Chapter 53

A few minutes after the ghost encounter, we found ourselves at the open café between the school building and the old school building.

Surrounding the table were me, Safina, Tüte, Magilka, Zaha, the prince, and everyone was looking at a certain person.

"Sorry for the late greeting. I am Alice Ordil, the class master of Areyos."

Alice-senpai, who had been wearing a deep hood, took it off and bowed, her straight, beautiful blonde hair flowing down her shoulders. Her gentle face was adorned with round, silver-rimmed glasses, and her blue eyes, which shone through the lenses, looked at us kindly. Despite her seemingly calm demeanor, she had single-handedly repelled the ghost in the earlier incident and was serving as the class master, so she must be quite an activist. Moreover, her two large, prominent bulges, which even a loose robe couldn't hide, couldn't help but catch my eye, even though she was of the same gender.

(What is this... Do all the women in Areyos have such full figures? If I could, I would too...)

While feeling somewhat uneasy and peeking at my own chest, I returned to the conversation.

"Um, nice to meet you, I am—"

"Ah, no need for introductions. I am already aware of all of you. Hehe, you are all quite famous, aren't you? White Princess."

Just as I was about to introduce myself, Alice-senpai gave me a meaningful smile.

"Still, I was surprised that there were actually ghosts, but even more surprised that you could repel them."

"I must apologize for my presumptuous actions in front of Your Highness. I am truly sorry."

The prince, who seemed impressed, recalled the events of a few minutes ago, and Alice-senpai bowed in a humble manner.

"No, you were a great help. Still, was that holy magic?"

"No, Your Highness. It wasn't holy magic. I just used magic to create light. However, ghosts tend to avoid light created by magic, so it was perfect for repelling them."

Across the table, Alice-senpai explained to the prince in simple terms, and I nodded in understanding.

"So, you didn't actually exorcise them, then?"

"Unfortunately, no."

Magilka also joined the conversation.

"Can't the teachers do something about even one ghost?"

"Unfortunately, there are no teachers in the current school who can use holy magic."

I joined the conversation with a simple question, and Alice-senpai revealed a surprising fact.

"Huh? Is that so? Are there few people who can use holy magic in this world?"

"No, most of them belong to the church, and there are many of them. However, a long time ago, a teacher from the church was dispatched to the school, and an incident occurred involving a student, which made the church uncooperative. It's an old story from over 20 years ago, so the truth is uncertain, but since then, no teachers from the church have been dispatched, and the opportunity to learn holy magic has greatly decreased. Fortunately, we have learned that the ghosts do not leave the old school building, so I regularly patrol to ensure that no one enters out of curiosity, and there have been no major incidents."

I couldn't look Alice-senpai in the eye as she made a troubled face in front of everyone and turned away.

(Sorry, senpai. I was one of those curious people who entered.)

I apologized to her in my heart.

"Alice-senpai, you seem to know a lot about ghosts. Do you know how to repel them? Maybe you're from the church..."

"No, I have no connection to the church. I specialize in the undead, and I just happen to know a bit more than others."

(This calm senpai specializes in the undead... That's surprising.)

I had assumed she was a cute, fluffy type based on her appearance and demeanor, but I had to apologize to her in my heart again for my mistaken assumption.

"So, what will happen with the ghost situation?"

Zaha, who had been silent, asked Alice-senpai using unfamiliar polite language, and she looked at him with a slightly troubled face.

"The Grand Master's instructions are to maintain the current situation. The school is likely searching for someone who can use holy magic and is not from the church to avoid friction, but it seems difficult to find such a person. Therefore, the old school building will likely remain off-limits for a while."

(Holy magic... I might be able to use it if someone teaches me. Is there anyone who can teach me? Well, if there is someone who can teach me, they could just go and do it.)

I came up with a solution to the current problem, but sighed, knowing it wouldn't be that easy.

(No, wait. I didn't learn 4th tier magic from someone. That's right, the Silver Knight.)

Realizing this, I decided to listen to the conversation and part ways with Alice-senpai. However, she warned us not to approach the old school building before we left...

――――――――――

After parting ways with Alice-senpai, we walked slowly back to the new school building.

"As long as the incident isn't resolved, the old school building cannot be used. I will go to the principal's office to get an update."

Magilka, with a determined look, raised her head and announced she would go to the clock tower, said goodbye to everyone, and left on her own.

"I will go too. I want to know more about the situation. Also, I'm curious about the incident with the church that Alice mentioned."

Following her, the prince also decided to act separately. The only ones left were me, Tüte, Zaha, and Safina, the former troublemaking trio (??).

"What should we do, Mary-sama?"

After seeing them off, Safina looked at me with a troubled face.

"Well... changing the subject, do you think the Silver Knight could use holy magic?"

Everyone's heads were filled with question marks at the sudden change of topic.

"Yes... it is said that the Silver Knight could perform most 4th tier magic, so he probably knew some holy magic."

Tüte, the only one who understood my intention, offered advice from behind.

"That's true. Then, I want to read about it. There might be some hints."

I looked at Tüte and pushed the conversation forward, leaving the others even more confused.

"Then, shall we go to the library? I think some stories are stored there."

Safina, perhaps giving up on thinking, joined my sudden idea with a troubled face, and Zaha also gave up and nodded.

"Let's go to the library, then."

(And I will solve this incident quickly and enjoy a nice, relaxed life in that wonderful place.)

I walked ahead with high spirits.

"Miss, the library is not that way."

"..."

I turned around with red ears at Tüte's apologetic voice from behind and walked quickly in the direction of her outstretched hand.

――――――――――

Later.

We were now sitting in a corner of Areyos' conversation room, receiving the full attention of everyone who was whispering.

(Oh... we're really standing out. We're so noticeable.)

I was feeling uneasy inside as I tried to engage in conversation with everyone. It was no wonder the onlookers were paying attention. The presence of the two from Solos was already special, and now the prince from Larios was here as well, making it impossible not to notice.

(Ah, I want a room where I can relax without worrying about others' gazes.)

As I was in a daze, the report meeting, or rather, the conversation about what Magilka and the others had learned, began. According to what the principal had told them, the situation was roughly the same as what Alice-senpai had said. They were currently looking for someone who could use holy magic. When the prince asked about the details of the incident that made the church uncooperative, the principal and the teachers did not know the specifics. It seemed to have been an incident between a teacher and a student at the time.

"So, the teacher dispatched by the church and the student involved in the incident was the newly enrolled student, Ferdid Legaria... in other words, Mary's father."

At the prince's awkward words, I made a "Huh?" face, and everyone looked at me with various emotions.

(Dad... what did you do?)

Thank you for reading this far.