“I wasn’t at the battlefield myself so all my knowledge comes from what I read in books and my grandfather’s stories, but I’ve heard that it was a power far superior to magic. Its strength, the speed at which it could be cast, and even the scale of their techniques were far greater than ours. Also, it was said that the casters who defeated the king’s army all had crimson red eyes and fluttering gray hair.”
The Lapis Nation was one of Platina’s neighboring countries. Sharing borders with both Platina and the Iris Empire, it was the largest country in the world and owned one-third of the continent just like the Iris Empire, but its borders had been closed for hundreds of years.
“Still, doesn’t Platina have an alliance with the Iris Empire?”
“Yes, but it was just an alliance to oppose the Lapis Nation. It’s hard to say whether or not the nations actually trust each other. The royals of each country are currently studying in exchange programs in an attempt to soothe their strained relationship.”
“I see…”
“Plus, conflicts between those in power in the Iris Empire have risen in recent years. It seems like public safety has been declining throughout the empire. There’s even been trouble in our country near the northern border, which is shared with both Lapis and Iris.” Apparently, there had been incidents of divisions disappearing near the border, mysterious groups of people in white appearing, and even incidents of clashes between security forces and the region’s citizens. And to top it all off, the northern region hadn’t had a fruitful harvest in years, making matters even worse.
“So that’s why His Majesty wants to speed up the research into sorcery.”
“Exactly. His Majesty has been secretly looking into the ancient power of sorcery for a very long time. But since it is thought to have been lost a thousand years ago and there are only a handful of books describing it, our research is on the verge of coming to a standstill.”
While listening to Tuvalu, something about their discussion of the Lapis Nation earlier niggled in the back of Leticiel’s mind. From the explanation she had heard, it seemed like the mysterious power was somewhat similar to sorcery, but she’d never heard of sorcery changing the caster’s hair or eye color.
Now that I have the right to enter the royal library, perhaps I’ll find some clues if I look there. The sorcery otaku’s blood stirred in excitement. Though she remained expressionless, below her mask, Leticiel’s desire to research and find new information she’d never known before had her itching to start.
“Oh, by the way, His Majesty gave me this letter for you. Please take it.” Tuvalu drew a letter out of his breast pocket. Leticiel accepted it and opened the envelope.
Inside was a single piece of paper written in the king’s handwriting. It said he wanted her to give Tuvalu a lab of his own and that he had prepared a security system, but that they should still be careful.
“Thank you,” Leticiel replied when she’d finished reading. “Now, let’s go upstairs. Except for mine, all of the research labs are empty, so you may choose whichever one you’d like.” Since no one else was using the second floor, she didn’t see a point in assigning him a room.
“Really? Thank you!” After they’d gone upstairs, Tuvalu looked around and said, “Erm, I’ll take this one, then.” He had chosen the research lab on the far left side, right next to Leticiel’s.
Resolute, Leticiel decided to ask Tuvalu about the bell. “Hey, Tuvalu, have you ever seen this before?” Not many people had a reason to come to the research facility, so she thought that maybe, as someone who was involved with it, he might know, but…
“Is it…a bell? No, I’ve never seen it before,” Tuvalu said, shaking his head after he’d taken the bell for a closer look. Apparently, Leticiel had been wrong. “Did you find it here?”
“Yes, it was on the ground in front of my research lab.”
“This is exquisitely made. The design has been engraved carefully, in great detail,” Tuvalu murmured to himself, impressed, as he returned the bell to Leticiel. “Why don’t you try asking someone at the museum?”
“A curator? Why do you say that?”
“This is just one possibility, but since it’s so carefully crafted, it may be part of an antique.” Apparently, many of the paintings, vases, and other decorations used when renovating the research facility were replicas that the museum no longer needed. “The curators were coming in and out of here during the construction,” Tuvalu explained. “One of them may have dropped part of a decoration at that time.”
“That is one possibility. Then I’d better hurry and ask.” She didn’t have any after-school training today, so it was best to go right away.
“Ah, may I go part of the way with you?”
“I don’t mind. Is there something you must do as well?”
“Yes. I have to meet with the student council, so I’ll be going to the main building.”
“I see.”
Since Tuvalu had asked, Leticiel headed toward the museum with him. The sorcery research facility and the museum were both tucked in the same forest. If you were to go in a straight line, they weren’t that far away at all.
