“I want to go too!”
I looked at Renny. She was my senior now, and since she was higher rank, I couldn’t just allow her to come on my own. Millia seemed to realize that too and clasped her hands, looking up at Renny eagerly. Acting all cute like that doesn’t mean Renny will give in…
“…Alright, fine. But you can’t cause any trouble, okay?”
“Yeah! Thank you!”
A thin smile appeared on Renny’s lips. After all, Renny was also part of the Millia fan club. Though they had less interaction, she still tended to offer snacks to her, giving off a vibe of being quite fond of her. She holds the position of everyone’s little sister. Karina also took good care of Millia after they escaped from the dungeon.
“Then let’s head straight there.”
“You can still eat. There’s some left.”
“I want to eat more!”
“Alright, alright!”
Millia skillfully reached for three pieces of bread and placed them on her plate. It’s always scary how much she can eat. I wonder how the stomach of a Dullahan works; it must be vastly different from that of an ordinary person considering how much she eats. With that in mind, she’s not that big. I thought as I watched the bread being mercilessly consumed by Millia.
“I’ve eaten it all! Let’s go!”
“Even if I told you to keep your mouth shut.”
“Ugh.”
————————–
“Here, these are the donations coming for Karina.”
“…There are a lot of them.”
I scanned the boxes piled up in one corner of the room. Big and small gift boxes. I have no idea what’s inside, but at least they can’t be cheap. Considering how much the saint’s name matters, they must be impressive items. I’m curious about what’s inside.
“Karina must receive lots of presents! So jealous… I want presents too!”
“Once you get your salary, I’ll buy you one.”
Who knows how much will come in, but as Karina’s knight, I shouldn’t be earning a pittance, right? I looked at Renny, filled with questions, and she shrugged her shoulders.
“Don’t expect too much. Although knight salaries are decent, managing equipment can drain a lot of money… Wait, can’t you repair your own equipment?”
“As long as it’s not magic tools, sure.”
“Must be nice. Fixing broken armor and maintaining weapons tends to add up.”
“…Aren’t you just spending a lot on drinks?”
Millia tilted her head quizzically at Renny, who scratched her head and looked away. We’ve seen her down a bottle of decent alcohol every day, so why is she trying to spin a tale?
If she buys such high-end drinks every day, there’s no way her salary can sustain it.
Does she not save for retirement? I mean, is that a thing?
Is she really living that life of an alcoholic with no future?
“…Hey, don’t look at me like that! I’m not getting drunk off just one bottle!”
Ah, that makes sense. She’s a senior with an impressive monster physique, after all.
“Anyway! From now on, we’re going to check all the gifts one by one! We’ll see if there are any dangerous items, any mistakenly sent gifts, or if there’s food that might spoil! We’ll start unboxing each gift right now! Execute!”
“Execute!”
As soon as Renny finished her sentence, Millia raised her hand and shouted. She seemed really excited about the idea of unboxing gifts. What a fickle creature. But why is she looking at me? Am I supposed to join in?
…Since Millia wants me to help, I can’t say no.
“…Execute.”
———————
“Johann! Look at this!”
Millia held out a small bottle in front of my eyes. The bottle contained a mysterious pink powder. What is that?
“Oh, that’s dried and powdered petals of Azalea flowers grown with magical power. If you mix it with water and apply it, it makes your skin all bouncy and popular.”
“Does using this make your skin better?”
“Something like that. It’s a pretty hard-to-get powder, and they sent this as a gift. Can I see it?”
“Here!”
Renny accepted the bottle from Millia, popped the cap, and dipped her pinkie finger into the powder. When her finger emerged, coated in the powder, Renny inspected it intently.
“…Yep, it’s Azalea powder alright.”
Renny closed the bottle and set it down in the designated safe gifts area. Has it already piled up that much? Actually, thinking about it, having one-third of those many gifts deemed unsuitable is pretty strict.
By the way, what happens to the gifts that are deemed unsuitable? From creepy-looking dolls to decorative items that subtly contain poison, there were all sorts of things. What kind of lunatic sends such things? It must be those Halphas cultists mixing in.
“Renny. What do you do with unsuitable items?”
“Most of the time, they just get discarded.”
“If you’re going to waste them, can I take a few? There seems to be some pretty useful stuff…”
“…You can’t tell anyone else, know what I mean?”
“Of course.”
“I don’t know what you plan to do with them, but I’ll assume you’ll use them for good.”
“Do I look like the kind of person who does bad things?”
“Uh… not really.”
I replied confidently. When I do something evil, it’s usually for a legitimate reason. You know, I wouldn’t suddenly pour poison into a well, right? I don’t push zombies into ponds or anything like that.
“Renny, Renny, can I have one too?”
“Which one?”
“That doll! It’s cute!”
The doll Millia pointed to was a teddy bear that looked unpleasantly cute and violated the typical charm. After inspection, it turned out to have a crystal inside embedded with eavesdropping magic. Looks like they’re still snooping around. I mean, of course, eavesdropping is basic for information gathering, so they can’t pass that up…
But anyway, Renny smashed the crystal containing the eavesdropping magic, so there shouldn’t be any danger left. When she picked up and handed over the doll, Millia happily hugged it.
“Thank you!”
“First, I need to sew it up, so hand it over.”
“Okay!”
“Then let’s get back to it. We still have a long way to go.”
Just as we were about to resume our work, there was a knock, knock, knock.
At the sound of knocking, I instinctively turned my head towards the door. Who could it be? A servant?
“Who is it?”
“…Me.”
The voice was too soft. I exchanged glances with Renny. Definitely not the servant.
“I’ll open it.”
Renny gave a silent nod of consent instead of saying it aloud.
I strode over, stepping over the scattered gift boxes, and grabbed the doorknob, twisting it. The door opened slowly. Through the slight crack, I spotted a girl with purple hair.
Huh?
“Eek… Uh, um, um… Professor Lennon…”
Hey, don’t cry. Why are you acting like that towards me?
I suddenly feel like a total jerk!
I sighed, looking down at the tearful purple-haired girl, Elisa.