Queen Gizelotte is lounging in her room in the royal annex.
Or at least, that’s who she appears to be on the surface. Deep down, she’s the Devil Lord possessing the queen’s body.
And anyone who knows this fact calls her:
“Lord Lucifyra.”
Vari the devil kneels and bows her head low.
“I’m here to report my findings upon infiltrating the Royal Granfelt Specialized Academy of Magic.”
She explains the Schoolwide Standardized Magic Proficiency Exam being held at the academy soon.
And how her target, Charlotte Zenfis, is expressing extraordinary zeal for the event.
These two factors alone wouldn’t be anything worth noting. However…
“Shiva the Black Knight and Theresia Montpellier seemed to be meeting in secret.”
It happened immediately after Haruto Zenfis had been summoned by Theresia to discuss the proficiency exam.
It’d be impossible not to suspect something was afoot.
“What were Shiva and Theresia discussing?”
“I’m terribly sorry, My Lord. I was afraid of stepping into Shiva’s surveillance range. I couldn’t get too close…” Her voice is strained with fear and panic.
“Oh well, that’s too bad. It’ll be a hassle if they find out you’re at the academy to monitor Charlotte Zenfis. Your judgment wasn’t wrong.”
Vari lets out a sigh of relief.
“Besides,” the Devil Lord says, “based on that, I can easily predict the situation they’re in.”
The sight of Lord Lucifyra as Gizelotte giggling like a child has shivers running up Vari’s spine.
“U-Um… I don’t understand at all. What is the situation they’re in?”
“It’s simple. They found it.”
“They found…it?”
“They must’ve had some idea that one of them would be there. That would explain why Charlotte Zenfis was able to transfer to the academy using methods that seemed a little too suspect.”
Vari─still unable to follow what it is─looks to her master with a perplexed expression.
Her master playfully continues, “The card in question is most positively somewhere in the academy.”
I see! Vari’s lightbulb finally flicks on.
But if Charlotte and her allies already have some idea of where the card is…
“I’ll infiltrate the academy and conduct a search for the card right away─”
“Wait,” ordered the Devil Lord.
Vari tries to stand up, but she freezes in place at the command of her master. She couldn’t lift a finger if she tried.
“No need to be hasty. There seems to be a reason they cannot act immediately.”
“What do you mean…?” Vari can feel the tension escape her body, and she lifts her gaze.
“There must be a special condition that needs to be met for the card to appear… Perhaps a certain timing.”
The devil asks, “Are you saying the Schoolwide Standardized Magic Proficiency Exam holds the key to that condition?”
“Yes.” The Devil Lord nods with certainty.
“Then what may I do to assist?”
“Let’s see… Charlotte Zenfis will be competing in the Four Knights Match. Based on her abnormal zeal to be a part of it, the card’s appearance must have something to do with the match─like obtaining victory.”
Even if there is another trigger, the loss of Charlotte’s team would drastically lower the odds of the card falling into their hands.
The Devil Lord says, “You must disguise yourself as a student in uniform, enter the Four Knights Match, and snatch victory out of their hands.”
“Wha?!” Vari lets out a yelp. “I-I mean, excuse me… But disguising myself as a student? Isn’t that a bit…”
Right now, Vari has only changed her hair color and skin tone. If she were to run into Charlotte and her cohorts, she’d instantly be recognized.
“It shouldn’t be a problem. You’d be in uniform,” says her master.
“Um, I mean… The uniform will cover up my figure, but they might recognize my face.”
“The human memory is a feeble thing. Besides, you’ve been altering your mana each time you’ve encountered them. They won’t notice unless they pay close attention.”
Any further rebuttal would be life-threatening.
However, Vari is determined to avoid failing the mission and disappointing her Lord.
She squeezes out her voice with resolve.
“Setting that aside, I am going to be participating in the game. They’ll surely realize I’m not a student there if they’ve never seen me before.”
“I’ll take care of that. Theresia will listen to a request or two of mine.”
Vari gazes up at her smirking master as she pictures herself in a schoolgirl’s uniform.
D-Don’t you think I’d be pushing it…?
No matter how hard Vari tries, at best, she’d look mid-twenties.
Will I be able to pull off looking like a schoolgirl? the devil wonders.