“If you’re meeting with the student council, does that mean you’re a member?” Leticiel asked.
“No, that’s not it… For some reason, the vice president has taken a liking to me, so I get called in even though I’m not a member… Ha ha ha…”
Tuvalu gave a hollow laugh. Leticiel didn’t know who the vice president was, but she could imagine Tuvalu being manipulated and having a hard time of it. She smiled bitterly in response to his dry laughter.
After parting ways with Tuvalu, who headed toward the main building, Leticiel arrived at the museum. The museum’s main building had a semi-basement structure with a long, grand staircase leading up to the first floor and main entrance. After climbing the stairs and entering the building, she found herself in a circular entrance hall with a marble floor and black marble columns decorated with metal and glass. A corridor extended off the back of the entryway, which sparkled from the light filtering through the dome roof’s skylight.
At the far end of the corridor was a staircase leading to the floor above. It had a landing with stairs leading to both the left and right sides. A statue of a woman was placed on the landing. The pedestal alone was as tall as Leticiel, the entire statue being three times her height, making it difficult to see all the way to the top.
The aura here changes depending on the time of day. She had come to the museum in the morning once for an art class, but it was completely different now in the afternoon. The orange light that dyed the hall created a somewhat somber and lonely impression.
“Oh? That’s…” As she was looking around, Leticiel heard a man’s voice from behind her, surprise clear in his tone. She turned to face him and he exclaimed, “Ah! I knew it was you, Miss Drossell.”
A young curator with an armload of scrolls and books was facing her, blinking in astonishment. Seeing him, Leticiel felt a sense of déjà vu. If she remembered correctly, she’d seen him before.
“Erm, we met before on the holy relics floor…”
“That’s right. I’m Gilm.” He was the curator who had told Leticiel stories about the artifacts from the great war of Astoria when she had visited for her art class. “What are you doing here at this time of the day?”
“Actually, there’s something I’d like to ask you.” She took the bell out of her pocket and showed it to Gilm. His eyes immediately widened.
“Where did you get this?” he asked.
“It was on the ground in front of my research lab. Since it’s so elaborate, I thought it might be part of an antique,” Leticiel explained simply.
Gilm carefully took the bell from her hand and thoroughly examined it. “Ah…this is…,” he murmured, seeming both surprised and relieved.
“Do you know what it is?” Leticiel asked.
“Yes. I believe it’s—”
“Oh, good! Someone’s still here,” someone spoke, cutting Gilm off. Though their manner of speech sounded feminine, the voice definitely belonged to a man. Gilm clamped his mouth shut and turned to face the speaker.
“Mr. Bauliogh? Is something the matter?” Gilm asked the man, who had honey-colored hair, gray eyes, and an extremely sexy gait. He had three large scrolls in his right hand and a stack of different-sized boxes in his right hand.
“Is Director Elisabeth still around? I need to speak with her… Oh, if it isn’t Miss Drossell! Long time no seeee! I’m a little bummed that you haven’t been coming to class lately.”
“Y-Yes, I’m sorry. It has been a while, hasn’t it?”
Bauliogh, the male teacher who spoke and acted like a woman, taught art at the academy. It was during his class that Leticiel had visited the museum with the rest of Primary Class 2. She had heard rumors that his feminine side was so strong that it was impossible to believe he was really a man, and that he was secretly popular with the female students.
Looking between the bell and Bauliogh, Gilm faced Leticiel and asked, “Miss Drossell, may I take this bell? I’ll look into it and share my findings with you at a later date.” In his hand, the bell let out a small ring.
“Yes, please do,” Leticiel answered, nodding in agreement. She wouldn’t be able to do anything even if it were in her possession, so she was fine with him taking it if it meant he could find where it originally belonged or its owner.
“Thank you. Mr. Bauliogh, allow me to escort you to the director’s office.”
“Okay! Then I’ll see you later, Miss Drossell.”
Gilm slipped the bell into his pocket and bowed to Leticiel before going up the stairs with Bauliogh. Giving them only a sideways glance, Leticiel returned the way she had come, as she had no more business in the museum.
Suddenly, she thought she could hear a small bell ringing and turned to see where it was coming from, but Gilm and Bauliogh were already gone. She was the only one left standing in the hall.
Leticiel tilted her head, but assuming that she had just been imagining it, she left the museum without sparing a second thought to the sound.