Master 47

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After a long and arduous wait, the morning of the day when the Talent Selection Tournament was finally held arrived.  

“Uh, um. Lady Meredia.”  

“…?”  

“Ha, have you seen Sir Whitney by any chance?”  

Meredia, who had arrived in front of the grand stadium located at the heart of the academy, frowned at the faculty director who ran up to her in a fluster and instead threw a question back at him.  

“Why are you asking me that?”  

“Well, that is….”  

The faculty director, who was nervously gauging her reaction, wiped the sweat from his forehead and carefully answered.  

“It’s just that… you two are quite close, so…?”  

“……”  

“D-Did I say something wrong?”  

Thanks to the privileges granted by the academy, he didn’t need to bow to most high-ranking nobles except for the royal family.  

However, things were different when it came to Meredia.  

“Do I need to know Sir Whitney’s every move?”  

“…M-My apologies.”  

Leaving aside the fact that she held the real power in the empire’s only ducal family, she was also the chairwoman of the board that controlled a significant portion of the academy’s finances, so his wariness was understandable.  

“Anyway, why are you looking for him?”  

Knowing this better than anyone, Meredia narrowed her eyes at the faculty director until he lowered his head before tilting her head slightly and asking.  

“Well, actually… Yesterday, Sir Whitney took three students with him, saying he was going to convince them.”  

“And?”  

“Since then… there has been no word from him.”  

As the faculty director’s explanation continued, her eyes narrowed.  

“…I thought that matter had already been settled.”  

“Not only Sir Whitney but also the three students who caused trouble yesterday are missing….”  

“Tsk, what are they up to now?”  

She clicked her tongue and muttered in a voice tinged with irritation, but for some reason, Meredia’s expression seemed slightly uneasy despite her words.  

“…Don’t tell me the first-year homeroom teacher is missing too?”  

“H-How did you know that?”  

She casually tossed out a question, but when the faculty director gasped in surprise and raised his voice, she pressed her lips together as if she had expected this.  

“…Is there a problem with the plan?”  

“D-Do you have any idea what might be going on?”  

As Meredia mumbled something to herself, the faculty director clung to a faint hope and tried to read her intentions.  

“…I’ll go find him, so just go and get ready.”  

“Th-Thank you!”  

After a short moment, when cooperative words finally came out of Meredia’s mouth, the faculty director was so moved that he even shed tears of gratitude and bowed his head again.  

“Well then, I’ll be on my way—”  

“Ah, there you are, Faculty Director.”  

“…Huh!”  

At that moment, a cheerful voice came from behind, and the faculty director quickly wiped away his tears and turned around with a bright smile, as if he had never been distressed.  

“I was a bit late, wasn’t I?”  

“N-No! Just the fact that you came back…! H-Huh?”  

He had been smiling and clasping his hands together, but when he saw the students standing behind Whitney, his eyes widened in shock.  

“I was busy convincing them all night, so I ended up being late.”  

“Ah….”  

“Fortunately, all three of them have confirmed that they will participate in the selection match without issue.”  

The faculty director, who had been staring blankly at Whitney for a moment, suddenly broke into a wide grin and hurriedly walked toward him.  

“As expected! You’re amazing, Sir Whitney!!!”  

“Haha….”  

“With the midterm incident and now this, I don’t even know how to properly thank you…!”  

However, as Whitney shook hands with the faculty director, Meredia, who was watching him, had an unreadable expression in her eyes.  

“Well, I don’t expect much, but… If possible, I’d like to request a small favor.”  

“Haha, say no more! If it’s within my power, I’ll gladly grant it.”  

“Would it be possible for me to bring one of my maids into the examination hall?”  

Not noticing Meredia’s gaze, Whitney nonchalantly began making a request to the faculty director.  

“It’s just that one of the participants in the selection match is a relative of my maid. But as you know, watching the match is quite expensive for commoners….”  

“Ah, I see what you mean. That much is no problem at all.”  

“Haha, thank you.”  

With ease, Whitney obtained the faculty director’s permission and smiled as he slightly lowered his head.  

“You lot! Stop standing around and follow me!”  

“……”  

“You’re all such a hassle, really.”  

Meanwhile, the faculty director had already started dragging the three students into the stadium with a stern gaze.  

“Well, what do you think of my competence?”  

Watching the scene with satisfaction, Whitney turned toward Lady Meredia with a bright expression and asked.  

“…Explain why I can sense dark mana from you.”  

However, Meredia, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly glared at Whitney with an icy expression and pressed him for an explanation.  

