Chapter 176: Who Is the Mastermind?
{???}
――In the morning…having said that, the sun still hasn’t risen…I quietly got out of bed. He wasn’t in the room anymore.
I had known that he was always going somewhere for a while now. Today, I must determine where he’s going every morning.
Once I peeked out of the window, I spotted him head into the woods behind the building. Hurrying, I ran after him into those very woods.
…..Suddenly, my mouth got blocked, I was restrained, and taken somewhere at a ridiculous speed. I experienced an overwhelming fear as if I had been swallowed by a demon and kidnapped into their world.
…It means the stories about the existence of a demon in this academy, who would kidnap and eat you after they spelled you, were all true.
＊＊＊
I brought my catch to a deserted storage house, and there I released that guy…【Swannyboy】.
Swannyboy awkwardly looked at me while trembling, “……Indra.”
“You’re the first person I’ve actively taken somewhere with me, you know? Feel honored. After all, I’m basically a passive person. Except for me repaying everything ten-fold, that is,” I closed in on him with a broad grin. “Now then, I’ve been aware of you secretly snooping around me. But, your magic elements are way too thin. To be honest, I have my doubts whether you could actually be even counted as a magician, so I didn’t expect you to be a demonkin. In the first place, your marks are questionable at most and your noble rank is low as well, so I don’t understand how you’ve ended up in the special class. That’s a clear sign that 『a special reason must be at work here』.”
Swannyboy jumped with a start.
“I can’t come up with a solution other than that it’s been ordered by someone. So, I let you run free in order to determine the mastermind. But, at this point, I got tired of waiting,” I planted myself in front of him, and peered into his face, “You see, I didn’t really want to come to such a boring academy. The classes are boring, and moreover, they keep repeating stuff I’ve finished learning close to ten years ago. I’m not allowed to get serious in my magic and swordsmanship classes either. Hence, I’ve got nothing to do here. That’s why I decided to bring things to a close as quickly as possible.”
Swannyboy was visibly shuddering.
“I’ll have you spit out the truth about your objective. I cannot use anything like hypnosis and so on, and thus I’ll adopt a method which will urge you to speak very quickly. Moreover, if I don’t return soon, not only Instructor Sword, but the other folks will notice my absence. That’s why, okay? It might hurt somewhat, but I’ll thoroughly discipline you so that you’ll willingly tell me everything I want to know.”
“Sorry! Sorry! Forgive me! Please spare me since I’ll tell you everything! Please! I’ll tell you all I know!”
He rattled down while crying and prostrating himself.
“Hmm…but I won’t be able to tell whether you speak the truth, you see?”
“I promise you, I won’t lie! I won’t mind even if you collect evidence to prove my words! Please, just spare me from torture! Please!”
Baah….I can’t torment scared, trembling living beings…
“…Then, out with it. First, what’s the aim of your employer?”
“My…my parents were saved by my employer, and so I was told to repay the kindness. It was my first time to be ordered by my employer, but he told me to keep informing him of any information at the academy, where I’d be enrolled, no matter how trivial or silly it might be. Accordingly, I pretended to write letters to my parents while actually sending letters to my employer.”
Hmm. In short, it’s someone who knew I’d be enrolled here, huh?
“What’s that guy’s name?”
“…Sir…Shadow.”
Shadow………ah, that guy, eh? The cunning-looking middle-aged dude who intruded upon our rented house in the capital as Sword’s acquaintance, right?
I see. So that guy was an enemy, huh?
“Got it. Then I’ll have you write a letter for me instead of torturing you. What did you plan to write this time?”
“…That you were waking up before anyone else and vanished somewhere, just to return soon after, and that I headed into the woods today to determine where you were going since I saw you from the window, guessing that something had to be hidden in the woods.”
I see. It makes sense that anyone would suspect me doing something shady, if watching my actions from the side, I guess.
“Leaving aside magic, my swordsmanship would become rusty with the half-assed training taking place several times a week at the academy. I’ve been training myself everyday since I was five years old, and I never missed out on it either. Rather than sniffing around, you should put some effort into training yourself after writing some random reports to get yourself labeled as 『useless』. You told me that you’re going to become a valet, but that’s out of the question with your low level of strength, you know? Our maids and servants are far stronger than any low-level adventurer. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to protect their master, right? Isn’t that the pride of a valet?”
Swannyboy apparently suffered a shock.
“Write that I’ve been doing sword training in the woods. It’s a fact known by Instructor Sword, too. And then lend me your letter for a bit. Once I give it back, put your seal on it and send it out. …You don’t want to be tortured, right?”
He nodded with such a force that I thought he was head-banging.
“Then do as told. Even if you consider to trick me, I’ll immediately find out, you know? Well, I don’t mind if you prefer learning it the hard way, though. Feel free to try underestimating me.”
In no time, he yelled while bawling, “I won’t! I definitely won’t go against your orders! I’ll do as I’m told! So please, save me!”
He said…
He makes it sound as if I’m the villainess here!