“H-Huh? What are you talking about? I don’t understand….”  

“Explain.”  

“…Uh, well, um.”  

Whitney hesitated for a moment, glancing at Meredia, who was staring at him without a word, and tried to come up with an excuse.  

“Uh, actually…………… Ugh.”  

But then, he suddenly clutched his chest and swallowed his words.  

“What’s wrong?”  

“Ugh.”  

“Do you have a reason you can’t speak…?”  

Meredia, who sharply caught on to the strangeness of his behavior, was about to continue pressing him but then trailed off.  

“…You, come with me.”  

“Huh? Uh, wait—”  

Before he could react, she grabbed his arm and began dragging him away, leaving Whitney with a bewildered expression as he was helplessly pulled along.  

“…Look at that.”  

“…?”  

Watching this unfold, Adele, who had been about to enter the stadium with a visibly tense Cecil, squinted her eyes in interest.  

*****  

“Haha. Lady Meredia, what’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”  

Unable to resist Meredia’s overwhelming strength, I was dragged to a secluded area behind the stadium and, only after she stopped walking, cautiously asked while gauging her mood.  

“Please calm down first… Huh.”  

“Stay still.”  

“…Yes, ma’am.”  

However, she suddenly shoved me against a pillar and placed one hand firmly against the wall in a dominant stance, making me shut my mouth without further protest.  

“…Lady Meredia?”  

“I said, stay still.”  

But then, as she unfastened my coat and started undoing the buttons of my dress shirt, I genuinely wondered if I should start screaming.  

“I-I think this is a bit too soon for me….”  

“…Oh, is it?”  

I tried to weakly resist with a timid voice, but Meredia’s expression, as she looked up after stopping halfway through unbuttoning, was terrifying.  

– Swoosh….  

In the end, I simply shut my mouth again as her slender fingers ran over my exposed chest.  

And then, a short silence fell between us.  

“…Could you, um, hurry up before someone sees?”  

As I nervously glanced around, Meredia finally removed her hand from my chest and asked me in a quiet voice.  

“Are you really saying nothing happened?”  

“…O-Of course?”  

“Are you absolutely sure?”  

“Well, whatever it is, you just checked yourself, didn’t you?”  

Even after my response, she asked one more time with suspicion before sighing and murmuring under her breath.  

“…I must have been mistaken. Sorry.”  

“……”

“It’s just that I sensed an energy similar to the curse on my right hand coming from you.”  

Since it was rare for Meredia to apologize, I found it unexpected.  

However, upon hearing her next words, I finally understood her overreaction.  

“I also have a restriction that prevents me from carelessly revealing this.”  

As she spoke, she raised her right hand, which, unsurprisingly, was trembling slightly.  

“Anyway, it’s a relief that it wasn’t anything serious. I thought I had been betrayed.”  

“…That would never happen. Haha.”  

Noticing from experience that her right hand always trembled when she showed weakness, I smiled as usual to prevent the atmosphere from becoming awkward.  

“Believe it or not, I’m a white mage. Someone like me wouldn’t fall prey to black magic….”  

– Swoosh….  

But in the middle of speaking, for some reason, Lady Meredia’s slender hand once again touched my chest, causing me to swallow my words.  

“I’ll button it back up myse—”  

“…It was my mistake, so stay still.”  

Was I hallucinating?  

As she focused her gaze downward, buttoning my dress shirt again, her face seemed slightly flushed.  

“Don’t cause unnecessary trouble.”  

I rubbed my eyes and looked again, but she had already returned to her usual cold expression, speaking to me in an irritated tone.  

Seeing that, I figured I must have imagined it.  

“Are you telling me not to make you worry?”  

“…Shut up.”  

Feeling slightly disappointed, I tested her reaction, but all I got in return was a sharp rebuke.  

“That aside, there are a lot of annoying bugs around lately.”  

“Bugs?”  

Feeling a bit dejected, I let her tighten my tie, but she suddenly glanced behind her and muttered.  

– Crackle….  

At that moment, Meredia’s jewel-like eyes faintly glowed red.  

“Kyaa!”  

A sharp scream burst out from behind a pillar, and a silhouette, presumably that of Lady Adele, hurriedly lowered her head and dashed toward the stadium.  

“You know the rules, right? If any strange scandals spread, our contract is immediately nullified. I can’t allow my reputation to be tarnished.”  

“…I understand, but this is unfair.”  

“Hmph.”  

I blankly watched the scene and hastily tried to explain myself, but Meredia’s suspicion remained deeply ingrained.  

“So, how is the plan going?”  

“…Since I’ve got permission, it’s time to make contact with the Saintess and bring her to the selection match.”  

Just as I was worrying about how to appease her, she changed the subject, which I gladly followed.  

“Don’t expect my help like last time. That was beyond absurd.”  

“Haha, I’ll keep that in mind.”  

She stared at me with a look of displeasure for a while before turning sharply and walking toward the stadium.  

“Don’t mess up like an idiot—do it properly.”  

It was hard to tell if it was criticism or encouragement, but considering it came from Meredia, I decided to take it as motivation.  

“…Alright, time to get moving.”  

I had to pull myself together and join Hestia, helping her awaken as the true Saintess.  

– Pfft. Your fiancée is adorable.  

That way, after the near-fatal encounter yesterday…  

– By the way, I didn’t expect her to sense me. That was unexpected.  

I might finally be able to deal with this damned woman who had done something to me against my will and was now talking inside my head without pause.  

*****  

Some time later, in the spectator waiting room near the academy’s main building…  

“Whew… I thought I was going to die from exhaustion.”  

Avoiding the public eye, Saintess Hestia reached the waiting room, gasping for breath.  

Her legs gave out, and she slumped onto a seat with a tearful expression.  

“…Ha, trust me, it was harder for me sneaking you away from the Holy Nation’s people.”  

“But still….”  

“We both had a rough time, so at least stay still while I do your disguise this time, Saintess.”  

Hearing Bergen’s exhausted reprimand, she immediately shut her mouth.  

“So, what about that knight, Runiel?”  

“W-We separated along the way. She was going to rejoin us under Sir Whitney’s employ….”  

“Oh, right.”  

As he asked about Runiel’s whereabouts, Bergen rubbed his temples as if struggling to stay focused and stood up.  

“Then get ready for another disguise session.”  

“Eek….”  

“Don’t give me that look—wait, am I actually the villain here? Never mind. Just don’t be too upset. This is all for your sake, you know?”  

“…Yes.”  

Just as it seemed like Bergen’s disguise show was about to begin in the waiting room…  

– Knock, knock, knock….  

A sudden knock on the door made Hestia tremble in fear while Bergen, who was taking out his disguise kit, stiffened.  

“It’s me, everyone.”  

“…Oh, that scared me.”  

But soon, Whitney’s voice came from beyond the door, making Bergen sigh in relief and lower his guard.  

“Right, we were supposed to meet here. Man, my head’s all over the place.”  

“…No.”  

“Huh?”  

But oddly, Hestia, who was still frozen beside him, had an unusual reaction.  

“T-The person behind the door… isn’t Sir Whitney.”  

“…What?”  

Her voice trembled with fear as she spoke, making Bergen instinctively reach for his knife again, his face filled with confusion.  

“Wait, then… who just spoke?”  

“I-It’s… the one who’s been tormenting me all this time….”  

Before she could finish her sentence…  

– ….  

The door creaked open, revealing the person outside.  

“Why are you all so tense?”  

Strangely enough, contrary to Hestia’s fearful claim, the one who entered looked exactly like Whitney.  

“What? It’s just your employer.”  

Bergen frowned and shot a confused look at Hestia, but her eyes remained fixated on Whitney.  

– Long time no see, huh?  

To be precise, she was staring at the dark figure beside Whitney, which only she, possessing the Saintess’s ability to perceive souls, could see.  

“…Y-You.”  

“…?”  

“A-Are you here to torment me again…?”  

Trembling, she shrank behind Bergen, her voice full of fear.  

“Hestia?”  

“What’s with her all of a sudden?”  

Of course, Whitney and Bergen had no idea what was happening and simply exchanged puzzled glances.  

– Oh no, I got caught again!  

Meanwhile, Hestia, peeking out from behind Bergen, could only stare in shock as the black figure continued to speak.  

– I tried to possess this girl’s body like I did to you, but instead, I got absorbed into her soul! Haha….  

Considering how ominous the entity looked while speaking so cheerfully, it was hard to take its words at face value.  

“Hestia. Could it be that….”  

“…Hic.”  

“Do you see something next to me?”  

At that moment, Whitney flashed a chilling smile as he asked her, his words almost sounding like a leading question.  

“If you do, I’d appreciate it if you told me….”  

– Yeah, tell him!  

In the end, Hestia didn’t say a word.  

‘They’re both too scary…!’  

To her, both Whitney and the shadowy figure appeared equally terrifying.  

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